With the SDN Subscription Program SAP for the first time offers it’s whole bunch of development platforms and environments to the development community. Or, in SAP’s words:

“Individuals who purchase an SAP NetWeaver developer license online receive the software, services and educational materials needed to leverage the power of SAP NetWeaver.”

With much fanfare this new service was launched at last week’s TechEd in Las Vegas (well, SDNer heard about it before) and it will first be available in the US and Germany, mainly because of business process issues and localisations. It is rumored that access to the privileged group of SDN Subscription Program users will come with a hefty price tag (around 2300 USD per annum) if compared to similar offerings such as the Microsoft Partner Program (around 400 USD excl VAT).

Is it for me?

This is the first question any aspiring or professional SAP software developer asks himself. In general it is fair to say that installing SAP software is not an easy task, can be very time consuming and requires some help & hints from outsiders. This aspect might already rule out any keen-but-unexperienced, new developer who wants to fast track into a SAP career all by himself. In what way the premium support from SAP can help here needs to be assessed once people actually got their hands on these systems. In addition, installations very often require resource-hungry hardware, which can add to the cost of such an evaluation and development system.

Experienced developers who find themselves without provision of a healthy IT budget from their boss might not be too tempted either. Add up the financial sacrifice of having to fund the subscription out of your own pocket and the time it takes to set everything up (in your spare time) – a fairly obvious answer, especially if all you want is just to have a little ‘nosey’ to see what’s around the corner.

Opportunities in post training or post certification

However if you’re a bit more serious, it might all add up for you if you’re wanting to stretch out your skill set into areas that are not represented in the free, downloadable trials on the SDN website. XI could be one example here. A subscription can enable you to install, train yourself up and develop custom XI applications. One could argue that a SAP XI training and / or certification course could get you there quicker – and you’re probably right there. Having said that, the subscription is probably best to be used to get deeper into a specific area once you’re back from the training course.

Any other takers?

Development teams of IT departments who find themselves in a potential SAP project could benefit by subscribing to the program and thereby trying to be ahead of the game. In this case money, time and staff numbers make the SDN subscription a cost-effective springboard onto a potential and larger SAP project and ensures your team has the edge when the going gets tough. But before I get completely taken away with praise here, I have to mention that potential SAP customers usually have already approached a consulting partner who might be offering a sandbox system for the required platforms and stacks anyway in which case a subscription becomes irrelevant. However it could still bridge a gap before a partner or licensing agreement is established.

One other potential area I can think of are little start-ups and smaller consulting businesses, trying to gnaw their way into what is a crowded market with high financial entrance barriers. A subscription program can be the perfect solution to try out an idea that you have or simply create a demo system in order to taut for new business with a new and swanky SAP bolt-on solution that you’ve had in your head for ages. It remains to be seen what SAP’s legal stand here is (and I am not an expert in this area), as the official line is:

“The program offers individual developers and consultants a one-year license for internal developmental and evaluation purposes(…)“.

“Internal” and “evaluation” being the keywords here….

Conclusion

You might find it challenging to reap the benefits out of a pricey subscription if you’re SAP development newbie on a tight (personal) budget or an experienced developer who just wants to see what’s around the corner. If you fall into these categories, you might be better off by sticking with the free trials and downloads from SDN. On the downside, you do not benefit from the premium support and training material, but you might not need all of this anyway.

If, on the other hand, you’re serious about getting further and learn new SAP development skills and maybe even already contemplated becoming certified in a specific Netweaver area then the SDN subscription program could be a perfect piece in that development jigsaw for you. It can also be beneficial for IT departments who know they might be involved into SAP installations and developments in the near future, but have no opportunity to get their hands onto it just yet – it can be a perfect and cost-effective way to get ahead of the game. Lastly, if you’re an ambitious start-up or someone with a good development idea who found it difficult in the past to get your hands onto a SAP system, then a subscription can be just the ticket.