It’s been the week when the Icelandic Ash tried to muddy my view of SAP Land. However I have been victorious! And to keep it topical: What’s this week’s fall-out?

• The Var Guy evaluates SAP’s EcoHub in a short blog post, naming it (just like SAP) an application store. Apparently the ill-named EcoHub offers over 500 different solutions. I wonder if people who get so excited about it have ever dived any deeper into any of those 500 offerings? You would expect you get some nitty gritty apps to install (it is called an “app store” after all!), but most of the time when you click on the “Demo” button, you’re presented with a contact form. If you’re interested in any pricing details you’re referred to your “local SAP representative”. So in what way is EcoHub different from any fluffy showcase event? If you call something an “App Store” then put some “butter to the fish” (that’s a german saying).
• SAP Dr Angelika Dammann as new Executive Board Member
• excellent SDN blog post by SAP’s Thomas Weiss on “
• Eric Kimberling weights in with a good SAP vs Oracle article. I wish he would spill more beans, but I guess he doesn’t want to give away the crown jewels. 😉
• former SAP CEO Leo Apotheker joins US software firm GT Nexus
• CIO with some interesting insights into SAP Enhancement Packs & upgrades. It gets a bit general towards the end though. Jon Reed weighs in with some good points
• Despite “restructuring”: SAP promises “5000 Developer jobs are safe” (translated via WiWo & Google Translate)
• Silicon.de interviews Vishal Sikka. Here is the english Google Translate version

and here’s a pick from Twitter

koehntopp: I love the smell of Walldorf in the morning

vlvl: RT @Capgemini_SAP: The SAP Community Network saved me 7 hours of work today. Simply brilliant experience

koehntopp: @vlvl the question is: what did they bill the customer? 😉 #scn (nb. in response to @vlvl’s retweet!)

dahowlett: RT @vendorprisey: good. SAP appoints an HR professional to the board. < and an outsider so no taint

dbmoore: RT @SAPinsider: Did you know that 77% of SAP’s customers are #SMEs? <<Depends on your definition of small and medium …

MarkYolton: RT @thevarguy: The VAR Guy: EcoHub: SAP’s App Store Attracts Partners <hot

tbroek: Just got an email from #sapphire now that my agile SAP session didn’t get selected 🙁 “It is unable to use”. Agile still not that important?

Okay folks the easter bunny managed to prevent me from posting last week’s news, so this week you get a whole-lotta-SAP-Land-goodness more:

• he does it again: SAP’s Craig Cmehil once again puts himself under the strain of a 24h Friday Morning Report Marathon. This year -like last- he managed to raise $$$$ for Doctors Without Borders. He’s got an amazing line-up of people on his show this time!
• Dennis Howlett has done it again: with his “six questions for SAP Management” he puts forward some incovenient points to the boys at the helm.
• Jon Reed and the Enterprise Geeks do it again: “Finding geeks and keeping them happy” gives you a little insight into the world of a programmer, geek, nerd <insert any other explentives here>.
• Andy Klee says what’s wrong with SAP-related LinkedIn Groups and suggests how to use them properly
• fellow Mentor Vijay Vijaysankar with a daring blog on “Women Geeks and their Troubles“. Someone’s not too afraid to pick up a very hot potato…
• there’s also been some inspired and passionate debating going on my recent blog entitled “SAP from the Apple tree“. OK, it’s a shameless plug, but I don’t care.

and what did I spot in Twitterland?

• SAPPHIRENOW:  Bill in Orlando, Jim in Frankfurt.
• vlvl: Realizing that Santana will play in SAPPHIRE Orlando and Duran Duran in SAPPHIRE Frankfurt, I’m rethinking going to Orlando. #80srule
• jonerp: RT @pixelbase @jonerp @vlvl let’s hope that Snabe and McDermott are not the “Union of the snake” 😉 >>> classic SAP Tweet of the week (in reply to @vlvl)
• jspath55: RT @ccmehil About 2 hrs until go live with the 24 Hour Marathon! [more like 2 seconds to go now!]

It’s spring and as we all know it’s the time when SAP rises. Let’s see…

• According to Forrester there is an uncertain future for SAP’s Netweaver
• Dennis Howlett hits home many birds in one go with his post about SAP’s wasted passion. “What they’re all missing is a discussion around how SAP harnesses the passion of the Caroline’s of this world. Work on that and things could change dramatically.“
• The Economist with a great piece on IT leaders. We think the Jobs/Schmidt spat is new, but a look into corporate history reveals that it’s always been like that. It’s all egos and pissing contests.
• Rimini Street strikes back – and sues Oracle
• Sapience writes about the determination of SAP’s Business By Design (BBD)
• Thomas Otter on why “Usability doesn’t mean UI”. I like it how Thomas is on the same page with developers and analysts when it comes to what REALLY matters in business application development (and why it shouldn’t be more like Facebook).

Tweet, tweet

• tbroek: Is SAP going the same way as Philips (video 2000) a decade ago? Great products and solutions but not able to sell them?
• yojibee: RT @Tech_Women: New blog post: The New Face of Geek Chic  by @ITSinsider#ALD10 << featuring me <blush>

here is my selection of favourite SAP spehere blogs over the last few days:

• Enterprise Irregular Phil Wainewright with some thoughts on Saas, Cloud and impact on SAP Partners
• according to the new SAP co-CEOs it’s now “pedal to the metal”
• Thomas Wailgum sees the “Techies back in charge” at SAP
• Mentor Trio Jon Reed, Stephen Johannes and Vijay Vijayasankar talk about “The state of SAP CRM”
• the VAR guy compared SAP and Oracle in terms of social media activity. Doesn’t quite capture the SAP side in the right light, I thought.
• Jon Reed with another good one on “

What’s the story, Twitterverse glory?

• dbmoore: RT @pixelbase: NYT “SAP says it is now pedal to the metal”  <<like Toyota? 😉
• steverumsby: 12sprints has been renamed to SAP StreamWorks. #saptt #sapteched
• esjewett: I’m becoming pretty convinced that SAP marketing around in-memory is believed internally and is going to result in bad strategic decisions.