Customers Say Technical Challenges Are Main Obstacle to Following SAP's BI Roadmap

Online, February 9, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A new report from insiderRESEARCH reveals that technical integration is the #1 challenge companies must face when following the SAP BI roadmap. Based on a survey of more than 300 SAP customers and consultants, the report finds that technical challenges rank ahead of budget, staffing, and understanding of BI applications when it comes to planning and executing an SAP BI project.

SAP announced that SAP BusinessObjects products would be the strategic direction for user-facing business intelligence (BI) shortly after acquiring Business Objects in 2008. Three years later, insiderRESEARCH finds that while 76% of customers say they are committed to following the roadmap, a majority of that group (52%) remains in the evaluation phase.

"Many companies are in a holding pattern right now," says Davin Wilfrid, senior analyst at insiderRESEARCH. "They intend to follow the SAP BI roadmap, but they need more clarity into how the SAP BusinessObjects products fit their business needs, and to be better prepared for the unique challenges posed by an integration project."

The insiderRESEARCH report, called The SAP BI Roadmap: Perceptions, Challenges, and Opportunities for SAP Customers, clarifies some of the most confusing aspects of the SAP BI roadmap and offers decision makers invaluable guidance based on:

•Insight into what their peers are doing
•Clarity into the SAP BI roadmap
•Objective analysis of the challenges of following the SAP BI roadmap
•Real-world advice for navigating those challenges

Other key findings

The report also found that:

•Only 15% of SAP customers track the ROI of their BI initiatives
•More than half of respondents (62%) say their end users do not have the skills necessary to get the most out of SAP BusinessObjects applications
•While most respondents (62%) say they do not have enough information about the SAP BI roadmap, a large majority are able to correctly identify the primary function of each application on the roadmap
•Almost half of respondents (44.5%) say gathering requirements for a BI project is "difficult" or "extremely difficult"
•Almost a quarter of respondents (24.1%) did not believe their consultants were capable of recommending the correct BI applications for their needs

The full report is available for download at: www.insiderresearch.wispubs.com/SAPBIroadmap

About insiderRESEARCH
insiderRESEARCH is an independent research firm from the publishers of SAPinsider Magazine. This report represents the independent work of insiderRESEARCH, and has not been sponsored by any outside party.

About WIS Publishing
WIS Publishing is the premier independent provider of SAP training materials, with more than 250,000 customers in 61 countries. WIS Publishing is the publisher of SAPinsider, insiderPROFILES, and the SAPexperts publications, and is the producer of the SAPinsider conferences and the Insider Learning Network. For more information, visit http://www.insiderlearningnetwork.com

SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG in Germany and several other countries. WIS Publishing is not affiliated with SAP AG or any of the SAP AG group of companies.