What is the future of SAP APO?

[Former Member]

Standard support for SAP APO which is a part of SAP SCM 7.0 will be stopped in 2025. After that, what will happen (apart from extended paid support) ? Which one of the following is correct?

1. New version of SAP SCM Powered by SAP HANA will replace SAP SCM 7.0. So, APO will not change much, though it will have added capabilities because of new SAP HANA platform.
2. Though SAP IBP is not a substitute SAP APO currently, it will have SAP APO capabilities as well in future and will eventually replace SAP APO.
3. SAP IBP will replace both SAP APO and SAP HANA based APO.
4. Even SAP didn’t plant that yet. It has not released a plan or road map yet. So, anything might happen.

Does S4HANA have planning functions? If yes, where will it stand in SAP’s portfolio of planning products, in future?

Kindly give links for more information along with your answers, if possible. Thanks.

[marianoc · Accepted solution]

Hi Satheesh,

Please read this OSS Note:

1648480 - Maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7 Software

This note describes details, restrictions and impacts of the maintenance 
extension for SAP Business Suite 7 core application releases and corresponding 
enhancement packages through 2025.

A couple of months there was an extention from 2020 to 2025.

You can also check these threads:

KR,

Mariano

[former_member584840 · Accepted solution]

We had SAP out at our office for a session of "about to implement more DP and SNP, so is it worth it, ie what is the future", and then hinted that they were building a new demand planning type system, which may replace DP. If it works. For those that remember APO early versions, it takes a while to get things to work, though they still said that APO DP will be supported until 2020, and likely longer assuming lots of companies are still using it. It did not sound like there was a new SNP or PPDS being built. The new HANA tools all seem to mostly sit on top of the current APO DP, so a bit of life left in the old girl yet hopefully.

[HKS]

HI SRS,

APO SPP will be managed by Service Supply Chain through HANA

it will be enabled on HANA when SCM on HANA is released (planned for Q2/13).

More details: http://service.sap.com/~form/sapnet?_SHORTKEY=01100035870000757440&

Sent from my iPhone

Regards

Harsh

[somnath_manna]

Just keep an eye on S4/HANA ... PPDS and GATP functionalities may move into its fold.

Rest of the stuff (DP, SNP) would be in IBP or in some other avatar.

One thing to note SAP IBP S&OP is actually S&OP on HANA (was named so till Version 3.1 and then IBP started with Version 4 directly).

The key difference currently between SAP IBP and S4/HANA is the fact IBP is native HANA application i.e. without any ABAP layer while S4/HANA is actually ABAP running on HANA DB only.

In S4/HANA the application logic is a combination of regular ABAP + stored procedures in HANA DB layer.

Disclaimer: Views are purely mine and neither SAP's or my current, previous companies.

[Former Member]

Any comment on APO_SPP ? (Service Parts Planning)

regards

SRS Kannan

[Former Member]

Thank you all for your answers.

[Former Member]

Based on my own research and answers in this thread:

- SCM, ERP, CRM, SRM etc are part of single S/4HANA server. It is a new platform with SAP HANA and optional cloud. SAP APO is NOT going to be sunset in 2025. Only the versions, SAP SCM 7.0 and SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA 2013 are being sunset by 2025 (as opposed to earlier plan of 2020).

- SAP never confirmed or denied whether SAP IBP is going to replace SAP APO. So, I guess it all depends on how SAP IBP will evolve and what customers need.

[former_member182449]

Hi Satheesh

I think I said that to my first reply to you in this thread , by sharing the information into the link

Regards

Rami

[Former Member]

Hi Rami,

   Yes, thank you. I acknowledged that in my post above, too.

  Just thought that I would summarize. Thanks.

Regards

Satheesh

[satish_waghmare3]

Ho Satheesh,

Below details are based on notes which I had written in the past and it may not be accurate.

As per my knowledge on SAP's new SCM Strategy, Integrated Business Planning solution comprises sales and operations Planning, Inventory Planning, Demand and Supply Planning. IBP(Integrated Business Planning solution) will not include GATP/PP-DS.  GATP will part of Logistics and order fulfillment and will be clubbed on ECC side.

SAP IBP will come with the speed of the SAP HANA platform and with/without SAP Cloud option.  Logistics and order fulfillment (ECC) track will focus on solutions in the areas - customer service, distribution and fulfillment and logistic network. Focus is definitely on end-to-end and advance visibility, tight integration/consolidation, real time planning/execution and analytics etc and HANA will be on the spotlight.

SAP definitely has a great vision and positive step forward for developing more integrated, technologically powerful and user-centric solution. Now they must execute on that vision to make it real, since they are many hurdles too - one of them current APO installed base.

SAP APO may still be required to support some operational and optimization features and but others areas/features of APO are expected to merge completely with ERP or IBP side or may be something else. 

Standard support for APO will stop in 2020.  however extended support will be available beyond 2020 for 3-5 years period.

Hope this will help.

Thank you

Satish Waghmare

[former_member182449]

Hi Satheesh

Please refer to this two link :

http://sapinsider.wispubs.com/Assets/Articles/2014/October/SPI-integrated-business-planning-for-dema...

http://www.news-sap.com/sap-committed-innovation-choice-sap-business-suite/

Regards

Rami