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SDN Subscriptions - a bit disappointing?

pokrakam
Active Contributor
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G'Day folks,

At long last, the eagerly awaited <a href="https://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/subscriptions">SDN Subscriptions</a> have been unveiled. Well, if you are in USA or Germany that is.

Fantastic, I thought! However looking at the details I must confess I'm more than a little disappointed.

Why? a) no ECC (MM/SD/FI etc), and b) the price. As Mario explains in <a href="/people/mario.herger/blog/2007/10/11/sdn-subscriptions--what-you-can-do-now-what-you-couldnt-before blog</a>, it is an offering of "<i>individual licenses for freelancers, independent consultants, "one-developer-shops" and everybody who is interested to lay hands on NetWeaver.</i>"

Well, at $2300 <i>per year</i> plus tax that's a bit steep for the modicum of benefits I get over the Test Drive. For starters there's no ECC. So that basically give me a somewhat more functional testdrive where I no longer need to export/import my test programs and stuff if I want to upgrade. As a freelancer whom this is intended for, I simply cannot justify this. With ECC maybe, but without it SAP have outpriced this target market here. Compare with Microsoft's equivalent which costs around $300/year (I think - I paid in UK Pounds). Or there are companies out there which offer the same for far less. E.g. <a href="http://www.michaelmanagement.com/">these guys</a> are cheaper AND I get a full ECC system to play with. Compare also to a SAP TechEd registration (which I go to every year and I see as good value for money).

What do other freelancers/consultants think?

Cheers,

Mike

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Answers (6)

Answers (6)

Former Member
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Hi Mike,

To be fair to SAP, I think the MS Partner Action Pack doesn't contain 'all their business software' - its got Dynamics CRM, a good selection of (non Enterprise Edition) OS software, Exchange, Office System , MOSS and some back office tools. Beta access, SDK and support is limited

Its designed to be used by partners in promoting the sale of MS Software (the license explicitly limits it to be used internally for this purpose, and they've recently introduce a mandatory an MS sales education requirement to qualify for the action pack). I've had to invest in both the partner pack (for my internal infrastructure) and MSDN (for development tools).

If you are going to make a fair cost comparison IMHO you have to use the MSDN subscription as the price point, and therefore SAP's offering seems to offer at least comparable, if not better value.

Any other comparison is apples and oranges (or grapefruit).

Cheers

Andrew

Former Member
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Hi Mike,

I'm not sure what Microsoft product you bought but my MSDN subscripton ( or one that delivers OS, Server and Devellopment Apps like 'Microsoft Visual Studio Team Edition 2005 for Software Developers' ) cost around 4000 GBP and then around 1500 GBP per year to maintain - I think there are cheaper options but AFAIK there's no development tools without the more expensive option. So by comparison SAP's offering looks pretty fairly priced to me.

For me the ECC is less important (but still a nice to have) and the big benefit I see over the 'test drives' is I wouldn't have keep reinstalling in the case of license expiration and I'd get access to patches/SPs.

I'll try to get one as soon as its available in the UK.

Thanks

Andrew

Nigel_James
Active Contributor
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Andrew,

Mike was probably referring to the partner program which gets you access to all the server products and office for £200 ex VAT. It is not MSDN but MSDN is what the SAP product should be put up against not the partner program.

I am not convinced of its value yet either. I mean after logging 8 or so hours in the office I am going to coming home and do more SAP? I would only do that if I was working on some sort of development i could productise and sell but the licence for the subs program excludes this sort of development.

just my 2p,

Nigel

or you could just read my blog

pokrakam
Active Contributor
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Indeed, the PArtner Program was what I have subscribed to. It contains all their <i>Business</i> software, which - if we should draw comparisons - would be comparable to the ERP portion.

I don't know if we're comparing apples with grapefruit here though, the marketing model is completely different. SAP's model with the testdrive is to get many people to work with technology so that they can be confident in implementing it at their clients/workplaces, which ultimately sells more licenses for all the fancy new stuff. My experience is that many implementations still have very old-fashioned approaches (including the independent contractors that work there), and pricing independents out of the picture isn't helping.

Agree, I want to invest spare time in something productive - in my case developing packaged solutions. As far as the training/learning aspect is concerned, I find $2000 far better spent on attending TechEd - which I do almost every year (and actually it costs me more than that).

Cheers,

Mike

h_senden2
Active Contributor
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Hi,

SDN Subscriptions looks great in the blog of Ed ( /people/ed.herrmann/blog/2007/10/23/developers-journey-through-the-sdn-subscription-program--ch1-getting-the-goods ), but if i see all the DVDs you will need a big big system to run it on.

For this subscriptions thing i had hoped on a web based solution, or a saas. So it would be easier for SAP to distribute new releases, functionalities etc. And you can run it from everywhere on the world, when you have internet access.

regards,

Hans

Clemenss
Active Contributor
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Hi friends,

I think it fits the overall SAP policy: What ever they sell, make a huge profit or give away for free.

That‘s our advantage as well: Get good money for average service

Regards,

Clemens

former_member583013
Active Contributor
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Mike:

Well...I'm a Freelance ABAP Consultant...So, for me not having ECC (FI, MM, SD) it not a big issue...I got that from the companies I work with...To me the SDN Subscription is really great because it's going to give the opportunity to play with all the development tools that I don't get from my clients in my own home...

About the prize...I think it's ok, considering the hugh amount of goodies that you get...It's a 1 year payment, so it's like paying 192 dollars each month...Not a big deal...

This is of course my point of view....And by living in Perú, I can't get the subscription, but trust me that if I got the option, I would sign up without any second tought...

BTW...You better read Ed's blog....Suresh gives you the link -;)

Greetings,

Blag.

pokrakam
Active Contributor
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Hmm, interesting responses - glad you all agree with each other

Blag - it's a 1 year payment <i>each year</i>. I'm talking about the difference between what you get with the testdrive vs the subscription offering. There's not much extra in there tha I'd use; ECC is of far more value to me as a workflow consultant, my interest is in developing pre-packaged business solutions.

I was tempted to invest in an https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn?rid=/webcontent/uuid/bd85b13c-0a01-0010-1388-93ff16ef96f1">esa [original link is broken] [original link is broken] - a preconfigured server with everything you could wish for, available for under $10,000. Unfortunately not for us independent folks because need an existing license to activate the system (just like IDES). I was hoping SDN subs would be a lightweight/DIY version of this.

Cheers,

Mike

Former Member
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Mike,

With the Discovery System you can obtain a Test and Demo License from SAP, also check thread where David is trying to find out from SAP if it would be possible to use the Dev Subscription License on the Discovery System.

pokrakam
Active Contributor
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Philip,

Thanks for the pointer! Been a bit busy to monitor many forums so I didn't spot that one.

I looked into a Test&Demo license a couple of years ago - I can't remember the details, it was expensive enough for the mind to erase and pretend the idea never existed. Definitively not targeted at the freelance market.

Cheers,

Mike

suresh_datti
Active Contributor
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Mike,

I'm not a consultant, but totally agree with what you mentioned above.. it does seem to be a bit pricey.. more so when you can't take a peek at the Business side of the ERP..but they do have the option of invoking the Enterprise Services from this test system..

PL check this <a href="/people/ed.herrmann/blog/2007/10/23/developers-journey-through-the-sdn-subscription-program--ch1-getting-the-goods">blog</a> from someone who is already onboard the 'subscription' program..

~Suresh