SAP leverages Microsoft Office to improve UI
by Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM
The first version of Mendocino, the joint SAP/Microsoft project that delivers a seamless working environment between mySAP 2004 applications and Microsoft Office 2003, was released to select customers in December. General release is expected midsummer 2006. Mendocino lets users do things like manipulate SAP data in Excel or Outlook, yet automatically update mySAP.
Only four Mendocino-enabled functions—budget monitoring; and time, leave, and organizational management—are available now, but the two companies expect to add many more—particularly when Version 2, which will leverage Office 12, is released.
Designed to compete with slicker, more intuitive user interfaces (UI) found in Oracle's E-Business Suite and the HR applications Oracle acquired from PeopleSoft, Mendocino stands up well, says Judy Sweeney, an analyst with Boston-based AMR Research.She says there is enough productivity enhancement potential in version 1 to encourage potential users not to wait for the more powerful version 2.
Sweeney's only caveat is cost, as Microsoft and SAP have yet to reveal a licensing plan for Mendocino.
