Re: SAP on AS400?

Mike,

 Well, at least you know your career will not be boring for the next few
years...

1) yes, but SAP covers everything up with its own code so from the
application programmer's POV you don't really know or care what OS you are
runing under.
2-4) Is a kajilliion greater or less than a bazillion?
5) See #1
6) SAP is extremely configurable. In 2001, SAP Gold consultants were
billing $300 per hour. A good one is worth it.
7) The first rule is to *never* modify the underlying code. Customizations
are made through user-exits and tables so upgrades remain possible. When
you install SAP you are buying into an entire development system and you
must drink the Kool-Aid.
8) During implementation you will swear you are in the 9th circle of Hell.
Once that's over you'll actually begin to appreciate how well it works.
Expect initial resistance from users but they'll end up liking the GUI.
9) After 20 yrs I wanted to quit writing RPG so in 2001 I hired on as
IT-liaison for a manufacturing company. The sales/distribution department
and plants used a custom-written RPG ERP system so my iSeries experience
would have been valuable - except that three months later it was announced
the US was merging with overseas ops and everything was to move to SAP on
HP-ux. I ended up on the implementation team, another fellow stayed on
part-time to keep the iSeries alive for a couple of years because
transferring history to SAP wasn't worth the expense. Attrition took care
of the remaining iSeries folk - in many cases they simply decided that
they didn't want to learn anything radically different. Their loss...

JK

> There was just a shocking, brief non-specific message sent out from
> "Headquarters" about moving from our home-grown RPG (non free form, real
> old school), to SAP sent out today.
> 1. Does SAP run natively on OS400/V5R3?
> 2. Does it not in fact cost a few kajilliion dollars?
> 3. What is the licensing scheme (per site/seat/concurrent user, etc.)?
> 4. Does even maintenance/support in fact cost a few kajilliion dollars?
> 5. Does it run on DB2?
> 6. If we want customization, are we asking for a world of never ending
> pain & payment (in a cost range of a few kajilliion dollars)?
> 7. If we want customization, are upgrades a real bitch to pull off?
> 8. For those of you who are current users, what is your satisfaction
> level (1 - Like dying & going to Hell, 10 - Like dying & going to
> Heaven)?
> 9. How did it affect your programming staff if say you migrated from a
> home-grown RPG system like ours to SAP? Did the conversion include early
> retirement offers and/or directions on how to leave the premises like a
> fire drill?