SAP has developed an alternative method to place Microsoft SQL Server systems in the cloud without using its own RISE with SAP application.

SAP announces an SAP ERP migration option for Microsoft SQL. This allows companies to move their old SAP systems running on Microsoft SQL Server to the cloud. In the past, the company offered its software for various databases, including Oracle, IBM’s DB2 and SQL Server. In 2010, its own HANA database was added and in 2015, SAP released a completely new ERP for it: S/4HANA.

Not yet fully established choice

Unfortunately, ERP migration projects are often very slow and expensive. For this reason, some organizations are hesitant to make the switch. With the Microsoft SQL option, users go through two phases to move their systems to the cloud and finally switch to the S/4HANA system.

Only 37 percent of SAP legacy ECC customers had applied for a license in the second quarter of 2024. S4/HANA: SAP’s preferred method for cloud migration is RISE with SAP. It includes numerous system integrations, cloud infrastructure and software to gradually transition users to the cloud. SAP would like to enable its customers to flexibly migrate ECC systems to new versions. Switching via RISE with SAP is not mandatory, but it is a logical next step.

Last year it became painfully clear that SAP was investing heavily in the cloud. Companies that operate S/4HANA on their own systems and therefore not in the cloud do not receive any new functionalities. The fact that people who chose the cloud were given preferential treatment was off-putting to many. SAP itself cited poor communication on their part.