Becoming an SAP partner. This was by far the toughest thing I needed to do in the process of getting my software business under way. The overall process wasn’t too bad, but dishing out the cash was the tough part. Initially, I talked to the first round of people at SAP and started to learn the process. The first step you had to do fill out a rather long application and then to classify exactly what is that my software did. After a lot of reading, I determined that my project was an ABAP Add on. This is a fancy way of saying that my entire project was written in ABAP, and didn’t use any other 3rd party integration. Now, the number one requirement that I had to fulfill was to get an SAP developer’s license. With a developer’s license, that gives me the right to code my own software and legally sell it. What I discovered was that there were 2 ways of getting that license. I could buy (3) licenses outright. These were selling for roughly 3400 Euros each. The other way is to buy a certification package, which comes with one license. The price tag for this was around 15000 Euros. Next came the pros and cons. If I bought the certification it meant I’d get the fancy SAP marketing, I could say that SAP has certified my product, and I get (1) license. A great deal, but a lot of cash. However, if I went the cheaper route, I could start selling, and even give myself room for growth. I ultimately chose the certification package. This required lots of forms, paperwork, and of course a big check (that had to be in Euro’s) sent to Germany. Now, all the fun pieces. I’ll save those for another post.
As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to check out our SAP Service Management Products at my other company JaveLLin Solutions,Mike