SAP announces major CRM release. (In Other News...).

SAP AG has announced a major update to its CRM application in the form of CRM 4.0, focusing on end-to-end business processes and the provision of industry-specific functionality.

Rachel Cortes, head of CRM at SAP UK, said version 4.0 introduces 280 end-to-end business processes, support for 23 different industry sectors and an updated user interface building on the portal-based interface of SAP 3.1. SAP's last major CRM launch was in 2001.

She said CRM 4.0 is one of the first SAP products to demonstrate deeper use of the Netweaver technology stack, providing integration on user interface, data and business process levels, while bringing associated performance advantages to bear.

For instance, the CRM application taps into Netweaver for its BI capabilities, which are then used by the business processes supported within the CRM application. This approach means information can be shared dynamically across the enterprise, providing a link between relevant customer information and supporting the use of end-to-end processes.

Despite the potential advantages, this approach is reminiscent of Oracle Corp's approach whereby components, which are normally contained within the application, are spread across the application, application server and database on the grounds that the superior levels of integration optimize performance.

SAP also cited performance optimization as one of the major advantages of its split-level design, as well as the ability to support collaboration within and beyond the enterprise, via the Netweaver platform.