IP vs Outlooksoft

[#1]

Hi Guys!

We are planning to upgrade our BW-BPS which resides with current BW to NW2004s ; looking at the new functions specially on BI side they have BI-IP, and I found out that SAP is coming up with new tool OutlookSoft next year where the planning are much easier! So, we are thinking of not using IP at all, It make no sense to use IP and next year new tool OutlookSoft. Any thoughts on this.?

[Former Member]

As of now, it is known that SAP will develop both IP and outlook soft. Outlook soft looks good now and we need to see how SAP will integrated into NW family of tools / products.

Ravi Thothadri

[Former Member]

One advantage of IP over Outlooksoft is that, as of right now, Outlooksoft requires a seperate software license whereas IP comes with BI 7.0

[Former Member]

As of date, not much info flowing on outlooksoft (o/s). For now, it is known that o/s sits on a diff server and cannot be integrated into BW server. It is expected that it could be sitting on BW server in mid 2008 but even then, it cannot use the BW objects directly like IP.

As one of the users mentioned, the integration to IP is going to happen, but the complete integration could run into 2009.

SAP indicates that IP would continue to be developed and the 'ease' of o/s would be integrated into IP.

They have come out strongly suggesting that they would drop CPM as it stands currently and replace it with Strategy Management (Pilot Software). No such statement has come out regarding IP.

Cheers

Shyam

[Former Member]

Basically you will always have to upgrade to IP, because SAP is normally going to develop further IP and add outlooksoft functionalities to it and not the other way around. The latest news we had from SAP was that outlooksoft and IP will resolve in one solution on top of BW but the core tehnology from IP(is more extended then outlooksoft) but using the nice frontend tehnology from outlooksoft. They will foresee an automated upgrade from IP but not from outlooksoft.

Kris

[Former Member]

What you say makes sense. Whats the point of using IP when anyway SAP is going to move to outlooksoft in the coming year. I would sit back and wait till SAP comes with this new tool. I personally attended a demo on outlooksoft, it is a cool tool and is very beautiful too compared to Bex. But I believe there would be many challenges to integrate it to SAP, and I would even stay away from the tool till it is stable enough - not to be glued to service market place looking for patches and OSS to fix the issues.

[Former Member]

I agreed that too, No point of using this IP; Even the planning functions can be done from OutlookSoft like copy distribute etc. They have something called Business Rules, we will upgrade and use BW-BPS still and wait for further changes like OutlookSoft.

Thanks guys for the inputs.

[Former Member]

Planning in outlooksoft is much better and easier, since it a product derived from hyperion. The only major advantage of IP/BPS over outllooksofr is the planning functions.. You can avoid IP, or you can use IP and still integrate outlloksoft later on top of IP for front end functionlity. As per news SAP is not extending warranties on IP beyond 2008, and may be they will support it for another couple of years.