What is SAP doing with SQL Anywhere support?

[former_SQLA_member1694911]

The old Sybase web site (http://www.sybase.com/) has a notice "To All Sybase Customers:" that "Upon renewal, Sybase customers on active maintenance will migrate to SAP® Enterprise Support."

That seems an odd option for an ultralight/embedded/mobile/small office/departmental database like SQL Anywhere. Does anyone know whether SAP is actually directing SQL Anywhere customers to SAP Enterprise Support, or are they being directed to SAP Standard Support?

[Breck_Carter · Accepted solution]

Conversations I've had indicate that SQL Anywhere impresses senior people in SAP and it has a very bright future in the company, technologically speaking.

That takes care of Fear Number One, "SQL Anywhere will fade as a technology".

Fear Number Two, "SAP will mistreat small customers", that's another story. Here's my belief: iAnywhere people will not allow that to happen, even if for some inexplicable reason SAP higher-ups do not follow the financial industry's motto "be nice to the small customers because they might become large customers".

Fear Number Three, "Salesmen are [fill in epithet]", well, when has that ever not been the case? In any industry, any market? You know what to do... 🙂

[former_SQLA_member1694911 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, Breck! That's reassuring.

[VolkerBarth · Accepted solution]

Just to add: Volker Stoeffler has started a new blog series on SCN on SQL Anywhere, and it seems to underline SAP's interest in SQL Anywhere:

• SQL Anywhere – Your Flight Mode Database Server
• Where and why SQL Anywhere is popular – and where it isn’t yet

Particulary the second link lists a lot of SAP products that make usage of SQL Anywhere internally.

---

Note: I'm adding these links as I have found them accidentally - the SCN interface is still a mystery to me:) Yes, that's another story.

[Breck_Carter · Accepted solution]

Re: "the SCN interface is still a mystery to me"

I have never seen a website that

• SEEMS to be well designed and

• SEEMS to be so pleasing to the eye and

• SEEMS to have such an enormous amount of content

yet is SO HARD to navigate... perhaps someone should blog about it 🙂

[former_SQLA_member1694871 · Accepted solution]

Any way to re-establish these links? Looks like the content must have been moved?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

The posts were moved. I found them and updated the links.

[former_SQLA_member1694871 · Accepted solution]

Thanks Jason!

[VolkerBarth · Accepted solution]

The posts were moved. I found them and updated the links.

Since you mention "I found them", that seems to imply you had to search for them, and that would confirm the problems with SCN navigation others have pointed at a year ago...

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

I just went to the SCN, and searched for the article title. It took all of 10 seconds to find them. I am not defending the navigability of the SCN, but the search does seem to work pretty well for me.

[VolkerBarth · Accepted solution]

OK, I just confirmed that. So I'll have to withdraw my current statement:)

Apparently it was a good idea to include the blog title in the link above...

[glenn_barber]

Hi Breck

As a former Sybase Partner I have found that the transition to SAP has made it nearly impossible to buy or sell the SQL Anywhere Solution for our customers. So while SAP says they aren't going to mistreat small customers - they are most certainly not doing well with small partners.

First of all they said we would be seamlessly transitioned as partners under regional managers - however the fine print is that we all had to commit carry $4 million in liability insurance to cover SAP's possible losses from our selling their software (never ever have I heard of something like the from Oracle, Microsoft or Sybase). We use to be able to order Product for our customers from the Eshop - now we find we have to contact the mid tier partner and they have to contact our customers directly - bypassing us to get the customer to sign elaborate licensing agreements just to purchase a copy of SQL Anywhere workgroup.

We used to be able to sell runtime licenses for an embedded application - now we can't even get anyone to return our calls about that agreement - and now the list price of the product is starting to skyrocket.

Ive been a Microsoft Partner, Oracle Partner, and Sybase Partner and never found it anywhere as difficult as trying to sell product for SAP.

Without small Partners - there won't be small customers....

[Former Member]

I don't know for sure, but regardless of what is recommended in general, I am sure each case is different. The right support option for you is something that should be discussed with your sales rep. when renewal time comes around.

[VolkerBarth]

Though "what is recommended in general" and "will migrate to" don't play in the same game, methinks:)

[former_SQLA_member1694911]

Thanks, Jason (and Volker!), but this makes me nervous whether SAP has a long-term interest in the smaller dollar, non-enterprise market that comprises many of SQL Anywhere's customers.

[former_SQLA_member1694911]

Two days before I posted the question here, I posted it on the SAP Community Network, but the moderator didn't release it until it didn't appear until last Sunday, 11 days later.

In the meanwhile, I posted here and got immediate and fantastic response.

Even worse, once the question did get posted on the SAP Community Network (and got a nice response from Jason H.), I couldn't figure out it's user interface to post a follow-up comment there.

Summary:
* This forum: Great
* SAP Community Network: Awful
* Breck: Right, as usual

[Breck_Carter]

If you hunt around, you might find a question I posted in a SAP blog, mistakenly thinking I was in a SAP forum, and for my troubles I got SLAGGED by a SAPNanny for misusing a blog! Me, a proud Dothraki horseman of the newsgroups, getting lectured by Tyrion Lannister. Drink with him, maybe, but not listen to him on the subject of Q&A forums... especially not when their blogs and their forums look identical (and identically hideous).

Anyway, it was LOL funny at the time, and it had no chilling effect. What DOES chill me, is the Mordor-like difficulty in navigating SCN... not going to give up my blog any time soon.

[VolkerBarth]

Well, it's great to have choices, isn't it? I'll bet I know which one you'll take:)

[justin_willey]

11 days for moderation, mmm maybe it'll be quicker to send in questions by carrier pigeon.

[VolkerBarth]

Hmm, I'm not sure a pigeon can get from California to Walldorf/Germany in that timespan...(assumed the SCN moderator sits there):)

[Former Member]

The moderation issue may have actually been our (the SQL Anywhere team's) fault. Some of us are listed as moderators for the SQL Anywhere Community, but <ahem> its not exactly clear what that means, and its not exactly obvious when there are things that need to be moderated... I'll try to make sure I check the moderation queue more often to ensure posts don't get stuck in limbo again. Sorry about that.

[Breck_Carter]

"not exactly obvious" pretty much describes the entire website 🙂

[Former Member]

I find these comments self-reassuring! After getting lost in SCN both times I tried it, I figured all those SAP users couldn't possibly be wrong, it must just be me. Is this what they call building barriers to successful software...?