SAP AG is to move into the data warehousing space with a new software offering that will cater for applications not served by its R/3 management system. The management software company will release a product at the end of next year with the intention of broadening its business interests. SAP, already shifting towards a component-based approach (CI No 3,232), is describing the new addition to its product family as a natural extension to its current business. The data warehousing product will be known as the SAP Business Information Warehouse and is based on existing R/3 technology. Companies using the product will be able to take data from R/3, and eventually, according to SAP, from other systems on the market. The new product will be compatible with R/3 Release 3.0, and later versions, and forms a component of the SAP Business Framework architecture, which enables customers to quickly deploy business functionality, or components, without disrupting the existing R/3 environment.
