What Are The Different SAP License Types?

ByShaun Snapp

Executive Summary

  • Understanding the SAP license types is necessary for both buying SAP software and managing SAP license audits.

Introduction

Understanding the different SAP licenses and SAP license types is critical to mapping them to the customer’s usage needs. This is also how SAP is priced and audited.

What is a Software License?

To begin, let us review what is the software license.

A software license is a legal instrument (usually by way of contract law, with or without printed material) governing the use or redistribution of software. Under United States copyright law, all software is copyright protected, in both source code and object code forms, unless that software was developed by the United States Government, in which case it cannot be copyrighted.

A typical software license grants the licensee, typically an end-user, permission to use one or more copies of software in ways where such a use would otherwise potentially constitute copyright infringement of the software owner’s exclusive rights under copyright. – Wikipedia

The SAP User License Types

SAP has three user types for its software licenses.

License Type #1: Advanced Users

This is only for people that need to configure the system. So this is the IT department, consultants. Not everyone in the IT department needs Advanced User access to SAP applications, as only a portion of them support the SAP systems. Other members in IT will never touch SAP and are working on other applications, databases, integration, etc…

License Type #2: Core Users

This is generally thought of as a superuser. They can change master data.

License Type #3: Self Service Users

This is the average everyday user who needs to enter their timesheet information, check the status of things, etc. This would be every single employee that is involved with the system. That is no custodial staff, cafeteria workers, etc…

Essential Things to Consider About the SAP License Types

  • There is frequently deliberate “stuffing” of software bill of materials by vendor sales teams.
  • Often, the software vendors position themselves between being a salesperson (which is what they are) and being a “trusted advisor.” They will correspond with their customers by saying they “recommend” a certain number of software products and licenses without acknowledging that they are incentivized to sell as many products and licenses as possible.
  • This stuffing of the software bill of material with what ends up being unused licenses is typical, particularly among the most prominent software vendors.

Providing excellent software license consulting support for usage analysis means understanding the implement ability of the purchased systems and the objectives of the software buying company.