Managing complex custom code in your SAP system can impede your team's efficiency, productivity, and ability to innovate due to the technical debt accumulating over time. Fortunately, SAP's Clean Core approach offers a solution. Clean Core is an approach to implementing and managing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, particularly SAP S/4HANA, to minimize customizations to the core system and encourage using pre-built extensions or low-code development tools for additional functionalities. Think of it as streamlining your operations, keeping the essential systems at their peak while building additional functionalities and innovations with Mendix and SAP.
Clean Core isn't about cutting off features—it's about realizing your full potential. By streamlining your core and building outwards, with the support of expert SAP consulting services, you'll increase agility, boost efficiency, and drive innovation, ultimately bringing greater value to your business.
SAP Clean Core approach
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems must be streamlined to keep up with competition, and a Clean Core strategy can help. Clean Core creates a more manageable and adaptable ERP system, decoupling core functionalities from custom extensions. This strategy decreases complexity, minimizes customizations, and facilitates smooth upgrades.
Clean Core aims to attain a contemporary, adaptable, and cloud-compatible SAP implementation. The Clean Core solution for SAP S/4HANA reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) while providing better maintainability and flexibility.
The top challenges facing current ERP systems, as identified by IDC's SaaSPath Survey, are related to cost and complexity. The survey found that 23% of respondents consider the cost of implementation to be the biggest hurdle, followed closely by the cost of maintenance and upgrades/customizations (both at 22%). These financial concerns highlight the need for more affordable and adaptable ERP solutions. Additionally, 16% of respondents struggle with the ease of system implementation, and 14% find ongoing performance optimization difficult, indicating that user-friendliness and system efficiency are key areas for improvement.
With the help of SAP Clean Core, you will be able to address these and other challenges, as well as reap significant benefits. Let’s take a more detailed look at them.
Benefits of SAP Clean Core approach
- Increased agility: Easily add new functionalities without compromising core system stability.
- Seamless integrations: Expand capabilities with external systems and extensions while maintaining security.
- Simplified modifications: Make changes outside the core, reducing testing needs and allowing faster updates.
- Enhanced innovation: Embrace new technologies and adapt quickly to changing needs.
- Data-driven insights: Improve data quality and accessibility for better decision-making.
Partnering with an experienced tech vendor to implement the SAP Clean Core approach is crucial to fully realizing its benefits. Choose a vendor with the knowledge and experience to navigate the complexities of SAP systems, ensuring smooth implementation and maximizing the advantages of increased agility, seamless integrations, simplified modifications, enhanced innovation, and data-driven insights.
Clean Core adoption with Mendix
Mendix has established itself as a key partner for SAP. Its core value proposition is fostering seamless collaboration between business and IT teams, effectively closing the gap between the demand for applications and their efficient development. This Mendix and SAP partnership empowers business and IT teams to seamlessly cooperate, building and extending high-quality applications at record speed and reduced costs.
For instance, Mendix is often used for building custom applications based on SAP. Its modular architecture supports straightforward customization and expansion, minimizing the necessity for extensive redevelopment. It also facilitates smooth integration with diverse systems, databases, and platforms, including SAP, resulting in substantial financial savings.
By leveraging the synergy between Mendix and SAP, businesses can achieve smoother data exchange, potential migration from "shadow IT" solutions, and reduced reliance on expensive external developers. Ultimately, Mendix offers a flexible, cost-effective way to extend SAP functionalities and drive business innovation.
Why extend SAP with Mendix?
Clean Core extensibility separates custom modifications from core SAP applications, ensuring upgrade-safe interactions via predefined interfaces. This balance between flexibility and stability enables faster deployments and seamless integration while preserving cloud-based system integrity.
Starting with Clean Core and adopting continuous, non-disruptive upgrades ensures long-term agility and security. Mendix has partnered with SAP to boost digital capabilities through low-code development to expand its reach. This collaboration empowers businesses to create tailor-made solutions seamlessly integrated with popular SAP products like SuccessFactors and S/4HANA. As the only low-code platform designed for the SAP HANA data platform, Mendix leverages in-memory database capabilities, advanced analytics, and limitless scalability.
Mendix and SAP have joined forces to ensure Clean Core extensibility. The key features of Mendix that make it a powerful tool for extending SAP functionalities include:
Mendix offers the capability to convert any Mendix app into a mobile application for iOS or Android, requiring no extra effort. The platform also offers advanced capabilities for proactive application performance management.
When using the Mendix with SAP BTP cloud, the Mendix platform is fully integrated into the SAP services.
Side-by-Side SAP extensibility with Mendix on Business Technology Platform (BTP) allows organizations to tailor their CRM solutions to specific business needs.
With Mendix, you can integrate SAP, non-SAP, and hybrid systems, including:
- Salesforce: Mendix can be used to extend Salesforce by creating custom applications that complement or enhance Salesforce functionalities. This allows organizations to tailor their CRM solutions to specific business needs.
- Oracle: Using Mendix to extend Oracle applications or build custom applications that integrate with Oracle databases provides flexibility and customization options for organizations employing Oracle platforms.
- ServiceNow: Mendix can extend ServiceNow by creating custom applications for IT service management, business process automation, and other service-oriented solutions. This enhances the capabilities of the ServiceNow platform.
- Custom Databases and APIs: Mendix is flexible and allows users to extend custom databases and APIs. This makes it suitable for integration with a wide range of systems, allowing organizations to create applications that interact with their unique data sources and services.
Non-BTP deployment options include:
- Microsoft Azure: Mendix can be deployed on Microsoft Azure and integrates well with Azure services. This enables organizations to extend Azure applications or build custom applications on the Azure cloud infrastructure.
- AWS: Mendix applications can be deployed on AWS, leveraging the scalability and services provided by the AWS cloud. This allows organizations to extend AWS solutions or build new applications that integrate with AWS.
Business value from incorporating Mendix into an SAP landscape
Integrating Mendix into your SAP ecosystem offers numerous advantages, including enhanced developer productivity, expanded developer skillsets, improved developer engagement, a unified development landscape, and decreased dependence on external expertise.
Additionally, Mendix lowers SAP's Total Cost of Ownership by enabling cost-effective, low-code customization without compromising core integrity, reducing future maintenance burdens.
Common use cases with Mendix on top of SAP
Mendix expands SAP functionalities across diverse use cases:
- Supply chain: Medix optimizes processes with supplier portals and applications, enhancing visibility, coordination, and efficiency.
- Customer engagement: Mendix builds customer-facing portals, interfaces, and applications within SAP to improve interactions and experiences.
- Work orders management: Mendix boosts resource allocation, task tracking, and productivity and provides real-time process insights.
- Mobile warehousing: Mendix enhances operational efficiency, inventory management, order fulfillment, and accuracy with mobile apps.
- Workflow automation: Mendix integrates data streams and accelerates approval processes for tasks like master data changes, CAPEX requests, and spend approvals.
- Custom SAP UI: Mendix crafts a unified interface integrating various SAP systems for a single, convenient workspace.
- Data transformation: Mendix simplifies data migration and integration projects by connecting SAP with other systems, which is especially helpful for diverse applications and databases.
- Mobile apps: Mendix builds on-the-go applications accessing SAP data, enabling continuous connectivity and productivity beyond traditional office environments.
- Industry-specific solutions: Mendix creates customized applications seamlessly integrating with SAP to meet specific business needs across various industries.
Mendix's adaptability offers organizations many options to extend and innovate SAP functionalities, meet specific business requirements, and drive continuous improvement within the SAP ecosystem. Mendix and SAP empower developers to build applications faster and with less code, leading to increased innovation and reduced development costs.
Licensing/costs
While Mendix requires an additional license, the cost can be easily justified if you see yourself using low-code development extensively. Think of it as an investment in efficiency—you'll save time and money on development compared to traditional coding methods. Plus, Mendix helps keep your SAP core clean and standard, which reduces future maintenance costs.
Fiori is significantly more expensive than Mendix in both support and licensing costs. This translates to a higher TCO for Fiori compared to Mendix.
Mendix and SAP Build
SAP Build is an improved version of AppGyver's no-code app builder that empowers SAP users to create low-code apps, workflows, RPA, and business sites.
Mendix and SAP Build: when should you choose one over the other? SAP Build targets citizen developers, while Mendix caters to professional developers, offering versatile integration options beyond SAP.
SAP Build:
- Ideal for: Citizen developers and professionals for basic SAP integration apps, workflows, and business sites.
- Strengths: No coding required, fast, focused on SAP S/4HANA and related platforms, easy integration with SAP systems.
- Weaknesses: Less powerful than Mendix, limited non-SAP integration, citizen developer focus.
Mendix:
- Ideal for: Professional developers needing broader features and non-SAP integration.
- Strengths: Powerful platform with advanced features, works with SAP and non-SAP systems, versatile development environment.
- Weaknesses: Requires some coding knowledge, not as beginner-friendly as SAP Build.
Key differences:
- Target audience: SAP Build for citizens, Mendix for professionals (though supports citizens too).
- Platform: SAP Build focuses on SAP integration, and Mendix is more open.
- Deployment: SAP Build emphasizes SAP BTP, and Mendix offers more flexibility.
Ultimately, choosing between Mendix and SAP Build depends on your specific needs and developer expertise.
Our Mendix Services
N-iX offers a comprehensive suite of services to support your entire Mendix journey, from initial planning to ongoing optimization. As a certified SAP development partner with over 15 years of experience and Mendix partner, N-ix specializes in Mendix services to provide end-to-end solutions, from initial consulting and strategy development to ongoing maintenance and support, fostering a successful and sustainable Mendix adoption within the organization. Whether you're a Mendix and SAP newbie or a seasoned user, N-iX has the expertise to help you achieve your goals. Our essential services include:
- Consulting services:
- Assessment & strategy: Define your Mendix roadmap and ensure successful adoption.
- Roadmap planning: Chart a clear course for integrating Mendix seamlessly into your IT landscape.
- Development services:
- Application development: Build custom Mendix applications that meet your specific needs.
- Integration: Connect your Mendix apps to existing systems for a unified experience.
- Mobile app development: Extend your Mendix solutions to mobile devices for convenience.
- Maintenance & support:
- Bug fixes & updates: Keep your Mendix apps running smoothly with ongoing support.
- Performance monitoring: Proactively identify and address performance issues.
- Version upgrades: Ensure compatibility with the latest Mendix versions.
- Training & education:
- User training: Equip your team with the skills to use Mendix effectively.
- Strategic planning:
- Digital transformation: Align Mendix with your broader digital goals for improved agility and innovation.
- Continuous improvement: Optimize your Mendix solutions for maximum value.
- SAP development and consulting services
By partnering with N-iX, you gain access to a team of SAP and Mendix experts who can help you:
- Reduce the complexity of your SAP solution: Keep the SAP core clean, simplify the migration to S/4 and cloud
- Improve your employees' perception of SAP: Deliver modern apps for mission-critical systems faster and more flexibly.
- Achieve your business goals: Use Mendix to drive innovation, agility, and efficiency across your organization.
- Maximize your SAP & Mendix ROI: Get the most out of your enterprise platforms with our comprehensive suite of services.
