The projects usually take place 1-2 years before the release is planned.
By joining this initiative you will be able to:
- Participate in remote or on-site sessions to discuss ideas and see if they fit your requirements
- Collaborate with SAP product management to shape new product features.
- Build a network with other SAP customers and partners using the same product.
The CEI opens up the SAP development plans so that you can provide feedback as early as possible in the product lifecycle of SAP products. You can join the definition and development of future functionality and even provide input to business cases, so that SAP can decide to develop the right functionality. Project lists are made available three times a year through a registration page. You can browse through such a list of development projects and before deciding to join a concrete project.
Log in to view current projects.
You can sign up here to learn about the planned goals, activities and efforts.
Contact us for more information
2024 Dates
- 5th Feb - 8th March
- 10th June - 12th July
- 14th October - 22nd Nov
FAQ's
What are my benefits of joining a CEI project?
Your main benefit is that you get an early insight into SAP’s product plans. And through this early insight, you can influence the direction of the developments so that the right functionality is shipped when made general available. Due to the fact that the exchange takes place on a regular basis, you collaborate very closely with the SAP team. Furthermore, you can network with other customers and partners who have the same interest as the scope of CEI projects is usually rather narrow (e.g. “How to handle electronically bank statements in SAP ERP FIN”).
What activities can take place as part of the Customer Engagement Initiative?
The activities can differ from project to project and are explained at the beginning of every collaboration. Furthermore, your engagement is discussed on an individual basis depending on your availabilities. Usually, most of the exchange takes place via phone conferences and virtual meetings. In addition, face-to-face meetings at your company’s site or an SAP location can take place. If the collaboration is part of a development project, beta- or pilot shipments are possible, too.
How much does the participation cost? And how long does a project run?
There is no cost involved in joining SAP Customer Engagement Initiative projects. You only invest the time to provide your feedback but you gain early knowledge about what’s planned.
The duration of a project depends on the project and the scope. Details on planned activities and timeframe will be shared upfront. As a rule of thumb, discussions on concrete functionality along an SAP development project can last about 6-12 months. Discussions on a business case usually last 3-6 months. However, you can also mutually decide to stay in contact for further exchange beyond the project.
How long does it usually take before the discussed functionality is shipped?
It’s important to mention that there is no commitment from SAP to ship whatever is discussed. The goal of the collaboration is to get a global view on what should become part of the SAP standard and out of that derive functional requirements. Thus, projects can get stopped e.g. because of the participant’s feedback.