SAP Indirect Access and Digital Access. Nine document types, weighting that varies from 0.2 to 1.0, and an audit exposure that produced the Diageo settlement.

SAP indirect access is the licensing exposure that arises when third party applications read, write, or trigger SAP data without going through a named SAP user license. Historically, SAP licensed indirect access against the same named user metric that covered direct human SAP users, which created enormous audit settlements (the Diageo and AB InBev cases in 2017 became the public examples). In April 2018, SAP introduced Digital Access as the replacement metric: indirect access is now billed per SAP document created by external systems, across nine defined document types (sales orders, purchase orders, invoice documents, manufacturing orders, financial documents, time sheet documents, quality notification documents, service notification documents, material documents). SAP simultaneously launched the Digital Access Adoption Program (DAAP) as the conversion path from legacy indirect named user exposure to Digital Access document pricing, with deep transition credits for customers willing to commit on a defined timeline. The DAAP window has closed in most regions, but the underlying tension remains: customers running heavy third party integration (ServiceNow ITSM, Salesforce CRM, custom apps, B2B EDI, supplier portals) face material document creation exposure that requires careful licensing and audit defense. This paper sets out the nine document type math, the DAAP versus current pricing decision, the audit posture, and the eleven move buyer side playbook. Read the related SAP services practice, the SAP knowledge hub, and the SAP Digital Access complete guide.

What you will learn

• The nine SAP Digital Access document types. Sales orders, purchase orders, invoice documents, manufacturing orders, financial documents, time sheet documents, quality notification documents, service notification documents, material documents. Each metered separately.
• The document weighting. Not all documents count equally. Sales orders, purchase orders, invoices, and manufacturing orders are weighted at 1.0. Material documents are weighted at 0.2. Financial documents are weighted at 0.2 if generated automatically by another in scope document. Time sheet, quality notification, and service notification documents are weighted at 0.2 each.
• The DAAP transition versus today's pricing. The Digital Access Adoption Program offered discounted document pricing in exchange for clear migration commitments. The DAAP window has closed in most regions; the math for customers who did not adopt has shifted.
• The audit posture. SAP audit teams now have established Digital Access measurement queries and standard playbooks. The audit defense playbook covers measurement scope, document type classification, and settlement negotiation.
• The third party integration map. ServiceNow, Salesforce, custom applications, B2B EDI gateways, supplier portals, and Workday all create Digital Access exposure. The buyer side discipline is to map the exposure before SAP measures it.
• RISE with SAP and Digital Access. RISE contracts often bundle a Digital Access entitlement, but the entitlement scope and overage rates need careful negotiation.
• The eleven move buyer side playbook. Sequenced from third party integration audit through document type classification and SAP renewal negotiation, with dollar values against each move.
• How to anchor Digital Access exposure to actual measured documents. Not the SAP audit team's estimated worst case scenario.

Table of contents

Who this is for

CIOs, VPs of IT Procurement, SAP Center of Excellence leaders, SAP licensing managers, Enterprise Architects, and IT Procurement leaders running SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, or SAP RISE with material third party application integrations. Particularly useful for customers facing an SAP audit, customers approaching a RISE renewal with Digital Access entitlement carve out, and customers preparing to deploy new third party applications that will create SAP documents.