120 expert guides covering SAP named users, S/4HANA migration, RISE with SAP, Digital Access, audit defence, BTP, SuccessFactors, and Ariba. The 2027 ECC deadline is approaching — get prepared.
SAP's licensing model is one of the most complex in enterprise software. This guide covers named user types, FUE calculations, engine licences, Digital Access, and the major changes introduced with S/4HANA and RISE. Essential reading before any SAP audit, renewal, or migration decision.
Read the Guide →How SME-focused SAP licensing differs from enterprise agreements and where savings are available.
Read more →How SAP's industry-specific solutions are licensed and where bundled pricing can reduce total cost.
Read more →How SAP's licensing rules apply to custom developments, modifications, and third-party extensions.
Read more →The difference between Runtime and Full Use HANA licences and which scenario requires which.
Read more →Full Use Equivalents explained and how to reduce your FUE count before a compliance measurement.
Read more →The most expensive SAP licensing mistakes and the contract terms that allow SAP to exploit them.
Read more →Professional, Limited Professional, Employee, and Functional user types explained with cost implications.
Read more →When Limited Professional and Functional user licences apply and how to maximise their use.
Read more →Project user licence rules during implementations, migrations, and upgrade projects.
Read more →How the Worker user type is defined and where it applies in HR, warehouse, and field operations.
Read more →How to right-size your SAP named user estate and reduce costs before annual measurement.
Read more →Building a governance model that prevents licence creep across the employee lifecycle.
Read more →Everything you need to know about S/4HANA licensing before committing to a migration or renewal.
Read more →The licensing implications of each S/4HANA migration path — conversion, greenfield, and RISE.
Read more →How your existing ECC user licences map to S/4HANA roles and where the cost surprises appear.
Read more →How deployment model choice affects licensing obligations and total cost of ownership.
Read more →How to negotiate conversion credits, protect existing licence value, and cap your migration costs.
Read more →A detailed TCO comparison between on-premise S/4HANA and cloud deployment over 5 years.
Read more →RISE explained — what it includes, what it replaces, and what the 2027 ECC deadline means for your options.
Read more →How moving to RISE affects your existing on-premise licences and creates shelfware risk.
Read more →The licensing and commercial differences between RISE Private Cloud Edition and Public Cloud.
Read more →How to negotiate RISE pricing, bundling, exit rights, and migration credits from a position of strength.
Read more →When GROW with SAP is appropriate and when RISE is the only viable path for large enterprises.
Read more →A detailed cost model comparing RISE total cost against self-managed SAP infrastructure.
Read more →Everything organisations need to understand about Digital Access licences and document-based charging.
Read more →Whether to licence under the old Indirect Access model or the newer Digital Access framework.
Read more →How SAP calculates Digital Access charges, what document types are included, and pricing benchmarks.
Read more →The Digital Access Adoption Programme explained — and when it creates more risk than it solves.
Read more →A breakdown of all 9 document types that trigger Digital Access charges and how to measure them.
Read more →Practical steps to challenge SAP's Digital Access audit findings and reduce your exposure.
Read more →What happens during an SAP audit, your rights as a customer, and how to prepare your defence.
Read more →The specific events and behaviours that trigger an SAP compliance measurement or formal audit.
Read more →How SAP's compliance measurement tools work and what data they expose to SAP's auditors.
Read more →How to challenge audit findings, dispute methodology, and negotiate a commercial resolution.
Read more →Specific contract language to negotiate into your SAP agreement to limit audit scope and frequency.
Read more →How to build internal SAP governance that prevents audit exposure before SAP comes knocking.
Read more →A complete negotiation framework covering discounts, maintenance caps, shelfware, and exit rights.
Read more →What discounts peer organisations are achieving on SAP licences, maintenance, and cloud products.
Read more →How to cap SAP's annual 3 percent maintenance increases and improve your support SLA terms.
Read more →Options for reducing ECC maintenance spending — including third-party support — ahead of the 2027 deadline.
Read more →How to identify unused SAP licences and renegotiate contracts to eliminate shelfware costs.
Read more →A step-by-step guide to the SAP renewal process and how to structure a renewal that protects your interests.
Read more →Download our SAP negotiation playbook and learn how enterprises have reduced SAP audit exposure by up to 94 percent and cut RISE pricing by 25 to 40 percent.
How SAP's SaaS products are licensed and how they interact with your on-premise estate.
Read more →How to manage SAP licensing across mixed on-premise and cloud environments without double-paying.
Read more →How BTP credits work, when they expire, and how to avoid overspending on Business Technology Platform.
Read more →The three BTP consumption models compared — and how to choose the right one for your organisation.
Read more →How to negotiate free or discounted BTP credits as part of your S/4HANA or RISE transaction.
Read more →Licensing and cost considerations for RISE Private Cloud versus self-managed SAP on AWS or Azure.
Read more →How SuccessFactors is licensed, what the per-employee-per-month model costs, and what to negotiate.
Read more →Negotiation tactics for SuccessFactors renewals including module bundling and multi-year pricing.
Read more →How to manage the licence transition from on-premise HCM to SuccessFactors without overpaying.
Read more →A breakdown of all SuccessFactors modules, what they cost, and which ones deliver genuine ROI.
Read more →How Ariba is licensed, what the subscription model includes, and how to negotiate renewal terms.
Read more →Which Ariba procurement and supply chain modules are worth licensing and which create shelfware risk.
Read more →How Ariba Network transaction fees are calculated and how to negotiate supplier fee structures.
Read more →How SAP agreements are treated in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring events.
Read more →Licensing and contract strategies for divesting SAP-dependent business units without triggering penalties.
Read more →How to maintain SAP access for transitional service agreements without buying permanent licences.
Read more →100,000-employee Swiss multinational reduced SAP audit exposure from CHF 25M to CHF 1.5M through expert methodology challenges and commercial settlement.
Read case study →50,000-employee UK engineering firm reduced SAP audit exposure from £12M to £800K through data-driven challenge of SAP's measurement methodology.
Read case study →$4B financial services firm saved $5M and gained contract flexibility by unbundling RISE components, optimising FUE counts, and negotiating renewal caps.
Read case study →Optimised SAP named user licences and moved to third-party support. Saved $8M over three years while maintaining full production support coverage.
Read case study →Technology firm negotiated 40 percent reduction from SAP's initial RISE proposal while protecting hybrid flexibility and securing favourable exit terms.
Read case study →Reduced SAP named user costs by 28 percent through role-based optimisation and sustainable governance framework aligned to the employee lifecycle.
Read case study →Our SAP practice covers audit defence, RISE negotiations, Digital Access disputes, named user optimisation, ECC-to-S/4HANA migration strategy, and SuccessFactors and Ariba renewals. We act exclusively on behalf of customers — with no SAP affiliation and no conflict of interest.