SAP and SuccessFactors – Four Key topics I Want to Hear About at HR2013

The 10th Annual SAP HR2013 Conference will be in Las Vegas from February 26 to March 1 and it is regularly considered the premierevent for SAP HCM Professionals, consultants and customers. There are more than 110 in-depth educational sessions, ask the expert workshops, customer workshops, networking events and live demos by SAP and SuccessFactors. I will be attending this year and taking part in special panel called The Future of SAP HCM – Predictions from the experts and an Ask the Experts session so hope to see you there. I am also happy to announce special discount code, which will provide a $400 discount It is a very important event for SAP HCM and SuccessFactors professionals and there are four important topics I want to get more clarity on and report back after the event with my findings.

1. SuccessFactors Integration – SAP Co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe mentioned when the deal closed last February that integration would be “out-of-the-box” and “easier, better and cheaper”. There is no doubt this is a high priority topic for many SAP HCM customers considering deploying a hybrid model and I have written two articles The Real Truth about SAP and SuccessFactors Integration and SAP and SuccessFactors – “Proven” Integration is Hype to give some perspective on where things current sit. Here are my questions:

• When will the SAP HANA Cloud Integration be released for SAP HCM and SuccessFactors use cases?
• Will there be additional licensing required for SAP HANA Cloud Integration for the delivered HR Integration Packs?
• What is the integration roadmap and timeline for the remainder of 2013?
• What are some live customer examples using the SAP HCM to Successfactors Integration packs?

2. Customers – Here are some questions I have been hearing from customers that I would like SAP and SuccessFactors to provide some clarity on.

• What is the SAP and SuccessFactors BizX roadmap for 2013?
• What is the roadmap for SAP Cloud Payroll and Employee Central for 2013?
• Does Employee Central offer similar functionality to what I have today in SAP HCM?
• How has the early adoption been with the HR Renewal
• What is on the roadmap for HR Renewal
• When will EHP7 be released?
  
• What is the business case to justify paying additional SuccessFactors licensing for Performance and Compensation management when they are included in the base SAP On-Premise license?
• Will there be a migration path for existing customers looking to move to SuccessFactors?
• How does SuccessFactors engage with customers for their product enhancements?
• Why is there no section for HCM or Payroll on the SAP SCN Idea Place?
• Why were only 8 out of 155 customer request in the newish SAP Customer Connection (replaced DRQ) accepted an why the long development cycle?

3. HANA and SAP HCM/SuccessFactors – We recently recorded a podcast on the SAP Suite on HANA with a HR focus with or preliminary thoughts and here are some additional questions I will be looking to get some clarity on:

• What does the HANA HCM roadmap look like for 2013?
• What is the licensing model for new HCM functionality introduced as part of SAP on HANA?
• Clarity on what is planned around Payroll Audit, Simulation, Flexible and Retroactive Analyzer using HANA
• Clarity on what is planned around the enhanced Payroll reporting on HANA including Overtime Payments, Garnishment Order, Reconciliation and Compensation Reporting
• Will there be tools to help HR customers make a business case for HANA?
• Why has there been a delay on SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics on HANA?
  
• When will the entire SuccessFactors Suite run on HANA?
• Will there be additional costs for SuccessFactors customers to use HANA?

4. SAP HCM Mobility – SuccessFactors delivers their mobile applications as part of their subscription as do several of SAP competitors. I have been critical of SAP’s strategy in the past asking Is SAP Using the Right Mobility Strategy although I appreciate that the SAP HCM Mobility and Roadmap offers some solid apps. I have the following questions:

• Will SAP change their strategy around HCM mobility to stay competitive?
• What is the adoption % for SAP HCM customers around HR mobility?
• Will SuccessFactors change their existing “free” mobile strategy?
• Plans by SuccessFactors to enhance their current mobility offering
• Will the Sybase products be used at SuccessFactors?

I will be arriving in Las Vegas mid afternoon February 25 as well as speaking at the The Future of SAP HCM – Predictions from the experts on February 27 at 10:15 and Ask the Experts on February 27^th at 5:30. If you see me walking around in my SAP Mentor shirt #126 or recognize me please stop to say hello although I apologize in advance that it may be a short conversation as with all the sessions, customer meetings and presentations it is going to be a busy 3 days for me. If you want to stay current on all the major developments as they unfold I would recommend joining the SAP and SuccessFactors Linkedin Group  as well as following me on Twitter at SAP_Jarret as I plan to be very active on social media during the event. Let me know in the comment section the questions you have and I will be sure to ask.