1. What does the inclusion of D&B for SAP R/3 in mySAP Edition mean for customers?

Basically all mySAP Edition contract holders will automatically receive the D&B for SAP software as part of their regular Edition upgrade shipments. They will be able to install both A/R and A/P versions of the software as many times as they desire under the conditions of their SAP contract, without the need to obtain separate licences for the D&B Add-on. Do I have to have mySAP.com to be able to use D&B for SAP R/3? No, the software is available from SAP without the need to purchase or install mySAP.com.

2. What are the benefits for SAP and D&B?

SAP differentiates itself from competitors by delivering software and content, which is increasingly becoming a customer focus. The unique combination of standardized software and standardized data that can be processed in R/3 is very attractive to customers.

3. What is significant about online access in R/3 to D&B information?

The significance is that solution components allow customers real-time, direct access to business information that previously could not be accessed from within the R/3 software. Customers can now easily and efficiently access business information that they require to make certain decisions. When will the software component be available to mySAP Edition customers? It will be made available from June and all subsequent mySAP Editions.

4. What kinds of companies (markets) are you targeting with D&B for SAP R/3?

Businesses in any industry that have customers and suppliers and have a high volume of transactions are ideal prospects. Do you have any customers using the software functionality today that we can talk to? There are over 60 customers using the service. A number of success stories are available from this Web site. Is this product/service available globally? A Global Access version of the product has been made available via a Software Support Package available via SAPNet. Is this partnership a new strategy for D&B and SAP respectively? Since the ERP market for software and services is estimated to be a $50 billion market by 2002 - establishing partnerships with companies like SAP is key to D&B’s embed strategy and long-term growth. SAP is committed to broadening its offering based on customer needs and will continue to work with partners to enhance SAP software. What is Data Rationalization and Online Access? D&B’s Data Rationalization Service cleans, updates and organizes a company’s customer and vendor master data, making the transfer of legacy files easier. In a typical project, D&B will consolidate dozens of a company’s legacy customer or vendor files containing tens of thousands of records. D&B will clean and scrub, merge and purge data until there is one file with one record for each company in a consistent record format. Online Access is the ability to access D&B data directly from D&B hosts from within the R/3 applications, either prior to creating a new Master records, or to update an existing record.

5. What are the benefits in using D&B for SAP Solutions to mySAP.com customers?

Real-time, online access to D&Bs risk and financial information on more than 30 million businesses in the U.S. and Europe, 64 million globally via the Global Access version
D&B can help cleanse and update the information being transferred from legacy files during the implementation phase
Faster implementation
High-quality customer and vendor master files
Improved performance in R/3
Improved risk management
Faster and effective lower-cost credit/vendor decisions
D&B also contributes to a lower total cost of ownership for the customer
D&B’s data and services can also be used to speed up data preparation during the implementation phase of an installation and ensure the customer has a high quality customer and vendor master file in mySAP.com

6. What are the technical prerequisites for using D&B for mySAP.com?

Key prerequisites for the installation of the D&B software are that the SAP customer is using at least R/3 Release 3.1 or higher, and that the R/3 Financial Accounting application (incl. Credit Management module) has been implemented and is operational. It is also necessary that the communication server for SAP has been enabled and that connectivity is achieved between the customers R/3 and D&Bs LAN.

7. Can the D&B Online Access software be customized?

D&B delivers a standard online service for R/3. If a customer wants to customize the software, D&B is willing to provide technical information to support the effort. All customization costs will be incurred by the customer.

8. How secure is the existing data in SAP R/3?

Data is secure and kept completely confidential for customers that migrate legacy data to R/3 using the D&B Data Rationalization Service. D&B will not manipulate any existing data in R/3 or take any data from R/3.

9. Who has access to view D&B information SAP R/3?

D&B information is visible from the Credit Management and Accounts Payable screens within the Financial Accounting application of R/3. However, since the information is stored in R/3, it is possible for other users such as sales and marketing associates to view it. However, the customer must configure the SAP security to allow such viewing.

10. Who will provide technical support of the D&B services?

SAP will provide for the first-level support while D&B will handle the second-level support if required.

11. Will the D&B product remain on SAP’s global price list?

D&B is the first company to have its online access application D&B for SAP R/3 listed on SAPs global price list. The application will remain on SAP’s price list for all non-Edition customers.

12. What is the price of the D&B data?

Dun & Bradstreet has its own pricing models based on the volume of data purchased by customers.

13. Didn’t D&B compete against SAP, providing client/server software a few years ago?

D&B Software, a former company of The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, did develop and market client/server software. The company was sold to GEAC Computer Company in Toronto in 1996 when the corporation refocused its strategy on delivering content.

14. Is it difficult to install D&B for SAP R/3?

No, it is very easy. The whole process should take less than half a day. D&B provides in-depth documentation to assist in the installation process.

15. How is the software delivered?

D&B for SAP R/3 software is delivered on separate CDs within the Edition shipment and contain a set of transport files that need to be installed in the R/3 system. These transport files are available for R/3 Release 3.1h and higher. The transport files configure an area on the database to hold the D&B data, as well as configuring the SAP software.

16. How do upgrades work?

Upgrades work in a similar way to other SAP add-on solutions. When an upgrade takes place in R/3, the data remains in the R/3 database and D&B access needs to be upgraded (no repository switch upgrade).

17. What is data quality?

Within SAP, data quality is defined as postal validation, duplicate checking, and error tolerant searching. Postal Validation enhances address information by comparing data against address directories provided from local postal authorities around the world. Duplicate Check avoids duplicate entries by scanning the database for potential duplicates before new customer data is committed to the database. Finally, Error Tolerant Searching provides flexibility by giving users the ability to conveniently search their SAP system for business information as required. Involvement of a data quality initiative helps you maintain a reliable source of information for all departments within your own organization while simultaneously maximizing interactions with your vendors, customers, and business partners.

18. When and where should I integrate data quality into my SAP Suite of applications or other projects in my enterprise?

Data quality should be integrated any place where data is entered, loaded, processed, or updated. Data quality should be built into the beginning phases of all Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, and Business Intelligence projects. Too many projects focus on data quality as an afterthought, at the back-end of a data repository or when a project has failed. By not incorporating data quality measures at every customer touch point, on both front and back-end operations, the cost of cleansing the data dramatically increases as well as how long the cleansing process takes to complete.