October 2nd, 2007
Posted by Dan Farber @ 4:10 pm

Peter Zencke, a member of SAP’s Executive Board and head of R&D, spent the last four years developing Business ByDesign, a new foundation for SAP’s ERP software. I caught up with him during SAP TechEd ‘07 and asked about the origins of the product and what will differentiate it in the marketplace. (See earlier coverage of Zencke’s TechEd ‘07 keynote and more SAP coverage here.)

DF: What was the genesis behind Business ByDesign?

PZ: “Four years ago, in 2003–exactly 10 years after R3 was introduced–we decided to go for new architecture, which we called “Ether” and then later “Enterprise SOA.” The first year we were figuring out how to do enterprise SOA. We built a prototype but decided not to productize it. We were just working on some principles during the first year. Early on we made a decision for a more rigid approach figure, one that we could not let flow to our ERP product SAP Business Suite.

Second Life: A Virtual Universe for Real Engineering
Matthew J. Traum, Contributing Editor -- Design News, October 22, 2007

First there was the drafting table and the pencil. Then there was 2-D CAD; next came 3-D drafting utilities like SolidWorks and ProEngineer. Now, San Francisco-based Linden Lab has evolved computer-aided design to its next plateau, offering free access to a computer-generated alternative universe called Second Life (SL) where users can build anything. Ironically, the SL developers did not intend to design a solid modeling tool. SL was just another massive multiplayer online experience until users spontaneously began utilizing it for engineering design.



First there was the drafting table and the pencil. Then there was 2-D CAD; next came 3-D drafting utilities like SolidWorks and ProEngineer. Now, San Francisco-based Linden Lab has evolved computer-aided design to its next plateau, offering free access to a computer-generated alternative universe called Second Life (SL) where users can build anything. Ironically, the SL developers did not intend to design a solid modeling tool. SL was just another massive multiplayer online experience until users spontaneously began utilizing it for engineering design.

“Some people call Second Life a game while others think of it as serious development tool,” says Assistant Professor Chang Liu (a.k.a. Chang Tuxing in SL) of the Virtual Immersive Technologies and Arts for Learning (VITAL) Lab. at Ohio University (http://rbi.ims.ca/5407-591). “The fun is still there, but Second Life can also be applied for useful ends.”

SAP to Kanye West "There's Only One of Me"

SAP is a Goliath of Epic Proportions. SAP is The Man. SAP is King. Basically, it's SAP's world, and the rest of are just living in it.

So says an article in PC World. Writes author, Thomas Wailgum, if you're wondering just how big SAP is becoming, IDC's Albert Pang has this nugget for you: "The recent rise of SAP as the leading enterprise applications vendor across multiple customer and product categories has created a booming economy whereby an increasing number of developers and resellers are jockeying for the attention of the market leader and its installed base of more than 41,000 customers," he wrote in a recent IDC report.

Is that over the top? Hardly. "We have read more ...

Business Analyst Tool

I found an interesting post on a Business Analyst blog. The blogger attended a Certified ScrumMaster training class delivered by Lithespeed.  He noted that the class was very valuable, and went on to share a tool, trade-off matrix, to help set customer and team expectations.    Go to the Business-Analyst-Blogblog to view the matrix.

By documenting items this way at the beginning of a project, the project sponsor and all project stakeholders (including project team members) have a clear view of what project success looks like.  In the example success is implementing all features, within a budget close to $500k and somewhere within 3-6 months.  In addition the sponsor is OK with 2 large bugs a month. 

Comments (4)

Filed under: General, BA Tips, Requirements — Kupe @ 9:00 am

If KOH in alcohol is used, the first elimination is much faster than the second, so the bromoalkene may be isolated if desired.

C6H5CH=CBrC6H5 + KOH ——> C6H5C≡CC6H5 + KBr + H2O

The reaction of 1-butene with bromine would give 1,2-dibromobutane, and on treatment with base this vicinal dibromide would be expected to yield 1-bromo-1-butene followed by a second elimination to 1-butyne.

CH3CH2CH=CH2 + Br2 ——> CH3CH2CHBr–CH2Br + base ——> CH3CH2CH=CHBr + base ——> CH3CH2C≡CH

In practice this strategy works, but it requires care in the selection of the base and solvent. If KOH in alcohol is used, the first elimination is much faster than the second, so the bromoalkene may be isolated if desired. Under more extreme conditions the second elimination takes place, but isomerization of the triple bond also occurs, with the more stable isomer (2-butyne) being formed along with 1-butyne, even becoming the chief product. To facilitate the second elimination and avoid isomerization the very strong base sodium amide, NaNH2, may be used. Since ammonia is a much weaker acid than water (by a factor of 1018), its conjugate base is proportionally stronger than hydroxide anion (the conjugate base of water), and the elimination of HBr from the bromoalkene may be conducted at relatively low temperature. Also, the acidity of the sp-hybridized C-H bond of the terminal alkyne traps the initially formed 1-butyne in the form of its sodium salt.

CH3CH2C≡CH + NaNH2 ——> CH3CH2C≡C:(–) Na(+) + NH3

An additional complication of this procedure is that the 1-bromo-1-butene product of the first elimination (see previous equations) is accompanied by its 2-bromo-1-butene isomer, CH3CH2CBr=CH2, and elimination of HBr from this bromoalkene not only gives 1-butyne (base attack at C-1) but also 1,2-butadiene, CH3CH=C=CH2, by base attack at C-3. Dienes of this kind, in which the central carbon is sp-hybridized, are called allenes and are said to have cumulated double bonds. They are usually less stable than their alkyne isomers.In each case two conformers are drawn within parentheses, and the anti-relationship of selected vicinal groups in each is colored green. The reaction proceeding to the left is a dehydrohalogenation induced by treatment with KOH in alcohol. Since this is a stereospecific elimination, each diastereomer gives a different stereoisomeric product. The reaction to the right is a dehalogenation (the reverse of halogen addition to an alkene), caused by treatment with iodide anion. Zinc dust effects the same reaction, but with a lower degree of stereospecificity. The mechanism of the iodide anion reaction is shown by red arrows in the top example. A similar mechanism explains the comparable elimination of the racemic isomer. In both reactions an anti-transition state is observed.

The two stereoisomers of 1-bromo-1,2-diphenylethene (shown on the left of the diagram) undergo a second dehydrobromination reaction on more vigorous treatment with base, as shown in the following equation. This elimination generates the same alkyne (carbon-carbon triple bond) from each of the bromo-alkenes. Interestingly, the (Z)-isomer (lower structure) eliminates more rapidly than the (E)-isomer (upper structure), again showing a preference for anti-orientation of eliminating groups.