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DSAG Annual Congress 2025

| Jens Hungershausen |

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Episode #260

Introduction

In episode 260 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about the DSAG Annual congress.

Last week I had the pleasure to attend the DSAG Annual congress in Bremen. DSAG is the German Speaking User Group and the annual event is the biggest and probably most relevant event for the german speaking community in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This year was the first time, that I didn’t present anything myself. I had honor of hosting our SAP with Microsoft track with great customer presentations, I attended many amazing customer sessions and I was again able to connect with lots of peers from SAP, partners and customers during the event. So today we want to recap the event and it is really great that we have Jens Hungershausen with us.

Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode260

Reach out to us for any feedback / questions:

#Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #DSAG #DSAG25

Summary created by AI

  • DSAG Annual Congress 2025 Recap:
  • Holger, Goran, and Jens discussed the highlights and outcomes of the DSAG Annual Congress 2025 in Bremen, focusing on customer keynotes, community engagement, and the event’s significance for the German-speaking SAP community.
    • Event Attendance and Relevance: Jens reported that the DSAG Annual Congress 2025 had over 5,400 participants on site in Bremen, making it the most significant community event for SAP users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and possibly the largest IT event for customers in the region.
    • Keynote and Customer Presentations: Jens highlighted the impact of the keynote sessions, including his own and a panel discussion with other board members, as well as customer keynotes from companies like Evonik and Geberit, which provided transparent insights into their decision-making processes regarding SAP roadmaps and cloud adoption.
    • Program Structure and Feedback: The event featured multiple tracks with presentations from customers, SAP, and partners, covering technological developments, roadmaps, and practical ‘how-to’ sessions, which received positive feedback from attendees for their relevance and informativeness.
    • Access to Event Materials: Holger noted that all keynotes are available on YouTube, and DSAG members can access session slides via the DSAG network, ensuring that participants and members can review content even if they missed sessions during the event.
  • Balancing Cloud, On-Premise, and AI in SAP Landscapes:
  • Jens and Holger explored DSAG’s approach to helping members navigate decisions between public cloud, private cloud, and on-premise SAP solutions, emphasizing the importance of informed choices and the evolving role of AI in SAP environments.
    • Customer Decision-Making Support: Jens explained that DSAG aims to provide members with comprehensive information to help them make informed decisions about their SAP roadmaps, including whether to adopt public cloud, private cloud, or remain on-premise, based on their specific business needs and industry requirements.
    • SAP’s Strategic Directions: Jens clarified that SAP now recognizes both public cloud and private cloud (SAP Cloud ERP private edition) as valid strategic options, allowing customers to choose the path that best fits their circumstances, and confirmed that private edition is here to stay.
    • Role of DSAG in Advocacy: Holger and Jens discussed how DSAG consolidates feedback from small and medium-sized businesses and communicates these collective needs directly to the SAP board, ensuring that the perspectives of companies without direct SAP board access are represented.
    • Customer Experiences and Peer Learning: The event facilitated sharing of real-world experiences from customers like Evonik, who explained their rationale for choosing public cloud while currently remaining on-premise, and highlighted the value of learning from diverse customer journeys.
  • Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Enablement in SAP:
  • Jens, Holger, and Goran discussed the current state of AI adoption in the SAP ecosystem, the practical challenges faced by customers, and DSAG’s initiatives to educate and support members in leveraging AI technologies.
    • SAP’s AI Strategy and Joule: Jens described SAP’s approach to embedding AI (SAP Business AI) into business processes by orchestrating existing technologies rather than building proprietary AI infrastructure, and noted that Joule, SAP’s AI copilot, is being developed to integrate with various SAP and Microsoft solutions.
    • AI Use Cases and Market Trends: Jens observed that many companies are experimenting with AI through proof-of-concept projects, but emphasized the need to focus on solving real business problems rather than adopting AI for its own sake, and noted that the AI hype cycle is transitioning to a phase of practical evaluation.
    • DSAG AI Training and Academy: DSAG has launched AI-related webinars and training sessions, including collaborations with Microsoft, to help members understand and apply AI technologies effectively, with offerings such as seminars on prompting and practical AI tool usage.
    • Application and Technology Layer Use Cases: Jens provided examples of AI use cases in SAP, such as document extraction and product identification, and explained that both generative AI and traditional AI are being applied to automate processes and enhance business operations.
  • Collaboration Between DSAG, SAP, and Microsoft:
  • Jens, Holger, and Goran reviewed the ongoing collaboration between DSAG, SAP, and Microsoft, highlighting joint initiatives, integration projects, and the challenges of balancing cooperation with market competition.
    • History and Scope of Collaboration: Jens recounted the initiation of close collaboration between DSAG and Microsoft in 2019, which has since expanded to include joint discussions, technology days, and integration projects relevant to the SAP user community.
    • Integration Initiatives: The group discussed specific integration efforts, such as the collaboration between SAP Joule and Microsoft Copilot, and the use of Microsoft Entra ID for identity management, which have been showcased at DSAG events.
    • Managing Competitive Boundaries: Jens acknowledged the challenge DSAG faces in facilitating discussions between SAP and Microsoft, given that both companies also compete in certain areas, and emphasized the importance of open dialogue within DSAG to ensure members are informed about market developments.
    • Customer Engagement and Community Building: Holger highlighted the strong interest among DSAG members in SAP-Microsoft collaboration, as evidenced by dedicated tracks and active participation in related sessions at DSAG events.
  • DSAG Member Resources and Future Initiatives:
  • Holger and Jens outlined the resources available to DSAG members, such as access to event materials and training, and discussed potential future collaborations, including joint events with other SAP user groups.
    • Access to Materials and Membership Benefits: Holger explained that DSAG members can access all session slides via the DSAG network, while keynotes are publicly available on YouTube, and encouraged German-speaking SAP users to join DSAG for full access to resources.
    • Potential Joint Events: Jens proposed the idea of organizing a joint event with Jeff Scott from ASUG to bring together different perspectives from the German-speaking and North American SAP user communities.

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