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James_Marland
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
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The classic, Don Quixote is reckoned to be the first modern novel, and was written by Miguel de Cervantes, a Madrid resident. He had the misfortune to die in the same year as Shakespeare, so in anniversary years such as this 400th he has to share with the better known Bard of Avon. But Cervantes' most famous work regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. So let's look at what this most famous Madrid resident wrote, and how it relates to the announcements at SAPPHIRENOW and SAPAribaLive.

"Tilting at Windmills"

Probably the most famous image of Cervantes is that of Don Quixote's "tilting at windmills", battling imaginary enemies. What imaginary enemies are you battling in your procurement quest? Perhaps you are following the mantra of "capturing more spend", or clamping down on "mavericks". At SAPAribaLive you will hear that these aspirations are somewhat imaginary. New capabilities square the desire of procurement to maintain control with the need of stakeholders to just get the job done.

"Forewarned forearmed"

This familiar expression is another which was first written by Cervantes. How are you forewarning yourself and your organisation: learn at SAPAribaLive in Madrid how to mitigate risks using the newest Supplier Management capabilities.

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating"

Features and neat stuff only take you so far. At SAPAribaLive, unlike many conferences, you will hear from actual customers who have implemented the software and have the numbers to prove it. The "proof" will be improvements in unit price, reductions in headcount, better cash positions or closer connections to customers.

"No Limits but the Sky"

One of the most famous quotes, often appearing on New Age jewellery can also be inspiring in business. What artificial limits are you implicitly putting in place: do you think Ariba is just for Indirect Materials? Maybe you haven't heard how open the Network is now. Or maybe you think we are just a procurement company and haven't yet experienced our solutions for sellers, treasurers or supply chain professionals.

"Maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be"

This quote was very much at the centre of SAP Business Network Executive Steve Singh's Sapphire presentation where he expressed the same sentiment, telling us "Don't think about how the world works today. Think about how the world SHOULD work." Simpler. Smarter. Connected.

At SAPAribaLive in Madrid, learn how to see the potential of the connected enterprise. The world as it should be.



This blog first appeared on Ariba Exchange