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Former Member

You may have read in my previous blog that I have had the opportunity to experience (read: “test”) first-hand the new features of SAP Sourcing Wave 9, which is currently scheduled to be released as an On Demand offering in Q1/Q2 2012, and as On Premise to ramp-up customers in Q2/Q3 2012.  Since both deployment options operate on the same code base, the new features apply to both OD and OP.  Please note that the above dates as well as the features described below are subject to change without notice. 

This blog is Part 2 in a series of blogs that cover the new features in SAP Sourcing.  You may also want to refer to New Features in SAP Sourcing Wave 9--Part 1: Strategic Sourcing, New Features in SAP Sourcing Wave 9--Part 3: Usability, and SAP Sourcing/CAP CLM Integration with SAP SRM.  To recap some general comments from my previous blog, the software is in the early stages of testing, and there is a chance the some of the nuances of the features described below may change and be improved upon by the time the product is finally released. 

SAP Sourcing Wave 9 includes a number of new features and functionality in the Contract Lifecycle Management area that improves user experience, enhances process flexibility, and maximizes cost savings.  The new features in the CLM module are:

  • Multi-level Agreement Hierarchies.  If you're like me, you may have noticed that the Agreement - SubAgreement relationship had an inherent limitation.  In previous releases, CLM allowed for a two-level hierarchy of agreements.  But some customers have required three, four, and sometimes five levels of hierarchies, usually to represent different tiers of contact geographies, such as global, continental, country, region, and locale.  New in Wave 9 of CLM is the ability to create unlimited levels of agreements in a hierarchy, through a parent-child link between agreements.  A new report shows the agreement hierarchy, and the CSV importer can import agreement hierarchies. 

    At the Master Agreement type, you can configure whether the master agreement can use hierarchies, and whether the parent date range is validated against the child agreement, i.e. the child validity start and end dates must fall within the parent agreement’s validity dates.  When a master agreement is created from this an agreement type that allows hierarchies, the user can specify the agreement’s parent (the parent must already be created).

    Please note that this new hierarchy features is separate from (and does not alter or extend) the existing Agreement / Sub-Agreement feature.  Agreement hierarchies are mutually exclusive from the Agreement / Sub-Agreement relationship.  While you can use either method to create a hierarchy (with the new method allowing multiple levels), it is recommended that moving forward customers should use the new multi-hierarchy feature instead of the former two-level hierarchy.

  • Support of Microsoft Office 2010 in Contract Generation.  It's natural to expect that the newer releases of SAP Sourcing / CLM support the newer versions of Microsoft Office, since there is a close reliance on Word and Excel in SAP Sourcing.  In Wave 9, a contract document can be generated in MS Office 2010 format, both for server side contract generation and client side document usage.  All existing features such as comparison, red-lining, data synchronization with content controls, and tracking clause level changes are supported.

  • Formulas in Master Agreement.  In release 7.0, formulas were introduced in RFx’s and auctions.  After receiving very positive feedback on the flexibility the formulas provide, formulas will now be supported in master agreements in Wave 9.  Both Unit Price as well as Line Item formulas can be created and assigned to the line item groups in a Master Agreement.  Similar to RFx’s and Auctions, the master agreement type is where you can enable formulas.  Formulas created in an RFx or Auction can be carried over to the Master Agreement, as well as vice versa.

The above covers the new CLM features in SAP Sourcing Wave 9.  Please look for future blogs on new features in other areas of SAP Sourcing Wave 9.  More details, including screenshots, will be made available in the near future.

Interested in becoming a ramp-up customer for SAP Sourcing 9.0?  If so, please contact David Wong (david.wong@sap.com) or Frank Neumann (frank.neumann@sap.com).

The information in this document is confidential and proprietary to SAP and may not be disclosed without the permission of SAP. This document is not subject to your license agreement or any other service or subscription agreement with SAP.  SAP has no obligation to pursue any course of business outlined in this document or any related document, or to develop or release any functionality mentioned therein. This document, or any related presentation and SAP's strategy and possible future developments, products and or platforms directions and functionality are all subject to change and may be changed by SAP at any time for any reason without notice. The information on this document is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality.  This document is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.  This document is for informational purposes and may not be incorporated into a contract. SAP assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document, except if such damages were caused by SAP intentionally or grossly negligent.

All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates, and they should not be relied upon in making purchasing decision.

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