The company is the world's largest vendor of enterprise resource planning ERP software. It was founded in as a private partnership named Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung System Analysis Program Development. It sells other ERP software products [ clarification needed ] such as:. When Xerox exited the computer hardware manufacturing industry in , [ 15 ] it asked IBM to migrate its business systems to IBM technology. Rather than abandoning the project, they decided to leave IBM Tech and start another company.
Instead of storing the data on punch cards mechanically, as IBM did, they stored it locally in the Electronic System while using a common Logical database for all activities of Organization. This first version was also a standalone software that could be offered to other interested parties. This offered a common system for multiple tasks. This permitted the use of a centralized data storage, improving the maintenance of data.
From a technical point of view, therefore, a database was necessary. In , SAP brought a re-designed product to market. Shares were listed on the Frankfurt and Stuttgart stock exchanges. In the mids, SAP transitioned from mainframe computing to a client—server architecture. In it began its alliance with the Spanish technology consulting firm Seidor , initiating the expansion of SAP solutions throughout Latin America.
The company's official name became SAP AG a public limited company after the annual general meeting. Since SAP has acquired several companies that sell cloud-based products , with several multi-billion-dollar acquisitions seen by analysts as an attempt to challenge competitor Oracle. The conversion of the company's legal form would take place upon entry in the commercial register, expected to be in July SAP has announced additional partnerships with Microsoft in order to give customers tools for data visualization, as well as improved mobile applications.
Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges over a former executive's scheme to bribe Panama government officials in order to win lucrative technology contracts.
