SAP Adds Eclipse Tool, Joins OSGi

  • By Kurt Mackie
  • 10/24/07

SAP AG signaled its commitment to open solutions in the service-oriented architecture (SOA) space last week with a couple of announcements.

First, SAP, an Eclipse Foundation founding member, donated a memory analyzer tool to the Eclipse development community. Next, the Walldorf, Germany-based company joined the OSGi Alliance, an organization that promotes open standards and the interoperability of systems for SOAs.

The donated memory analyzer tool is currently part of SAP's open NetWeaver service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform. The tool helps analyze object retention patterns when running enterprise applications. It works with a graphical display in Eclipse to optimize memory use.

"By empowering Eclipse developers with these new memory analyzer tools, SAP will help developers to more efficiently build commercial applications on the extensible Eclipse development and application framework," explained Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, as cited in an SAP press release.

SAP also announced a "global release" of its NetWeaver Composition Environment. NetWeaver Composition Environment is a Java Enterprise Edition 5-based set of tools. It can be used to model workflows and create composite applications in SOA environments.

SAP's NetWeaver products are getting a boost from SAP's recent acquisition of Yasu Technologies, a provider of business rules management systems. The plan to acquire Yasu, and integrate its business intelligence technology in NetWeaver, was announced last week by SAP.

Of course, the bigger business intelligence news for SAP was its announcement last October 7 that it plans to acquire Business Objects for more than €4.8 billion. That acquisition is aimed at enhancing SAP's business-user market share. It also fits with SAP's broader plans to "double our addressable market by 2010," according to Henning Kagermann, SAP's CEO.

SAP's third-quarter 2007 revenue from its software and related services businesses was 13 percent higher than that figure in 3Q 2006, according to the company's recent financial report. SAP claims to have more than 13,000 SAP NetWeaver customers, plus more than 900,000 contributing developers. Recently, the company signed on Wal-Mart as a customer for SAP's enterprise resource planning solution.

SAP also recently introduced an Enterprise Architect Certification Program, which is accessible through SAP's portal here.

The certification program has three levels: Associate (basic knowledge for an SAP consultant); Professional (proven project experience and business knowledge); and Master (demonstrating expert-level understanding and vision).

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is online news editor, Enterprise Group, at 1105 Media Inc.

Featured

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    OpenAI Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • university building surrounded by icons for AI, checklists, and data governance

    Improving AI Governance for Stronger University Compliance and Innovation

    AI can generate valuable insights for higher education institutions and it can be used to enhance the teaching process itself. The caveat is that this can only be achieved when universities adopt a strategic and proactive set of data and process management policies for their use of AI.

  • DeepSeek on AWS

    AWS Offers DeepSeek-R1 as Fully Managed Serverless Model, Recommends Guardrails

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the availability of DeepSeek-R1 as a fully managed serverless AI model, enabling developers to build and deploy it without having to manage the underlying infrastructure.

  • consumer electronic devices—laptop, tablet, smartphone, and smart speaker—on a wooden surface with glowing AI icons hovering above

    OpenAI to Acquire Io, Plans Consumer AI Hardware Push

    OpenAI has announced plans to acquire io, an artificial intelligence hardware startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The deal is aimed at creating a dedicated division for the development of AI-powered consumer devices.