Implementing SAP: Why the partner is more important than the software
Why software is only half the battle
Imagine this: You've spent months evaluating, comparing, and negotiating. The decision has been made to go with SAP. The budget is in place, the board is convinced. And then the project stalls – not because the software is failing, but because the implementation partner doesn't have a sufficiently deep understanding of the specific requirements of your industry.
This scenario is not an exception in practice, but rather structurally embedded in a market that is becoming increasingly opaque for decision-makers. Over 200 ERP systems are available in Germany, and for SAP product lines alone, there are more than 400 certified implementation partners in the country.
This is precisely where the current market study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML comes in. In March 2026, the renowned research institute systematically surveyed 45 SAP implementation partners in Germany about their competence profiles, industry specializations, technology portfolios, and project methodologies. The result is one of the most thorough, vendor-neutral analyses of the German SAP partner landscape currently available – and it provides decision-makers in medium-sized businesses with some uncomfortable, but strategically valuable insights.
The four key findings from the study
1. Genuine proof of expertise is rare: Only 20 percent of partners achieve expert status.
The SAP partner program distinguishes between three competency levels: Essential, Advanced, and Expert. While Silver and Gold partner status is often prominently displayed on company websites, the Fraunhofer study paints a sobering picture when looking at the actual depth of expertise.
| Competency level (primary product) | Share of partners |
|---|---|
| 🥇 SAP Expert Partner | 20 % |
| 🥈 SAP Advanced Partner | 27 % |
| 🥉 SAP Essential Partner | 22 % |
| Status still open / pending | 7 % |
| Not specified | 24 % |
Source: Fraunhofer IML, 2026, n=45
2. Cloud computing is no longer a trend – it is the new standard.
The data from the study clearly shows a shift in the partners' product portfolio:
| SAP product | Share of partners |
|---|---|
| SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud | 78 % |
| SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud | 67 % |
| SAP Business One | 29 % |
| SAP Business ByDesign | 9 % |
Source: Fraunhofer IML, 2026, n=45
According to the study authors, new business in the SAP ecosystem is shifting almost entirely to S/4HANA Public Cloud. At the same time, SAP discontinued sales of Business ByDesign to new customers on April 20, 2026 – a clear signal of its strategic direction.
For medium-sized companies still relying on SAP ECC, this creates pressure to act: Maintenance for SAP ECC systems is scheduled to end in 2027. This means that a migration to cloud ERP will be necessary soon – and this wave of migration is significantly increasing the pressure on the partner landscape. The study indicates that this factor is accelerating the ongoing market consolidation among SAP partners: Larger consulting firms are acquiring smaller providers to ensure the capacity to handle numerous S/4HANA projects in parallel.
The strategic implication: Anyone choosing a partner for an SAP transformation today should explicitly question their cloud experience and level of certification for S/4HANA – and not just use the reference list from the ECC era as a benchmark.
3. AI is no longer a feature – it is becoming infrastructure.
The most striking result from the technology chapter of the Fraunhofer study: Artificial intelligence is by far the most frequently mentioned trend – and already dominates the partners' solution portfolio:
| Line-of-business solution | Share of partners |
|---|---|
| 🤖 Künstliche Intelligenz (KI/AI) | 76 % |
| 📊 Analytics und Planning | 67 % |
| 🔗 Supply Chain Management | 58 % |
| 👥 Customer Experience | 47 % |
| 🛒 Einkauf / Procurement | 42 % |
| 👔 Personalmanagement (HCM) | 31 % |
Source: Fraunhofer IML, 2026, n=45
The crucial factor is the shift in the quality of AI deployment. It's no longer about simple rule automation, but explicitly about AI agents that autonomously take on tasks and prepare decisions – in the ERP context, for example, in anomaly detection in supply chains, the automated processing of incoming invoices, or intelligent process control via SAP Joule.
However, the study highlights a critical connection: Cloud ERP (SaaS) is a prerequisite for being able to use AI applications productively at all. The so-called clean-core approach – that is, the consistent standardization and streamlining of the ERP core – is therefore not an optional architectural decision, but rather the technological basis for AI capability.
For decision-makers, this means that the question of your company's AI strategy and the question of its ERP architecture are no longer separable. An implementation partner who doesn't consistently follow Clean Core principles will ultimately block your access to AI-supported process intelligence.
4. ERP implementation fails due to preparation – not the software.
Perhaps the most strategically important finding of the study: When asked which preparatory measure has the greatest influence on project success, the partners answered as follows:
| Preparatory measure | Relevance according to partner |
|---|---|
| ✅ Dokumentation der Soll-Prozesse | 80 % |
| ✅ Festlegung Unternehmens- & IT-Strategie | 71 % |
| ✅ Definition der Projektorganisation | 64 % |
| Definition of technical requirements | 42 % |
| Documentation of current processes | 38 % |
| Documentation of the target system landscape | 31 % |
| Documentation of the current system landscape | 20 % |
Source: Fraunhofer IML, 2026, n=45
This prioritization of partners is no coincidence: In the modern SAP world, especially in the public cloud, it's not about digitizing old processes one-to-one. It's about leveraging standard processes and adapting the company to best available practices – not the other way around.
The fact that the classic waterfall method is now only preferred by 4 percent of partners in project execution underlines the same basic idea: ERP implementations are business transformation projects, not IT projects.
What this means for small and medium-sized enterprises – and where Noor Vision comes in.
The Fraunhofer study describes a market environment that is associated with significant decision-making hurdles: Over 400 partners, heterogeneous competence profiles, accelerated technological change through cloud and AI – and a migration wave due to the end of ECC maintenance, which puts projects under time pressure.
Noor Vision GmbH is part of this ecosystem – and that's precisely why we know what matters. As an SAP implementation partner, we support medium-sized companies not only with the technical implementation, but from the initial strategic questions to go-live. In practice, this means:
- Requirements analysis prior to product decision: Before answering the question „SAP S/4HANA Public or Private Cloud?“, we will work with you to clarify how your company should work in the future – not how it works today.
- Implementation with industry depth: We not only bring technical know-how, but also understand the processes and requirements of our customers from practical experience.
- Cloud readiness and a clean core from the start: We set up your ERP system so that it works today and is AI-ready tomorrow – without costly rework.
Conclusion
An ERP transformation is not just a software decision. It is one of the most important strategic decisions a company can make—with implications for processes, people, and competitiveness for the next ten years.
The Fraunhofer study 2026 makes this tangible in numbers: A market with over 400 partners, in which only 20 percent can demonstrate genuine expertise at the highest level. A technology landscape that is moving towards cloud computing and AI faster than many decision-makers realize. And an uncomfortable truth: Most ERP projects don't fail because of the software—they fail because the wrong questions were asked too late.
If you are currently in the midst of this decision, or suspect that it is coming soon: Now is the right moment to proceed in a structured manner. You don't have to figure this out alone.
Max Fröhlich, SAP Consultant
Contact & Exchange
A little about me: I'm Max Fröhlich, an SAP EWM consultant. I'm currently focusing intensively on Logistics Management and I particularly appreciate that SAP is now placing such a strong emphasis on user-friendliness.
How do you assess its potential? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I look forward to discussing it.
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