1. © 2012 Blue Ocean Systems LLC www.blueoceansys.com 866-355-5989
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What is Software Maintenance?
A common misperception of software maintenance (and maintenance fees) is that it
merely involves fixing defects. However the majority, over 80%, of the maintenance
effort is used for non-corrective actions. This perception is perpetuated by users
submitting problem reports that in reality are functionality enhancements to the
system.
Software maintenance consists of four parts.
Corrective maintenance deals with fixing bugs in the code.
Adaptive maintenance deals with adapting the software to new
environments.
Perfective maintenance deals with updating the software according to
changes in user requirements.
Finally, preventive maintenance deals with updating documentation
and making the software more maintainable.
So perhaps it is the word maintenance that causes the misconception. When we talk
about maintenance in our vehicles we think of either fixing something that is wrong
(replacing a burnt out taillight bulb) or doing preventative maintenance (changing
the oil). But what if your vehicle had a maintenance plan similar to a software
maintenance plan? What if, for a small annual fee, your vehicle manufacturer made
the latest and greatest mechanical and technical enhancements available to you for
your existing vehicle? This would mean that your existing vehicle could potentially
last you a lifetime! That would be an incredible value! When a new and advanced
transmission was developed for your vehicle it could potentially show up at your
doorstep ready to be installed into your vehicle and as technology progressed your
30 year old vehicle could have touch screen/voice controlled GPS simply by having it
installed and in a few years be upgraded to completely touch free driving.
What is covered by Software Maintenance?
By simply keeping your maintenance plan current you receive the benefits of
hundreds and millions of worth of R&D and enhancements by SAP. Your software
maintenance fee gives you access to every new SAP patch level from the simplest
hot fix to the full release level updates. Along with the increased functionality of the
new release levels (as if that weren’t enough) you also receive access to the SAP
customer portal which allows you access to the latest training materials and allows
you to keep up to date on the direction of the software and also the SDN to acquire
various tips and tricks and other helpful hints.
The biggest benefit of paying for the maintenance plan is that you receive
all the new software releases and updates. Companies stuck with old versions
risk losing support from the SAP or having compatibility issues with newer
technology. Plus, each release is packed with useful new features.
The most significant of these is the changing dynamic of your customer base.
Because, in today's ever changing business world, even keeping your existing
customers requires you to change and adapt to their needs - regardless of whether

2. © 2012 Blue Ocean Systems LLC www.blueoceansys.com 866-355-5989
Delaware Corporate Center II Two Righter Parkway, Suite 310 Wilmington, DE 19803
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they have been with you 20 years or 20 minutes. How will you keep up year-after-
year when your core technology infrastructure does not keep pace? How will you
implement new technologies when they don't mesh with your existing outdated
systems? The answer is that you will eventually fall farther and farther behind the
curve against your competitors - who are keeping current with their technology - and
this will then require you to eventually take one of two actions: start from scratch
with a brand new ERP system or upgrade your existing system (and depending on
how far behind you are it may seem like a new system anyway!). Either option is
likely to be more costly than having continued on maintenance in the first place.
What is not covered by Software Maintenance?
Per your SAP License agreement software maintenance does not provide for any
services relating to the Software. Any such services shall be subject either to (i) a
separate agreement between Licensee and the provider of such services (including
without limitation an SAP Reseller), and SAP shall not have any liability for the
provision of such services hereunder; or (ii) a separate agreement or rider to this
Agreement between Licensee and SAP. So it is really no different than when you
purchased the original licenses, the license fees entitled you to the software and
there were separate services as part of your overall implementation, in this case
there are separate services as part of the installation, testing and roll out of your
patches and upgrades. If we go back to the analogy of your vehicle then when the
new transmission showed up at your doorstep it would still have to be installed into
your vehicle right? For this you would take the new transmission to your mechanic
and have it installed and your mechanic would charge a fee based on the labor for
the installation but you would not be charged for the parts because they were
covered under your maintenance agreement.
What is the maintenance life cycle?
As the versions and patch levels of your SAP software age they progress through
various service levels in their life cycle. These various stages can be called many
things but break down into three (3) basic life cycle stages. Once it reaches full
release it starts out in a current release level state, at this state it is fully maintained
and supported by SAP, all bug fixes, enhancement and changes are added as
patches to the current release level. As a new release level (may be a “dot” release
or a full release) is released the older releases move out of the maintained level, this
means that they are still supported by SAP but they no longer receive bug fixes,
enhancements and changes as patch levels and you must upgrade to a newer
release to receive the latest enhancements. The final stage is not maintained and
not supported, this means that the release is no longer supported and you must
upgrade to a newer release in order to receive support from SAP. All
implementations should be maintained in one of the first two levels and should never
be allowed to lapse into a not maintained, not supported release level.

3. © 2012 Blue Ocean Systems LLC www.blueoceansys.com 866-355-5989
Delaware Corporate Center II Two Righter Parkway, Suite 310 Wilmington, DE 19803
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The following is information provided by SAP regarding Release Families:
Release Family: Maintenance
Following rules apply regarding the maintenance period of a release family:
Every release family is supported by an overall maintenance period of five
years. The start of the maintenance period begins with the general
availability of the major release and is followed by the maintenance period
for all subsequent minor releases within the release family.
When a new minor release enters unrestricted shipment, maintenance of the
preceding release is discontinued.
Example:
o No further patches, corrections or new functionality will be provided for
SAP Business One 8.8 once the successor release SAP Business One
8.81 has entered its unrestricted shipment phase.
o No further patches, corrections or new functionality will be provided for
SAP Business One 8.81 once the successor release SAP Business One
8.82 has entered its unrestricted shipment phase.
Upgrade Process within a Release Family
Major and minor releases of a release family have a single code line, which is the
reason why with the general availability of a subsequent minor release version, the
development of the preceding release version (major or minor) will be discontinued.
Note however, that the upgrade to a next minor release within a release family is
similar to a patch upgrade.
SAP Business One is sold and supported via Blue Ocean Systems. Blue Ocean
Systems is responsible for ensuring high-quality “level 1” and “level 2” support
forcustomers. SAP will provide “level 3” support to Blue Ocean Systems in cases
where code information is required to solve a potential issue.