Upgrade to SAP Business One 9.0

Upgrade to SAP Business One 9.0

If your company is still using a previous version of SAP Business One and you may want to consider upgrade it at the upcoming year-end. The previous major version of SAP Business One available is 8.82. Today, upgrade to SAP Business One 9.0 is the newest release as at early 2013 and has been ramped-up not too long ago. SAP has invested quite vigorously in its R&D efforts to introduce numerous brand new functions and features in the new SAP Business One 9.0 software.

Here are some considerations through which your company can upgrade to the newest release of SAP Business One 9.0:

The existing version of SAP Business One that your company is in use will dictate the most suitable upgrading plan to the latest version of SAP Business One. Your in-house IT administrator can ascertain your company’s current SAP Business One version by getting into the Help Menu and in its sub-menu opening the “About SAP Business One” screen. Following the screenshot provided below to locate the version information you need:

                                               Screenshot of the Help Menu of SAP B1, Credit: (c) SAP AG

Before getting into any upgrading commitment, make sure that your company has a current maintenance and support plan in place with SAP through an accredited SAP Business One partner. To commit this, your company has to pay the 17% Annual Maintenance Charge on your SAP Business One licenses’ base price to the SAP periodically. With this plan in place, it allows your company the access to latest version of SAP Business One for upgrading purposes. Then, follow closely with the ‘SAP Business One Accelerated Upgrade Program’ provided by SAP. The primary objective of the ‘SAP Business One Accelerated Upgrade Program’ is to provide SAP Business One upgraders with an upgrade methodology. Such methodology is divided into several important phases to afford a systematic approach to the intended upgrading project. The SAP Business One Accelerated Upgrade Program is a comprehensive upgrade methodology created by SAP. The methodology has been designed to serve as a guide for the system setup and upgrade process. It includes the SAP Business One Upgrade Guide and a set of templates, checklists, tools, and other supporting information that divide the upgrade process into 4 major stages. They are: –

Stage 1: Upgrade Preparation.

Stage 2: Upgrade Process.

Stage 3: Troubleshooting and Final Upgrade.

Stage 4: Maintenance.

Each stage breaks down the relevant tasks that have to be achieved, and recommends roles, responsibilities, and time frames required to successfully accomplish the upgrade.

Note: There are tools, templates, and best-practice recommendations made available to assist upgraders in the successful completion of each phase. Check out this link for its complete documentation:

You may find these Technical Notes relevant for upgrading:

• SAP Technical Note no.1866272.
• SAP Technical Note no.1925757.
  

Adhere to the steps just mentioned together with the relevant documentations available in the SAP Business One Accelerated Upgrade Program and your upgrade will run smoothly with minimal risk!

Hope that this document can provide you with some insights on how to handle an SAP Business One upgrade to the newest release of 9.0!

Regards,

Owen