Compare Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP to SAP
Did you know SAP Business Suite and ECC 6 run out of support in 2027 and SAP S/4HANA runs out of support in 2040? Oracle is currently the only provider with a near-complete suite of applications in the cloud—having spent ten years rewriting its underlying code to create Oracle Fusion Applications.* Oracle delivers continuous updates with the latest in artificial intelligence, conversational interfaces, natural language processing, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT), so you can stay ahead of rapidly changing expectations and business demands.
Make Oracle your final upgrade to the cloud.
Oracle closes the books faster than SAP**
What would you do if you could get 10 extra days?
Oracle closes its books more than twice as fast as competitors such as SAP and Workday. Since everything is integrated with Oracle Cloud ERP, we can close with a lot less labor-intensive manual reconciliation and use automation to create efficiencies using Oracle's machine-learning-based pattern recognition.
Closing the books is processing the past. The faster you close your books, the more time you can spend driving your business forward based on the latest financial data. If our competitors can't close their own books quickly, what does that say about how fast their systems can close yours?
Oracle vs. SAP detailed comparison
Oracle is leading the way in cloud ERP. Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP has been cloud-based from the beginning, with continuous innovation delivered quarterly. It's intelligent, predictive, fully connected, and built for flexibility. You can start your transformation now, whatever your starting point, to create instant business value in the cloud.
Compare SAP's ERP solutions to Oracle Cloud ERP and see why Oracle is the better choice for you.
Business benefit |
SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud |
SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud |
Oracle Cloud ERP |
Why this matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| True cloud SaaS applications | Not SaaS, hosted legacy | SaaS | SaaS | True SaaS is essential for the continuous digital innovation necessary for today’s business environment—without end-of life issues and implementation disruption.1 |
| Complete suite of modular applications | ERP-centric but comprehensive set of modules. | Limited financials and manufacturing capabilities. | Full suite of flexible modular SaaS applications. | When all modules are built on unified data, you can optimize processes and analyze data across departments. Modularity allows for diverse business models and priority-focused implementation.2 |
| Continuous innovation across all applications | Traditional complex and costly upgrades | Semi-annual SaaS updates | Quarterly SaaS updates | Quarterly updates allow continuous innovation based on the latest technologies.3 |
| Budgeting and forecasting across lines of business and data sources | Only traditional budgeting and forecasting. Business planning & consolidation (BPC) will not be supported starting in 2027. | Only traditional budgeting and forecasting. Will not be supported starting in 2027. | Supports connected enterprise planning and multiple planning approaches. | Planning and forecasting across functions leverages all enterprise data and gives you a holistic view of the business.4 |
| Ability to anticipate and react to market conditions and disruptions with scenario modeling | Limited capabilities to anticipate and react to market conditions and limited capabilities for scenario modeling. | Limited capabilities to anticipate and react to market conditions and limited capabilities for scenario modeling. | Supports multiple scenario planning approaches. | Scenario planning prepares organizations for disruption and unforeseen events.5 |
| Embedded risk management across functions | Fragmented across multiple application and technology layers. | Fragmented across multiple application and technology layers. | Pervasive risk management with embedded data science across the applications and platform. | Built-in risk management and data science strengthens financial controls, stops cash leaks, streamlines audit, and detects emerging risks.6 |
| Flexible ledger structures | Thick ledger | Thick ledger | Choice of thick ledger, thin ledger, or structured federated ledger (subledger accounting). | A flexible ledger lets users decide how much data flows into the general ledger based on their business and reporting needs.7 |
| One source of truth for finance and HR data to improve decision-making | Legacy application connected to cloud. HR data is in silos. | SaaS with multiple acquired disparate HR modules. | SaaS solution with a single data model for HR, finance and other lines of business. | Unified data avoids overly complex reporting and analysis. No need for IT to normalize data.8 |
| Configurable, not customizable applications | Customizable | Configurable | Configurable | Rule-driven configurations and workflow changes don't require IT support. They also drive security and continuous optimization without business disruption. Source 9 |
| One solution for small, midsize, and large companies | SAP positions different solutions based on company size. SAP Business ByDesign for small/midsize and the S/4 HANA products for large enterprises. | SAP positions SAP Business One for small companies. | Single solution to support small, midsize, and large companies. Capabilities can be deployed as needed. | A single solution means no need to migrate if the company grows or requirements evolve. You can deploy the same applications across HQ, subsidiaries, and business units regardless of size. Source 10 |
Product comparison as of 2024.
Is your SAP cloud migration working for you?
SAP cloud migration is a long, complex process, and the benefits are often unclear. You need a new database, operating environment, ERP system, and application architecture. On top of that, you’ll most likely have to realign your business processes. While your journey is unique, your challenges are shared by many.
Find out how the progress of your cloud journey compares with your peers’ response in an earlier survey*** by answering six questions.
SAP customers report these challenges. Sound familiar?
SAP's cloud offering is a mix of acquired cloud solutions surrounding on-premises core systems that have not yet been rewritten for the cloud.
This strategy is leaving SAP customers constrained by SAP’s legacy ERP systems that were built for yesterday's business challenges. Gatepoint Research recently conducted a survey of current customers of SAP financial management and supply chain solutions. These customers hold executive and management roles in finance, financial planning, accounting, operations, supply chain, logistics, and transportation. The survey data highlights the challenges SAP users face**** when trying to optimize their financial management process and maximize their supply chain efficiency. Specifically, respondents report the following obstacles are keeping them from optimizing their financial processes:
See why companies choose Oracle over SAP ERP
In a recent TrustRadius report (PDF), customers who reviewed Oracle Cloud ERP gave it high marks for integration, breadth of product features, reporting capabilities, and low maintenance costs and effort. One customer wrote, “We looked at SAP and some others, but Oracle was the only one that we found that built the software for the cloud specifically. It’s not just a fancy front end with a green screen background.”
After using eight heavily customized, on-premises SAP systems, TTX, a railcar provider, made the move to Oracle Cloud Applications. According to CFO and Treasurer Vicki Dudley, “adapting to change or even keeping up with technology advancements, was nearly impossible” with SAP. They decided to transition to a unified Oracle Cloud solution. Says Dudley, “Oracle’s solution proved to be the most complete modern suite of enterprise applications on a common platform allowing us to concentrate on our business and not on the technology that supports it.”
Explore more of these customer use cases highlighting how companies across a wide range of industries have chosen Oracle Cloud ERP over SAP.
Analysts consistently rate Oracle a leader
Take the first step to migrate to Oracle Cloud
Oracle offers a complete suite of integrated SaaS cloud applications built on Oracle’s next-generation infrastructure and built-in advanced technologies designed to run your entire business, not just parts of it. Customers can start their cloud transformation immediately and spend less time integrating, managing, and upgrading.
Start your journey now with Oracle, whatever your starting point. There’s no waiting on cloudy promises of future innovation. We update our cloud-based application suite quarterly to support your changing needs. Choose performance over promises. Today over tomorrow.
Evaluating other vendors?
Check out these side-by-side comparisons to see how we can help and why Oracle Cloud ERP leads where it matters.
Sources:
* Credit Suisse, “Steps for Navigating the Path Forward in Software,” 6 September 2022.
** Refinitiv. For SAP, see https://blog.sap-press.com/sap-s/4hana-finance-innovations-part-3-the-universal-journal
*** Pierre Audoin Consultants, "The Status Quo of SAP S/4HANA Migration: Room for Improvement in Cloudification”, 2021
**** Gatepoint Research, “Pulse Report: Financial Management Solution Trends,” March 2021 (PDF)
Gatepoint Research, “Pulse Report: Supply Chain Management Solution Trends,” March 2021 (PDF)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2021/07/13/oracle-updates-fusion-cloud-erp-and-epm-racking-up-new-customers-in-the-process/
https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252503909/Oracles-Miranda-advances-customers-wins-against-SAP-for-cloud-applications-suite
1 "Oracle is currently the only provider with a near-complete suite of applications in the cloud—having spent ten years rewriting its underlying code to create Oracle Fusion Applications.”
Credit Suisse, “Steps for Navigating the Path Forward in Software,” 6 September 2022.
Rajarajeswari Kaliyaperumal, "Difference between SAP S/4HANA: public vs. private edition: RISE with SAP," SAP Blog, April 4, 2022
2 "Digital enterprise needs a new generation of cloud applications that are smarter, fully integrated, deliver faster time to value and are easy to onboard and use. Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications exemplifies this new breed of business applications that are built for the cloud and infused with autonomous capabilities."
Frank Della Rosa, "Oracle Innovation Manifests in a New Generation of Cloud Applications," IDC Perspective, September 2020.
3 Rajarajeswari Kaliyaperumal, "Difference between SAP S/4HANA: public vs. private edition: RISE with SAP," SAP Blog, April 4, 2022
4 Matthias Kraemer, "SAP BPC product suite extending maintenance," SAP Blog, April 30, 2020. https://blogs.sap.com/2020/04/30/sap-bpc-product-suite-extending-maintenance/
5 Wouter Vanhoutte, "Financial planning: SAP Analytics Cloud to replace SAP Business Planning & Consolidation?" SAP Blog, 29 April 2020
Oracle Fusion Cloud EPM vs. SAP https://www.oracle.com/performance-management/oracle-vs-sap/side-by-side-comparison/
6 Oracle Risk Management and Compliance https://www.oracle.com/erp/risk-management/,
SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition https://www.sap.com/products/erp/s4hana/features.html
7 Pradeep Hota, "Areas where SAP Central Finance can improve its functionalities," Skillstek, April 9, 2021. https://skillstek.com/sap-central-finance-limitations/
“A ‘thick’ GL can extend the close process, with a greater number of segments to post transactions to, or more reconciliation of variances during the period end.” Deloitte, “Unlock the value of your Chart of Accounts,” June 2012
"Introducing the Universal Journal in SAP S/4HANA", 2020
8 Danielle Larocca, "What is SAP HCM for S/4HANA On-Premise (H4S4)?" SAP Blog, November 8, 2021. https://blogs.sap.com/2021/11/08/what-is-sap-hcm-for-s-4hana-on-premise-h4s4/
Katrin von Ahsen, "APIs, Prepackaged Integration Content and More," SAP presentation, December 4, 2019. https://assets.dm.ux.sap.com/webinars/sap-user-groups-k4u/pdfs/191204_apis_prepackaged_content.pdf
9 SAP, “Custom Code Migration Guide for S/4HANA” May 25, 2022. https://help.sap.com/doc/9dcbc5e47ba54a5cbb509afaa49dd5a1/202110.002/en-US/CustomCodeMigration_EndToEnd.pdf
10 David Riou, "Simplify Your Processes with Native SAP and SAP Concur Integration," SAP Concur Community Forum, July 22, 2019. https://community.concur.com/t5/Exploring-New-Solutions/Simplify-your-Processes-with-Native-SAP-and-SAP-Concur/ba-p/6537