DSAG (the German-speaking SAP User Group) is one of the world’s largest SAP user associations. It brings together companies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to represent user interests, foster knowledge exchange, and shape the future of SAP landscapes in close dialogue with SAP and partners. With thousands of member companies, DSAG provides a strong community platform for networking, best practices, and strategic guidance.

This year's annual congress, which was held in Bremen last week, impressively demonstrated the diversity of challenges and opportunities for both, SAP customers and partners. Over three days, keynotes, specialist presentations and networking formats provided guidance, inspiration and space for exchange and partying!

In keeping with the venue, the Town Musicians of Bremen can be used as a fitting image for the event’s most important themes. (For those unfamiliar: The Town Musicians of Bremen is a well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a donkey, dog, cat, and cockerel who band together on a journey toward a better life - each bringing their own strength to the group.)

The donkey – perseverance and transformation

The donkey represents the perseverance that many companies currently need when taking on an S/4HANA transformation. The discussions at DSAG made it clear that the journey is demanding and resource-intensive, but with perseverance, a clear roadmap and the right partners, sustainable results can be achieved.

The dog – security and reliability

The dog symbolises vigilance and protection. Accordingly, cybersecurity, compliance and governance were key topics. Only when IT systems are secure and trustworthy can companies dare to innovate and scale new digital business models.

The cat – agility and innovative strength

With its curiosity and flexibility, the cat represents the areas of innovation that were the focus of the congress: artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven business processes. Many best practices demonstrated how important it is to test new technologies pragmatically, gain experience and gradually prepare organisations for further innovation.

The cockerel – orientation and community

The cockerel is a signal transmitter – just like the congress itself which was a wake-up call for more cooperation, sustainability and joint action. The strength of the DSAG community lies in pooling knowledge, providing impetus and offering orientation in times of change.

We have been involved in a lot of customer and partner conversations over our few days in Bremen and, in addition to the big-buzz-topics, there were three very straightforward, pragmatic points to highlight:

Selective Data Transition

A recurring theme was the question of how data migrations can be made more efficient with less risk. Selective Data Transition (SDT) offers companies the opportunity to transfer their data to S/4HANA in a targeted and needs-based manner – instead of an ‘all or nothing’ approach.

Many participants emphasised the relevance of this method for reducing costs and project risk while gaining flexibility in the transformation process. A special event took place at the Umgedrehte Kommode Bremen on Tuesday night, where SAP and the SDT Engagement Community member companies came together with customers to discuss and celebrate their efforts and successes in this specific area. Read more about this here.

M&A scenarios

Especially in these times of increasing market volatility and political upheaval with the resulting impact on economic models and markets, the integration and spin-off of companies are a hot topic among customers we spoke to. M&A scenarios, technically reflected as relocations, carve-ins or carve-outs regularly pose enormous challenges for those responsible for IT landscapes: from the harmonisation of master data to process integration and legal compliance. At the DSAG conference, it became clear that those who develop strategies early on and use modern SAP architectures can reduce complexity and leverage synergies more quickly. With the help and support of the right partners, of course!

New innovations from SAP

It was also important to look ahead. Whether it was Business AI, SAP Business Data Cloud or further developments in the area of RISE and GROW with SAP – the latest innovations were discussed in depth. Of particular relevance to participants was how these solutions help to control processes more intelligently, make business models more flexible and expand competitive advantages. Keeping the right balance between fighting the challenges of transition today (many customers are still "on the move") while at the same time looking forward and benefitting from the innovations offered by SAP and its partners will be essential for our customers in order to stay on the winning path.

Final thoughts

The DSAG Annual Congress 2025 was much more than a specialist conference. It was a strong sign of the power of perseverance, security, innovation and community – and of the fact that only together can we shape the future of our SAP landscapes.

Many thanks to DSAG, the speakers and all participants for the exciting insights, open discussions and valuable encounters. We look forward to seeing you again at the 2026 Annual Congress in Cologne. And as this is still some way off, the next stop for Germany will be SAP TechEd in Berlin, 4-6 November 2025. See you there!

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