{"id":3613,"date":"2026-10-06T16:57:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/uncategorized\/odoo-ar-sap\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T17:18:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:18:50","slug":"odoo-or-sap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/uncategorized\/odoo-or-sap\/","title":{"rendered":"Odoo vs SAP: How to Compare ERP Systems Using Your Own Business Processes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Odoo vs SAP: How to Compare ERP Systems Using Your Own Business Processes<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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After two ERP demonstrations, you may still be no closer to a decision. In one demo, you saw an easy-to-use order-entry process. In another, you were shown detailed reporting. Both systems seemed suitable, yet you may still have no clear picture of how your employees would actually carry out the tasks that are important to your business.<\/p>

When deciding whether Odoo or SAP is the better fit, it is more useful to test both solutions using the same practical scenario. The scenario should have a clear starting point, the steps employees need to take and an expected result.<\/p>

This makes it easier to see which parts of the process can be handled using standard functionality, where additional configuration or development may be required, and how much work will still need to be done manually.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Which Odoo and Which SAP Solution Are You Comparing?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The first step is to make sure the proposals name the exact products being compared.<\/p>

SAP offers several different ERP products. SAP Business One, for example, is designed for small and medium-sized businesses, so SAP is not only an option for large enterprises.<\/p>

When reviewing a proposal, clarify which SAP product is being presented and which additional solutions are included.<\/p>

The same principle applies to Odoo.<\/p>

It is important to understand both the edition and the hosting model. Community and Enterprise are Odoo editions, while Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and a server chosen by the company are different hosting options. The choice affects the level of customisation available and who is responsible for hosting and system maintenance.<\/p>

For example, Odoo.sh supports custom development and third-party applications.<\/p>

During the demonstration, ask the provider to distinguish clearly between what is standard, what has been added separately and what would still need to be developed.<\/p>

Otherwise, you may end up comparing one product in its standard form with another solution that has been extended specifically for the demonstration. That difference needs to be clear before you draw any conclusions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Move from Feature Lists to One End-to-End Process<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A feature list that includes \u201csales management\u201d does not tell you how an order reaches the warehouse, who approves a change, or when the invoice is created.<\/p>

A more useful approach is to select one typical order and follow it through several departments from start to finish.<\/p>

Before the demonstration, speak to the employees who handle that process every day.<\/p>

What information does the salesperson receive? What do they pass on to the warehouse? What does accounting need to check before an invoice is issued?<\/p>

Identify the points where data is re-entered manually, where decisions are confirmed by email, or where a separate spreadsheet is still required.<\/p>

Then define the result you expect to see in the demonstration.<\/p>

For example, after goods have been dispatched, an employee may need to see the quantity already delivered, the quantity still outstanding on the order and the invoice linked to that delivery.<\/p>

A scenario like this allows you to test real work rather than simply compare the number of fields visible on screen.<\/p>

Give both providers the same starting data and conditions.<\/p>

You can use an anonymised example order containing several products, an agreed price and a delivery date. If the scenario is changed during one of the demonstrations, record why. The reason may be a system limitation, but it could also be that the provider has suggested a simpler way of working.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What Can Three Everyday Scenarios Reveal?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A standard order processed without any issues only shows part of how a system works.<\/p>

You can often learn more by changing one condition in the process.<\/p>

The hypothetical examples below are intended as preparation for a demonstration. Adapt them to your own business and ask each provider to show how the proposed Odoo or SAP solution would handle the change.<\/p>

Sales: Only Part of the Customer Order Can Be Delivered<\/strong><\/h3>

Suppose a customer orders 20 items, but only 12 are currently available in stock. You agree to dispatch those 12 immediately and deliver the rest the following week.<\/p>

During the demonstration, ask the provider to show the complete order first, then show how a partial delivery is recorded and how the related documents are prepared.<\/p>

Check whether it is clear to the employee how many items have already been dispatched and how many still need to be delivered.<\/p>

Ask where the expected delivery date for the remaining items can be seen and how it is linked to the expected stock replenishment.<\/p>

Also check what information is available to the person preparing the invoice. Use the invoicing method that matches your company\u2019s agreement with the customer.<\/p>

Then introduce one more change: the customer cancels four of the remaining items.<\/p>

Check who has permission to change the quantity, what the warehouse sees afterwards, and whether the salesperson needs to notify colleagues separately.<\/p>

This helps reveal how much of the process is managed within the system and how much still needs to be coordinated outside it.<\/p>

Manufacturing: A Component Needs to Be Replaced<\/strong><\/h3>

Imagine that a component required for production is delayed, and the responsible engineer or technologist approves a suitable substitute. Some manufacturing orders have already started.<\/p>

For this test, prepare the Bill of Materials, the production quantity and clearly specify which manufacturing order is allowed to use the substitute.<\/p>

Ask the provider to show how the change is recorded and how production and warehouse employees see it.<\/p>

It is important to check whether only the specific manufacturing order is changed or whether the standard Bill of Materials used for other orders is updated as well. These are different actions with different consequences.<\/p>

Finish the test by reviewing material consumption and the completed manufacturing order.<\/p>

Can you trace which component was actually used? How can you check the quantity used and the resulting cost?<\/p>

If any part of this process requires an additional module or custom development, record that against the relevant requirement.<\/p>

A general statement that \u201cmanufacturing is supported\u201d is not enough to assess a process like this.<\/p>

Services: The Scope of Agreed Work Changes<\/strong><\/h3>

In a service company, imagine that the client requests additional work during the project.<\/p>

The team is already recording time, and the original budget has been approved. The task for the demonstration is to show how the additional work is approved and kept separate from the original scope.<\/p>

Start with the approval process.<\/p>

Who records the change? Who approves it? Where does the employee see that the additional work has been authorised and can begin?<\/p>

Then check how the time spent is recorded and how the person preparing the invoice distinguishes the additional billable work from the original scope.<\/p>

At the end, ask the provider to show the overall project status: the original agreed scope, approved additions and the work actually completed.<\/p>

If this requires exporting several reports and combining them in a spreadsheet, record that too.<\/p>

You can then decide whether that way of working is acceptable for your team.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How Do You Distinguish a Working Feature from a Promise to Build One?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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During a demonstration, the word \u201cpossible\u201d can mean several different things.<\/p>

The feature may already exist. It may require configuration. It may depend on an additional module. Or it may still need to be developed.<\/p>

For every important requirement, ask the provider to state clearly which of these applies.<\/p>

It is useful to keep the same comparison table for both solutions:<\/p>

What to record<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

What to note after the demonstration<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Process being tested<\/p><\/td>

The employee task and the expected result<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Result shown<\/p><\/td>

What was demonstrated from start to finish and what was not shown<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

How it is implemented<\/p><\/td>

Standard functionality, configuration, additional module or custom development<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Remaining manual work<\/p><\/td>

Data copying, coordination outside the system, separate spreadsheets<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Open question<\/p><\/td>

What still needs to be tested and who will provide the answer<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Custom development does not automatically mean that a solution is unsuitable.<\/p>

But something that has not yet been built should not be treated as a proven solution.<\/p>

If a critical business process depends on that development, it is worth agreeing on a more detailed test or prototype before making a decision, together with clear acceptance criteria.<\/p>

Your notes should also record the conditions under which the demo was run.<\/p>

Was the data entered in advance? Were the actions performed by an administrator or by a standard user?<\/p>

User permissions and how the demo has been prepared can significantly affect what someone is able to do in day-to-day work.<\/p>

For this reason, it is worth repeating an important scenario using an employee account with the permissions that person would actually have.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How Should You Decide After the Demonstrations?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Start by separating requirements the business cannot operate without from features that would simply be convenient to have.<\/p>

A more attractive report does not compensate for a system being unable to support a critical order process.<\/p>

At the same time, a system should not be rejected simply because it uses a different workflow, provided that the alternative is practical and acceptable for employees.<\/p>

Discuss the results with the people who took part in the demonstrations.<\/p>

Where do they see additional work? Where would departments need to agree on a new way of working? Which questions remain unanswered?<\/p>

This discussion helps distinguish the capabilities of the system from the company\u2019s readiness to use them effectively.<\/p>

If you are considering moving away from SAP, it can also be useful to run the same scenario in your current SAP system.<\/p>

This allows you to compare whether a new solution would actually improve the process and how it would differ from what you already have.<\/p>

You may also discover that some of the current problems are caused by outdated configuration, inaccurate data or an unclear way of working. In that case, you have a better basis for evaluating whether the better option may be to improve the existing setup instead.<\/p>

When speaking to an implementation partner, it is worth bringing one clearly described process, its main exceptions and the result you expect to achieve.<\/p>

Talk to Sandas<\/span><\/a> about one real business process. We can look at how it could work in Odoo and what should be tested before you make a decision.



<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Odoo vs SAP: How to Compare ERP Systems Using Your Own Business Processes After two ERP demonstrations, you may still be no closer to a decision. In one demo, you saw an easy-to-use order-entry process. In another, you were shown detailed reporting. Both systems seemed suitable, yet you may still have no clear picture of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3613"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3620,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3613\/revisions\/3620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandas.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}