>>"But most importantly, SAP’s software was designed to be extensible from the start. For SAP’s original contract with ICI, SAP didn’t build software from scrat

>>"But most importantly, SAP’s software was designed to be extensible from the start. For SAP’s original contract with ICI, SAP didn’t build software from scratch, as was the norm at the time, and instead built on top of a previous project. When SAP released their financial accounting software in 1974, their intention was to build additional software modules on top of it and sell them in the future. This extensibility was SAP’s defining feature. The interoperability across client contexts was considered radical at the time because other approaches started from scratch for every client." SAP's success can be attributed to something similar to what Facebook and Google did, locking the data and knowledge base to itself. The much bragged "extensibility" is limited to SAP own software modules or will be acquired. Therefore the extensibility is both the strength and the weakest point of SAP. Unlike most of modern software system, there isn't an open ecosystem for competition at its periphery, resulted in a lackluster UI and unfair challenges to non-SAP software to take advantage of those domain knowledge buried inside the SAP. SAP's integration doctrine is originated from 1960-1970s. With limit evolution this doctrine has largely ignored the changes in computing for several decades, yet it's still growing its dominance.