(November 18, 2002) - Last week at SAP's TechEd 2002 technical conference, SAP announced the introduction of two new SAP xApps. The new entries include xApp Visual Information for Plants (xVIp) and xApp Product Definition (xPD).

TransAlta, Canada's largest non-regulated electric generation and marketing company, is deploying xVIp to help manage plant operations. XVIp was developed by SAP in conjunction with independent software vendor NRX using SAP xApps methodology.

The xApp xPD will allow companies to make design and development process more efficient. It works across existing applications that support development from idea to implementation, including lifecycle management, customer relationship management, project data, enterprise resource planning, and supply chain management. Ultimately, xPD will help companies define and evaluate new product concepts, collaboratively design new products, and drive products to market faster.

SAP xApps are a form of composite, cross-functional application that snap on to existing heterogeneous IT environments to provide new business processes. SAP and partners such as Accenture, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Deloitte Consulting, and Bearing Point are developing xApps to run across disparate systems and access data and processes residing in existing stores.

Since June, Accenture has introduced four SAP xApps that support real-time integration, collaboration, and supply chain capabilities for the oil and gas industry. Deloitte is also working to develop new SAP xApps, which will be targeted toward public sector, consumer business area, and manufacturing clients.