Appeon and SAP (NYSE: SAP) have signed an agreement to develop PowerBuilder development platform (InfoMaker included). Appeon will be in charge of development, sale and support of our offer based on PowerBuilder technology, whose name will be Appeon PowerBuilder.

Overview

Appeon has major innovations planned from mobile and cloud deployment to test-driven development and

continuous integration, and plans to release its new version of PowerBuilder in the first-half of 2017.

Please refer to the following resources for more info:

• • Press Release, Roadmaps, News: Appeon.com
  • FAQs: Appeon.com/pbfaqs
  • Sign up to receive important PowerBuilder and Appeon news
  • • Accelerate application development with an intuitive visual-driven user interface 
    • Turn complex data access, manipulation, and presentation into an easy, nearly codeless, experience 
    • Minimize development cost and risk while incorporating new and emerging technologies 
    • Use your relational database management system (RDBMS) of choice
    • Communicate via Web Services, produce .NET assemblies, and deploy to multiple platforms
    • Future-proof critical enterprise applications by leveraging existing skill-sets

Although major changes are expected, Appeon plans to retain the DNA of PowerBuilder and build upon its strengths.

Important FAQs

Appeon announced on July 5, 2016 that it entered into an agreement with SAP to develop a new generation of the

PowerBuilder development platform. Below are some answers to some common questions you may have about the

agreement and the future of PowerBuilder. 

1. Will existing SAP customers receive Appeon’s new release?

Appeon and SAP have decided to offer two distinct product lines even though both are based on a fork of PowerBuilder

12.6. SAP customers on active maintenance will only be entitled to EBFs and tech support from SAP. However, SAP and

Appeon have worked closely together to come up with very attractive pricing to help SAP customer upgrade to Appeon’s

PowerBuilder version. In addition, Appeon will be running a special promotion for customers that reserve their copy of

PowerBuilder ahead of time. 

2. How will Appeon price PowerBuilder in the future?

The future pricing of PowerBuilder will be more affordable and simpler than in the past.  Details will be announced in a

webcast by Appeon.


3. When will SAP stop supporting PowerBuilder 12.6?

Please check the SAP Product Availability Matrix.

4. When will Appeon release a new version of PowerBuilder?

Appeon has currently scheduled to release a new version of PowerBuilder in the first-half of 2017.

5. What will the new version of PowerBuilder be called?

The next release of PowerBuilder will be called Appeon PowerBuilder 2017. Depending on the level and nature of changes

to the product, future versions will either have a revision denotation (e.g. PowerBuilder 2017 R2) or an updated date

version (e.g. PowerBuilder 2018). Patches and maintenance releases (MRs) will have an updated build number.

6. What will be the new features of PowerBuilder 2017?

The major new features for the first release are Windows 10 compatibility and updated database drivers, mobile

deployment to iOS and Android, native PDF printing, RichTextEdit enhancements, and a new simpler licensing

mechanism. We strongly encourage you to watch the high-level roadmap Webinar recording to get a better

understanding of these features as well as the roadmap in general.

7. What will the upgrade/migration process be like?

Appeon’s PowerBuilder 2017 shares the DNA of SAP’s PowerBuilder 12.6.  As such, the process of upgrading from

PowerBuilder 12.6 to 2017 should be relatively seamless.  For customers on older versions the process of upgrading to

PowerBuilder 2017 should be similar to upgrading to PowerBuilder 12.6.  We intend to make Appeon PowerBuilder 2017

substantially backwards compatible with at least SAP PowerBuilder 12.x.

8. Who do I go to for tech support (including licensing issues)?

SAP PowerBuilder 12.6 customers will be serviced by SAP and Appeon PowerBuilder 2017 customers will be serviced by

Appeon. In certain regions, SAP and/or Appeon may engage localization partners to provide tech support services in local

language. Please note that Appeon will not be able to provide any patches or tech support for SAP’s PowerBuilder 12.x.

Roadmap Webcasts

Appeon plans to release its new version of PowerBuilder in the first-half of 2017. Register the Webcast now to

understand our plans for the future. The future of PowerBuilder Webinar series shares important information about our

plans, and you get the opportunity to interact with us live. There are only limited slots available on a first-come basis on

the day of the Webinar so please don’t be late!      

Upcoming Webcast 5: Low-level Roadmap
Presenter: Armeen Mazda, CEO of Appeon
Description: Clarifies important details about the first new release of PowerBuilder by Appeon.  Topics covered include

scheduled release date, details about new features, new licensing mechanism, and source code upgrade process.

Date: July 28, 2016

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Recorded Webcast 1: Vision for PowerBuilder
Updates the PowerBuilder community on the status of PowerBuilder, and shares Appeon’s vision for the future direction

of the product.

Recorded Webcast 2: Application Architecture
Introduces the runtime and deployment architecture of future PowerBuilder apps.

Recorded Webcast 3: Application Development
Explains how PowerBuilder will be used to maintain existing 2-tier apps, migrate to the cloud or C#, and develop new

mobile apps.

Recorded Webcast 4: High-level Roadmap
Provides the priority of major changes planned for PowerBuilder over the next several years, which includes general

timelines and key features for each major phase.  Also, other topics related to release management will be discussed,

such as release cycles, beta programs, and feature request process.

Comunicato stampa SAP.