What Is RISE with SAP? Definition and Pricing Benchmark

Definition

RISE with SAP: A 5 year bundled subscription program for S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition combining SAP application licenses, hyperscaler infrastructure on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, technical managed services, and SAP Business Technology Platform credits at a single per Full User Equivalent, or FUE, annual price. RISE replaces the traditional separate purchase of license, infrastructure, and managed services with a single contract. Standard term is 5 years with renewal at year 5.

RISE exists because SAP is migrating its install base from on premise ECC, including S/4HANA on premise, toward S/4HANA Cloud. The 2027 maintenance deadline for ECC creates a forcing function for buyers to commit to a target landing zone. RISE is the SAP preferred path because it bundles the components, simplifies the commercial structure, and delivers committed multi year revenue to SAP. SAP sales teams compensate against RISE conversions and offer materially better discount on RISE deals than on equivalent component purchases.

The FUE unit is the structural unit that determines RISE pricing. Each SAP user role maps to a FUE multiplier ranging from 0.1 for an Employee Self Service role to 1.0 for a Developer Access role. Total contracted FUE is the sum across the user population. The FUE conversion from existing Named User license counts is one of the most consequential RISE negotiation surfaces because vendor sales teams set the initial FUE count using assumptions that often overstate role complexity. Buyer side FUE counting typically reduces contracted FUE by 12 to 28 percent versus vendor initial proposal.

Benchmark your RISE contract

The RISE with SAP benchmark covers 87 conversions across Premium and Premium Plus packages. FUE counting accuracy, infrastructure cost component, and the renewal playbook.

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What RISE includes and excludes

The RISE bundle includes S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition application licenses, hyperscaler infrastructure provisioned on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud at SAP discretion, technical managed services covering basis operations and platform management, SAP Business Technology Platform credits at a base amount per FUE, and standard SAP support. RISE excludes industry specific add ons including SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Customer Experience, integration with non SAP applications beyond standard connectors, and customization labor.

For applied RISE negotiation see the SAP S/4HANA pricing guide, the SAP S/4HANA discount negotiation guide, and the SAP pricing and negotiation hub. The SAP Ariba pricing and SAP SuccessFactors pricing pages cover the add ons sold separately from RISE. The glossary hub carries the broader procurement vocabulary, and the ELA definition covers the comparable multi product enterprise contract structure.

For category benchmarks, the ERP pricing benchmark covers the cross vendor ERP market including RISE alongside Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Dynamics 365 F and O.

RISE vs GROW with SAP

SAP offers a second cloud bundle called GROW with SAP, targeted at mid market buyers running net new S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition deployments. RISE applies to install base conversions to Private Edition with customization preserved. GROW applies to new implementations on Public Edition with standardized configuration. The two programs are not interchangeable: buyers with material ECC customization are RISE candidates; buyers running fit to standard implementations are GROW candidates. The discount benchmarks differ materially between the two paths.

Frequently asked questions

What is RISE with SAP?

RISE with SAP is a 5 year bundled subscription for S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition combining SAP application licenses, hyperscaler infrastructure, technical managed services, and Business Technology Platform credits at a single per Full User Equivalent annual price.

What is included in a RISE contract?

RISE includes S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition licenses, hyperscaler infrastructure on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, technical managed services for basis operations, base SAP Business Technology Platform credits, and standard SAP support. Industry add ons like Ariba, Concur, SuccessFactors, and Customer Experience are sold separately.

What is a Full User Equivalent (FUE)?

A Full User Equivalent, or FUE, is the SAP user counting unit for RISE. Each user role maps to a FUE multiplier between 0.1 and 1.0 based on role complexity. Total contracted FUE is the sum across the user population. FUE conversion from existing Named User counts is a major negotiation surface.

What discount range does RISE deliver?

RISE discount runs 18 to 32 percent off list across the benchmark cohort of 87 conversions. Package tier, committed FUE volume, contract term, and starting point in the SAP install base are the dominant discount levers. Net new RISE customers without existing SAP entitlement carry different discount math than install base conversions.

Is RISE the same as GROW with SAP?

No. RISE applies to install base conversions to S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition with customization preserved. GROW applies to net new mid market deployments on S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition with standardized configuration. The two programs target different buyer segments and carry different discount mechanics.

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