Foundation
Five former IBM employees (Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Hans-Werner Hector, Klaus Tschira und Claus Wellenreuther) start a company they call SAP Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung ("System Analysis and Program Development").
Night owls
Development of the fledgling company's first programs takes place mainly at night and on weekends.
Standard application software for real-time data processing is developed.
Initial success
At the end of its first year in business, SAP employs nine people and generates DM 620,000 in revenue.
Taking the initial form of a private partnership under the German Civil Code, the company establishes its headquarters in Weinheim, Germany, and opens an office in nearby Mannheim. However, SAP's five founders spend most of their time in the data centers of their first customers, which include the German branch of Imperial Chemical Industries in Östringen.