Legal Aspects
Basics / Basics of UA
To comply with legal requirements, make sure that customers get sufficient information to install, configure, and use the software with the documentation and a feature scope description. Don't describe things that the software can't do.
General Rules
Here are some basics to remember when writing texts:
- Do not describe limitations in user assistance.
- Classify and publish separate, self-contained user assistance deliverables (typically guides) according to SAP's information classification.
- Do not include quotations or other information from third-party sources in user assistance.
- Familiarize yourself with the basic legal guidelines for cross-references with and without hyperlinks.
For more information, see
- SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication - Legal Aspects: User Assistance
- SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication - Cross-References and Hyperlinks from a Legal Perspective
“Documentation” as a Legal Concept
In a legal context, “documentation” serves the following purposes: (1) customer enablement in terms of usage instructions, (2) complete and simultaneous delivery with the product, and (3) product description in terms of functions and features. By law, “documentation” is an integral part of any product, in terms of “product completeness (free of defects)”. That is, SAP is legally required to provide documentation with the software, which is SAP's product. Additionally, in the General Terms and Conditions, SAP guarantees that the function and features are provided as described in the documentation.
For more information, see SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication - Legal Aspects: “Documentation” as a Legal Concept.
“User Assistance” at SAP
"User assistance" enables the customer to install, configure, and use the software and enriches the user experience. It is flexible and innovative, especially with output formats and multimedia. It covers user interface texts (for example, field labels, messages), embedded help (for example, mouseovers, guided tours, how-to videos), and separate, self-contained deliverables (for example, user guides, administrator guides, or even community blogs).
The SAP-wide procedure for defining and creating user assistance deliverables is defined in the corporate task User Assistance in English and Relevant Languages and the Product Standard for User Assistance.
For more information, see below.
Corporate Task
The SAP-wide procedure for defining and creating user assistance deliverables is defined in the corporate task User Assistance in English and Relevant Languages and the Product Standard for User Assistance.
“Corporate task” means that it is mandatory. It is part of the release decision. The task is written from a high-level perspective. It goes into the why and how of providing user assistance with the product, as well as activities for the relevant roles involved. It also provides a planning aid.
Read the User Assistance in English and Relevant Languages task
Product Standard
The SAP-wide procedure for defining and creating user assistance deliverables is defined in the corporate task User Assistance in English and Relevant Languages and the Product Standard for User Assistance.
The product standard complements the corporate task. It details the requirements that your user assistance must fulfill and ensures that standard guidelines concerning quality and tools are followed.
The following requirements are included in the product standard for user assistance:
UA-010: User Assistance Provided with the Software
User assistance shall be provided at the same time as the software.
UA-020: Translation Scope Defined
Each user assistance deliverable shall be translated into the languages that make up the appropriate language scope, based on the country and language strategy for the software.
UA-030: Only Existing Features Described
Features described in user assistance shall exactly match the feature scope of the software version for which the user assistance is released.
UA-040: Infrastructure for User Assistance
User assistance shall be created and published using the defined infrastructure, tools, and publishing processes for SAP user assistance.
UA-050: Product Terminology
Product terminology shall be defined during the Discover or Elaboration phase of the Development process and used consistently.
UA-060: Intuitive User Interface
UI texts and embedded help shall cover the immediate information needs of the user as they interact with the software.
UA-070: Documentation on SAP Help Portal
Documentation shall be available on the SAP Help Portal.
UA-080: What's New Information Provided
What's New information, explaining any new or enhanced features, shall be provided with the software.
UA-090: Public APIs documented
Public APIs shall be documented.
Feature Scope Description
The feature scope description is a document that lists all of the functions and features of an SAP product from a high-level, purchase-decision perspective: What is the customer buying? What functions and features is the customer entitled to use? This is legally binding information. It forms the basis of SAP's legal obligations to the customer.
For general information about writing a feature description, see Feature Description Best Practices.
Release Types and Deliveries
Follow the publishing and access processes that apply to the release type (standard, beta, etc.) of your product, for example:
- For standard releases, publish the documentation with unrestricted access on SAP Help Portal at release to customer (RTC).
- For beta releases, restricted access applies at RTC. Ensure that only the customers involved have access to the documentation.
- For public beta releases, the beta features and documentation are available for all customers. There is a disclaimer in the footer of SAP Help Portal, which has a section on beta and other experimental features (see Disclaimer).
For more information, see SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication - Release Types, Delivery, and Shipment Matrix.
More Information
Legal Aspects: User Assistance