SAP has released a new Feature Pack for SAP Business One: FP 2608. This update includes a significant number of improvements, with the SAP Business One Web Client taking center stage. More and more processes familiar to you from the classic SAP Business One client are now also available via the browser. And with the introduction of Ask AI, a new form of AI is also making its debut.

We’ve listed the most important new features for you.

1. New: Ask AI in the Web Client

One of the most notable additions in FP 2608 is Ask AI. This feature allows you to ask AI questions directly from within SAP Business One. It is available in virtually all list and detail views of the Web Client and uses the context of the screen you’re working on.

For example, are you creating a sales order? Then you can ask Ask AI a question about the expected delivery time or costs of the items in that order. You can then save frequently asked questions as templates so you can reuse them later.

In addition, a separate Ask AI app will be introduced, allowing these templates to be managed centrally.

Is Ask AI a replacement for Boyum’s B1UP AI Assistant?

Not exactly. Logres also offers Boyum’s B1UP AI Assistant. Although there is some overlap, the two solutions currently have different use cases.

Ask AI is a native component of the SAP Business One Web Client and focuses primarily on asking questions within the context of your current work. The AI functionality uses SAP AI Core on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).

Boyum’s AI Assistant is particularly useful if you want to use AI more broadly within SAP Business One and in processes configured with B1UP. Ask AI is therefore currently primarily an interesting addition, not necessarily a replacement.

2. MRP is coming to the Web Client

FP 2608 is also of interest to companies that use SAP Business One for production and planning. Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is being further integrated into the Web Client.

New features are coming for MRP scenarios, forecasts, and order recommendations. This will allow you to perform tasks such as scheduling, managing forecasts, and viewing recommendations for required orders—all from within your browser.

The item master data will also be updated accordingly. A new "Planning " tab contains data for MRP and production, such as the planning and procurement method and reorder intervals.

Want to know more about exactly what MRP does? Then read: What is Material Requirements Planning (MRP)?

3. More Comprehensive Reporting

FP 2608 also adds various reports to the Web Client. Among other things, reports are available for:

• General Ledger
• Inventory Movement
• Profit and Loss Statement
• Purchase Analysis
• Sales Analysis

The reports go beyond a simple list of numbers. Data can be grouped hierarchically, aggregated, and broken down. You can also export the visible and filtered data from the reports to Microsoft Excel.

This makes it easier to analyze financial, sales, purchasing, and inventory information from the Web Client.

Would you like to learn more about the analytics capabilities that are already available? Then check out SAP Business One Web Client Analytics.

4. More options for inventory and pricing management

Several new features have also been added to inventory management. For example, you can now use Inventory Revaluation in the Web Client to view, create, and process inventory valuations.

In addition, there are new apps for price lists, discount groups, and special prices for business partners, among other things. There will also be reports that allow you to view, for example, the most recently used purchase and sales prices.

This means that a number of practical tasks are once again being moved to the Web Client. You can find more information about the existing features on the page about inventory and logistics in SAP Business One.

5. Project Management from the Browser

FP 2608 introduces a new Project Management group. From this environment, you can create projects and view and manage information about projects, project phases, open issues, resources, and time entries.

Another handy feature: if you come across an editable project field elsewhere in SAP Business One, you can create a new project directly from that field.

For organizations that work on a project basis, this means that a larger portion of day-to-day project management can be carried out via the Web Client.

6. Enhancements for banking and payments

Financial processes are also being addressed. A new Banking group has been added, and the capabilities for payment runs have been expanded.

This allows you to create new payment runs and edit existing ones. The system also supports executing, canceling, and deleting payment runs and payment orders. In addition, there are new features for external bank statements and reconciliation.

Here, too, we see the same trend: more and more day-to-day administrative tasks can be performed directly from the Web Client.

7. Check your Excel import first

A minor addition that can make things much easier in practice is the new Simulation Mode for importing data from Excel.

Before data is actually written to the database, you can simulate the import first. You’ll immediately see which records are processed correctly and where errors occur. Errors can then be corrected in the preview, and the results can be exported to Excel.

SAP is also introducing Excel templates with built-in validation rules that match the structure of the data you want to import.

This significantly reduces the chance that you’ll encounter errors only after an import.

8. New calendar for activities and service calls

Finally, FP 2608 introduces a new Calendar app for CRM, Service, and Human Resources.

Here, you can view activities and service calls by day, workweek, week, or month. You can view the calendars of one or more users and create or edit activities directly from the calendar using drag-and-drop. Searching, filtering, and sharing calendar data are also supported.

For employees who frequently work with activities, appointments, or service calls, this makes the day-to-day use of the Web Client a little more pleasant.

The Web Client Is Becoming More Mature

When we look at FP 2608 as a whole, what stands out most is how much functionality SAP is bringing back to the Web Client. From MRP and inventory valuation to project management, payments, and extensive reporting: processes for which you previously tended to switch to the classic SAP Business One client are increasingly becoming available within the browser environment.

At the same time, Ask AI demonstrates SAP’s vision for AI within Business One. Instead of treating AI as a separate application alongside the ERP system, it becomes an integral part of the environment in which users work every day.

FP 2608 is therefore not just a collection of new features, but above all the next step in the development of the SAP Business One Web Client.