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The Named User Classification Guide.

A forty-two page contractual and operational reference for the thirteen SAP Named User classifications. The transaction-scope definitions, the ambiguities that favour the customer, and the audit-defensible logic for every classification decision in the estate.

Research Paper 42 pages Published April 2026 Format: PDF Access: Gated
What You'll Learn

Six learning outcomes, drawn from classification engagements.

  1. The thirteen Named User classifications, fully decoded. Professional, Limited Professional, Employee, Employee Self-Service, Developer, Project Manager, and the seven others — what each actually entitles and what each costs.
  2. The transaction-scope definitions for each classification. The transaction codes, the dialog steps, and the functional boundaries that determine which classification applies to which user.
  3. The contractual ambiguities that favour the customer. The places where the standard SAP licence-type definitions are open to interpretation, and how to invoke the favourable reading in the audit conversation.
  4. The role-to-classification mapping framework. How to map the corporate HR taxonomy to the SAP licence-type matrix so that new users are classified correctly at provisioning time.
  5. The audit-defensible classification logic. The decision tree, the supporting evidence, and the documentation that holds each classification against audit scrutiny.
  6. The FUE weighting interaction in RISE contexts. How the thirteen classifications map to the Full User Equivalent metric, and where the classification choice produces the largest FUE differential.
Table of Contents

Seven chapters. Forty-two pages.

Chapter IThe Named User taxonomy, contractually decodedpg. 5
Chapter IIProfessional and Limited Professional, in detailpg. 11
Chapter IIIEmployee and Employee Self-Service, decodedpg. 17
Chapter IVDeveloper, Project Manager, and the specialist categoriespg. 22
Chapter VThe contractual ambiguities, annotatedpg. 28
Chapter VIThe role-to-classification mapping frameworkpg. 34
Chapter VIIAudit-defensible logic and supporting evidencepg. 38
Who It's For

Four audiences. One classification reference.

SAM Leaders

The SAM leader executing classification governance. The chapter-by-chapter decoding is the operational reference for every classification decision.

Licence Administrators

The licence administrator operating the SU01 user master and the licence-type assignment workflow. The role-mapping framework is the daily operating manual.

Audit Counsel

Counsel managing the audit response. The contractual-ambiguity annotation is the source of the classification arguments in the audit conversation.

Procurement Negotiators

The procurement lead negotiating Named User commercial terms. The FUE interaction chapter informs both legacy contracts and RISE conversations.

We re-classified eight hundred users from Professional to Limited Professional under documented logic. The auditor accepted the re-classification on paper. Four million dollars came out of the opening claim in one written exchange.

Director, IT Vendor ManagementGlobal Insurance Carrier · Closed Q3 2025
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