Duet session notes, spc11

This session demoed and explained how sap and sp can work together. It reminded me of the basic funtionality that opentext-sap training starts with. The integration is stronger and the experience is better than what opentext provides, although it looks a little less mature.

Here's the difference between duet and duet enterprise:
- Duet was built as a framework between office and sap. Client install. Packaged business scenarios that were prebuilt.
- Duet enterprise provides the framework to implement security, etc.. Also reporting, workflow, collaboration, search

Duet provides the interoperability layer that allows sp and sap to be integrated.

Some features of note include:
Offline scenario support
Sso - maps ads and sap user. Security is based on the sap permissions.  Allows any sp objects to be secured with sap roles. User mapping is done on the netweaver side, if the usernames are the same, no work is required, otherwise the mapping must be maintained manually.
Templates and building blocks
Monitoring- for troubleshooting. For this platform, both sets of tools are being monitored.
Supportability
Business content- sap content is available as web services, sp content is availableas external content types in bcs. Supports read, write, update.
Some objects are shared by default, includes client.

Scenarios
Can access sap contacts and tasks, among others from within sp
Can define the workflow in sap. A decision step can be exposed in a sp task library that uses a standard infopath form.
Can also have the profile information published out from sap hr module
In sharepoint there is a list of reports that can be requested from sp, run in sap and then shown in sp.

Demo
Shows filters on the list data from sap
Shows that data can be updated from within sp and reflected in sap.
Showed creating a workspace based on sp data
Reports allows you to add parameters
And allows you to schedule reports

Live queries are made when requested by sp.

Sap netweaver gateway - gets data from differen backends and exposes on different devices: sharepoint, social, mobile and web

Duet requires:
Bcs, so sp2010 is required
All browsers supported by sp2010
Office 2010 is nice so that you can do work offline, sp workspaces supports working offline

Three solution types
- out of the box
- intermediate with infopath forms, and leverage webpart pages
- advanced: custom connectivity and custom coding

Case studies include: sandvik and Infosys. 

Some observations of mine:
- The presenters didn't want to take questions during the session, and ended up ignoring the hands that were raised. I think this is a crime. They're more interested in creating a long video presentation than engage with their audience. Although there were a ton of questions at the end, so maybe it wasn't as much of acrime as i initially thought.
- Another aside is that the tables and backdrop is a shiny black material. This should make the presenters stand out,but unfortunately the speakers are wearing black shirts, which results in their bodies fading into the background and the effect of disembodied heads and armless hands. 

The website is duet.com for more info.

Here's a videos of them throwing tshirts at the session:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU7jE7-1oeY