Energy Company Mitigates $5.3M SAP Licensing Risk 

During a routine SAP ELP review, Anglepoint identified a $5.3M compliance exposure tied to a spike in SAP HANA memory usage and, through detailed analysis, confirmed the software usage was compliant, eliminating the exposure and closing the risk.

Challenge

Since partnering with this energy company in 2020, Anglepoint has supported its SAP environment, including the client-licensed SAP HANA Databases: SAP HANA Enterprise and SAP HANA Runtime Edition, which drives critical reporting and operational processes across the organization. In prior Effective License Position (ELP) reporting, the energy company operated SAP within its defined licensing terms and measurement logs had shown relatively low usage for an extended period. During a 2025 ELP assessment, Anglepoint identified a sharp and unexpected increase in SAP HANA database memory usage reaching levels that typically trigger closer scrutiny under SAP’s licensing framework. From a compliance perspective, this type of surge can signal potential SAP HANA Enterprise licensing exposure rather than continued eligibility under HANA Runtime.

If classified as Enterprise usage, the organization faced $5.3M in license and annual support fees. The exposure was unbudgeted and previously unknown to leadership, creating significant financial and operational risk. Without defensible analysis, the spike would result in a significant compliance finding and invoice. 

Complicating matters, SAP had initiated a subsequent soft audit immediately after the 2025 ELP reporting.   While the internal SAP team was technically capable, it lacked deep expertise in SAP licensing measurement logic and evolving HANA Enterprise and Runtime enforcement standards. 

A standard ELP would have identified the risk and stopped there. The critical question was whether the exposure was legitimate or whether deeper analysis and contractual interpretation could mitigate it.  

Solution

Anglepoint initially identified the $5.3M exposure through its structured SAP ELP review process. The memory spike triggered measurement indicators commonly associated with potential SAP HANA Enterprise usage. This represented significant compliance and financial risk; however, general measurement indicators alone do not automatically confirm non-compliance. 

Rather than stopping at risk identification, Anglepoint initiated a deeper forensic review. Drawing on extensive SAP licensing expertise, Anglepoint examined how HANA was being used within the SAP layer to determine if usage truly fell within HANA Enterprise licensing parameters. The distinction was critical, as SAP licensing depends not only on memory volume, but also on how and where HANA is used within the organizations' landscape. 

To validate the compliance position, Anglepoint developed and executed custom scripts to analyze tables, SQL procedures, system objects, and usage patterns across the SAP environment. The review evaluated objects without SAP application assignment and assessed whether any data was extracted or used outside the SAP layer. This analysis provided a clear understanding of what was driving the reported memory spike.  

This investigation confirmed that the increased memory consumption reflected legitimate SAP HANA processing and technical components operating entirely within the SAP application layer. There was no evidence of indirect access or non-SAP activity requiring SAP HANA Enterprise licensing. Under the client’s contractual framework, the usage qualified under HANA Runtime, which does not impose the same memory limitations as Enterprise licenses.  

Anglepoint documented its findings through structured analysis and executive-ready summaries, ensuring the organization had a defensible compliance position ahead of the anticipated SAP review. By expanding the scope of the ELP review, the team mitigated a potential $5.3M liability and provided clarity, confidence, and audit readiness.  

Results

• $5.3M exposure reduced to $0: Eliminated through detailed validation and precise contractual interpretation of SAP HANA usage. 

• Formal compliance position achieved: Confirmed all usage fell within HANA Runtime terms, closing the compliance gap. 

• Audit-ready, defensible documentation: Delivered evidence-backed analysis to support future SAP measurement reviews.

• Strengthened long-term SAP governance: Continued proactive oversight and support for ongoing compliance maturity.