---
title: How To Estimate Your SAP BW Project Durations [Online Calculator]
description: Learn How Your SAP Service Partner Estimates Your SAP BW Project Durations.  Understand the importance of Business Content for Project Estimation
---

[SAP BW|BOBJ|Project Management Blog ](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog)

# [How To Estimate Your SAP BW Project Durations [Online Calculator]](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-estimate-your-sap-bw-project-durations)

 Written by [Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) | Wed, Feb, 15, 2012 @ 03:37 AM

## Need To Estimate a [SAP BW Project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/understanding-sap-bw-in-5-minutes)?

Most SAP BW customers want and need a way to [estimate projects](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-business-intelligence-consulting/what-is-sap-business-warehouse).  SAP BW is implemented following a highly modified version of the [**SAP ASAP methodology**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/14-ways-to-write-better-sap-proposals). 

 

Learn how your [SAP Service Partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management) Estimates Your SAP BW [Project Durations](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-key-infrastructure-tips-for-sap-implementation-projects). [Understand](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-estimate-your-sap-bw-project-durations) the importance of [Business Content](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/12-sap-crm-content-management-system-requirements).

 

The biggest difference being the recommendation to have a go-live based on [standard business conten](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-sap-bw-to-prevent-retail-losses)t within 4-8 weeks of the [project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-sap-s-hrms) start.  These differences can greatly affect your [SAP BW effort estimation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-business-intelligence-consulting/what-is-sap-business-warehouse).

 

The **SAP ASAP phases** and their percent of total [project duration](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-determine-your-fully-loaded-cost-rate) break out like this:

 

- [Project Preparation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-asap-project-review)                        10%
- [Blueprint](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/learn-what-makes-sap-dfps-solution-different)                                         30%
- Realization                                      40%                
- Final Preparation                            10%
- Going Live                                      10%

 

 

The 4-8 week ‘[mini-implementation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/total-cost-of-ownership-tco)’ is based on a [project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/attract-convert-close-delight-inbound-marketing-strategy) which is all [SAP R/3](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-improve-sap-profitability-management-p2-the-ultimate-guide) and which has not been highly modified. 

 

However, if you are lucky enough to have the possibility of doing a short, mini-implementation based on standard [**SAP BW Business Content**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-sap-bw-project-estimation-best-practices-to-roll-out-today), then you will want to do it. 

 

It accomplishes several **critical goals:**

 

- Ensures [that you have](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-important-is-data-governance-to-internet-marketing) a complete, working **SAP Netweaver Environment** (which includes the SAP BW and SAP R/3 systems).
- Gets a **working deliverable** into your [business user’s hands](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/the-guaranteed-easiest-way-to-calculate-sla) within the recommended time-frame of 90 days.
- Allows the BW Consultant to work with the functional consultants to **understand what their [business process](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-marketing-routes-to-reach-your-crm-goals)** will look like and prevent everything from being pushed to SAP BW.

 

## How To Estimate Time For A Project

 

If you cannot use standard SAP Business Content, there are at least 2 SAP BW [estimation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-estimate-google-ppc-adwords-performance) rules of thumb I use to come up with a [time estimate](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/field-report-from-a-marketing-project-manager):

 

- [Business Requirements Analysis](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/improve-your-sap-bw-project-requirements-gathering) including Business Content Check Per Business Area = **10 Days**
  
  (including meetings, note consolidation, [research](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-hana-margin-analysis), validation, possibly BW Business Content activation, [data migration](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-sap-data-migration-mistakes-to-avoid) effort estimation).
  
  Multi-Location, [Multi-Entity projects](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/request-sap-business-planning-and-consolidation-sap-bpc-consulting-support) tend to be much longer.
- Modeling and Development of an InfoCube = 5-7 Days
- [Query Development](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/cots-vs-custom-development-decision-tree-analysis) = 3-4 Days
- Web [Application Development](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-important-is-data-governance-to-internet-marketing) = 3-7 Days and up
- User Acceptance Testing = 3-10 Days
- [End-User Training](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/develop-a-data-governance-framework) and Delivery = 3-10 Days (Logistics, i.e., locations, drive this)

 

## SAP BW Implementation Time-Line Per the SAP BW Academy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## Why Does It Take This Long?

 

Because the system is very complicated, from the stand-point of sheer breadth of [scope](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-a-project-charter-to-start-a-project) of the system as you can see in our BW Mindmap.

 

 

 

[These estimates](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-understand-sap-supply-chain-management-and-bw) do not really work in those cases where SAP BW will be an open hub source system or part of an [integration  scenario](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-integrations-sales-sap-chat) in the case of SAP CRM, APO, SCM, SEM, MDM or external system scenarios. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## How To Estimate Resources For A Project

 

Need help [estimating your SAP BW project resource requirements?](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/estimate-your-sap-bw-consulting-resource-needs/)  Just click on the button. You can use our handy, Free online SAP BW ASAP [Project Estimator](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/fully-loaded-cost-calculator) to generator a 'good enough' estimate in about 5 minutes.  And of course, if after doing your estimate you would like for us to provide you [with a consulting quote](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management-archived-2), we can make that happen.

  

 

People Who Read This Also Read:

- 1 Key Tip [When Upgrading](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/1-key-tip-when-upgrading-from-sap-bw-3-x-to-bw-7-x) from SAP BW 3.X to BW 7.X [Checklist]
- 10 Advanced SAP BW [Project Estimation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-advanced-sap-bw-project-estimation-techniques) Techniques [Online Tool]
- Top 10 [Guidelines](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/free-website-seo-grade-audit-serp-sem-amp) to [Choosing a SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/top-10-guidelines-to-choosing-a-sap-partner) Service Partner
- 10 [Critical Chain](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-critical-chain-project-manager-tips) Project Manager Tips
- Learn What is [Catch Weight Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/learn-what-is-catch-weight-management)
- Leverage SAP BW to Increase [Supply Chain Inventory](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/leverage-sap-bw-to-increase-supply-chain-inventory-accuracy) Accuracy
- Differences Between SAP ASAP Projects and [SAP BW Projects](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/9-reasons-sap-bw-projects-fail-maybe) You Should Know About

 

Thanks

 

[View full post](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-estimate-your-sap-bw-project-durations)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-02-03T15:54:55.825Z",
  "datePublished" : "2012-02-15T03:37:00Z",
  "headline" : "How To Estimate Your SAP BW Project Durations [Online Calculator]",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 413,
    "url" : "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/118735/file-16590556-png/images/sap_project_durations-resized-600.png",
    "width" : 600
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-estimate-your-sap-bw-project-durations",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Blog of SAP BW Consulting - Business Intelligence, BOBJ, Big Data, Project Management and Staffing"
  }
}
```