SAP had single-digit revenue growth for the first quarter ended March 31 in what the company says is usually its weakest quarter. However, profit after tax rose to $641.2 million, up 38 percent over last year in IFRS terms, although an increase of only 9 percent on a non-IFRS basis. License sales were a drag on revenue, increasing only 1 percent to $3.57 billion. The revenue numbers missed SAP'S guidance and the Americas were a big factor in that.

Microsoft this week said that Dynamics revenue for the third quarter ended March 31 was 4-percent higher than in last year's corresponding period. This represents an improvement in fiscal 2016 as for the nine months, Dynamics revenue rose 3 percent and during the week's earnings webcast, CEO Satya Nadella said Dynamics AX revenue grew by double digits. The company does not report dollar totals and you have to speculate on the ERP results.

Exact this week previewed Macola 10.4 at its Evolve customer conference in Atlanta, Ga. The software company, which expects to introduce the product in June, said 10.4 includes Workspace 2.0, a new generation of personalized workspaces for day-to-day business tasks. It will utilize an alliance with Qlik Technology to provide a business intelligence tool, Exact Insights Powered by Qlik, and also will support its Latin American expansion by offering IFRS reporting.

Epicor Software intends to become a more channel friendly company and to produce a definitive plan in October. "We are migrating toward a partner-led model, we are not there yet," Bob Aronson, the company's SVP of sales, said at this week's Insights conference. The company is close to a 100-percent channel approach in Canada and Latin America. While it will not move that direction in the United States, Epicor plans to make the channel a much more significant part of revenue here. Aronson said the company is simplifying a program that included a 67-page document for managing partners.