We have described a prototype based on MediaWiki that allows end-users to work with SAP business objects. The prototype is based on our vision of wikis as a general computational platform for end-user programming. The design of our extensions is based on the three fundamental assumptions that end-user programs are never finished but rather remain incomplete, that end-user programs are a direct reflection of their execution, and that end-user programs should be robust towards computational errors.

When business software fails to provide the desired functionality, users typically turn to spreadsheets to perform simple but general computational tasks. However, spreadsheets enforce a view of the world that consists mostly of tables and numbers rather than the domain concepts users have in mind. We are using wikis as a platform for empowering end-users to perform computational tasks of their choice. This paper discusses how core properties of wikis can support end-user programming. We illustrate our approach using wiki prototype software for working with business objects as made available by SAP’s business application suite.

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