More detailed plans for the project will be laid out toward the end of 2007, when the rollout of SAP is at the end of the second of its four phases. Mesaric expects the full installation of logistics, inventory management, field work-order, human resources and financials software to be completed by the end of 2008.

Mesaric noted that the Duet software wasn't the deciding factor in the agency's choice of mySAP to replace mainframe-based ERP systems.

Rather, he said, it was more because of SAP's strong product road map and because of the availability of experts due to nearby SAP installations in state government agencies and at companies such as The Hershey Co.

Jim Murphy, an analyst at Boston-based AMR Research Inc., noted that while Duet is attractive technology, it's not a panacea for all corporate users.

"Basically, the upshot on Duet is that yes, it is a very popular and attractive topic for joint SAP and Microsoft customers, but there are several concerns and challenges for users," he said.