Retired legacy product — no longer under SAP mainstream maintenance. Kept here for historical reference and product lineage; see the successor below.
SAP R/3 was the landmark three-tier, client-server ERP that defined enterprise software in the 1990s and 2000s and made SAP a global standard. Its architecture and data model are the direct ancestors of SAP ERP 6.0 (ECC).
It first shipped around 1992. As a continuously delivered cloud service it follows a rolling-release model: SAP updates it on a regular cadence and publishes no single end-of-maintenance date, so there is no countdown clock for the line as a whole. Individual data-center releases may carry their own short windows, but customers are kept current automatically rather than facing a version cliff.
R/3 evolved into SAP ERP / ECC and ultimately SAP S/4HANA. Any organisation still on an R/3-era system is effectively several generations behind and would move to S/4HANA via a modern conversion or re-implementation.
While largely historical, R/3 remains relevant context for ECC customers, since today's Business Suite 7 maintenance deadlines are the closing chapter of the R/3 lineage.
Independent reference tool. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SAP SE. Product names are referenced as plain text for identification only. Always confirm dates against SAP's official Product Availability Matrix and your support contract.