New To SAP Need Help

[Former Member]

Hi, I am new, I would like to know what SAP is all about, and how to use it, I am a software developer and I am interested on new platform. Email me : life4philippines@yahoo.com

[Former Member]

SAP R/3 is a ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) whose role is to connect between them the various functions of the company (accountancy, production, finances, human resources etc....) around a single information system centralized on the basis of a configuration customer/server.

The software package is delivered to the company with the basic functions and each company will be able to then buy the modules most adapted to its needs. SAP also wants to be very flexible and it will be easy for you to add or modify certain more specific functions.

The development of these functionalities will be done via the language owner of SAP ABAP/4.

SAP: System Application Production (system of application of production) is an integrated management software package covering all the functions of a company.

SAP is the 1st world editor of E-business softwares. This ERP concerns 12 million users today, 67500 installations et 1500 partners.

SAP also allows to optimize the information influx within the company and to regulate the information and their influx throughout the diverse functions of the company.

It also makes it possible to accelerate the development of the products by reducing the bottlenecks, the lacks of information, the losses of data and by quickly identifying the constraints of design, of manufacture and provisioning.

SAP is a standard application but it is nevertheless flexible since it allows the addition of extra modules which can be developed to satisfy the needs of the company as well as possible.

SAP Offer proposes several versions known as verticalist depending on the trades of the company.

<b>Positioning of SAP and competition ERP</b>

We can see the supremacy of SAP on the ERP market. The competitors try to reverse the trend through mergers like PeopleSoft and Oracle did last January or Microsoft and IBM. But will this be enough to face the competition of the German editor ?

<u><i><b>The Modularity of SAP</b></i></u>

SAP R/3 is intended to optimize the processes of business management. It is composed of standard functions and covers 3 great fields: Finance, logistics and the workforce. In each of these fields R/3 allows to reproduce the whole flows of values, of goods and of workforce.

The R/3 system is conceived to allow a progressive and flexible implementation as well as a facilitation of the interaction with other systems.

The standard modules of SAP are:

Accountancy/ finances/ management/ treasury

Purchase

Inventory control

Management of warehouses

Management of the fixed assets

Management of production etc...

Thus, SAP is made of various modules which can be used separately.

<u><b> The ERP Objectives</b></u>

An ERP solution must allow:

a fast adaptation to the rules of management.

a centralization and a unification of the data.

the management of several fields of the company by dependent processes.

Unity and standardization of interfaces.

the personalization of the applications.

to rely on a real-time update of information and this in all the affected modules.

the traceability of all the operations.

The installation of an ERP must carefully be prepared. It is necessary to anticipate and to define before its installation the impact that this project will have on the human, economic and organisational scales.

It will have to lead to a return on investment. However, it should be known that this return on investment is not immediate insofar as there is a step of adaptation and training to the new management tools.

<b> Structure of SAP</b>

SAP functions on open operating systems having the following properties:

La Compatibility : operation on various environments.

La Portability : identical functionalities on various architectures.

La Gradability : possible evolution.

L' Interworking : function between various environments.

SAP functions according to a system Client/Server.

The system Customer/Server allows centralizing the resources, to have a better safety, an administration on the level server as well as an evolutionary network without disturbing the correct operation of the existing network.

System SAP is consisted of the whole of the servers assigned to only one and even database.

SAP bases on an architecture known as 3-thirds or to 3 levels:

The customer

The server of application

The database server

At the time of a transaction, the data are stored in a buffer then they are updated physically. It is what we call the validation of the data.

<u><i><b>Award me if find useful</b></i></u>

Best Regards

Srikanth

[Former Member]

Hi Glenn,

I guess the following articles will help you understand more about SAP :

What is SAP ?

http://searchsap.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid21_gci214190,00.html

What is R/3 ?

http://searchsap.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid21_gci212859,00.html

What is NetWeaver ?

http://searchsap.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid21_gci904979,00.html

Please also visit http://www.sap.com for most updated and comprehensive information.

Best Regards,

Tarun

[Former Member]

SAP is an ERP solution just like all other ERP softwares BAAN, Oracle Manufacturing, JD Edwards..............

It has Fucntional and Technical streams. Basically if you are a developer, then it is better to go for a technical stream like ABAP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_AG

Hope this helps you.