SAP ERP

SAP ERP is the main product of the German software company SAP AG, which it sells since 1993. ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning or enterprise information system, so that all business-related areas can be considered a company related.

By December 2003, the product was 3 under the name SAP R / until 2007, mySAP ERP. The last R/3-Version offered is, R / 3 Enterprise 4.70 Extension Set 2:00. The current version is SAP ERP Central Component (ECC ) 6.0 Enhancement Package 7

The name of the SAP R / 3 was born from the concept as a client -server system (system, applications and products ), the "R" for real-time ( " real time") is and the " 3" for the generation of programs from which a R / 3 system is composed ( see below). The previous SAP R / 2 was designed to run on mainframe systems. Its predecessor was developed in 1972, the system R.

  • 3.1 Client-Server Architecture 3.1.1 database
  • 3.1.2 Application Server
  • 3.1.3 kernel
  • 3.1.4 user Interface

Structure

SAP ECC differs mainly in that it is based on SAP NetWeaver R / 3: integral components may be implemented in ABAP and in Java, and new functional areas are often no more than part of the existing ERP system ( associated with some closely with each other created ingredients ), but as independent components or even systems. The ABAP part of the central component of SAP ECC is the technical successor of R / 3 Enterprise 4.70 ( including its Enterprise Extensions and Industry Solutions ). The core modules of R / 3 but are invariably used in ECC, which can also be used without NetWeaver.

There are the releases

  • MySAP ERP 2004 with ECC 5.0, SAP Web AS 6.40
  • SAP ERP 6.0 (formerly mySAP ERP 2005 ) and ECC 6.0, SAP Web AS 7.0

SAP ECC is available under a separate license agreement or under an agreement for the SAP Business Suite. Since 2006, the SAP ERP application is functionally expanded solely through enhancement packages ( extension packages ) - in addition to the usual maintenance support packages. SAP has created with the SAP enhancement packages an expansion concept, which ensures on the one hand for stability of existing functions and on the other hand allows for a simplified and selective access to new features. It is ensured through the use of the switch framework technology that there is no functional changes in the installation.

Since May 2011, the SAP Enhancement Package 5 is generally available. The ramp-up for Enhancement Package 5 began in December 2010. 6 The enhancement package went in November 2011 in the ramp-up phase

Since R / 3 is largely worked in ECC, the statements apply to both SAP R / 3 and ECC in the following text.

Modules

SAP ECC allows the computerized processing of a variety of tasks involved in a typical business enterprise. The modular structure corresponds to the standard in many companies organizational structure. However, the modules are not in the technical sense of information independent ( modular); Rather, the functions are closely interlinked ( functional integration ), and the commissioning of a module always has an impact in other modules.

After ECC system are supported three of ECC business application areas of accounting (SAP ERP Financials ), logistics (SAP ERP Operations ) and Human Resources ( SAP ERP Human Capital Management ) assigned to each of "modules", which are designated with a unique abbreviation. The modules in turn can be subdivided into " components ".

With the ERP system over R / 3 has been amended to distinction is now made between:

  • ECC (ERP Central Component ) as R / 3 successor with the modules listed below
  • Other components which have the character of business solutions, including media, Telecommunications, Utility, Insurance, Healthcare, Oil and Gas or Mining

Accountancy

(English Financials )

  • FI: Financial Accounting ( engl. Financial Accounting ) Accounting FI- GL: General Ledger Accounting ( engl. General Ledger Accounting )
  • FI- AP: Accounts Payable (English Accounts Payable )
  • FI -AR: Accounts Receivable ( engl. Accounts Receivable )
  • FI -BL: Bank Accounting ( engl. Bank Accounting )
  • FI -AA: Asset Accounting ( engl. Asset Accounting )
  • FI -CA: Contract (English Contract Accounting )
  • FI- LC: consolidation (English Legal Consolidation )
  • FI -SL: Special Purpose Ledger (English Special Purpose Ledger)
  • FI-TV: Travel Management ( engl. Travel Management )
  • CO - OM: common costs (English Overhead Cost Management )
  • CO-PC: Product Cost Controlling ( Product Costing Sheet )
  • CO -OM- CEL: Cost Accounting ( engl. CostElement Ledger)
  • CO -OM- CCA: Cost Center Accounting ( engl. Cost Center Accounting )
  • CO -OM -OPA: Overhead Orders and Projects (English Overhead Orders and Projects Accounting )
  • CO -OM- ABC: activity-based costing (English Activity Based Costing )
  • CO-PA: Profitability Analysis ( engl. Profitability Analysis)
  • EC-PCA: Corporate Controlling, Profit Center Accounting ( engl. Enterprise Controlling, Profit Center Accounting )
  • EC-CS: Corporate Controlling, Consolidation System (English Enterprise Controlling Consolidation System)

The application core with the financial modules FI and CO contained in SAP ECC some new features. These include:

  • The new general ledger ( engl. New General Ledger)
  • A coordination tool for intercompany transactions
  • The Closing Cockpit
  • FSCM Dispute Management
  • FSCM Collections Management
  • FSCM Biller Direct

In detail, there have been many extensions in known areas such as Asset Accounting, where the depreciation run and periodic inventory Bucher have been optimized with respect to the performance. When changing to new features can be switched on separately by the customer using the extension set technology. Encapsulated innovations, such as the new general ledger, are technically available, but inactive. (Source: ISBN 3-89842-746-3, mySAP ERP Financials (SAP PRESS) )

  • SEM: Enterprise Controlling ( engl. Strategic Enterprise Management) SEM -BCS: Business Consolidation
  • SEM -BPS: Business Planning and Simulation
  • SEM -CPM: Corporate Performance Monitor
  • SEM SRM: Stakeholder Relationship Management
  • SEM - BIC: Business Information Collection

Human Resources

(English Human Capital Management - HCM)

  • PA: Human Resource Management ( engl. Personnel Management )
  • PT: Time Management ( engl. Personnel Time Management)
  • PY: Payroll ( Payroll engl. )
  • PE: Event Management ( engl. Training and Event Management )
  • PD: Personal development ( engl. Personnel Development )
  • CP: Cost Planning ( engl. Cost Planning )

Logistics

(English Logistics)

  • MM: Materials Management ( engl. Materials Management ) Purchasing, inventory management, audit, inventory, evaluation, performance management, material master
  • Including requirements planning MRP II; supplemented if necessary by the addition product Advanced Planner & Optimizer ( APO)
  • Including inspection, maintenance, repair, according to DIN 31051
  • Order management, shipping and transportation, invoicing, credit management, Foreign Trade / Customs

Cross-Application Components

(English cross applications )

  • IS: Industry solutions (see below)
  • WF: Workflow

Industry Solutions

(English Industry solutions ) These modules can be supplemented by industry-specific solutions, which are marked with the prefix IS ( Industry Solution ), for example,

  • IS- A ( Automotive)
  • IS-AD ( Aerospace & Defense)
  • IS-AFS ( Apparel and Footwear)
  • IS- Banking ( Banking Industry )
  • IS- BEV ( Beverage)
  • IS- DFPS (Defense Forces & Public Security)
  • IS- H (Health Care)
  • IS-HER ( Higher Education & Research)
  • IS- HMED (Clinical System)
  • IS-M (Media )
  • IS-M/AM (Media / Advertisement & Media Sales)
  • IS-M/SD (Media / Sales & Distribution)
  • IS- MP ( Mill Products )
  • IS- OIL ( Oil & Gas)
  • IS-PS ( Public Sector )
  • IS- R ( Retail)
  • IS- RE (Real Estate )
  • IS- T ( Telecommunication)
  • IS- U ( Utilities )

Target group

SAP ERP is considered to be quite complex and relatively expensive in the introduction, in particular by consuming individual configuration and customization ( the so-called customizing). Therefore, choose mainly larger companies for SAP ERP.

Many partners are already doing pre-configured systems, whereby the implementation effort to be significantly lower.

The SAP ECC system is basically client-capable, which means it can be managed with largely independent settings on a ( physical and / or logical ) system several companies.

For small and medium businesses (SMB, Small and Midsize Businesses ), SAP, a variant of the ERP system called SAP Business ByDesign are available for rent. For this, SAP provides the opportunity to outsource the server or the server maintenance from their own company, so that they have not run a separate data center.

Architecture

Client- server architecture

The system uses a tripartite ( three-tier ) client -server architecture, consisting of:

  • Database Server
  • Application server
  • Presentation layer on the client side

With this structure it is possible with increasing demands to distribute the tasks to other machines, thereby increasing the efficiency of the overall system.

Database

The various SAP components require a separate SQL relational database that is not supplied by the company itself. SAP ERP and the SAP Web Application Server support in addition to the in-house SAP MaxDB - an inherited version of the Software AG Adabas - common products such as DB2, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. The currently supported under a platform combinations are online in the Platform Availability Matrix (PAM ) in the Service Marketplace documented.

Application server

The entire business processing is done in the application server through special programs that are written in the proprietary programming language ABAP / 4 ( Advanced Business Application Programming Language) and are supplemented by tools such as Data Dictionary, mask generator or Query Manager.

The language was further developed ongoing since SAP R / 2 ( 1979). In newer releases from the year 2000 can partly be programmed in Java. The ABAP source code is available without additional licenses so that the delivered standard software changes are possible and these can be used as templates for your own applications.

The programs are executed within a specific runtime environment, which is called SAP " kernel ".

Kernel

The kernel is written in C and can - in contrast to most of ABAP programs - will be viewed but not modified by the customer. The kernel abstracted from both the conditions of the operating systems used and of the special SQL syntax of the used DBMS, so that ABAP programs on all platforms are capable of running for which is an ABAP kernel. In turn, these have to do without machines or database-specific optimizations or features.

The kernel contains the following essential components:

  • Lock server
  • Update processes
  • Spoolprozesse
  • Dialog processing
  • Background Processing

The processes can be distributed as needed depending on different machines. The simplest case (all processes running on an application server ) is referred to as so-called " central instance ". For smaller scenarios, this arrangement is sufficient; often the database can be maintained on the same machine. Some components (especially locking and update processes ) may exist only once per system; the " workhorses ", however ( the dialogue and background processes), which perform the actual program execution can be distributed across multiple machines. The combination of database and application server processes is referred to as an ERP system.

User interface

A majority of applications is operated via the graphical user interface developed by SAP SAP GUI. Depending on the component, other clients are alternatively possible: Web Browser with or without Java, WAP or Java Web Start.

Were also tested ways to use OpenOffice.org as a front end for ECC - generated reports. Furthermore, a project was set up with SAP Muse, which will provide service-oriented user-interface functionality in the future, with the PC-Standard-Software/-Tools for Rich Internet Applications ( RIA) like Adobe Apollo, Microsoft WPF / Vista or IBM with Rich Client Platform / RCP can work. For this project, the new client software SAP NetWeaver Business Client showed that allows all applications developed by SAP to represent role-based.

Under the name of Mendocino SAP began in 2005 in collaboration with Microsoft, a project that would combine both software worlds further. One year after the project started, both companies announced the delivery of the software, which bears the name Duet.

Customizing

Unlike most of the smaller ERP systems, numerous variations of the functionality can be set only by parameters in SAP ERP. The adjustments to these settings are called customizing and must be performed for each implementation of the system or module.

The plurality of parameters is controlled by means of several thousands of database tables, which are evaluated at run time. Your care is via a tree parameter, which is constructed similar to the application structure for modules and Care Masks and function information for the permissible entries offers. Alternatively, this can also be done directly on the care of the control tables.

Are the settings through the existing customizing functions no longer represent the standard programs in a number of places extension points available, where via a defined interface customized program parts can be embedded in the standard processing ( User Exits, Customer Exits, Business Add-Ins ( BAdI ), enhancements).

If these options are not enough, you can (almost) all standard programs to be modified to customer specifications. These "modifications" are automatically recorded in order to assign responsibility in case of errors can. Because of the increased sequence expense ( balance during the update of the standard programs ) modifications are, however, avoided if possible.

The interplay of the various parameters is only partially documented - adaptation to a company, therefore, be necessary that the responsible consultant a certain experience.

Host Operating Systems

R / 3 and on the subsequent SAP systems SAP Web AS ABAP and SAP NetWeaver building ( including SAP ERP / ECC) support on the server side, a number of popular platforms:

  • Unix- AIX, HP- UX, Linux (multiple CPU platforms ), Solaris, and Tru64 UNIX.
  • Windows NT and its successors.
  • AS/400 and successor ( IBM System i5, eServer i5, eServer iSeries).
  • Z / OS for IBM mainframes.

Since 1999, SAP employees, distributors and hardware manufacturers deal in the SAP Linux Lab together with the production of SAP products specifically for Linux. The state in mid-2005 are SUSE, Red Hat and Red Flag supported, but only in certain server versions of these distributions. Other Linux derivatives are not certified by SAP.

Enterprise-Resource-Planning Software maintenance Modular programming Management control system Product-Lifecycle-Management SAP IS-U Client (computing) IBM Informix Oracle Database Data-Dictionary IBM AIX z/OS
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