SAP Overview
Main character of SAP software is
specialization. SPECIALIZATION means
each component within the SAP software
meets a particular need.
For example one component is responsible for
providing web-based access to other SAP
systems. Another component is responsible
for addressing product lifecycle planning
requirements. Yet another component helps
interconnecting different systems to ease
integration headaches.
Every company needs to manage its
inventories, generate & track sales,
deliver services, maximize revenue,
and optimize its supply chains.
SAP is used to satisfy these needs of
the companies.
Within a SAP component, a company's
business processes are configured. SAP
software reflects industry's best practices.
By adopting proven practices, companies
serve their stakeholders more efficiently.
For example, in SAP you can configure
business processes like "order to cash" and
"credit check".
Configurating a business processes within
SAP may involve one or more modules.
Within SAP software there are various components. A
component can be broken down further into
modules of functionality that are more discrete in
nature. Each module is addresses a particular piece
of the overall component pie.
SAP software is comprised of modules like
Financials, Sales & Distribution, Materials
Management, Warehouse Management, and so
on. Each of these modules serves to manage a
functional area for which a particular department
is responsible. Individual SAP modules combine to
form an SAP component.
SAP Brief History
SAP is a product of Walldorf, Germany based
company called SAP AG (pronounced essaye-pea aye-gee) the world's largest
enterprise software company.
Former IBM engineers formed a company
called SAP AG in Mannheim, Germany in
1972. Originally the company was named:
Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte
GOAL
o
To develop a software that
integrates company's business
functions in a manner that reflected
best practices.
The software was engineered on a
multilingual and multinational
platform.
Only a few years after its core
product hit the marketplace the SAP
become Germany's top software
vendor.
SAP AG Today
SAP AG company is a market leader in Enterprise
Applications software. SAP is listed on the New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol
SAP.
Nearly 30 industries are covered by SAP industry
solutions. SAP AG has offices in more than 50
countries. It has more than 32,000 employees.
Partners base exceeds 1,500. There are 12 million
SAP users and over 91,000 SAP installations.
SAP AG also offers comprehensive INDUSTRY
SOLUTIONS besides regular SAP software (ECC
products).
o
Aerospace & Defense
Automotive
Banking
Chemicals
Consumer Products
o
Engineering & Construction o
o
o
o
o
Healthcare
o High Tech
o SAP Insurance
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Media
Oil & Gas
Pharmaceuticals
Public Sector
Retail
Service Provider
Telecommunications
Utilities
SAP System Architecture &
WebAS
Most SAP components are built on a powerful
platform called Web Application Server
(WebAS).
WebAS understand most popular computer
languages including HTML, XML, Web Services,
SAP ABAP/4, and Java to store back end date,
many database versions and releases are
supported.
THREE-TIERED ARCHITECTURE
The SAP system has
THREE-TIERS. The
*PRESENTATION
LAYER (the user
interface),
*APPLICATION LAYER
(the business logic), and
*DATABASE LAYER are
logically separate from
one another.
They can also be made to
be physically separated.
SAP R/3 Client/Server Architecture
In a CLIENT/SERVER environment, a client
machine requests information, via network, from
the supplying machine, known as the server.
SAP R/3 (old version) was using an architecture
called client/server. The newer version of SAP
R/3 is called ECC: ERP Central Component.
ECC (ERP Central Component) is built around a
different type of architecture. It uses SAP
NetWeaver and Enterprise Services
Architecture.
The 3-tier solution is more
scalable. Now upgrading
application is easier as
well.
The application now resides
one (or few) machine:
middle tier, as oppose to
hundreds of client PCs.
SAP engineers also
abstracted the database
layer. Many different
databases are supported.
A central computer
hosts the database.
This computer is
known as the
DATABASE
SERVER.
The APPLICATION
SERVER is
responsible for the
administrative
functions including
background
processing and
printing.
These computers are also called FRONT-END
clients.
These computers display the SAP screens. SAP
Graphical User Interface (GUI), or SAP GUI is
installed on these computers.
What is Graphical User Interface
(GUI)?
A graphical user interface consists of
graphic images called icons that include
buttons, pull-down menus, dialog boxes,
and scrollbars.
These images are typically manipulated
with a mouse. The GUI makes computers
user friendly.
FOUR-TIERED Architectures
SAP introduced the four-tiered architectures
when enterprise software vendors
recognized the value that the Internet or
company-internal intranets can provide to
the end-users.
The fourth layer is called “ACCESIBILITY
TIER" or “SERVICES TIER". This layer
exists in between the application and
presentation tiers`
ENTERPRISE SERVICES
ARCHITECTURE (ESA)
SAP is building a solution around a new
model. It involves various applications
talking to each other via services.
SAP NetWeaver
It is a component of SAP software that
provides the platform for integrating these
application services.
QUIZ #1
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the original name of SAP?
What is the main goal of SAP?
Who formed the SAP AG company?
It means each component within the SAP software
meets a particular need.
5. Give at least three (3) industry solutions that offers for.
6. What are the three (3) most common multinational
platform of SAP software?
7. This layer is known to be the “business logic layer”.
8. It consists of graphic images called icons.
9. Give the Four-Tiered Architectures (in Ascending
Order)
10. Give at least two (2) major companies here in the
Philippines that you think uses SAP .
11. Presentation layer can be known as __________.