report on sap

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A Report on

“SAP TECHNOLOGY”

Submitted to:

Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Management Studies andResearch

Navi Mumbai.

Addressing:Information Technology for Management.

Varsha Sharma

Session:2010-2012Semester I

Submitted By:Group 8

PRESENTED BY: MILIND RAGHUVANSHI 107VISHAL RANA 108BHUSHAN RATHOD 109REMYA KRISHNAN 110VISHAL SAWANT 111SIDDHARTH SHINDE 112



SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS &PRODUCTS

IN DATA PROCESSING



Contents

1. BACKGROUND

2. THE HISTORY OF SAP3. SAP MODULES

4. PLATFORM AND FRAMEWORK

5. IMPLEMENTATION

6. SAP ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

7. CASE STUDY

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY



INTRODUCTION



Background

ERP:

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP is a way tointegrate the data and processes of an organization into one single system.Usually ERP systems will have many components including hardware andsoftware, in order to achieve integration, most ERP systems use a unifieddatabase to store data for various functions found throughout theorganization.

The term ERP originally referred to how a large organization planned touse organizational wide resources. In the past, ERP systems were used inlarger more industrial types of companies. However, the use of ERP has

changed and is extremely comprehensive, today the term can refer to anytype of company, no matter what industry it falls in. In fact, ERP systems areused in almost any type of organization - large or small.

In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must providean organization with functionality for two or more systems. While someERP packages exist that only cover two functions for an organization(QuickBooks: Payroll & Accounting), most ERP systems covers severalfunctionality

Today's ERP systems can cover a wide range of functions and integrate them

into one unified database. For instance, functions such as Human Resources,Supply Chain Management, Customer Relations Management, Financials,Manufacturing functions and Warehouse Management functions were all oncestand alone software applications, usually housed with their own database andnetwork, today, they can all fit under one umbrella



Integration is an extremely important part to ERP's. ERP's main goal isto integrate data and processes from all areas of an organization and unify itfor easy access and work flow. ERP's usually accomplish integration bycreating one single database that employs multiple software modulesproviding different areas of an organization with various business functions.

Although the ideal configuration would be one ERP system for an entire

organization, many larger organizations usually create and ERP system andthen build upon the system and external interface for other stand alonesystems which might be more powerful and perform better in fulfilling anorganizations needs. Usually this type of configuration can be time consumingand does require lots of labor hours.



HISTORY OF SAP

THE HISTORY OF SAP



SAP's story is one of a steady rise from a small, five-man operationheadquartered in southwest Germany's Rhine-Neckar region to one of theworld's largest independent software providers and an employer of morethan 47,598 people in over 50 countries.

Read about SAP's exciting evolution and key milestones:

1972 - 73

Foundation: Five former IBM employees start a company they call SAPSystem analyze und Programmentwicklung ("System Analysis and ProgramDevelopment").

Vision: Standard application software for real-time data processing isdeveloped.

Associations: Taking the initial form of a private partnership under theGerman Civil Code, the company establishes its headquarters in Weinheim,Germany, and opens an office in nearby Mannheim. However, SAP's fivefounders spend most of their time in the data centers of their firstcustomers, which include the German branch of Imperial ChemicalIndustries in Östringen.

Night owls: Development of the fledgling company's first programs takesplace mainly at night and on weekends.

Initial success: At the end of its first year in business, SAP employs ninepeople and generates DM 620,000 in revenue.

Modularity: SAP completes its first financial accounting system – RF. Thissystem serves as the cornerstone in the ongoing development of othersoftware modules of the system that will eventually bear the name SAP R/1.

New customers: More clients in southwest Germany are running SAPsoftware, including the tobacco company Rothändle in Lahr and thepharmaceutical firm Knoll in Ludwigshafen. Meanwhile, SAP itself is usingIBM servers and the DOS operating system.

1995-96

A midmarket push: SAP begins to focus more marketing efforts onmidsize companies with the help of system resellers.



Customer trust: The U.S. company Burger King, Inc., becomes the 1,000thcustomer to implement SAP's software for human resources management.Meanwhile, Microsoft joins the ranks of high-tech companies opting for SAPR/3. Deutsche Telekom AG sets a new record as the largest of SAP'scontracts to date with 30,000 SAP R/3 workstations and collaborates withSAP on a solution for the telecommunications industry.

Success in the capital market: SAP's share price soars following itsaddition to Germany's DAX stock index and the transition to a minimum parvalue of DM 5. Shortly thereafter, Manager Magazine once again namesSAP "Company of the Year." Now nearly 7,000 strong, SAP's workforcegenerates DM 2.7 billion in revenue.

SAP goes online: SAP introduces its joint Internet strategy with Microsoft. Through open interfaces, customers can now connect online applications totheir SAP R/3 systems. They can also take advantage of IBM's new AS/400platform.

Accolades: SAP is named "Company of the Year" by the European Business Journalists Association and for the third time by Manager magazine.

More renowned customers: Coca-Cola, the world's largest manufacturerof soft drinks, decides to implement SAP R/3.

Ubiquitous: SAP raises the bar with its numerous customer events,welcoming 4,300 guests interested in the company's products and strategyto the European SAPPHIRE event in Vienna. Meanwhile, over 8,000attendees flock to the corresponding event in the U.S., and more than5,000 are on hand for the first SAPPHIRE event in Japan.

Key figures: SAP's revenues climb to DM 3.7 billion and its employeesnumber 9,202 by year's end.

SAP TODAY

2010



Dynamic duo: In February, the Supervisory Board names Bill McDermottand Jim Hagemann Snabe co-CEOs of the company. Chief technology officerVishal Sikka also joins the Executive Board. Angelika Dammann followsSikka in July, becoming the first woman to serve on the Executive Board asshe assumes responsibility for global human resources and labor relations.

Major acquisition: In May, SAP announces its plans to purchase the

California Company Sybase for approximately US$5.8 billion. Sybase is thelargest business software and service provider specializing exclusively ininformation management and mobile data use. The synthesis of the twoleading companies is to produce solutions for "wireless" companies.

Real-time innovation: More than 50,000 customers and other interestedpeople attend SAP's SAPPHIRE Now event either live or online – a newrecord. In addition to a comprehensive overview of SAP's product strategy,they witness numerous innovations – chief among them is in-memorytechnology which ushers in a new era of real-time processing in businessapplications.

Three-Tiered Architecture

SAP software uses a three-tiered architecture.In a three-tiered architecture there are three nodes:

• Presentation Layer or Client• Business Logic or Application Server• Database Server

Presentation Layer

Various devices could be used to access SAP business software. Forexample: desktop, mobile devices, laptops, and so run. This device would



be called a presentation layer. You might have to install a piece of softwareon these devices so that they could talk to the application server (computerrunning the actual SAP software). You could also use your web browser toaccess SAP application. Whatever the case may be, the front end devicewould communicate with the application server. The device would simplydisplay you a presentation layer while the application is actually running onthe application server. The device is also called a "client".

Application Server

The actual SAP software runs on an application server. Client node simplydisplays the image of the screen that is actually being produced on theapplication server. It is important to note the application server only runsSAP software. Data is not stored in application server

Database Server

Data is stored on a separate machine called database server. Presentationlayer communicates with application server to retrieve the screen image tobe displayed to the user. Application server in turn communicates with thedatabase server to write data to the database and to retrieve data from thedatabase. The database server would be hosting a database managementsystem like Oracle. Oracle is the most popular choice of database to beused with SAP software. Other databases could be used as well e.g. SQLServer (from Microsoft) and DB2 (form IBM).

Network

Network is an important part of a three tiered architecture. The clientcomputer would connect to the application server through internet, orcompany specific intranet, local area, network, dial up line etc. Similarmedia is used by application server to communicate with database server. This way user can run business application virtually from anywhere.

Scalability, Flexibility, and Ease of Maintenance

Three-tiered architecture provides scalability and flexibility. If overtime,load is increased on the application server, then another application servercould be added. Or simply more memory or CPU could be added to the



same application server without disturbing other nodes. Similarly databaseserver could be upgraded without touching the other nodes. Also when it istime to upgrade the business logic to a newer version, only applicationserver absorbs the new business logic patches.

Service-Oriented Architecture

SAP is SOA enabled. SOA (pronounced as so-uh) stands for Service-OrientedArchitecture. SOA architecture is based on NetWeaver technology. BeingSOA enabled means that SAP software support service calls. Any program(even external to SAP) can make a service call to SAP to retrieve someuseful information or to register new information. For example let’s say youhave developed an external website that needs to retrieve current pricinginformation from SAP software. Instead of retrieving information from thedatabase (by writing SQL) your website will make a service all to SAPrequesting prices on selected items. Also your website may make a servicecall to SAP to register a new customer. The information might arrive to yourprogram responsible for generating website in an XML (Extensible Mark-up

Language) format.XML is a popular choice of protocol for data exchange. You can then parse this data and display it to the website in any layout youlike using HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language). Websites are built usingHTML language. This is the language that your browser can decode. SOAarchitecture brings flexibility to the table. It makes it easy for externalapplications to communicate with SAP.



SAP MODULES

SAP MODULES



Logistics

Logistics comprises all processes involved in purchasing, materials

management, manufacturing, warehousing, quality management, plantmaintenance, service management and sales and distribution. Allapplications access a shared consistent database, supported by productiondata management.

• SD: Sales & Distribution SD actively supports sales anddistribution activities with outstanding functions for pricing, promptorder processing, and on-time delivery, interactive variantconfiguration, and a direct interface to profitability analysis andproduction.

• PP: Production Planning and Control PP provides

comprehensive process for all types of manufacturing: fromrepetitive, make-to-order, and assemble-to-order production, throughprocess, lot and make-to-stock manufacturing, to integrated supplychain management with functions extended MRP || and electronickanban, plus optional interfaces to PDC, process control systems,CAD and PDM.

• PS: Project System PS coordinates and controls all phases of aproject, in direct cooperation with Purchasing and Controlling, from



quotation to design and approval, to resource management and costsettlement.

• MM: Materials Management MM optimizes all purchasingprocesses with workflow-driven processing functions, enablesautomated supplier evaluation, lowers procurement and warehousingcosts with accurate inventory and warehouse management, andintegrates invoice verification.

• QM: Quality Management QM monitors, captures, andmanages all processes relevant to quality assurance along the entiresupply chain, coordinates inspection processing, initiates correctivemeasures, and integrates laboratory information systems.

• PM: Plant Maintenance PM provides planning, control, andprocessing of scheduled maintenance, inspection, damage-relatedmaintenance, and service management to ensure availability of operational systems, including plants and equipment delivered tocustomers.

• SM: Service Management SM provides highly integratedcustomer service functionality to compete in today's global markets.

• PDM: Product Data Management PDM supports in creatingand managing product data throughout the product life cycle.

Financials

Financials is a suite of integrated financial application componentsencompasses all aspects of financial accounting, investment management,controlling, treasury management, and enterprise controlling.

• FI: Financial Accounting FI collects all the data in companyrelevant to accounting, providing complete documentation andcomprehensive information, and is at the same an up-to-the-minutebasis for enterprise-wide control and planning.

• CO: Controlling CO is a complete array of compatible planningand control instruments for company-wide controlling systems, with auniform reporting system for coordinating the contents andprocedures of company's internal processes.

• IM: Investment Management IM offers integratedmanagement and processing of investment measures and projectsfrom planning to settlement, including pre-investment analysis anddepreciation simulation.

• TR: Treasury TR is a complete solution for efficient financialmanagement that ensures the liquidity of worldwide company, itsstructures, financial assets, profitability and minimizes risks.



• EC: Enterprise Controlling EC continuously monitorscompany's success factors and performance indicators on the basis of specially prepared management information.

Human Resources

HR provides solutions planning and managing company's human resources,

using integrated applications that cover all personnel management tasksand help simplify and speed the process.

• PM: Personnel Management PM is a complete solution forpersonnel administration, recruitment management, travelmanagement, benefits administration and salary administration.

• OM: Organizational Management OM assists in maintainingan accurate picture of organization's structure, no matter how fast itchanges. It is systematic and forward planning tool that considersthe final effects of all personnel events thus it's complete solution forpersonnel cost planning.

• PA: Payroll Accounting PA addresses payroll functions from aglobal point-of-view and gives the capability to centralize payrollprocessing or decentralize the data based on country or legal entities.

• TM: Time Management TM is integrated with payrollaccounting, controlling, production planning, plant maintenance,project system, external services and shift planning. It provides witha variety of standard reports that will assist in tracking and analyzingemployee time with completeness and accuracy.



PLATFORM &FRAMEWORK



PLATFORM AND FRAMEWORK

SAP NetWeaver is SAP's integrated technology platform and is thetechnical foundation for all SAP applications since the SAP Business Suite.SAP NetWeaver is marketed as a service-oriented application andintegration platform. SAP NetWeaver provides the development andruntime environment for SAP applications and can be used for customdevelopment and integration with other applications and systems. SAPNetWeaver is built using open standards and industry de facto standardsand can be extended with, and interoperate with, technologies such asMicrosoft .NET, Sun Java EE, and IBM WebSphere.

SAP NetWeaver's release is considered as a strategic move by SAP fordriving enterprises to run their business on a single, integrated platformthat includes both applications and technology. Industry analysts refer tothis type of integrated platform offering as an "applistructure" (applications+ infrastructure). According to SAP, this approach is driven by industry's

need to lower IT costs through an enterprise architecture that is at once (1)more flexible; (2) better integrated with applications; (3) built on openstandards to ensure future interoperability and broad integration; and, (4)provided by a vendor that is financially viable for the long term.

SAP is fostering relationships with system integrators and independentsoftware vendors, many of the latter becoming "Powered by SAPNetWeaver".

SAP NetWeaver is part of SAP's plan to transition to a more open, service-oriented architecture and to deliver the technical foundation of its

applications on a single, integrated platform and common release cycle.

SAP Business Connector (also known as "SAP BC") is a re-brandedversion/restricted licence version of webMethods Integration Serverprovided by SAP as a middleware solution for their R/3 product. It wasdeveloped jointly by webMethods and SAP in a partnership which lastedfrom March 1999 to March 2002. webMethods contributed the IntegrationServer platform (including components like HTTP server & client, FTP server& client, SMTP/IMAP/POP3 client, XML processing tools, data mapping

engine, job scheduler), while SAP contributed the components for RFC/tRFC,BAPI and IDoc communication and processing. These SAP components werebundled into an add-on package (called "SAP Adapter") that can beinstalled on top of the core Integration Server.

So technically the SAP Business Connector is a webMethods IntegrationServer bundled with a pre-installed "SAP Adapter". SAP customers wereable to license additional adapters from webMethods (like "Baan Adapter",



"JDEdwards Adapter", "Oracle Adapter", "PeopleSoft Adapter", "SiebelAdapter", etc.). These adapters would run on a wM Integration Server andan SAP BC alike, as during that time (meaning from release 2.1 to 4.6) thecore platform of both products was identical.

Then in March 2002 the partnership was discontinued and both companiesstarted developing a successor version independently: SAP (who had

acquired the full core Integration Server source code) started developingSAP BC 4.7, while webMethods began work on wM IS 6.0. Of course thecomponent that changed most in SAP BC 4.7 was the "SAP Adapter", whichgot enhanced IDoc processing capabilities and performance improvementsin the RFC communication layer. However, SAP also enhanced selectedcomponents of the core Integration Server, e.g. the job scheduler, the"Reverse Invoke" feature and the WmPartners package, which wascompletely redesigned. SAP tried to do these core enhancements in abackward compatible way, the only exception being the WmPartnerspackage whose architecture had to be changed radically, because theoriginal version had proved to be a serious performance bottleneck.

Consequently most webMethods adapters developed for wM IS 4.6 or wM IS6.0 should still run on an SAP BC 4.7, with the exception of those adaptersthat have a tight coupling with the WmPartners package.

SAP BC 4.7 was released in June 2003. By that time SAP had already starteddevelopment of its own integration/middleware product ("Message Broker",later renamed to "Exchange Infrastructure" (SAP XI), nowadays called"Process Integration" (SAP PI)), so the SAP Business Connector product linewas frozen at version 4.7 between 2003 and 2007. Then, in summer 2007,it became more and more apparent, that the maintainability of SAP BC 4.7was endangered, because most operating systems and Java VM versions,on which the BC depended, had gone out of maintenance. Thereforedevelopment for another release (SAP BC 4.8) was started. This version wasreleased in July 2008 and can be seen as a maintenance update to supportnewer JVM's and operating systems. See SAP note 1094412. However, aswas the case with SAP BC 4.7, SAP again added a number of enhancementsand performance improvements to some "wM core components" as well asto the "SAP components", most notably to the worker thread pool, thedatabase adapter, the debugging, monitoring and tracing capabilities, theRFC and IDoc processing and the "Developer" tool.



IMPLEMENTATION



SAP IMPLEMENTATION

SAP Implementation is the whole of processes that defines acomplete method to implement the Enterprise Resource Planning, SAP ERP software in an organization. The SAP implementation method described inthis entry is a generic method and not a specific implementation method as

such. It is based on best practices and case studies from various literaturesources and presents a collection of processes and products that make up acomplete implementation method to allow any organization to plan andexecute the implementation of SAP software.

Introduction Implementation

The implementation of SAP software, such as SAP R/3 is almost always amassive operation that brings a lot of changes in the organization.

The whole process can take up to several years. Virtually every person inthe organization is involved, whether they are part of the SAP technicalsupport organization (TSO) or the actual end-users of the SAP software.

The resulting changes that the implementation of SAP generates areintended to reach high level goals, such as improved communication and increased return on information (as people will work with thesame information).

It is therefore very important that the implementation process is planned

and executed with the usage of a solid method. There are various SAPimplementation methods. An example of how one company, Robert Bosch GmbH, implemented SAP R/3 over 10 years is available. This study showsthat designing IT architecture is very critical in SAP implementationpractices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_(software_engineering)

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_R/3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_(computer_science)

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

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

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


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

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




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

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



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_R/3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user_(computer_science)

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

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



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_(software_engineering)



Implementation processes

Step 1: Project Preparation

The project preparation phase, depicted below, focuses at two main

activities, i.e. to make a setup for the TSO and to define a solution vision. These activities allow an organization to put in on the right track towardsimplementation.

Design and initially staff the SAP TSO

The first major step of the project preparation phase is to design andinitially staff an SAP technical support organization (TSO), which is theorganization that is charged with addressing, designing, implementing and

supporting the SAP solution. This can be programmers, projectmanagement, database administrators, test teams, etc. At this point, thefocus should be at staffing the key positions of the TSO, e.g. the high-levelproject team and SAP professionals like the senior database administrator and the solution architect. Next to that, this is the time to make decisionsabout choosing for internal staff members or external consultants.

The image at the right shows a typical TSO chart.

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




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

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



Craft solution vision

The second project preparation job is to define a so-called solution vision,i.e. a vision of the future-state of the SAP solution, where it is important toaddress both business and financial requirements (budgets). The main

focus within the vision should be on the company’s core business and howthe SAP solution will better enable that core business to be successful. Nextto that, the shortcomings of the current systems should be described andshort but clear requirements should be provided regarding availability(uptime), security, manageability and scalability of the SAP system.

Step 2: Sizing and blueprinting

The next phase is often referred to as the sizing and blueprinting phase andforms the main chunk of the implementation process. The phase isillustrated below.

Perform cost of ownership analysis

This phase starts with performing a total cost of ownership analysis (TCOanalysis) to determine how to get the best business solution at the lowestcosts. This means to compare SAP solution stack options and alternativesand then determine what costs each part of the stack will bring and whenthese costs will be incurred. Parts of the stack are for example thehardware, operating system and database, which form the acquisitioncosts. Next to that, there should be taken a look at recurring costs likemaintenance costs and downtime costs. Instead of performing a complete TCO analysis for various solution stack alternatives that would like tocompare, it can be wise just to do a so-called delta analysis, where only thedifferences between solutions (stacks) are identified and analyzed. Theimage at the right depicts the essence of a delta analysis.

Identify high availability and disaster recovery requirements

The next step is identifying the high availability requirements and the moreserious disaster recovery requirements. This is to plan what to do with laterdowntime of the SAP system, caused by e.g. hardware failures, applicationfailures or power outages. It should be noted that it is very important tocalculate the cost of downtime, so that an organization has a good idea of its actual availability requirements.

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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



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


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



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

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




Engage SAP solution stack vendors

A true sizing process is to engage the SAP solution stack vendors, which isthe next step. This means selecting the best SAP hardware and software technology partners for all layers and components of the solution stack,

based on a side-by-side sizing comparison. The most important factors thatare of influence here are the estimated numbers of (concurrent) users andbatch sizes. A wise thing to do is to involve SAP AG itself to let them createa sizing proposal stating the advised solution stack, before moving to SAP’stechnology partners/SAP vendors, like Accenture, HP and IBM. A simplifiedsolution stack is depicted at the right, showing the many layers for whichsoftware and hardware has to be acquired. Note the overlap with the OSI model.

Staff TSO

The TSO is the most important resource for an organization that isimplementing SAP, so staffing the TSO is a vital job which can consume alot of time. In a previous phase, the organization should already havestaffed the most vital positions. At this point the organization should staff the bulk of the TSO, i.e. fill the positions that directly support the near-termobjectives of the implementation, which are to develop and begin theinstallation/implementation of the SAP data center. Examples are: datacenter experts, network infrastructure experts, security specialists anddatabase administration experts.

There are many ways to find the right people within or outside theorganization for all of the TSO positions and it depends on the organizationhow much time it wants to spend on staffing.

Training

One of the most vital stages of the implementation process is training. Veryfew people within an organization are SAP experts or even have workedwith SAP software. It is therefore very important to train the end users butespecially the SAP TSO: the people who design and implement the solution.Many people within the TSO need all kinds of training. Some examples of these positions:

• SAP Network Specialists• SAP Database Administrators• SAP Security specialists• Documentation specialists• Et cetera

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



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

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

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

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



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objective_(goal)


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

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


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


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



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




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

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

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objective_(goal)



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


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


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



All of these people need to acquire the required SAP knowledge and skillsor even SAP certifications through training. Moreover, people need to learnto do business in a totally new way. To define how much SAP training everyperson needs, a company can make use of a skillset matrix. With thismatrix, a manager can identify who possesses what knowledge, to manageand plan training, by defining the height of expertise with a numberbetween e.g. 1 and 4 for each skill for each employee.

Setup SAP data center

The next step is to set up the SAP data center. This means either building anew data center facility or transforming the current data center into afoundation capable of supporting the SAP solution stack, i.e. all of thetechnology layers and components (SAP software products) in a productiveSAP installation. The most important factor when designing the data centeris availability. The high availability and disaster recovery requirementswhich should have been defined earlier, give a good idea of the requireddata center requirements to host the SAP software. Data center

requirements can be a:

• Physical requirement like power requirements• Rack requirement• Network infrastructure requirement or• Requirement to the network server.

Perform Installations

The following step is to install the required SAP software parts which arecalled components and technological foundations like a web applicationserver or enterprise portals, to a state ready for business processconfiguration. The most vital sub steps are to prepare your OS, prepare thedatabase server and then start installing SAP software. Here it is veryimportant to use installation guides, which are published for each SAPcomponent or technology solution by SAP AG. Examples of SAP componentsare:

• R/3 Enterprise — Transaction Processing• mySAP BI — Business Information Warehouse• mySAP CRM — Customer Relationship Management• mySAP KW — Knowledge Warehouse• mySAP PLM — Product Lifecycle Management• mySAP SCM — Supply Chain Management• mySAP SEM — Strategic Enterprise Management• mySAP SRM — Supplier Relationship Management• mySAP HCM — Human Capital Management

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_(computer_programs)

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

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

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_(mathematics)



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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_(computer_programs)

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

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

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

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



Round out support for SAP

Before moving into the functional development phase, the organizationshould identify and staff the remaining TSO roles, e.g. roles that relate tohelpdesk work and other such support providing work.

Step 3: SAP Functional development

The next phase is the functional development phase, where it is all aboutchange management and testing. This phase is depicted below.

Address change management

The next challenge for an organization is all about change management /change control, which means to develop a planned approach to thechanges the organization faces. The objective here is to maximize thecollective efforts of all people involved in the change and to minimize therisk of failure of implementing the changes related to the SAPimplementation.

The implementation of SAP software will most surely come with manychanges and an organization can expect many natural reactions, i.e. denial,to these changes. To fight this, it is most important to create a solid project team dedicated to change management and to communicate the solutionvision and goals of this team. This team should be prepared to handle themany change issues that come from various sources like:

• End-user requests• Operations• Data center team• DBA group• Systems management

SAP systems and operations management

Next thing is to create a foundation for the SAP systems management andSAP computer operations, by creating a SAP operations manual and byevaluating SAP management applications. The manual is a collection of current state system documentation, day-to-day and other regularlyscheduled operations tasks, various installation and operations checklistsand how-to process documents.

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

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-user

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



Functional, integration and regression testing

Testing is very important before going live with any system. Before goinglive with a SAP system, it is vital to do many different kinds of testing, sincethere is often a large, complex infrastructure of hardware and software

involved. Both requirements as well as quality parameters are to be tested.Important types of testing are:

• Functional testing: to test using functional use cases, i.e. a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine if a certainbusiness process works

• Integration testing• Regression testing

All tests should be preceded by creating solid test plans.

Step 4: Final preparation

Agreements, will be met. This can be done with SAP’s standard applicationbenchmarks, to benchmark the organization’s configurations againstconfigurations that have been tested by SAP’s hardware technologypartners. Again, a test plan should be created at first.

Prepare for cutover

The final phase before going live with SAP is often referred to as thecutover phase, which is the process of transitioning from one system to anew one. The organization needs to plan, prepare and execute the cutover,by creating a cutover plan that describes all cutover tasks that have to beperformed before the actual go-live. Examples of cutover tasks are:

• Review and update all systems-related operations procedures likebackup policies and system monitoring

• Assign ownership of SAP’s functional processes to individuals• Let SAP AG do a Going Live check, to get their blessing to go live with

the system• Lock down the system, i.e. do not make any more changes to the SAP

system

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmark_(computing)



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


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

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


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmark_(computing)



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




Step 5: Go Live

All of the previously described phases all lead towards this final moment:the go-live. Go-live means to turn on the SAP system for the end-users andto obtain feedback on the solution and to monitor the solution. It is also the

moment where product software adoption comes into play. Moreinformation on this topic:

• Product Software Adoption: Big Bang Adoption• Product Software Adoption: Parallel Adoption• Product Software Adoption: Phased Adoption

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Software_Adoption:_Big_Bang_Adoption

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Software_Adoption:_Big_Bang_Adoption

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

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



ADVANTAGES &DISADVANTAGES



WHY SAP ?

• SAP improves upon the business process efficiencies

• SAP gives reliable, accurate, and instant information

• Old software systems do not meet the need of companies

• SAP is a affordable and no special software is required to access

• SAP supports all the fields, such as Marketing, Finance, HumanResource, Logistics, Operations, etc



Advantages and Disadvantages of SAP

SAP Advantages:

1. Integration

Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aimfor implementing ERP is reducing data redundancy and redundant dataentry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then itmight be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not soimportant or even dangerous tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP doesnot improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will bea big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users.

2. Efficiency

Generally, ERP software focuses on integration and tends to not care aboutthe daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer byimplementing ERP. The big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiencyor not.

3. Less personnel

Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more salesassistants etc.

4. Accuracy

No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the livesof inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forcesthem to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing workbetter), or it falls.

Disadvantage of SAP:



1. Expensive

This entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc.Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buybusiness consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective.

2. Inflexibility

Vendor packages may not fit a company's business model exactly andcustomization can be very expensive

3. Locked into relationship

Locked by contract and manageability with vendor - a contract can hold acompany to the vendor until it expires and it can be unprofitable to switch

vendors if switching costs are too high



CASE STUDY



Scenario: TOTAL –HELIOS

Total Project Duration – 2009-2015 Total Project Strength – 120 Teams Involved In Case – 2 Team 1 - Monitoring Team (Monitors alerts through HPOV

Console/ControlM)

Team 2 - SAP Admin Support (Resolves Problem through R/3 orNetWeaver Application)



TOTAL – HELIOS

Case 1- HPOV CONSOLE

Problem : Server Availability/Server Update Problem

Case 2 - HPOV CONSOLE

Problem : Disk Space Error



Case 3 – CONTROLM

Problem : Backup Fail Error

SAP R/3 LOGIN SCREEN



SAP LOGON SCREEN



BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. www.sap.com2. www.sdn.sap.com

3. www.sapdb.org

4. www.sapteched.com/india

report on sap

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