SAP AG



            SAP AG (ISIN: DE0007164600, FWB:SAP, NYSE:SAP) is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software. The company's best known products are its enterprise resource planning application (SAP ERP), it's enterprise data warehouse solution - SAP Business Warehouse, SAP Business Objects software, and most recently, Sybase mobile products and in-memory.

HISTORY:-
            SAP was founded in June 1972 as Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung ("System Analysis and Program Development") by five former IBM engineers in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg (Dietmar Hopp, Klaus Tschira, Hans-Werner Hector, Hasso Plattner, and Claus Wellenreuther). The acronym was later changed to stand for Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung ("Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing").
- Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was SAP's first ever customer in 1972.
- In 1973 the SAP R/1 solution was launched.
- In 1979, SAP launched SAP R/2. In 1981, SAP brought a re-designed product to market.
- SAP developed and released several versions of SAP R/3 in 1992 through 1995. By the mid-1990s, SAP followed the trend from mainframe computing to client-server architectures. The development of SAP’s internet strategy with mySAP.com redesigned the concept of business processes (integration via Internet).

SAP FOCUSES ON SIX INDUSTRY SECTORS:- Process industries, discrete industries, consumer industries, service industries, financial services, and public services. It offers more than 25 industry solution portfolios for large enterprises and more than 550 micro-vertical solutions for midsize companies and small businesses.

ENTERPRISE SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE:-
            Service-oriented architecture moves the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) landscape toward software-based and web services-based business activities. This move increases adaptability, flexibility, openness, and efficiency. "SAP is the only enterprise applications software vendor that is both building service-orientation directly into its solutions and providing a technology platform SAP NetWeaver and guidance to support companies in the development of their own service-oriented architectures spanning both SAP and non-SAP solutions."

PRODUCTS:-
SAP's products focus on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The company's main product is SAP ERP. The current version is SAP ERP 6.0 and is part of the SAP Business Suite. Its previous name was R/3. The "R" of SAP R/3 stood for real-time – even though it is not a real-time solution. The number 3 related to the 3-tier architecture: database, application server and client (SAPgui). R/2, which ran on a Mainframe architecture, was the predecessor of R/3. Before R/2 came System RF, later dubbed R/1.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION:-
·        1973-SAP R/1
·        1979- SAPR/2
·        1992- SAP R/3 (Several version in ABAP/4th generation language) SAP R/3 1.0A
·        1993- SAP R/3 2.0/2.1
·        1995- SAP R/3 3.0/3.1
·        1998- SAP R/3 4.0B
·        1999- SAP R/3 4.5 B, 4.6 A, 4.6 B,
·        2001- SAP R/3 4.6 C
·        2003- SAP R/3 4.70, 4.7 (enterprise edition)
·        2005- SAP R/3 ECC5.0, 6.0 (enterprise central components)

SAP'S BUSINESS SUITE:-
  • “SAP  ERP”-
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – helps companies acquire and retain customers, gain marketing and customer insight.
  • Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) – helps manufacturers with product-related information.
  • Supply Chain Management (SCM) – helps companies with the process of resourcing its manufacturing and service processes.
  • Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) – enables companies to procure from suppliers.

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS:-

  • SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO)
  • SAP Analytics
  • SAP Apparel and Footwear Solution (AFS)
  • SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW)
  • SAP Business Intelligence (BI)
  • SAP Catalog Content Management (CCM)
  • SAP Convergent Charging (CC)
  • SAP Enterprise Buyer Professional (EBP)
  • SAP Enterprise Learning
  • SAP Portal (EP)
  • SAP Exchange Infrastructure (XI) (From release 7.0 onwards, SAP XI has been renamed as SAP Process Integration (SAP PI))
  • Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC)
  • Enterprise Central Component (ECC)
  • SAP HANA (High-performance Analytics Appliance)
  • SAP Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS)
  • SAP Internet Transaction Server (ITS)
  • SAP Incentive and Commission Management (ICM)
  • SAP Knowledge Warehouse (KW)
  • SAP Manufacturing
  • SAP Master Data Management (MDM)
  • SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions (RDS)
  • SAP Service and Asset Management
  • SAP Solutions for mobile business
  • SAP Solution Composer
  • SAP Sourcing
  • SAP Strategic Enterprise Management (SEM)
  • SAP Test Data Migration Server (TDMS)
  • SAP Training and Event Management (TEM)
  • SAP NetWeaver Application Server (Web AS)
  • SAP xApps
  • SAP Supply Chain Performance Management (SCPM)

INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS:-

  • SAP for Retail (ISR)
  • SAP for Utilities (ISU)
  • SAP for Public Sector (IS PSCD)
  • SAP for Oil & Gas (IS Oil & Gas)
  • SAP for Telecommunications (IST)
SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL AND MIDSIZE ENTERPRISES:-
  • SAP Business One (6.2, 6.5, 2004, 2005, 2007, 8.8x)
  • SAP Business ByDesign
  • SAP Business All-in-One
PLATFORMS AND FRAMEWORKS:-
  • SAP Enterprise Services Architecture(SOA)
  • SAP NetWeaver Platform
    • SAP NetWeaver Portal (formerly SAP Enterprise Portal)
    • SAP NetWeaver BW (formerly SAP NetWeaver BI- Since SAP purchased Business Objects the term SAP BI refers to the presentation layer (reporting) tools to avoid confusion between existing SAP BI solutions.)
    • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer
    • SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure
    • SAP Composite Application Framework
    • SAP Netweaver Development Infrastructure
  • SAP Business Connector (deprecated/removed from product range)
Platforms:-
  • SAP R/2
  • SAP R/3
‘SAP NETWEAVER’ PLATFORM:-
The SAP ‘NetWeaver’ platform allows organizations to build new business solutions rapidly while realizing more business value from existing IT investments. SAP NetWeaver supports new cross-functional business processes and helps to lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by reducing the need for custom integration. It offers complete life cycle management for all of your applications. It is also the foundation for Enterprise Services Architecture (EAS) and helps align people, information, and business processes across organizational and technological boundaries.

Components of ‘NetWeaver’?
By providing an open integration and application platform and permitting the integration of the Enterprise Services Architecture, SAP NetWeaver helps unify business processes across technological boundaries, integrating applications for employees as needed, and accessing/editing simple information easily in a structured manner.
Components include:
·         Security
·         People Integration
o    Multi-channel Access
o    Portal
o    Collaboration
·         Information Integration
o    Business Intelligence
·         BI (Business Intelligence) Content
o    Knowledge Management
o    Master Data Management
·         Process Integration
o    Integration Broker
o    Business Process Management
·         Application Platform
o    Java
o    ABAP
o    Business Services
o    Connectivity
o    DB and OS Abstraction
o    SAP Knowledge Warehouse
·         Life Cycle Management
o    Customizing
o    Software Change Management
o    System Management


‘SAP XAPPS’:-
The ‘SAP xApps’ family of composite applications enables continuous business innovation—and provides the flexibility necessary to respond quickly and profitably to business changes. They extend the value of core business investments and maximize the return on strategic assets: employees, knowledge, products, business relationships, and IT.
SAP and SAP certified partners deliver these composite applications that drive specialized business processes, provide comprehensive business insights, and focus on the needs of a variety of industries.
All these applications combine Web services and data from multiple systems in an application design made possible by the SAP Composite Application Framework within the SAP NetWeaver technology platform. This framework includes the methodology, tools, and run-time environment to develop composite applications. It provides a consistent object model and a rich user experience, and gives developers a productive way to create composite applications on top of a set of heterogeneous applications.

COMPONENTS OF ‘SAP XAPPS’:-
·        Duet
·        SAP Document Builder
·        SAP Global Trade Services
·        SAP xApp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence
·        SAP xApp Resource and Portfolio Management
·        SAP xApp Product Definition
·        SAP xApp Cost and Quotation Management
·        SAP xApp Integrated Exploration and Production
·        SAP xApp Sales and Operations Planning

‘DUET’:-
A component under SAP xApps, ‘Duet is a first-of-its-kind software solution from SAP and Microsoft that enables users to easily and quickly interact with SAP business processes and data via their familiar Microsoft Office environment. The result of a groundbreaking collaboration between SAP and Microsoft, it is the first joint product created by these two industry leaders and is designed to revolutionize how IT workers interact with enterprise applications.
Duet enables:
·         Budget Monitoring: Schedule time-critical alerts and notifications to monitor cost centers or internal orders, which are delivered directly to Microsoft Outlook.
·         Demand Planning: Create and use planning sheets, as well as analyze and manage demand planning data from the SAP System using Microsoft Excel.
·         Duet Reporting: Schedule reports to be delivered regularly to Microsoft Outlook, receive individual reports on an as-needed basis, and view reports in Microsoft Excel.
·         Leave Management: Add leave requests as Microsoft Outlook calendar items that integrate approval guidelines in the SAP System and enterprise-defined processes.
·         Sales Management: Manage CRM accounts and contacts, create business activities, and access sales analytics information using Microsoft Outlook.
·         Team Management: Access up-to-date information about yourself and employees, open positions, and organizational structures that are integrated from the SAP System into the Microsoft Outlook contacts area.
·         Time Management: Record time in the Microsoft Outlook calendar, streamlining time entry while ensuring time-reporting compliance in the SAP System.
·         Travel Management: Create a travel request and a travel expense report in the SAP System using Microsoft Outlook.

‘SAP DOCUMENT BUILDER.’
‘SAP Document Builder’ (CA-GTF-DOB) is a content-driven and cross-application solution for building and authoring complex documents. As a generic tool, it can be deployed within international organizations and large corporations to generate contract and bid invitation documents, banking-related documents, auto insurance policies, real estate contracts, and corporate employment policies.
You can deploy SAP Document Builder as a standalone application or integrate it with other SAP or non-SAP components. For example, you can generate business documents required in a procurement system and store them in an electronic data storage system.
The SAP Document Builder supports you by:
·         Automating and streamlining the document-creation process.
·         Enforcing best practices.
·         Building documents that reflect company-specific styles and formats from one or more regulation sets.
Determining inclusion or exclusion of clauses based on legal regulations by means of rules.

 ‘MYSAP ERP FINANCIAL’:-
‘mySAP ERP Financials’ is built on the NetWeaver platform, which is the foundation for service-oriented business solutions, for deploying financial processes at a faster pace. Irrespective of the business type, mySAP ERP Financials is designed to support financial accounting requirements to provide a single complete platform to achieve excellence in accounting, performance management, financial supply chain, and corporate governance. The features include:
·         Industry-Specific Financial Management
My SAP ERP Financials provides a comprehensive and robust analytical framework to consolidate and/or dissect business information generated in industry solutions or core enterprise processes: all managers in all operations have an improved visibility with a single integrated solution.
·         Performance Management
My SAP ERP Financials provides a single solution for the entire life cycle of Corporate Performance Management by delivering real-time, personalized measurements and metrics to improve business insight and productivity of non-technical users. Executives, managers, and business workers will now have access to information such as business statistics and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) presented in the context of business tasks for better insight and faster decision making. mySAP ERP Financials encompasses:
o    Consolidated financial and statutory reporting
o     Planning, budgeting, and forecasting
o    Strategy management and scorecards
o    Risk management
o    Financial analytics

·     Financial and Management Accounting
My SAP ERP Financials helps companies comply with global accounting standards (such as the United States’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). With the ‘New FI-GL’ functionality (Refer to Q.181 for more details) you will now have the ability to generate financial statements of any dimension of the business (unit, profit center, geographical location, etc.). This offers greater flexibility to extend a chart of accounts and allows an easier method of reporting by individual management units and segments. This feature helps companies reduce the complexity and costs associated with parallel accounting or managing a set of books by region, industry, or regulatory reporting statute.
·     
      Corporate Governance
With a set of applications and tools, my SAP ERP Financials assists in meeting the specific requirements of today’s financial regulations such as the SarbanesOxley Act. You now have an intuitive mechanism to collect, document, assess, remediate, and attest to internal control processes and safeguards to ensure transparent business activity. By configuring controls and defining rules and tolerances for your business, you can easily customize internal processes for security, reporting, and error prevention. In addition, you can now document all your internal control processes and make them visible to corporate executives, auditors, and regulators.
·     
     Financial Supply Chain Management
Provides the tools to help you manage your financial supply chain and cash-flow cycle more effectively, through end-to-end process support of:
o    Credit Management
o    Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment
o    Collections Management
o    Dispute Management
o    In-house Cash Management
o    Cash and Liquidity Management
o    Bank Relationship
o    Treasury and Risk Management Processes

‘SAP SOLUTION MAP’:-
My SAP ERP, besides supporting your most important business processes, also provides tools to help you understand how these processes work. One such tool is the ‘SAP Solution Map,’ a multi-level blueprint of processes, which helps you visualize, plan, and implement a coherent, integrated, and comprehensive IT solution. SAP Solution Maps also show how various processes are covered, including the processes that SAP and its partners support. With solution maps, you quickly understand business solutions and the business value they can bring.

‘SAP BUSINESS ONE’:-
‘SAP Business One’ is the low-cost, easy-to-implement business management solution from SAP for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). Unlike regular ERP software from SAP, this solution gives managers on-demand access to critical real-time information through ‘one single system’ containing financial, customer relationship management, manufacturing, and management control capabilities. As a result, the solution enables rapid employee productivity, while empowering managers to make better business decisions to stay ahead of the competition. Equipped with a user-friendly interface, SAP Business One serves as your central ERP hub with standard interfaces to internal and external data sources, handheld computers, CRM applications, and other leading analysis tools.
SAP Business One is based on the Microsoft Windows platform making it easier to comprehend and use. The application comes with a ‘demo company,’ which can be used by the implementing company to become familiar with functionalities.

The modules of SAP Business One include:
·         Administration
·         Financials
·         Sales Opportunities
·         Sales—A/R
·         Purchasing—A/P
·         Business Partners
·         Banking
·         Inventory
·         Production
·         MRP
·         Service
·         Human Resources
·         Reporting

PARTNERSHIPS:-
            SAP partners include Global Services Partners with cross-industry multinational consulting capabilities,Global Software Partners providing integrated products that complement SAP Business Suite solutions and Global Technology Partners providing user companies with a wide range of products to support SAP technology, including vendors of hardware, database, storage systems, networks, and mobile computing technology.
Solution extensions partners: this is a small number of companies which provide functionality that complements SAP solution capabilities. These enhancements fulfill high quality standards and are certified, sold and supported by SAP directly. These partner companies include Adobe, CA Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, IDS Scheer, OpenText, Nakisa, Inc, ICON-SCM, Prometheus Group and SmartOps.

COMMUNITIES:-
SAP Community Network (SCN) is a community of SAP customers, partners, employees, and influencers -- SCN (http://scn.sap.com/welcome) is largely viewed as a best practice in social networking for business.

Conferences:-
SAP has two annual conferences: SAPPHIRE and SAP TechEd. SAPPHIRE is SAP's customer-facing event. It is generally where SAP has announced major product changes and strategic direction & Business Process Expert (BPX) community.