ABAP Part 1 Introduction

Introduction to ABAP
- Introduction-
Prof. Dr. Heimo H. Adelsberger

Dipl.-Wirt.-Inf. Pouyan Khatami
Table of content
Table of content ........................................................................................................................ 2
Table of figures ......................................................................................................................... 3
Copyright .................................................................................................................................. 4
Literature .................................................................................................................................. 4
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 6
1.1 About ABAP and this course....................................................................................... 6
1.2 Basics ........................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.1 SAP AG ................................................................................................................ 7
1.2.1.1 SAP – The Company .................................................................................... 7
1.2.1.2 Milestones in the history of SAP .................................................................. 8
1.2.2 SAP R/3 vs. SAP ERP.......................................................................................... 9
1.2.2.1 SAP R/3 ........................................................................................................ 9
1.2.2.2 SAP ERP ..................................................................................................... 10
1.2.3 Business One, -ByDesign, -All-in-One and –Suite compared ........................... 11
1.2.3.1 SAP Business One ...................................................................................... 11
1.2.3.2 SAP Business ByDesign ............................................................................. 11
1.2.3.3 SAP Business All-in-One ........................................................................... 12
1.2.3.4 SAP Business Suite ..................................................................................... 13
1.2.3.5 Applications vs. components ...................................................................... 15
1.2.4 SAP license model ............................................................................................. 15
1.2.5 Releases of SAP ERP ......................................................................................... 17
1.2.5.1 Phases of SAP software releases ................................................................. 17
1.2.6 Maintenance strategy of SAP ............................................................................. 18
1.2.6.1 Mainstream Maintenance ............................................................................ 18
1.2.6.2 Extended Maintenance ................................................................................ 18
1.2.6.3 Customer-Specific Maintenance ................................................................. 18
1.2.6.4 Upgrade ....................................................................................................... 19
1.2.7 Release History of SAP ERP ............................................................................. 19
1.2.8 SAP NetWeaver ................................................................................................. 20
1.2.8.1 Layers of SAP NetWeaver .......................................................................... 20
1.2.8.2 Service-oriented architecture and Enterprise Service Architecture ............ 22
1.2.8.3 SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP NetWeaver AS) ...................... 25
1.2.8.4 NetWeaver Solution Map ........................................................................... 27
1.2.9 About the UCC ................................................................................................... 27
1.2.10 Summary ............................................................................................................ 28
2 Handling ........................................................................................................................... 29
2.1 Installing and connecting to SAP .............................................................................. 29
2.2 Navigation in SAP ERP ............................................................................................. 29
2.2.1 The screen .......................................................................................................... 29
2.2.2 Navigation .......................................................................................................... 31
2.2.3 Session concept .................................................................................................. 33
2.2.4 Help in SAP ERP ............................................................................................... 34
2.3 Summary .................................................................................................................... 34
3 Important notes ................................................................................................................. 35
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Copyright Prof. Dr. Heimo H. Adelsberger/Dipl.-Wirt.-Inf. Pouyan Khatami
Table of figures
Figure 1: Modules in SAP R/3 ................................................................................................... 9
Figure 2: Changes in the Architecture ...................................................................................... 10
Figure 3: Different products for different enterprise sizes ....................................................... 11
Figure 4: The structure of SAP Business Suite ........................................................................ 13
Figure 5: SAP Business Suite and foreign systems example scenario ..................................... 15
Figure 6: Shipment-Phases of SAP Software ........................................................................... 17
Figure 7: Maintenance Phases and Upgrades (according to sap.com) ..................................... 18
Figure 8: Historical development ............................................................................................. 19
Figure 9: Layers of SAP NetWeaver ........................................................................................ 21
Figure 10: Composite Applications and the Enterprise SOA .................................................. 24
Figure 11: Examples for Applications based on SAP NetWeaver ........................................... 25
Figure 12: Architecture with SAP NetWeaver AS ................................................................... 26
Figure 13: SAP NetWeaver Technology Solution Map Edition 2010 ..................................... 27
Figure 14: Menu Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot ....................................................................... 29
Figure 15: Standard Toolbar; SAP-System-Screenshot ........................................................... 29
Figure 16: Title Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot......................................................................... 29
Figure 17: Application bar; SAP-System-Screenshot .............................................................. 30
Figure 18: SAP Easy Access Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot ................................................ 30
Figure 19: Status Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot ...................................................................... 30
Figure 20: SAP Easy Access Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot ................................................ 31
Figure 21: SAP Easy Access Menu – create Bookmark; SAP-System-Screenshot ................. 32
Figure 22: Command Field; SAP-System-Screenshot ............................................................. 32
Figure 23: SAP Easy Access Menu – Technical Names; SAP-System-Screenshot ............... 33
Figure 24: System confirmation dialogue; SAP-System-Screenshot ....................................... 33
Figure 25: Help Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot ..................................................................... 34
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Copyright
 All screenshots used within this document, even if displayed in extracts, are subject to
the copyright of SAP AG.
 Theoretical explanations are based on the literature listed in the first script.
 Distribution and reproduction of this document or parts of this document in any form
is prohibited without the written permission of Prof. Dr. Heimo H. Adelsberger, Dipl.-
Wirt.-Inf. Pouyan Khatami and Dipl.-Wirt.-Inf. Taymaz Khatami.
Literature
The following literature is referenced in the course:
Gupta (2011)
Gupta, Tanmaya (2011): ABAP™ Data Dictionary. Galileo Press, Bonn.
Keller (2012)
Keller, Horst: The Official ABAP™ Reference. Volume 1 + 2. Galileo Press, Bonn.
Keller and Krüger (2011)
Keller, Horst; Krüger, Sascha (2011): ABAP™ Objects. ABAP Programming in SAP
NetWeaver®. Galileo Press, Bonn.
Schneider (2002)
Schneider, Thomas (2002): SAP Performance Optimization. Galileo Press, Bonn.
Weilbach and Herger (2005)
Weilbach, Jo; Herger, Mario (2005): SAP® xApps and the Composite Application
Framework. Galileo Press, Bonn.
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Essl and Oehler (2007)
Essl, Manuel; Oehler, Uwe (2007): The Developers Guide to SAP® xApp™ Analytics.
Galileo Press, Bonn.
Heinemann and Rau (2003)
Heinemann, Frédéric; Rau, Christian (2003): SAP Web Application Server. Galileo Press,
Bonn.
Föse and Hagemann (2011)
Föse, Frank; Hagemann, Sigrid (2011): SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP System Administration
(4th Edition). Galileo Press, Bonn.
Faustmann et al. (2009)
Faustmann, André; Klein, Gunnar; Siegling, André; Zimmermann, Ronny (2009): SAP
NetWeaver AS Java - Systemadministration. Galileo Press, Bonn.
Schneider (2010)
Schneider, Thomas (2010): SAP Performance Optimization Guide. Galileo Press, Bonn.
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1 Introduction
This course teaches you the programming language ABAP in the leading standard enterprise
resource planning software, SAP ERP.
At the beginning of the course, this introduction provides an overview on the product SAP
ERP. Furthermore, the required basic skills for using this complex standard software are
taught.
In the Basics chapter of this introduction, the software manufacturer SAP and the product
SAP ERP are presented.
In the second sub chapter of the introduction, Handling the System, the first active steps in the
ERP system are taken. It starts with a description of the steps needed to connect to the system.
After that, you get to know the SAP GUI (Graphical User Interface), learn how to use
different navigation techniques and how to access help functions, which are integrated into
the system.
The sub chapter Important Notes on working on this course explains some organizational
details. Please read these explanations carefully before continuing with the course.
1.1 About ABAP and this course

First of all, you should know that the programming language ABAP is quite different from
other well-known programming languages like C, Java, or Python. As opposed to these
languages, programs written in ABAP are not independently runnable, i.e., they cannot be
used outside the SAP system. However, within the SAP system, ABAP has very powerful
concepts, which make it a well-suited language to develop business applications. Many
concepts of ABAP are specially designed to fit to the SAP ERP system. When ABAP was
created, the acronym meant “Allgemeiner Berichts-Aufbereitungs-Prozessor” (German;
means “General Report Processor”), but during the years, the language was changed
(extended) a lot. New paradigms were introduced; for example, object oriented programming
is possible in ABAP since it was extended to ABAP Objects. Steadily, further additions are
made to the language to adapt to the needs of customers. All these extensions make ABAP a
very extensive language.
Recognizing this, it is obvious that a programming course on ABAP has a different structure
than equivalent courses in C or Java. This means especially that the course does not contain a
complete reference of all commands and all their arguments available in ABAP. Instead, the
course focuses on how to solve practical problems within the SAP ERP system, how to use
the different tools available in the development environment, which is integrated into the SAP
ERP system, and how the language interacts with the whole system.
The course begins with some information on handling the system, which contains some
practical steps inside the development environment. Thereby you get an overview of all
available tools within the SAP system, which are used for development and which you will
need during the course.
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The following chapters mostly contain theoretical content and practical exercises. Concepts of
the language are explained, the syntax is presented, etc.; and the concepts are applied
practically. This is done in small exercises devoted to individual concepts, as well as more
complex exercises in which concepts from different fields have to be combined to solve them.
Near to the end of the course, there is a case study chapter. This chapter has a special role.
You will face a practical scenario there in which you are asked to solve problems using the
concepts learned in the other chapters of the course. This chapter differs from the precedent
chapters, because the case study exercises are less structured than the exercises before. This
means that there is no step-by-step guide with detailed information on how to create the
required programs. Instead, an intended result is given that describes the features the program
shall offer. Your task is then to develop programs and fulfil these criteria on your own,
combining the knowledge of all chapters of the course. To prepare you for the case study
chapter, the other exercises are also described in a decreasing level of detail, e.g., by
enumerating the basic steps and the intended output of a program. Nevertheless, all concepts
needed to solve the exercises are described in the theoretical parts of the script of course.
Therefore, it is easily possible to jump back to the relevant theory parts to recapitulate them, if
you do not (yet) intuitively know how to solve the current exercise. The theory parts contain
code examples, which will help understand the concepts.
1.2 Basics
The goal of the Basics chapter is to convey the basic knowledge required to understand the
context of the course. To achieve this, the chapter contains an overview of the software
manufacturer SAP, as well as an insight into the technical and functional structure of SAP
ERP. Afterwards, information on the University Competence Center (UCC) is given. The
UCC provides and maintains the SAP systems used in our courses. Later during this course,
after you have made some experiences with ABAP programming, more aspects of the
technical structure of the SAP system will be shown. This way, you will not have to read too
much theoretical information before trying to use the system in practice.
The following summarized table of content serves as an overview for this chapter:
1. SAP AG
2. SAP R/3 and SAP ERP
3. Business One, -ByDesign, -All-in-One and -Suite
4. Releases of SAP ERP
5. SAP NetWeaver
6. Information on the UCC
1.2.1 SAP AG
In this chapter, the software manufacturer SAP is introduced to give an overview of the
context.
1.2.1.1 SAP – The Company
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The company SAP – Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung (German;

Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing) – was founded in 1972 by five
former IBM employees. At that time, SAP meant “System Analysis and Program
Development.”1 Today, the SAP AG is one of the largest independent software manufacturers
in the world. The company’s headquarters are located in Walldorf, Baden, Germany. SAP is
European and the world market leader in the field of ERP software, and has more than 64000
employees all over the world2. 18000 of these employees are engaged in software
development (State: 2012). Besides the main development center at the headquarters in
Walldorf, SAP AG has several other development laboratories, including in Bangalore
(India), Palo Alto (USA), Shanghai (China) and Vancouver (Canada). In their offices in 80
countries, SAP achieved a sales volume of 16.2 Billion Euros in 20123. SAP AG is quoted at
different stock exchanges, including Börse Frankfurt and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
under the symbol "SAP" (State: 2007). SAP cares for 183000 customers (state: 2011) with
numerous installations of SAP products. More than 10 Million users all over the world use
SAP products, in many cases in a correspondingly translated version. SAP also offers 24
industry solutions, ranging from aerospace to wholesale distribution. For example, the
following companies are customers of SAP:
 BMW Group
 Deutsche Postbank AG
 Bayer MaterialScience AG
 Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
 Konica Minolta Business Technologies
 Lexmark
 Anheuser-Busch InBev
 Arla Foods
 Lufthansa
 etc. – see http://www.sap.com/customer-testimonials/customers-a-z/index.epx
1.2.1.2 Milestones in the history of SAP
After the establishment of the company SAP – at that time an acronym for Systemanalyse und
Programmentwicklung (German; system analysis and program development) – in 1972,
software development in the field of ERP has grown a lot. A major milestone can be seen in
the SAP R/3 system, which was released to general public in 19924. R/3 symbolizes real time,
as transactions or activities within business processes could be executed in real time.
The newest generation of ERP software by SAP is sold under the name of SAP ERP. It
focuses on the integration of enterprise software (from SAP and other vendors) within and
between companies. It is based on the technology platform SAP NetWeaver. As it was the
case in 1992 when the R/3 software was introduced, which included a migration from
mainframe systems towards client/server architecture, the new solution SAP ERP/NetWeaver
again comprises a change of paradigm. As opposed to the “client/server revolution,” the
migration towards a service-oriented architecture is carried out evolutionary. This means, all
legacy systems should be integrated and migrated to the new system architecture step-by-step.
This approach shall save previous investments of the customers.
1
http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/our-company/history/index.epx
2
http://www.sapintegratedreport.com/2012/en/
3
http://www.sapintegratedreport.com/2012/en/performance/assets-finances-and-operating-results.html
4
http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/our-company/history/1992-2001.epx
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1.2.2 SAP R/3 vs. SAP ERP
The following sub chapters present the software products SAP R/3 and SAP ERP. Theoretical
knowledge on basic concepts and terms, which are important for the course, are focused.
1.2.2.1 SAP R/3
SAP R/3 in its basic version provides an integrated, industry-neutral standard software system
and supports nearly all functional areas of an enterprise. It can be flexibly adapted to the
needs of a certain company. This adaptation is called customizing in the context of the SAP
R/3 system (as it is also the case in other SAP systems). The existing basis is complemented
with different application modules or even complete industry solutions as necessary. The
figure below shows the different modules.
Figure 1: Modules in SAP R/3
A detailed description of all modules is left out here. The structure of SAP R/3 was a
monolithic one. This was the state of the art in the 1990s and was well-suited for the situation
in enterprises at that time. However, today enterprises focus new challenges, which make the
static structure of the software consisting of functional modules not flexible enough anymore.
One of the reasons is the increasing demand to connect to other Software systems (from other
manufacturers) within the same enterprise as well as to the systems of customers and
suppliers in the whole supply chain. Hence, a new architecture was needed as a base to build a
more flexible ERP software. This development led to SAP ERP and the SAP NetWeaver
platform.
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1.2.2.2 SAP ERP
The result of these developments is the NetWeaver architecture. It is based on the concept of a
service-oriented architecture (SOA). The fundamental principles of a SOA and the structure
of the SAP NetWeaver will be presented in more detail in later parts of this chapter.
SAP ERP is the successor of SAP R/3 and is based on the SAP NetWeaver. In this
architecture, the NetWeaver Application Server takes the role of the SAP Basis. The Basis
development was closely linked to the development of the business functionality up to that
time. The development of the core ERP application is continued as ECC (Enterprise Core
Components). The technical platform, called the NetWeaver Application Server, is now also
available for other systems of SAP and can be developed independently of the ERP system.
This way, more flexibility for the development processes is given.
Apart from the technological changes, many function areas of the ERP system were also
improved on the way from SAP R/3 to SAP ERP.
Figure 2: Changes in the Architecture
SAP ERP can be licensed in a dedicated license agreement or as one part of a license for the
SAP Business Suite (cf. section 1.2.3.4).
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1.2.3 Business One, -ByDesign, -All-in-One and –Suite compared
The following sections provide an overview on the solutions offered by SAP. These include
offerings of different coverage, which are tailored for enterprises of different sizes. The
following figure gives a first summary of the available solutions.
Figure 3: Different products for different enterprise sizes
1.2.3.1 SAP Business One
The product SAP Business One has been developed as an ERP solution for small and midsize
companies with a small number of employees and users. Business One supports the core
processes of the company, e.g., financial management, warehouse and production
management, customer relations management and purchasing5. Business One can be used as a
local installation on servers of the customer or it is hosted by a partner. Business One only has
a Microsoft Windows GUI but is well integrated with MS Word and Excel.
Further Information on SAP Business One can be found on this URL:

http://www54.sap.com/solutions/sme/software/erp/small-business-
management/overview/index.html
1.2.3.2 SAP Business ByDesign
The product Business ByDesign has been designed by SAP especially for the needs of small
and medium-sized enterprises. Business ByDesign is an on-demand-solution, intended for the
use in companies, which do not yet use an integrated business software system. The system is
installed on servers at SAPs high performance data processing centers.
The most important advantages of Business ByDesign, according to SAP, are user-
friendliness, adaptability and low operating costs due to the on-demand concept. This way, it
is possible to let the software grow with the growth of the enterprise. It also focuses local
legal requirements and has a low risk, as it is an on-demand solution (e. g., included backups).
Further information on SAP Business ByDesign can be found on this URL:
5
http://www54.sap.com/solutions/sme/software/erp/small-business-management/overview/index.html
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http://www54.sap.com/solutions/tech/cloud/software/business-management-
bydesign/overview/index.html
1.2.3.3 SAP Business All-in-One
Business All-in-One is a solution based on the NetWeaver technology, which is focused

especially on certain industries or countries. Corresponding best-practices are used here.
Target group of the solution are small and medium-sized companies with up to 2,500
employees with specific requirements of their industry6.
Business All-in-One can be hosted both locally on servers of the company and by a partner. It
is based on different SAP products and offers functionality for ERP, Customer Relationship
Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI), and Supplier Relationship Management
(SRM). Business All-in-One is distributed by a global network of 1100 partners and contains
700 industry specific solutions in more than 50 countries.
6
http://www.sapannualreport.com/2011/konzernlagebericht/software-und-serviceportfolio.html
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Further information on SAP Business All-in-One can be found on this URL:

http://www54.sap.com/solutions/sme/software/erp/all-in-one/index.html
1.2.3.4 SAP Business Suite
To be able to cover the whole value chain, SAP developed the Business Suite. The SAP
Business Suite consists of numerous products, which are presented to you in the following
sub chapters.
More Information on the SAP Business Suite can be found on this URL:
http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite
1.2.3.4.1 Structure of the SAP Business Suite
The following figure shows an overview of the structure of SAP Business Suite.
Figure 4: The structure of SAP Business Suite
The SAP Business Suite offers a Business Process Platform (BPP), which mainly consists of
the SAP NetWeaver and the corresponding SAP applications:
 SAP NetWeaver
o SAP NetWeaver is an open integration- and application platform targeting the
technology independent coordination of employees, information and business
processes. SAP NetWeaver is web-based and serves as a base for the
Enterprise Service Oriented Architecture (Enterprise SOA). By supporting
open standards, information, and applications from arbitrary sources can be
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integrated using the NetWeaver architecture. There is interoperability to

important standards such as the Java 2 Platform, Java Enterprise Edition (Java
EE) or Microsoft .NET. SAP aims at serving a reliable, safe and scalable
platform for business processes by NetWeaver.
 SAP applications
o The various applications of SAP Business Suite can be licensed as a whole or
individually. The Enterprise Service Repository, which is used by newer
applications, serves as a central storage for processes and services, which
represent activity flows of the company via open standards. The bandwidth of
application is presented to you in section 1.2.3.4.2.
The second part of the SAP Business Suite is the portfolio of Composite Applications
(xApps). xApps allow merging existing, heterogeneous systems to processes that are covering
different functional divisions. It is possible to develop own xApps using the SAP Composite
Application Framework (CAF).
1.2.3.4.2 Core Applications of the SAP Business Suite
The SAP Business Suite comprises many different applications. The core applications are
following ones7:
 SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM):

o Application for customer-oriented business processes, a platform for
marketing, sales and service professionals. Supports multichannel customer
interactions such as mobile smart phones and social media. Contains a
communication infrastructure to connect all users permanently.
o More information under http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/crm
 SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP ERP):
o The ERP system of SAP AG, which is also focused in our course. It offers all
functionality required for the resource planning in an enterprise and can be
adapted for industries. Different solutions are available for the customer:
 SAP ERP Financials
 SAP ERP Human Capital Management
 SAP ERP Operations
 SAP ERP Corporate Services
o More information under http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/erp
 SAP Product Lifecycle Management (SAP PLM):
o Application to integrate partners within and outside the company during the
process of developing products and the production of products. The goal is to
improve these processes beyond organizational borders.
o More information under http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/plm
 SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM):
o SAP SRM serves for the integration of supply processes, e.g., supplier
management, customer management, electronic sourcing and contract
management.
o More information under http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/srm
 SAP Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM)
o SAP SCM is used for efficient and effective planning of processes along the
supply chain.
7
http://www.sap.com/germany/solutions/business-suite/index.epx
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o More information under www.sap.com/lines-of-business/scm/index.epx
1.2.3.4.3 Application Scenario of the SAP Business Suite
Figure 5: SAP Business Suite and foreign systems example scenario
The figure shows a practical example of a potential scenario in which SAP Business Suite is
used. You can see modern SAP systems based on the NetWeaver (the NetWeaver Application
Server), as well as legacy systems / external systems which are connected here. Possible
technologies for these connections are, for example, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), ALE
(Application Link Enabling), Web Services, or xApps.
1.2.3.5 Applications vs. components
In the context of SAP Business Suite, the terms application and component are often used.
The difference is that several applications for the support of business tasks often have similar
or even identical requirements for underlying business functions. If this is the case, different
applications contain similar (software) components.
Definition: component
A component is the smallest, separately producible, deliverable, installable, and maintainable
software unit.8
Examples for components are an SAP ECC (Enterprise Core Components) system, an SAP
SCM system or an SAP NetWeaver Portal system.
1.2.4 SAP license model
The license model of SAP is based on users and packages. The license fees which have to be
paid by an enterprise are hence dependent on the kind of software used on the one hand,
8
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp60/helpdata/en/73/be48e04688a844b8b95dbd6bba9d8c/content.htm
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(Package License), but on the other hand the users accessing this software are relevant. The
enterprise has to buy a license for the software used as well as licenses for the individual users
(called Named User Licenses). Both types of license cannot be used independently. The
Named User Licenses can have different prices depending on the type of user.
The licenses for packages are ordered by functional criteria. The main sections comprise the
Business Suite, Enterprise Foundation, Enterprise Extensions, industry solutions and
NetWeaver. Furthermore, some specific licensing models for BusinessObjects are available.
The assignment of terms in the licenses is not identical to a technical point of view. For
example, the NetWeaver platform is also part of the Business Suite from a technical point of
view.
For the orientation of customers, SAP structures its offerings for 24 different industries based
on solution maps. The solutions can be assigned based on core business processes.
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1.2.5 Releases of SAP ERP
In this sub-chapter, the release strategy of SAP will be presented. First, the different phases of
an SAP release will be presented. After that, this chapter will give you an overview of the
version history of the SAP ERP system and its predecessors.
1.2.5.1 Phases of SAP software releases
Figure 6: Shipment-Phases of SAP Software
The release of new software by SAP and the “roll out” at SAPs customers is structured into
different phases. During these phases, the number of customers rises.
First, the software may be in a beta phase. This phase has the purpose to eliminate errors and
is optional. The release of the software (Release to Customer) is the starting point of the
second phase for the new software, the Restricted Shipment Phase. As the name indicates,
the number of customers using the software in this phase is limited. An important part of the
Restricted Shipment Phase is the so-called Ramp-Up. The Ramp-Up is a process in which
SAP cooperates closely with selected customers. The customers have the opportunity to
influence the development of the new software and to collaborate with SAP developers. SAP
customers have to apply for being part of the Ramp-Ups.
Starting with the Default Release Date, the software finally enters the third phase, which is
called the Unrestricted Shipment Phase. From this time, the software is available for all
current and new customers, and can be rolled out there successively. For new versions of the
software, the phases may be repeated. A customer buying SAP software usually receives the
version of the software which is currently in the Unrestricted Shipment Phase. This version is
also called the Default Release of the software.
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More information on the Ramp-Up can be found here:

http://service.sap.com/rampup
1.2.6 Maintenance strategy of SAP
There are precisely defined maintenance phases for each Product of SAP9. This makes it
possible for a customer to know exactly how long the product he is currently using will be
supported. The maintenance is structured into the following phases: A regular maintenance
phase (called the Mainstream Maintenance), a following, extended maintenance phase (the
Extended Maintenance) if available, and finally customer specific offers of maintenance
(Customer-Specific Maintenance). The duration of the offered maintenance phases are
different. In the past, SAP used a so-called 5-1-2-strategy (numbers representing the years of
support in the phases), which was later changed to a 7-2 strategy. Today there are additional
extensions, so for some products the customers have planning safety for even longer periods
of time.
The following figure sketches the maintenance phases of different releases of an SAP product
during time.
Figure 7: Maintenance Phases and Upgrades (according to sap.com)
1.2.6.1 Mainstream Maintenance
The Mainstream Maintenance begins with the release to the customer and is the first
maintenance phase. The customer receives full support based on his support contract.
1.2.6.2 Extended Maintenance
After the end of the Mainstream Maintenance, the customer can buy an extension of the
maintenance. This Extended Maintenance offers the same level of support as the
Mainstream Maintenance in the previous phase, but the cost is a little bit higher (for example,
2 percent in the first year, 4 percent in the following two years).
1.2.6.3 Customer-Specific Maintenance
9
Cf. Current information on http://www.sap.com and respective sub pages like
http://www.sap.com/sk/about/events/2012/SupportDay/pdf/02_SAP_Maintenance_Stategy.pdf
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If the customer still wants to have support after the extended maintenance is over, he must
make a contract about a customer-specific maintenance. The Customer-Specific
Maintenance is the third phase of the maintenance strategy of SAP. The level of support is
limited in this phase. For example, there are no Support Packages any more, and the software
is not adapted to changes in legal requirements any more. Customers have to pay for solutions
to individual problems.
1.2.6.4 Upgrade
Because of the limitations in the support during the Customer-Specific Maintenance phase, it
may be a good idea to upgrade to the next version of the corresponding SAP software. The
maintenance phases of successive releases of SAP software overlap, so the customer has
enough time for the upgrade process. Based on upgrade paths prepared by SAP, a switch to
the next version is usually no problem. However, if versions shall be skipped, an incremental
upgrade may become necessary.
More information about maintenance strategies is available here:

http://service.sap.com/maintenance
More information about upgrades is available here:

http://service.sap.com/upgrade
1.2.7 Release History of SAP ERP
Because of the historical roots of the development of SAPs software from SAP R/2 to SAP
R/3, the development of the technical platform, which was called SAP basis at that time, and
the application part, called SAP R/3, were tightly coupled. Releases of both parts belonged
together. For example, the Version 4.6B of the SAP Basis was the technological fundament of
SAP R/3 4.6B. This concept was kept up and included Release 4.6C of R/3 and Basis. After
that, a separation of the development was introduced.
Figure 8: Historical development
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On the technological side, the basis became the SAP Web Application Server, while on the
application side, the term Enterprise Core Components (ECC) was introduced. The further
development of the technological platform led to today’s SAP NetWeaver Application Server.
This platform is still the technical fundament of the SAP ERP system, but it can also serve as
a platform for other applications independently. For example, the SAP SCM system (supply
chain management) is based on the SAP NetWeaver Application Server. There are also
versions of the NetWeaver, which do not or not yet serve as a basis for an ECC (ERP) system,
but are needed for different, improved applications. It should be noticed that the versioning
scheme has been changed: NetWeaver 7.0 was named NetWeaver 2004s until there was a
change towards the shorter version numbers, which are still used today.
You can use the menu path System->Status to see the current versions of software
components used in your system.
1.2.8 SAP NetWeaver
This section provides further information on SAP NetWeaver and the underlying Enterprise
Service Architecture.
1.2.8.1 Layers of SAP NetWeaver
The SAP NetWeaver consists of multiple parts that serve for different purposes. The
following figure shows the layers of SAP NetWeaver:
Page 20
Figure 9: Layers of SAP NetWeaver10
People Integration
The layer of People Integration has a focus on the people that access the systems. They shall
be able to retrieve exactly the information they need anytime to solve their tasks. This
includes retrieval and exchange of information, employees and partners. It is a goal of this
layer to make all information accessible by a unified user interface, independent of the actual
source of information being an internal or external system. The SAP NetWeaver Portal has an
important role in this context. It shall provide an optimal presentation of the complex
information with which the user deals. Also, a mobile access based on the Mobile
Infrastructure is possible.
Information Integration
The SAP NetWeaver unifies different systems using a variety of interfaces. In this context it
must be ensured that all information from the different systems, structured and unstructured
information, is accessible in a suitable way and can be maintained appropriately. Business
Intelligence is responsible for the access to structured information. Using BI, information can
be transformed, aggregated and analyzed in various ways. There are specialized courses on
the topic of SAP Business Intelligence in our curriculum.
10
Cf. http://sap.com and Essl and Hoerger (2007, p. 65)
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Unstructured information is tackled by the field of Knowledge Management. Here, the task
is to make different knowledge resources which are distributed throughout the whole
company available for all users in the enterprise. Information can have different
representations (files, web sites etc.). All these resources must be made findable and rules for
their access have to be defined.
The field of Master Data Management (MDM) is responsible for the integrity of data in the
enterprise and in collaboration with partners. It includes a centralized maintenance of master
data and is responsible for tasks like harmonization and consolidation of data.
Process Integration
The layer of process integration represents a very important part of the NetWeaver concept.
One of the core goals of the integration of different internal and external systems is the
support of seamless business processes, no matter on which individual systems they are based.
This integration is realized by open standards from the field of XML and web services, as
well as from the Java world. More information on this will follow in the next sections. The
realization is done by SAP Process Integration (PI), earlier SAP Exchange Infrastructure
(XI). Business processes can be modelled, maintained, and executed consistently using
Business Process Management.
Application Platform
The Application Platform is the technological fundament of the NetWeaver concept. This
part is represented by the SAP NetWeaver Application Server. Since its origin in the SAP
R/3 system described above, it has been improved and extended significantly. Most
importantly, it does not only support ABAP today, but also contains a Java runtime. The
NetWeaver Application Server can be installed as a pure ABAP system, as a pure Java
system, or as a System with both environments. This depends on the applications that shall be
used in the respective context. In both cases, an access to a database is possible (with various
supported database systems). However, a separation is usually between data from Java and
ABAP. The individual parts and the internal structure of the application server will be
discussed in a later part of this course.
Two further elements, Lifecycle Management and the Composite Application Framework,
play an important role in the architecture of SAP NetWeaver.
Lifecycle Management
Life Cycle Management is a part of the NetWeaver that acts across the borders of the
previously mentioned levels and affects all components. It supports the development,
deployment, monitoring, data archiving and update of systems by different tools.
Composite Application Framework
The Composite Application Framework (CAF) is used for the development of cross-
functional applications by SAP and SAP partners. It supports the development of consistent
applications by corresponding tools and acts as a mediator to the SAP xApps and customer-
specific composite applications.
1.2.8.2 Service-oriented architecture and Enterprise Service Architecture

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Service-oriented Architecture is an IT concept, which is consequently adjusted to the support

of business processes. Old, monolithic functional structures are divided into small,
manageable services, or new functionalities are encapsulated in flexibly usable components.
These encapsulated services can be connected to each other to process complex business
processes. This means that services can be used multiple times in different processes.
An important advantage of these services, also called web services, is their structure, which is
based on common standards and the agreement of hundreds of software companies, including
Microsoft, IBM, Sun, and SAP, to cultivate the web service standard. The standards are
comprised in the web service stack and include the following components:
 XML (eXtensible Markup Language): Description language for data content; defines
data and meta data
 SOAP: Calling methods and functions in applications on remote systems, uses XML
as a base language
 UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration Services): Directory for the
retrieval of functionalities offered as a web service
 WSDL (Web Service Description Language): Specification for the description of web
service interfaces
 BPEL/BPEL4WS (Business Process Execution Language/for Web Services):
Description languages, used to formulate the order and conditions of the interaction of
services to realize (parts of) business processes.
With the aid of these specifications, web services can interact with each other and form a kind
of service relation. For example, a program module, which is responsible for the order
acceptance, can order a service, which may be located on a completely different system in a
different application to check the credit status of the customer. For this purpose, the program
searches for a suitable service using a UDDI directory and receives a description (interfaces,
parameters, background information) in WSDL. Afterwards, it calls the service using SOAP.
Because of the standardized protocols, the representation of business processes by a
combination of multiple services is possible. Because of the fact that the services can
communicate with each other, the process is free of media discontinuities and independent of
systems, infrastructure, or platforms, and can be read and processed by machines (computer
systems).
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The consequent implementation of the web service concept has been realized by SAP in its
Enterprise Service Oriented Architecture (Enterprise SOA). Formerly the Enterprise SOA
was called Enterprise Service Architecture (ESA), confer section 1.2.3.4. In this
architecture, multiple Enterprise Services are combined to Composite Applications and can be
delivered as xApps using Packaged Composite Applications.
Figure 10: Composite Applications and the Enterprise SOA11
The figure above illustrates how services are abstracted from classical applications and
connected to form composite applications. Based on the aforementioned web service
technology, they can be accessed over a network. Being application services, they are the
basis for higher levels of combining services to applications. They can be composed to
enterprise services, which represent a whole process step within a business process, or to
compound services, which represent a part of a process step on business objects. Using the
Composite Application Framework, applications are built from them. These applications
are called Composite Applications, or as Packaged Composite Applications sold by a
software vendor. SAP and its partners offer Packaged Composite Applications as xApps
(cross applications)12.
Currently, many business processes from SAP, SAP partners, and other providers are already
realized as xApp. However, it will take some time until a more or less complete set of xApps
for business processes is available. Nevertheless, SAP already offers a wide range of best-
practice solutions based on xApps.
11
Cf. Weilbach and Herger (2005, p. 30)
12
Essl and Oehler (2007, pp. 59-61)
Page 24
The concept to compose applications out of individual services is very flexible and makes
SAP NetWeaver a powerful application and integration platform. This way, it is quite simple
to connect SAP applications in a process-oriented way, but also to include software from
other vendors, to create seamlessly integrated business processes. If a corresponding
abstraction based on services is available, many tasks in the field of interface adaptation are
not needed anymore.
1.2.8.3 SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP NetWeaver AS)
SAP NetWeaver AS, together with the database, forms the application platform of SAP
NetWeaver (cf. section 1.2.8.1).
Figure 11: Examples for Applications based on SAP NetWeaver
The application above shows how different applications, e.g., SAP ECC 6.0, are based on
SAP NetWeaver AS. NetWeaver has the same role that was earlier taken by the SAP Basis (as
the predecessor of NetWeaver AS).
Page 25
Figure 12: Architecture with SAP NetWeaver AS
The figure shows how a multi-level architecture can be created with SAP NetWeaver AS. The
application level supports different operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix), and the
database level supports different databases. In the figure, you see a division of the database:
Java stack and ABAP stack use different database schemes.
It can also be seen that it is not only possible to access SAP systems using the classical SAP
GUI. There are further access mechanisms, for example, SAP NetWeaver Business Client for
the access to an SAP Business All-In-One system or the BEx Analyzer in combination with
MS Excel to access an SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0 system.
In the application level, Java and/or ABAP can be installed. An installation that is only based
on ABAP enables the development of ABAP applications, as taught in this course. With
NetWeaver AS Java, a complete J2EE environment is offered. Using a combined installation
of NetWeaver AS ABAP and Java, both types of applications can be developed and used. The
components of the application server will be presented in more detail later.
On the application layer, a manifold interaction with other SAP and non-SAP systems is
possible. The application server supports a variety of communication protocols and interfaces.
Page 26
1.2.8.4 NetWeaver Solution Map
Figure 13: SAP NetWeaver Technology Solution Map Edition 201013
For the realization of certain IT tasks with the support of SAP software, SAP offers
corresponding solution maps. The figure above displays the solution map for the SAP
NetWeaver. The solution map represents an assignment from IT practices to corresponding
IT scenarios. These scenarios are not individual SAP products, but solution areas which serve
as a guide for the realization of the respective task. The individual IT scenarios are subdivided
themselves. For example, the IT scenario “ABAP Development” contains the development of
ABAP applications, enhancements of existing applications, the development of Web Dynpro
applications etc. Based on the solution map, the customer can fetch further information to the
individual areas. He can orientate himself based on those IT practices, which match his
business goals. This way he can navigate to the technological realization.
1.2.9 About the UCC
The UCC (University Competence Center) is the service provider that offers the SAP systems
for courses at universities. It was founded at the Technical University of Munich on
1.10.2003. The access to the SAP system is done using a client software (the SAP GUI),
which establishes a connection to the respective server at the UCC. The UCC is responsible
for the technical maintenance of the systems. This comprises provision of the servers,
upgrading software or backups, for example.
The servers used in our course are located in Munich, which you can see from the URL of the
IP activation web site. Note that all information on the installation and connection to the
system is contained in a separate document, which you can find as a download in our learning
environment.
13
Origin: http://help.sap.com/netweaver
Page 27
1.2.10 Summary
You have now learned about the Enterprise SAP AG and important products. You have
learned about the technical structure of the SAP basis technology, focusing the NetWeaver as
well as about the UCC and technical requirements of the SAP system use.
Page 28
2 Handling
The next teaching unit explains the handling of the SAP ERP system.
After this unit, you will be able to navigate independently in the SAP ERP system to fulfil
exercises and case studies.
To give you some basic knowledge and abilities for the sometimes extensive and complex
navigation, an introduction and explanation of the SAP user interface is provided in this
chapter. You are supported by many graphical elements during your first steps in the system
additionally.
2.1 Installing and connecting to SAP
The installation and connecting guide for SAP GUI is located in the separate Document “How
to Start.”
2.2 Navigation in SAP ERP

2.2.1 The screen
The SAP ERP Screen consists of the following elements:
 Menu bar
Figure 14: Menu Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot
The Menu items shown depend on the application in which you are currently working, i.e.,
they are context-sensitive. Most menus offer sub menus for further navigation.
 Standard Toolbar
Figure 15: Standard Toolbar; SAP-System-Screenshot
The icons of the standard toolbar are visible on every SAP ERP screen. If icons cannot be
used in the current context, they are greyed. If you put the cursor on one of the icons, a name
will be displayed.
 Title Bar
Figure 16: Title Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot

Page 29
The title bar displays the current activity. Its visibility depends on the window focus.
 Application bar
Figure 17: Application bar; SAP-System-Screenshot
The application bar shows icons that can be used within the application currently executed.
 SAP Easy Access Menu
Figure 18: SAP Easy Access Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot
The SAP Easy Access Menu is the default entrance to functionalities of the SAP System. You
navigate through the system using a comprehensive tree structure. By clicking the small
triangular symbols, you open the corresponding menu path. The structure of the Menu tree
depends on your role (your function within the enterprise).
 Status bar
Figure 19: Status Bar; SAP-System-Screenshot
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The status bar shows information about the current system status, e.g., warnings or error
messages.
2.2.2 Navigation
In SAP ERP, there are three possibilities to call transactions.
Easy Access Menu

By navigating in the Easy Access Menu, you can reach the transactions based on their menu
path. Transactions are called using a double click.
Figure 20: SAP Easy Access Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot
Favorites
If a transaction is used frequently, it is helpful to insert it into the favourites section. This can
easily be done by drag-and-drop from the Easy Access Menu into the favourite’s folder. To
delete a transaction from the favourites, select it and press the delete key on your keyboard or
select the -symbol from the application menu bar.
Page 31
Figure 21: SAP Easy Access Menu – create Bookmark; SAP-System-Screenshot
Transaction code
The fastest way to call transactions in the SAP system is entering the corresponding
transaction code.
Each business transaction in SAP ERP has a transaction code, which usually consists of four
characters.
If you know the transaction code of a certain transaction, you can enter it into the command
field. After commiting by pressing Enter, you will be taken to the first screen of the
transaction.
The command field in which the transaction codes are entered is located at the top left corner
of the SAP window in the standard toolbar. If it is not visible, you can display it by clicking
the -symbol next to it.
Figure 22: Command Field; SAP-System-Screenshot
To see transaction codes in the SAP Easy Access Menu, too, open the Settings menu by
choosing Extras -> Settings from the main menu and activate the checkbox Display technical
names.
Page 32
The following figure shows the different display of the SAP Easy Access Menus before and
after the configuration change.
Figure 23: SAP Easy Access Menu – Technical Names; SAP-System-Screenshot
Transactions are required to be closed properly. Hence, it is only possible to leave a

transaction by manually cancelling it or by saving the data entered to the screen.
If you leave a transaction using the buttons , , or , you may receive a dialogue window
to confirm your action.
Figure 24: System confirmation dialogue; SAP-System-Screenshot
2.2.3 Session concept
Using multiple sessions (Windows in the SAP System)
In many situations, it can be helpful to work with multiple transaction of the SAP system at
the same time. In SAP ERP it is possible to open up to six sessions simultaneously to work in
parallel.
To open a new mode, select the menu entry System -> Create Session from the main menu or
click on .
Page 33
To close a session, select System -> End Session from the menu or click on .
2.2.4 Help in SAP ERP
The SAP System offers different help mechanisms. The most used mechanisms are the F1
help and the F4 help.
By pressing the F1 key, you get explanations for fields, menus, functions, and messages.
Using the F1 help, you can also access technical information using the -button.
You should not only use the F1 help if you do not know how to continue. Instead, you should
use it to gain further information, e.g., more explanations about the currently executed
process.
By pressing the F4 key, you get information and help about possible input values. The F4
help can alternatively be called by clicking the icon directly next to the input field.
.
Further help can be retrieved in the Help menu. Using the menu entry Application Help, you
get context sensitive help for the currently executed transaction if available. The link SAP
Library takes you to the SAP Online Library, which you can also find on the internet using
the URL http://help.sap.com . The Menu entry Glossary takes you to an extensive reference
of SAP terms. From the SAP Service Marketplace, you can reach the SAP Service Homepage
[Link: service.sap.com].
Figure 25: Help Menu; SAP-System-Screenshot
2.3 Summary
In this teaching unit, you learned about the graphical user interface of the SAP system. You
know how to access the system and are able to navigate to certain transactions using different
ways of navigating. You also know how to use the help functionalities included in the SAP
system. You know the difference between F1 help and F4 help. You are also able to create
bookmarks to be able to navigate to common transactions quickly.
Page 34
3 Important notes
Please read the following notes very carefully to make sure that there are no complications
during your way through the course.
1. Start early enough to work through the course. Do not try to work only in the last
month of the course time. This usually leads to many oversights and endangers your
success.
2. To pass the course, all exercises have to be completed correctly.
3. You have to take into account that you will have to correct mistakes in your programs
based on the comments of the tutor. If you start too late, there is no time for the tutor
to control your programs or you receive a feedback too late so there is no time for you
to correct the mistakes discovered by the tutor. The course is only finished with
success if all exercises are fulfilled correctly!
4. Please note that chapter 14 is by far the most complex and difficult chapter of this
course. The exercises of that chapter are less guided. We expect you to be able to
create programs on your own, based on given requirements in this chapter. It is very
important to keep this in mind for your time planning. Do not use the number of
pages of the chapter as an estimation of its workload. We strongly recommend to
finish chapter 14 at least one week before the deadline to make sure you are able to get
a feedback correct possible mistakes before the course is over.
5. For the processing of the exercises, you receive a user number by the course
administration. This number is part of your login name. If you create any development
objects, always replace #### in the instructions by your corresponding user number.
Do not use the example numbers from the screen shots! Otherwise you might damage
the work of other students. Within the ABAP courses, you have many permissions in
the SAP System, so you have to be very careful during your work. If you destroy
development objects of other participants or other parts of the system, you may be
disqualified and thrown out of the course.
6. Each participant has to work on his own. If you try to access any development objects
from other participants or you try to declare foreign work as yours or in any similar
case of plagiarism, you may also be disqualified and thrown out of the course.
7. The level of difficulty is very high in this course. We strongly recommend to enroll
the course “Integrated Business Processes with SAP ERP (TERP10)” before you try
this course. Furthermore, knowledge of a programming language and basic
programming skills are strictly required. This course teaches the programming
language ABAP, but not programming itself. Many of the smaller exercises have very
precise instructions and shall provide insight to the basic mechanisms of ABAP and
the SAP system as a whole. The skills taught in these exercises are very important for
the case studies at the end of the course. Therefore, you should make sure you
properly understood what you did in the first exercises instead of just trying to be as
fast as possible. If you are careful and reflect about your programming, you will have
the most learning success and fewer mistakes will occur.
8. The concept of our courses relies on the autonomous completion of the course and its
exercises. The goal is that you are able to work in the field of SAP on your own later.
Therefore, you should read the instructions in the course material carefully.
9. This does not mean that you are not allowed to make any mistakes. Mistakes can
occur by various reasons. Due to that, a tutor will support you during the course. If
you have any problems, please contact your tutor. The tutor will try to help you as
Page 35
soon as possible. However, please note that the tutor will only give you hints and will
not do the actual programming or complete debugging of programs for you.
10. If you have any questions, problems or technical issues, discussion boards and the
tutors e-mail contact are available. Usually you get a response quickly, including on
weekends and public holidays. Messages about the completion of a chapter are
processed approximately once a week. If a chapter has been completed correctly, this
will be visible in the progress report in the learning environment. If there are mistakes
in your programs, you will receive an answer by e-mail containing the parts that have
to be improved. Remember the weekly correction especially at the end of the course
duration. If you complete your exercises too short before the course deadline, you will
not receive a feedback and may fail because of some simple mistakes. There are no
observations of incomplete chapters; the tutor will only give feedback on fully
completed chapters.
11. You do not have to wait for feedback to continue with the next chapter. You can carry
on and all mistakes can be corrected later, even if the next chapter deals with the same
program as the last one.
12. Please note that we can only answer e-mails if they are sent to the e-mail address that
is given to you in the first mail (containing your user name, login data, etc.). The same
applies for messages about completed chapters.
13. Furthermore, please take the following aspects into account to enable us to give you
the best possible support, enabling you to continue quickly:
A. Exact description of the problem and the part of the script where the problem
occurred. For example: Which program are you working on, what did you try /
test, what did you expect to happen, and what happened instead?
B. Your four-digit user number. Include this number also in any answer and
discussion board posts.
C. On a reply to a tutors e-mail, always include a full quote of all previous mails.
D. If you have a new question that is unrelated to previous questions, use a new e-
mail and don’t quote other e-mails to avoid confusion.
14. It should be noted that you have installed only a presentation software (SAP GUI) on
your computer. The processes and the data storage apply on UCC systems in
Magdeburg and Munich. Therefore, you do not have to worry about your data if your
computer is damaged. No course data is stored on your computer, so you can access
the course from any computer running a SAP GUI.
15. Your tutor for this course is Stefan Friese. We use first names in our communication,
so you can just call him Stefan. We will also call you by your first name. If you
disagree, please let us know.
Our SAP team wishes you much fun and success during the completion of the exercises.
Responsible for the Program: Prof. Dr. Heimo H. Adelsberger
Project Leader: Dipl.-Wirt.-Inf. Pouyan Khatami
Course responsible: Dipl.-Wirt.-Inf. Stefan Friese
Page 36

ABAP Part 1 Introduction

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ABAP Part 1 Introduction

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Introduction to ABAP

Prof. Dr. Heimo H. Adelsberger

Gupta, Tanmaya (2011): ABAP™ Data Dictionary. Galileo Press, Bonn.

Keller and Krüger (2011)

Schneider, Thomas (2002): SAP Performance Optimization. Galileo Press, Bonn.

Weilbach and Herger (2005)

Essl and Oehler (2007)

Heinemann and Rau (2003)

Föse and Hagemann (2011)

Faustmann et al. (2009)

1.1 About ABAP and this course

1.2.1.1 SAP – The Company

The company SAP – Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung (German;

1.2.1.2 Milestones in the history of SAP

1.2.2 SAP R/3 vs. SAP ERP

1.2.2.1 SAP R/3

Figure 1: Modules in SAP R/3

1.2.2.2 SAP ERP

Figure 2: Changes in the Architecture

1.2.3 Business One, -ByDesign, -All-in-One and –Suite compared

Figure 3: Different products for different enterprise sizes

1.2.3.1 SAP Business One

Further Information on SAP Business One can be found on this URL:

1.2.3.2 SAP Business ByDesign

Further information on SAP Business ByDesign can be found on this URL:

1.2.3.3 SAP Business All-in-One

Business All-in-One is a solution based on the NetWeaver technology, which is focused

Further information on SAP Business All-in-One can be found on this URL:

1.2.3.4 SAP Business Suite

1.2.3.4.1 Structure of the SAP Business Suite

Figure 4: The structure of SAP Business Suite

integrated using the NetWeaver architecture. There is interoperability to

1.2.3.4.2 Core Applications of the SAP Business Suite

 SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM):

o More information under www.sap.com/lines-of-business/scm/index.epx

1.2.3.4.3 Application Scenario of the SAP Business Suite

Figure 5: SAP Business Suite and foreign systems example scenario

1.2.3.5 Applications vs. components

1.2.4 SAP license model

1.2.5 Releases of SAP ERP

1.2.5.1 Phases of SAP software releases

Figure 6: Shipment-Phases of SAP Software

More information on the Ramp-Up can be found here:

1.2.6 Maintenance strategy of SAP

Figure 7: Maintenance Phases and Upgrades (according to sap.com)

1.2.6.1 Mainstream Maintenance

1.2.6.2 Extended Maintenance

1.2.6.3 Customer-Specific Maintenance

More information about maintenance strategies is available here:

More information about upgrades is available here:

1.2.7 Release History of SAP ERP

Figure 8: Historical development

1.2.8 SAP NetWeaver

1.2.8.1 Layers of SAP NetWeaver

Figure 9: Layers of SAP NetWeaver10

Composite Application Framework

1.2.8.2 Service-oriented architecture and Enterprise Service Architecture

Service-oriented Architecture is an IT concept, which is consequently adjusted to the support

Figure 10: Composite Applications and the Enterprise SOA11

1.2.8.3 SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP NetWeaver AS)

Figure 11: Examples for Applications based on SAP NetWeaver

Figure 12: Architecture with SAP NetWeaver AS

1.2.8.4 NetWeaver Solution Map

Figure 13: SAP NetWeaver Technology Solution Map Edition 201013