Overview Of ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning

Objective

To plan the available resources lying with an enterprise so as to receive the maximum profit at the end of the day.

Advantages
Paper free work. All the Business Transaction will run through ERP

Business Process

It is a collection of set of heterogeneous activities/processes related to all the departments of the enterprise. In one word ERP maps the BP of a particular enterprise. Each enterprise has it's unique way of designing it's BP.

Sub Packages of ERP

The objective of ERP can be met by any one of the below sub packages: SAP - System Applications & Products for data processing Oracle APPS - Oracle Applications People soft BANN JD Edwards

Advantages of SAP over other Sub packages

80% of the market is captured by SAP. WHY?????? SAP is Database independent my SAP - This version of SAP is cost effective and has penetrated largely in the middle-scale as well as the small-scale industries.

SAP - System Applications & Products for data processing

Different Modules of SAP

There are around 78 different modules but listed below are common Modules included in my SAP. SD - Sales and Distribution MM - Materials Managament FICO - Finance and Controlling PP - Production Planning PS - Project Systems

Each module is mapped to a particular set of activities carried out in each different departments and also interfacing links are designed to have smooth transition from one module to other whenever required.

Essence of ABAP/4 in SAP

Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) is a SAP Proprietary programming language which is only used in SAP platform. Whenever any technical requirements comes up in any module SAP ABAP comes to picture. The other technical module is BASIS related to administrative aspects of SAP functioning.

ONE - END - TO - END SAP Implementation Cycle

This cycle spans right from the first day to the day when the project is declared GO-LIVE. There are different phases which the implementation passes through.

AS-IS Study

Study of the Business Process of the Company by a set of Consultants from Consulting firm right at client's place by heavy interaction with the end users of the client.

TO-BE Analysis

Preparation of initial Blue-Prints based on the study carried out in the previous phase.

GAP Analysis

Potential Gaps are found out and solutions are deduced to merge those Gaps. Gaps are nothing but a virtual open space created between the SAP process and the actual client's process.

Blue-Print Sign Off

After all necessary modifications in the Blue-Prints, it is freeze from further modifications upon signing on it by potential people involved both from client as well as consulting firm making it the guide book for Implementation.

Development Phase

In this phase, development starts. Developments can be broadly divided into Functional and Technical (ABAP and BASIS oriented).

Transport to Quality Box

For testing the objects developed in Development phase it needs to be transported to Quality Box for Testing.

Final Transport and Go-Live

Once the testing is successfully completed all the developments are transported to Production Box and the project is declared as GO-LIVE.

Sustain Phase

As a matter of fact a specific period of support is by default provided by the Consulting firm to the client where in the users are trained to run SAP and to materialize the functioning of SAP to run clients Business. There after if client wants they can enter into an sustain agreementwith the same Consulting firm or any other to sustain their process through SAP to run their business.

Overall Summery of ONE - END - TO - END SAP Implementation Cycle

AS-IS Study TO-BE Analysis GAP Analysis Blue-Print Sign Off Development Phase Transport to Quality Box Final Transport and Go-Live

SAP Architecture

SAP Follows Client/Server Architecture. Client is the Service Requester and Server is the service donor.

Different Layers in SAP Architecture

Presentation Layer - SAP GUI. Application Layer - Dispatcher and Work Processes. Database Layer - Logical Unit Of Work.

SAP Architecture

Architectural Diagram
USER PRESENTATION LAYER DISPATCHER APPLICATION LAYER WORK PROCESS DATABASE LAYER LOGICAL UNIT OF WORK

DISPATCHER
Dispatcher analyses what type of request comes in to Application Server for processing. Depending on the type of request Dispatcher sends the request to one of the 6 work processes.

WORK PROCESS

There are all together 6 work processes. They are: Dynpro Work Process Background Work Process Update Work Process Spool Work Process Enque Work Process Deque Work Process