Integration of SAP Netweaver

In the present era, where SAP companies are struggling to fuse the various heterogeneous environment in their organization and maintain a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Netweaver comes as a solution to all their problems. SAP Netweaver is the latest advancement in the SAP Technologies, which was developed as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) shell that accepts standard comments literally as domain experts speak them.

Modularity is the unique feature of Netweaver that makes it stand out amongst other software technologies. The knowledge engineer can more easily create "digestible chunks" of modules or sub-dependency networks, which help to keep the overarching dependency network from becoming potentially incomprehensible because of obvious complexity. The following plain text is aimed at expanding SAP Netweaver architecture and its interoperability with Microsoft.NET and IBM WebSpere.

In simple words, Netweaver is an application and Integration platform in which Web Services plays a major role and which is open for Non-SAP applications and platform. Using Netweaver to improve the organizations productivity and enhance efficiency by making all the resources that are available in an enterprise to work collectively. To bring heterogeneous environment at one platform SAP Netweaver can be used. In addition, by using this technology we can use the existing systems without putting in much investment. Further in the near future, the various SAP Companies and Organizations have to take a decision for some common platform; could be Microsoft .NET, IBM Websphere or SAP Netweaver. Irrespective of selecting, SAP Netweaver is the one that integrates with all the three technologies.

SAP Netweaver attains the process of integration by integrating all the available heterogeneous resources of the existing system and combining them into a homogeneous form. This integrated information forms the basis of total, comprehendible, focused solution as preferred in an enterprise.

Advantages of SAP Netweaver

Enhanced Adaptability: Enhanced adaptability actually refers to the adaptability of SAP Netweaver towards the existing Business System in any organization without investment. It provides a heterogeneous environment, by integrating the various applications; databases and making available open technologies like web services readily available to the user. It saves money and time on unnecessary customization of the existing business System.

Lower TCO: SAP Netweaver instead of replacing the existing system interweaves the various resources like databases, legacy systems; Internet based Information and provides a heterogeneous Environment for the user to get the maximum from the new unified system. It will also prevent the unnecessary customization of the entire system. Moreover, it reduces complexity and makes the system more comprehendible and flexible to the frequently changing business processes. All of these lead to reduce the total cost of ownership.

Better ROI: SAP Netweaver increases the return on investment in a shorter period. As mentioned earlier, by using this SAP Netweaver technology IT strategies can be synchronized with SAP solutions. This synchronization makes the system more reliable and it leads to better assessment services, which in turn lead to financial benefits.

Netweaver uses a very transparent process to provide the ability to trace the logic structure right from the raw data to information, which can be used for analysis. Developing portal content on your preferred platform is possible. Interoperability of SAP Netweaver with Microsoft .NET and IBM Hemisphere takes at People, Information and process level. For Microsoft .NET, Saps .NET connector provides a vastly scalable and reliable communication infrastructure, as well as a Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Add-In to simplify development. SAP customers and SAP partners will easily build SAP enabled components using Java Using Saps Java middleware and the SAP Java Connector. Thus, helping decision makers to interpret and manipulate the output of the decision model that provides precisely robust knowledge about complex problems. Hence, making SAP Netweaver is a Complete Solution and Integration with various applications and platforms that are used in various organizations.

Ron Victor is a SEO copywriter for SAP Training. He written many articles in various topics in SAP Articles and SAP Jobs. For more information about sap information visit SAP Forums. Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com

SAP Education Benefits

The main objective of SAP Education Benefit was to achieve a successful technical upgrade. This SAP Education Benefit article was mainly focused on changes in the project level. The project management approach permitted the orange county public schools to achieve the successful upgrade from SAP 4.0 to 4.7.

Regarding the project management, some impressive numbers were also disclosed by the consultant. Mr. Jerry veal, the managing consultant of this project said that in a year 200,000 hours of manpower was saved. He also says that $ 750,000 runtime hours in an annual year were also saved.

If arithmetic is performed, it even adds up the saving of millions of dollars in a year. This is what we have heard from other school systems with successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations. Another important factor is that OCPS has already worked out with change and project management strategy which is upcoming functionality expansion.

The destination is same for OCPS to take its own way. For instance, OCPS avoid the big bang approach to implement, placing a phased approach into play. This OCPS has some financial procurement, HR, payroll, plant maintenance, teacher certification, and some other modules.

Sap’s on Demand Version

SAP previews the on demand version in his back office some software product like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) at a recent analyst summit.

Mr. David Bradshaw says regarding this preview: he says “Each consumer will have their separate case of the software running on a separate server blade, with a separate database for storage of data. The SAP will maintain this software directly, fixing bugs and providing updates without taking the system down."

In such a situation, the on demand versions of SAP software will be preconfigured for certain verticals. The SAP service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach will allow consumers to squeeze the functionality. Customization started increases for mid-market CRM and ERP, so that it will increase or improve the technology development.

Ron Victor is a SEO copywriter for SAP Information . He written many articles in various topics in SAP Articles and SAP Jobs.For more information about sap information visit SAP Articles .Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com

SAP Business One

My experience with SAP Business One

Before I share my experience; with SAP Business One as a software product; let me share why I chose SAP Business One. With over 19 years of experience in IT and over 9 years in International Business Development, I thought my career was becoming monotonous. I felt a need to specialize in either a product or a vertical. However, it wasn’t easy to make a choice. It was then; a close friend & an ex-colleague introduced me to SAP Business One. I already had fairly sound exposure to SAP R/3 & the company (SAP, AG); & hence my choice was obvious.

Why does anyone select SAP?

The company is an unchallenged leader in ERP segment.
SAP has one of the best-packaged software product ranges.
SAP’s line of business is just ERP.
 

SAP’s Commitment to Customer:
Their products are continuously upgraded.
They have a fantastic support mechanism.
 

I haven’t had any exposure, per say, to any other products in the same segment, but I knew I was making the right choice.

As I started exploring & using SAP Business One more & more, I realized that there are certain outstanding features, which enable you to achieve great results without using the coding route. The feature I like the most is User Defined Fields (UDF) & especially the combination of UDF and Formatted Search. You can literally map almost any complex process in your logistics and achieve a result through a work around by using these features. I always advice my customers and also my team, to stretch the application to its optimum level before you go the coding way. The beauty is that even the users or functional consultants (without any coding knowledge) can create user defined fields or tables.

Now let me share some real life experiences,

 

Methodology:
• The implementation team should make sure that kick-off meeting should highlight and define the involvement and commitment from the customer rather than technical intricacies of the business processes or the product.
• Get as much details of customer’s business processes as possible. Get down to the document level and field level. If the customer is a little worried about confidentiality, go ahead and sign an NDA or mention the option of blank forms.
• Once the solution is ready, demonstrate the solution to the customer and spend time with all the key users till they understand and ask them to enter a few real life transactions while you are onsite.
• If there are any suggestions, make revisions and install the solution as a Training company. Request the customer’s project coordinator to follow the mantra of Practice! Practice!! AND More Practice!!!
• These typically are conference room pilots, which ensure that there are no last moment surprises.

 

 

ERP & Business Process Reengineering
• Any ERP implementation gives you a good chance to refine / re-define your existing processes; provided you look at it with an open mind. I have seen lot of companies deriving huge benefits just by following “Best Practices” recommended by SAP.
• The obvious advantage the customer gets is the productivity of the staff and their time is utilized in actual work like follow-up with customers or vendors rather than manipulating figures in half automated programs.
• You can also get rid of lot of data redundancies. You might not have dealt with some vendors for years or some items may not be in use any more. You can re-look at Item or Customer codifications to make it more logical or trim-down the Items list with proper classifications. Possibilities are many.

 

 

Customized Vs. Ready product
• As mentioned earlier, it is very important to set the expectations of the customer right, explain to them the realities and how their existing business processes will get mapped “one-on-one” with the product.
• It’s better that the users start using the product much before going live. This gives them time to familiarize themselves with the new environment and know the features of the software that are related to their work responsibilities.
• Emphasize that the customer will derive the benefits over a period and that the solution will evolve as they get ideas about various report opportunities and new features through new releases, updates & add-ons.

 

 

Education to customer
• ERP implementation is beyond a customer & vendor relationship. Customer’s role doesn’t end after placing an order with the implementation partner. In fact the customer has to be an active facilitator.
• Customer should make sure that relevant resources are available as and when required and the CEOs or the Department Heads should ensure active involvement of relevant staff members / users.
• Delays can be avoided when the Implementation partner commits the resources (team) and the customer provides data / information or feedback (or sign offs) on time.

 

 

Some of the challenges we faced:
• I had never imagined a “Remote ERP Implementation” that too for overseas customers. Initial projects were nightmares due to obvious facts such as difference in time zones, limited “Onsite” component (& hence communication with the customer), etc. However, precisely defined Implementation Methodologies and SAP’s recommendations helped a lot.
• The biggest challenge and uninteresting (for me at least) part is data uploads. SAP Business One has a robust tool called Data Transfer Workbench (DTW). However, if it has to be robust, naturally it has to be strictly rule based. End users may not understand the “Technical Templates” and we spent lot of time cleaning up the data literally wasting time and ending up with delays in delivery and go-live. The easiest solution we found was creating our own templates to be submitted to the customer and then copy and paste the data into DTW’s templates.

 

Hope this helps ERP aspirants including companies wanting to implement an ERP and professionals wanting to get into ERP world.

The author is Practice Head for SAP Business One with Tandon Information Solutions and can be reached at vkulkarni@tandoninfo.com.

Visit: http://www.tandoninfo.com

Name: V Kulkarni
Email: vkulkarni@tandoninfo.com
URL: http://www.tandoninfo.com

Basics of Database in SAP

SAP like enterprise applications are specifically made up of programs with the data which are used by and created by those programs. In a meaningful way the data are organized within in a database, For the benefit of programmers, which are made easy so that they can access and find the necessary data to do something useful, for instance run a financial report or to create a sales order. The programs and the data will be in same database for SAP component or product like ECC, Normally each component will posses its own database (Even some exceptions exists) - a production system landscape composed of SAP Business Warehouse (BW), SAP ECC, plus SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) consists of three production databases. Given its basic station in the life of an SAP system, since it is important we have to understand the over all role of database.

Highlights of this hour comprise Exploring the concepts as well as structures of an RDBMS

Determine which databases are supported by SAP

Learning the disparity between a primary and foreign key

Find out why indexes speed up data retrieval

Structure of Database A database can be said as electronic warehouse where we can store information’s in an organized manner so that the system can find the desired information quickly.

The database is composed of tables, columns (called fields), and rows (called records or data). A simple example of a database is telephone book which are organized alphabetically so that it make the user to get their information very easily likewise the database is formed with the same concept. Instead of man the system will do the work so the work can be done easily and efficiently.

The basic structure of a database is somewhat comparable to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in which columns (fields) store row after row of records (data). The major difference between a database as well as a spreadsheet is simply that databases be able to contain multiple tables that are connected to one another through relationships. Thus, a database can be thought of as a much more complex, plus ultimately much more useful, spreadsheet.

The database plays an important role in each SAP system, as it houses all the data that are used by that particular SAP component or else product. Several brands of databases exist, making it easy intended for an IT shop to choose a database vendor with which they are probably already well-known. Currently, SAP can use a range of different brand name database releases ranging from very expensive as well as imminently flexible to very inexpensive as well as yet quite capable.

It is significant to note that not all database vendors as well as versions are supported by SAP. SAP is likely to stick with the market leaders, over the years adding as well as removing support intended for certain vendors. In this way they not just limit the amount of database-specific customization they have to perform, but they endow with IT shops with flexibility plus choices, keys to success both for SAP as well as the IT organizations tasked with organize and supporting SAP solutions.

Ron Victor is a SEO copywriter for http://www.simplysap.com
He written many articles in various topics.For more information visit http://www.simplysap.com
Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com