SAP stands for System, Applications, and Products in Data Processing. It is a German company that was founded in 1972 with its headquarters in Walldorf, Germany. Today it is the world’s top ERP Solution company, having over 4 million customers. Further, it is serving 180 countries across the globe.
SAP launched its product, which is a software program in its name itself i.e. SAP. Hence, SAP is an ERP software program that combines the core processes into a single system. I integrate the different departments to have an inter-connected working system. These departments are called Modules in SAP terminology. The main are:
In 1973, the company brought out the financial accounting software called, ”R1” with the letter “R” standing for Real-Time Processing.
By the end of the seventies, SAP R/2 was rolled out with IBM’s database and a proper business application. R/2 was further stabilized during the early years of the Eighties and the company came out with a version capable of processing business transactions in multi-language and multiple currencies.
Further, in the Nineties introduced SAP R/3 with the Client-server architecture and GUI. It runs on almost any of the databases and operating systems. The R/3 is a new era in ERP by moving from “mainframe” to 3-tier architecture- That is Database, Application, and User Interface.
By 1996 the company had more than 9000 installations worldwide. By end of the Nineties, SAP brought out e-commerce enabling my SAP suite of products for leveraging the ever-expanding web technology.
In the Twenty-first century, SAP started with the Enterprise Portal and role-based access to business information. Later it brought in NetWeaver based on Enterprise Services Architecture with application integration across diverse platforms for providing a one-stop end-to-end business processing. With Netweaver, companies can now really integrate people, information, and processes.
In 2015, SAP introduced the S4 HANA Business suit on its own HANA Database by coming from both OLTP and OLAP systems.
It stands for SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA and it’s a collection of different things. This is one of the reasons why HANA is too complex and not managed by many consultants. We can’t say either a technical upgrade or a functional upgrade. It is a combination of two. However, S4HANA becomes so successful. This is because it is based on cloud technology, thus giving much flexibility to users.
Related: SAP HANA Migration Guide
The Solution Manager provides central access to Tools, Methods, and Pre-configured content. It also supports throughout the life-cycle of solutions from Business Blueprint to Configuration to Support.
Read About: Detailed Concept of ASAP Methodology
A client is defined by a 3-character alphanumeric code in SAP and is a mandatory element. The settings made at the client level, data maintained, etc are available across all the company Codes. A client should have at least one company code defined.
SAP comes delivered with clients 001 and 002 which contain all the default settings. It usually copies from the default clients and creates additional and new clients.
You may want to read: Most Imp Tcodes in SAP FICO
In SAP typically you will have different types of clients namely:-
In any implementation, you must have at least 3 types of clients as mentioned above. However, in some companies, you will find more clients. Such as:-
A Development client where you will be trying out your new configurations, writing new programs, etc. This is the place, where you can do all configurations before finalizing a scenario.
Once you are ok with the configuration, you will then move/transport it to the Test Client where you will carry out all the tests ( both modular and integration).
The end-users are provided with training using the training client. Sometimes both the test and training client could be in a single instance.
The Quality client is the one, which helps to undertake necessary quality checks before something is ready to be passed on to the “production” client.
After passing the test, the same will be transported to the production client. You will not be able to make any modifications manually to the production client. Also, the authorization is very limited because in production clients day to day business transactions are happening. So any issues here will create problems for the entire business operation.
Also Read: Production Order Calculation in SAP
To answer the question as to why to choose SAP as a career, you can see SAP’s growth chart, its history, and its developments. Its reach is growing every day. Further, it is the most popular application software at present time. And with the launch of the S/4HANA series, it has become even more valuable.
For this, a lot of industries are adopting it for their business. Which in turn created a good amount of job opportunities for aspirants. Subsequently, a lot of people are choosing to learn it.
If you also want to get into the SAP domain, you must start with basic concepts and facts like those I shared in this article. It will not only enhance your knowledge but would also help you in job interviews as well.
Learn: How to get a job in SAP FICO
Do choose your trainer wisely to learn your module. Since you need to have conceptual as well as practical knowledge, choosing a good trainer is very important to becoming a successful SAP Consultant.
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