SAP Client

When you log on to an SAP System, you log on to a particular client of this system. Any activities you carry out in the system are always carried out in one client. When you plan your SAP system landscape, you must consider which clients you need for which activities.

By assigning activities to be performed in a client, you give each client a particular role. This section describes the most important client roles.

A client is organizational and legal entity in the SAP system. All the business management data is protected here because other clients cannot access them. The main objective of the client is to keep the data isolated. The data in a client can be only visible within that client; it cannot be displayed or changed from another client. In a physical SAP system there can be multiple clients. Each of these clients can have different objective or each client represents a unique work environment.

Customizing is a method in the SAP R/3 system that helps the user to configure the functionality from SAP, according to the customer requirements. When the SAP objects are just used by only one client, we define them as client dependant data. We must know the fact that client independent customizing can create problems if the authorizations and the client strategy are not defined properly. For example if we have three clients in a development environment then the role of each client should be defined properly. One of these three clients should be used for client independent customizing and in other clients, users will not have the authority to do any client independent configuration.

In addition to the central clients, you can also set up other clients for other tasks. However, you must remember that each extra client takes up additional system resources (main memory and database space). They also need to be administrated. For example, you need to set up and administrate access authorization for the users, and also distribute any changes to other clients with the CTS. You must weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of setting up other clients.

ASAP Methodolgy

ASAP stands for Accelerated SAP. Its purpose is to help design SAP implementation in the most efficient manner possible. Its goal is to effectively optimize time, people, quality and other resources, using a proven methodology to implementation. ASAP focuses on tools and training, wrapped up in a five-phase process oriented road map for guiding implementation.
The road map is composed of five well-known consecutive phases:
•        Phase 1 Project Preparation
•        Phase 2 Business Blueprint
•        Phase 3 Executing Blueprints
•        Phase 4 Testing
•        Phase 5 Go-Live and support

Benefits:-

• Reduced total cost of implementation through streamlined and modular implementation roadmap that provides content rich implementation accelerators, templates and guides
• „ Industry standard aligned project management process and guidelines
• „ Achieve transparency of value delivery through consistent business case reflection
• „ Enables efficient project governance and quality management
• Covers entire project life-cycle – from evaluation through delivery to post project solution mgmt and operations.
• „ Delivers revised content in all traditional ASAP areas – Project management, SAP Solution Manager, organizational change management, training, blueprinting, realization, cutover planning and execution, and others.

Transport Organiser

In the framework of the Change and Transport System (CTS), the Transport Organizer is a tool for managing the objects that gather the changes carried on during the development and configuration phases, and for transporting (i.e. copying) them to qualification system first, and then to production system. The two kinds of objects used in the CTS are the Request and the Task.

The Request is the main container, which contains zero to any number of Tasks. The CTS automatically creates one task for each user who adds objects to the Request. In fact the objects are added in the task itself.

When you want to transport the Request, you have to first release all the tasks of the request, and then the request itself. When it is released, the transport is done automatically or manually by the administrator. The transport goes towards the systems and clients defined in the transport routes.

Two types of request can be created:-

1. Workbench Request – contains repository objects and also ‘cross-client‘ customizing objects. These requests are responsible for making changes in the ABAP workbench objects.
2. Customizing Request – contains objects that belong to ‘client-specific‘ customizing. As per client settings these requests are automatically recorded as per when users perform customizing settings and a target system is automatically assigned as per the transport layer.

After creating TR Position the cursor on the TR name or a Task name & choose the Release icon (Truck), a record of the TR is automatically added to the appropriate import queues of the systems defined in the TMS. Releasing and importing a request generates export & import logs. After the request owner releases the Transport Requests from Source system, changes should appear in quality and production system; however this is not an automatic process. Now to perform the import, we need to access the import queue and for that we need to execute transaction code STMS -> Import Button OR select Overview -> Imports. It will show the list of systems in the current domain, description and number of requests available in Import Queue and the status.

After the transport has been performed, system administrator must check whether it was performed properly or not, for that SAP has provided us with the following type of logs (SE01 -> GOTO -> Transport Logs) :

• Action Log –which displays actions that have taken place: exports, test import, import and so forth.
• Transport Logs –which keep a record of the transport log files.

One of the important information provided by logs are the return codes:

• 0: The export was successful.
• 4: Warning was issued but all objects were transported successfully.
• 8: A warning was issued and at least one object could not be transported successfully.
• 12 or higher: A critical error had occurred, generally not caused by the objects in the request.

STMS Configuration

STMS stands for system transport management system is a process within an SAP instance, which allows you to manage transports. STMS is basically used for the server configuration. We configure STMS in 000 client and the transaction to configure transport management. SAP normally follows 3 system landscape with 3 tier architecture. i.e. DEVELOPMENT SERVER , QUALITY SERVER and PRODUCTION SERVER.

• If we want o change the existing transport routes and configure new route firstly , we have to delete the existing routes. It is done by using transaction Se06. The Routes should be disabled in 800 client.
• Then login in client 000 and using stms transaction code we can configure new routes.
• The names and numbers are the implementer’s discreet on how they want it or they have been using in their previous implementations or how is the client’s business scenario. Usually they are named as DEV, QAS, and PRO.

–  DEV would have multiple clients for ex: 190- Sandbox, 100- Golden, 180- Unit Test.
–  QAS may again have mutiple clients for ex: 300- Integration Test, 700 to 710 Training.
–  PROD may have something like a 200 Production.

Creating Development Server

Like this we can create other two servers

Configuring the transport routes

Configuring the consolidation and delivery route.

After configuring the servers create transport request in Transport Organizer using t-code Se09. This is particularly useful if you want to move the object from development to quality or production or to another system. Each TR contains one or more change jobs, also known as change Tasks (minimum unit of transportable change). Tasks are stored inside a TR, just like multiple files are stored in some folder. TR can be released only once all the tasks inside a TR are completed, released or deleted. Change requests are named in a standard format as: <SID>K<Number>

• SID –System ID
• K –Is fixed keyword/alphabet
• Number –can be anything from a range starting with 900001

SAP Landscape

There are three types of landscape:-

• One System Landscape – In this only one server is there for development, quality and production.
• Two System Landscape – In this one server is there for development and quality where as different server for production.
• Three System Landscape- In this there will be different servers present for development , quality and presentation.

Landscape : is the arrangement for the servers

IDES : is purely for education purpose and is NOT INCLUDED in the landscape.

DEVELOPMENT —> QUALITY —-> PRODUCTION

DEVELOPMENT : is where the the consultants do the customization as per the company’s requirement.

QUALITY : is where the core team members and other members test the customization.

PRODUCTION : is where the live data of the company is recorded.

A request will flow from Dev->Qual->Prod and not backwards.

1. Sandbox server: In the initial stages of any implementation project, You are given a sandbox server where you do all the configuration/customization as per the companies business process.

2. Development Server: – Once the BBP gets signed off, the configuration is done is development server and saved in workbench requests, to be transported to Production server.

3. Production Server: This is the last/ most refined client where the user will work after project GO LIVE. Any changes/ new develpoment is done is development client and the request is transported to production.

These three are landscape of any Company. They organised their office in these three way. Developer develop their program in Development server and then transport it to test server. In testing server tester check/test the program and then transport it to Production Server. Later it will deploy to client from production server.

In Three Tier system

Landscape

There is two types of routes:-

• Consolidation Route-To make your changes transportable, set up a consolidation route for each transport layer. Specify your development system as the starting point (source) of these consolidation routes. Specify the quality assurance system as the transport target (in a two-system landscape, specify the production system as the transport target). Any modified objects that have a consolidation route set up for their transport layer are included in transportable change requests. After the request has been released the objects can be imported into the consolidation system. If you make changes to objects which have no consolidation route defined for their transport layer, then the changes are made automatically in local change requests (or in Customizing requests without a transport target). You cannot transport them into other SAP Systems. You can set up one consolidation route only for each SAP System and transport layer.
• Delivery Route-After you have imported your development work into the quality assurance system, you then want to transport it into your production system. You may even want to transport it into several SAP Systems (for example, additional training systems). To do this, you have to set up delivery routes. Delivery routes have a source system and a target system. When you set up a delivery route, you are making sure that all change requests that are imported into the route’s source system are automatically flagged for import into the route’s target system.

Starting and Stopping SAP server

When using windows we use the SAP Management console to start and stop SAP, in the below screenshot we can see that C11 is currently in a stopped state (gray icons), the processes are all stopped. Notice the blue disk icon, this is the database and should be running before we start SAP.

To start the SAP instance we right-click on the C11 instance and select start in the all tasks section.

Starting SAP server

The instance may take a bit of time to start, the ECC icon will be grey then yellow and then green. When it is green it means the server has started.

Stopping the instance is more or less the same but in a reverse order. The SAP instance will start shutting down the services, these will turn yellow then gray. Finally the SAP instance will be shutdown (gray icons) and all processes will be in a stopped state, at this point we can stop the database.

Stopping server

SAP Modules

• There are two types of modules in SAP:-
  • Technical modules
  • Function modules

Technical Modules

ABAP

ABAP stands for Advanced Business Application Programming. If a language provides a data-base by default is called 4^th generation language. It was developed in 1980. It was originally used to prepare reports, which enabled large corporations to built mainframe business applications for material management and financial & management accounting. It is one of the first programming languages that include the concept of logical database, which provides a high level of abstraction from the centralized database of SAP System.

SAP ABAP Software Need

• Data Sharing
• Exception Handling
• Data Persistency
• Making Enhancements

Role of ABAP

• Screen creation
• Table creation
• Data migration
• Reporting

 

BASIS

Basis is a set of middleware programs and tools from SAP, the German company whose comprehensive R/3 product is used to help manage large corporations. SAP provides the underlying base (thus the name) that enables applications (such as FI, CO, and SD, for example) to be interoperable and portable across operating systems and database products.

R/3 Basis includes client/server architecture and configuration, a relational database management system (RDBMS), and a graphical user interface (GUI). In addition to the interface between system elements, Basis components include a development environment for R/3 applications, and a data dictionary, as well as user and system administration and monitoring tools. It consists of the following applications:

• Security (BC – SEC)
• Remote Function Calls (RFC)
• Common Program Interface Communications (CPI-C)
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• ABAP Programming and Runtime Environment (BC –ABA)

 

HR

The Human Resources module (SAP HR) consists of all master data, system configuration, and transactions to complete the Hire to Retire (or, as some say, Fire) process. It includes the following information and processes.

SAP Human Resources (HR) Components or Sub-Components:

• Personnel            Management
  -Personnel    Administration
  -Recruitment
  -Organization           Structure
  – Personnel Development
• Organizational Management
• Travel Management
• Time Management

MM

The Materials Management module (SAP MM) consists of all master data, system configuration, and transactions to complete the Procure to Pay process. This process map spans from MRP generated procurement proposals through final invoice receipt and verification.

 

SAP Materials Management Components or Sub-Components:

• Vendor Master and Material Master data
• Consumption Based Planning
• Purchasing
• Inventory Management
• Evaluation of Materials
• Invoice Verification

PP

Production Planning consists of all master data, system configuration, and transactions to complete the Plan to produce process. It includes the following information and processes:

SAP Production Planning (SAP PP) is compromised of the following modules:

• Master Data – includes the material master, work centers, routings and bill of materials.
• Production Planning – includes material forecasting, demand management, long term planning and master production scheduling (MPS).
• MRP – Material Requirements Planning relies on demand and supply elements with the calculation parameters to calculate the net requirements from the planning run.

SD

The Sales and Distribution (SAP SD) consists of all master data, system configuration, and transactions to complete the Order to Cash process. It includes the following information and processes:

• Customer Master and Material Master data
• Sales Orders
• Deliveries
• Pricing
• Billing
• Credit Management

 

FICO

The Financial Accounting (SAP FI) module in SAP is designed to capture organizations business transactions in a manner that will satisfy external reporting requirements. Local legal considerations are pre-delivered with the system and the ability to manage and report on multiple companies in multiple countries with multiple currencies is part of standard functionality. The SAP CO (Controlling) Module provides supporting information to Management for the purpose of planning, reporting, as well as monitoring the operations of their business.

Financial Accounting and Controlling includes the following sub-modules:

• General Ledger (FI-GL)
• Accounts Payable (FI-AP)
• Accounts Receivable (FI-AR)
• Product Cost Controlling
• Profitability Analysis

SAP Architecture

R/1 – The presentation , application and database layer is on single server.

R/2- the presentation layer is on different server where as application and database layer are on same server.

It is implemented by most of companies in India.

R/3 – In this all three layers are present in different servers.

Presentation Layer

Various devices could be used to access SAP business software. For example: desktop, mobile devices, laptops, and so run. This device would be called a presentation layer. We might have to install a piece of software on these devices so that they could talk to the application server. Whatever the case may be, the front end device would communicate with the application server. The device would simply display we a presentation layer while the application is actually running on the application server. The device is also called a “client”.

Application Server

The actual SAP software runs on an application server. Client node simply displays the image of the screen that is actually being produced on the application server. It is important to note the application server only runs SAP software. Data is not stored in application server. It includes:-

• Buffer area- In this Work process is uploaded.
• Dispatcher – It decides which work process to use.
• Message server- It manages Dispatcher.
• Gateway server – It is responsible for communication between SAP and non- SAP system.
• Work processes- There are five work processes.

Database Server

Data is stored on a separate machine called database server. Presentation layer communicates with application server to retrieve the screen image to be displayed to the user. Application server in turn communicates with the database server to write data to the database and to retrieve data from the database. The database server would be hosting a database management system like Oracle. Oracle is the most popular choice of database to be used with SAP software. Other databases could be used as well e.g. SQL Server (from Microsoft) and DB2 (form IBM).

Network

Network is an important part of a three tiered architecture. The client computer would connect to the application server through internet, or company specific intranet, local area, network, dial up line etc. Similar media is used by application server to communicate with database server. This way user can run business application virtually from anywhere.

SAP Web Application Server

SAP products are built on a platform called Web Application Server (Web AS). Web AS is a very pourful and highly standardized platform. Web AS could be installed on a variety of hardware and could work with various databases. This gives IT department great flexibility in terms of SAP`s installation. Web AS supports popular programming language and protocols including Web Services, XML, HTML, ABAP, and Java. ABAP is SAP’s traditional programming language. Hence Web AS is very flexible in terms of its development capabilities as well.

 

Introduction to SAP

SAP stands for System Application and Products in data processing. It is a software made by the German company SAP AG, Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with regional offices around the world. It provide the capability to manage financial, asset, and cost accounting, production operations and materials, personnel, plants, and archived documents.
SAP includes:-

• Finance Management
• Human resource management
• sales and services
• Product planning
• warehouse managemnt
• material management

History of SAP AG

SAP AG was founded by five ex IBM employess:-

• Dietmar Hopp
• Hans Werner Hector
• Klaus Tschira
• Claus Wellen Ruther
• Hasso Plattner

Reasons why SAP?

• The first reason is simply the fact that SAP solutions are scalable and can be customized according to the evolving business requirements of an enterprise. It can be easily integrated with future applications giving users a significant competitive advantage in the market. SAP solutions have become integral to the foundation of international businesses, as almost half of the world’s Fortune1000 companies have implemented ERP solutions from SAP.

•  SAP has been mainly focusing on enterprise applications for the last 30 years, the area where they hold the market leader spot today across the globe. While the other large ERP software vendors, tend to have multiple business focuses – like, databases as an example.

•  SAP continues to focus its ERP applications on maximizing resources, reducing costs and optimizing performance that is customized for businesses and industries. SAP provides a comprehensive range of business software and enterprise applications – designed for global operations and supported with globalization services – to empower every aspect of your business.

• SAP architecture is extremely strong with a process-centric focus and a foundation that operates in real time communication with enterprise wide business processes that is highly flexible.

•  Lastly, with the experience of the last 30 years SAP has afforded their enterprise applications to be extremely industry and business specific. They have already built and refined these industry specific solutions with real customers and real implementations carrying the knowledge base and enhancing their technology and application offerings each year for the last three decades.

 

Introduction to ERP

Introduction of ERP

ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. It is a software tool used by large business firms to integrate all facets of an operation, including product planning, development, manufacturing processes, sales and marketing.
ERP software applications can be used to manage product planning, parts purchasing, inventories, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, and tracking orders. ERP can also include application module for the finance and human resources aspects of a business. Typically, an ERP is integrated with relational database.

Different types of ERP available in the market are :-
• Oracle’s E-Business Suite
• Microsoft’s Dynamics
• System Application and products in data processing (SAP)
• Tally
• JD Edwards
• People Soft
• BAAN

Benefits of ERP
• Two way communication.
• Easley share data.
• Easley Communication one Department to another.
• Centralizes data base.
• Two way communication.
• Paper and postage cost reductions
• Reduced stock obsolescence
• Faster product / service look-up and ordering saving time and money

History Of ERP
In 1960s most organizations designed, developed and implemented centralized computing systems, mostly automating their inventory control systems using inventory control packages.
Material requirements planning (MRP) systems were developed in the 1970s which involved mainly planning the product or parts requirements according to the master production schedule.
Following this route new software systems called manufacturing resources planning (MRP II) were introduced in the 1980s with an emphasis on optimizing manufacturing processes by synchronizing the materials with production requirements.
ERP systems first appeared in the late 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s with the power of enterprise-wide inter-functional coordination and integration.
During the 1990s ERP vendors added more modules and functions as “add-ons” to the core modules giving birth to the “extended ERPs.”