SAP - The Basics Series Article Who and/or what is SAP? How popular is it?

(Updated July 2002 SAP the company was founded in !er"any in 1#$2 %y &i'e e()*+, en-ineers. In case youre ever asked, SAP stands for Systeme, Andwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung which - translated to n!lish - means Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing. So now you know" Bein! incorporated in #ermany, the full name of the parent company is SAP A#. It is located in $alldorf, #ermany which is close to the %eautiful town of &eidel%er!. SAP has su%sidiaries in over '( countries around the world from Ar!entina to )ene*uela +and pretty much everythin! in %etween,. SAP America +with responsi%ility for -orth America, South America and Australia - !o fi!ure", is located .ust outside Philadelphia, PA. The ori!inal five founders have %een so successful that they have multiplied many times over such that SAP A! is now the third lar!est software maker in the world, with over /0,'(( customers +includin! more than half of the world1s '(( top companies,. SAP employs over 20,((( people worldwide today, and had revenues of 30.45 %illion and -et Income of 3'6/ million in 78(/. SAP is listed in #ermany +where it is one of the 4( stocks which make up the 9A:, and on the -8S +ticker;SAP,. There are now 55,'(( installations of SAP, in /2( countries, with more then /( million users" So what made this company so successful< Back in 1#$# SAP released SAP ./2 (which runs on "ain&ra"es into the !er"an "ar/et. SAP =>2 was the first inte!rated, enterprise wide packa!e and was an immediate success. 7or years SAP stayed within the #erman %orders until it had penetrated practically every lar!e #erman company. ?ookin! for more !rowth, SAP e@panded into the remainder of urope durin! the 6(1s. Towards 1 Wow!

the end of the 6(1s, client-server architecture %ecame popular and SAP responded with the release o& SAP ./0 (in 1##2 1 This turned out to %e a killer app for SAP, especially in the -orth American re!ion into which SAP e@panded in /A66. The success of SAP =>4 in -orth America has %een nothin! short of stunnin!. $ithin a ' year period, the -orth American market went from virtually *ero to 55B of total SAP worldwide sales. SAP America alone employs more than 4,((( people and has added the names of many of the 7ortune '(( to its customer list +6 of the top /( semiconductor companies, 0 of the top /( pharmaceutical companies etc,. SAP today is availa%le in 5C country-specific versions, incorporatin! 26 lan!ua!es includin! Dan.i and other dou%le-%yte character lan!ua!es. SAP also comes in 2/ industry-specific versions. SAP =>4 is delivered to a customer with selected standard process turned on, and many many other optional processes and features turned off. At the heart of SAP ./0 are a%out 102000 ta%les which control the way the processes are e@ecuted. Eonfi!uration is the process of ad.ustin! the settin!s of these ta%les to !et SAP to run the way you want it to. Think of a radio with /(,((( dials to tune and youll !et the picture. 7unctionality included is truly enterprise wide includin!; 7inancial Accountin! +e.!. !eneral led!er, accounts receiva%le etc,, Fana!ement Accountin! +e.!. cost centers, profita%ility analysis etc,, Sales, 9istri%ution, Fanufacturin!, Production Plannin!, Purchasin!, &uman =esources, Payroll etc etc etc. 7or a full description of the modules included in SAP, see the related articles. All of these modules are ti!htly inte!rated which G as you will find out G is a hu!e %lessin! ... %ut %rin!s with it special challen!es. SAP are maintainin! and increasin! their dominance over their competitors throu!h head e@tendin! their a off solutions with E=F com%ination i2 to head off of etc Sie%el - em%racin! the internet with "ySAP1co" +a confusin! name we %elieve, to

- addin! functionality to their industry solutions

Hn to Article 2 of ' III

SAP - The Basics Series Article Who is it "ade &or? Why "i-ht * need it? $e have all heard a%out the lar!e +and very lar!e, companies who have implemented +or are still %usy implementin!, SAP =>4. But SAP is !ainin! acceptance %y smaller companies too. There are many reasons a company selects and implements SAP G some are !ood and some are %ad. The !ood ones include replacin! an out-dated and inefficient IT Architecture +includin! the EIHs nemesis J the %urnin! platform,, ena%lin! %usiness process chan!e, and to !ain competitive advanta!e. The %ad ones are too numerous to !o into here %ut would include the Kwhy are we the only semiconductor company without SAPK Luestion. Fore on the !ood reasons follows; =eplacin! an out-dated and inefficient IT Architecture; In the %e!innin!, computer systems were developed %y individual departments to satisfy the reLuirements of that particular department. $hen someone finally reali*ed that %enefits could %e had %y linkin! these systems to!ether, interface heaven was %orn. There are some companies today with literally thousands of interfaces, each of which needs to %e maintained +assumin! of course that there is someone around who understands how they work",. Sweepin! them away and replacin! them with an inte!rated system such as SAP can save much money in support. Hf course, if you have a %urnin! platform as well the Luestion %ecomes even easier. na%lin! %usiness process chan!e G 7rom the start, SAP was %uilt on a foundation of process %est practices. Althou!h it sounds a%surd, it is pro%a%ly easier +and less e@pensive, to chan!e your companies processes to adapt to SAP than the other way around. Fany companies have reported !ood success from com%inin! a SAP implementation with a BP= pro.ect. 2

Eompetitive advanta!e G The E7H types around have heard this old sayin! from the EIH types for many years now. The Luestion still has to %e asked J can you !ain competitive advanta!e from implementin! SAP< The answer, of course, depends on the company. It seems to us, however, that; %ein! a%le to accurately provide delivery promise dates for manufactured products +and meet them, doesnt hurt ... and %ein! a%le to consolidate purchase decisions from around the !lo%e and use that levera!e when ne!otiatin! with vendors has !otta help J and %ein! a%le to place kiosks in stores where individual customers can enter their product specifications and then feed this data directly into its production plannin! process is pretty neat etc etc Hk. So you want SAP, you need SAP, you !otta have SAP. Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +4 of A, SAP - The Basics Series Article How "uch does it cost? What will it ta/e to i"ple"ent it? Wow! There is a definin! moment in the .ourney of all companies on the road to SAP nirvana. This moment comes .ust after the company has concluded that it wants SAP, it needs SAP, its !otta have SAP J then comes the Luestion Mso what does it take to implement it< This is the Luestion which separates those who are ready from the wanna%ees. Before %ein! accused of %ein! too ne!ative, let me remind you that at the heart of every !ood %usiness decision lies a cost %enefit analysis. If this cannot %e complete with a positive outcome, the initiative +whatever it is, should pro%a%ly not %e launched. Same !oes for a SAP implementation. Implementin! SAP is e@pensive. -o dou%t a%out it. But the potential rewards can dwarf the costs +and have for many e@istin! customers already,. Hne customer reportedly made enou!h savin!s on the procurement of a sin!le 0

raw material to pay for the entire enterprise-wide SAP implementation" Hf course these are hard to su%stantiate, %ut visit SAPs we%site and take a look at the customer testimonials. SAP sells its =>4 product on a Mprice per user %asis. The actual price is ne!otiated %etween SAP and the customer and therefore depends on numerous factors which include num%er of users and modules +and other factors which are present in any ne!otiation,. 8ou should check with SAP, %ut for a %allpark plannin! num%er you could do worse than startin! with 35((( per user. There is also an annual support cost of a%out /(B which includes periodic up!rades. A!ain, check with SAP. Then there is the implementation cost. 8owser. It is a%out now that you need to !et the %usiness case out a!ain and remind yourself why you need to do this. The ma.or drivers of the total implementation cost are the Timeframe, =esource =eLuirements and &ardware. Timeframe - The a%solute Luickest implementation we have ever heard of is 5' days J %ut this was for a tiny company with very few users and no chan!es to the delivered SAP processes. At the other end of the scale you !et the multi-nationals who are implementin! SAP over ' to /( years. These are not necessarily failures J many of them are planned as successive !lo%al deployments +which seem to roll around the !lo%e forever,. Hf course the really e@pensive ones are those we dont hear a%out" 7or the most part, you should %e a%le to !et your +sin!le instance, pro.ect completed in a A to /6 month period. People G The smallest of SAP implementations can !et done on a part-time %asis without outside help. The lar!est swallow up hundreds of people +sometimes over a thousand, and include whole armies of consultants. This adds up fast. A!ain, !et that %usiness case out. The types of people you will need run the ran!e from heavy duty techies to pro.ect mana!ers. &ardware G The smallest of SAP implementations pro%a%ly use only three instances +%o@es, J one for the production system, one for test, and one for development. The lar!est implementations have well over /(( instances,

especially if they involve multiple parallel pro.ects +otherwise known as a pro!ram,. Addin! all this up, your SAP pro.ect can run anywhere from 35((,((( to hundreds of millions of 333s. As you can see, SAP can %e all thin!s to all companies J so its %est to talk to them +or your consultin! firm, a%out your specific reLuirements. Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +5 of A, SAP - The Basics Series Article *s there any help out there? What should * do Help 4ro" SAP A! There is a ton of help availa%le out there - dependin! on your companies %ud!et and culture G to help you alon! your .ourney %e!innin! with your strate!y and endin! up when you reach that hallowed +and sometimes distant, !round of post-implementation. This article concentrates on the help availa%le from SAP A#. Article ' discusses other sources of help. SAP A# As you read in article / of this series, SAP A# employs around 22,((( people. Althou!h they re-or!ani*e as often as most other companies, you can think of them as %ein! or!ani*ed into the followin! four areas; Pre-Sales, Eonsultin!, Trainin! and 9evelopers. Pre-Sales. These are people with heavy-duty functional knowled!e of one or more SAP modules and one or more industries. They !ive really e@cellent system demonstrations on particular areas of the system which G while thick with pre-sales features G are an e@tremely valua%le source of information a%out SAP. Im sure they have many other responsi%ilities as well, %ut if you can, !et a demo from them. 7or an even more useful demo, ask if you can provide them with %usiness process scenarios that are pertinent to your %usiness or industry prior to the demo. Eonsultin!. $hile also knowled!ea%le in SAP +of course,, these are mostly consultin! types like those that can %e found in the ma.or consultin! firms. 3 ne(t?

Hften a team will consist of consultants from SAP and a partner consultin! firm and you will not know the difference. @pect them to have %usiness process and>or industry knowled!e in addition to detailed SAP knowled!e. They are not readily availa%le to non-customers as they are usually assi!ned to one or more customers. A !ood list of consultin! partners is availa%le in the links section of this we%site. Trainin!. In 1### SAP opened up their trainin- pro-ra"s to non) custo"ers and non-partners. This opens up a whole world of top-rate trainin! pro!rams at SAPs facilities around the !lo%e. These can %e e@pensive, however, and up to three weeks are usually reLuired to !ain a sufficiently deep understandin! of a particular module or su%.ect. If you have lots of time and money, you could re!ister for one of SAPs Macademies which are five-week crash courses +emphasis on crash J as in %urn, in one of the followin! areas; 7I>EH, FF>S9, and &=>ABAP. These end with an e@amination and 1certification1 in your chosen area. Fore information on SAP trainin! courses can %e found on SAPs we%site. 9evelopers. These heavy-duty techies are off limits to non-customers. Eustomers can sometimes !et a messa!e to them via the HSS system G which is an automated trou%le ticket type system. If you ever actually see one, or have one on the phone, ask all the Luestions you can think of, as you may never have the chance a!ain" Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +' of A, SAP - The Basics Series Article *s there any help out there? What should * do Help 4ro" 6ther Sources Article 5 in this series covered the help that is availa%le from SAP A#. &ere we will cover the help that is availa%le from other sources, includin!; Eonsultin! Eompanies, SAPP&I= we%site. and other SAP vents, ASN#, and this 5 ne(t?

7onsultin-

7o"panies

Hne of SAPs key strate!ies has %een to develop partnerships with the Eonsultin! Eompanies. This has contri%uted enormously to the widespread adoption of SAP due to the fact that there are literally thousands of consultants +SAP estimate '',(((, ready to help with all aspects of your SAP implementation J from strate!y to completion. There are two types of consultin! partners; /. #lo%al consultin! partners +/4 of these at last count, are the lar!est of the consultin! firms who are a%le to provide !lo%al assistance to !lo%al companies, 2. -ational consultin! your pro.ect partners %ud!et, who are accredited culture, and %y and country SAP

8our need of a consultin! partner depends on your pro.ect scope and comple@ity, company prior implementation e@perience in your company. Suffice to say that without heavy prior SAP e@perience in your company, all %ut the simplest SAP implementations would %enefit from the involvement of e@perienced individuals who have done it %efore. =ates depend on your ne!otiations with the consultin! company, of course, %ut you could do worse than use an estimate of 32(( per person per hour. Eonsultin! styles differ from firm to firm, so make sure your company culture is compati%le with the typical approach approach, SAPPH*.8 SAPP&I= of your e@perience and other chosen consultin! and SAP partner. capa%ilities. e'ents In addition, spend some time on their we%sites to !et an idea of their

is the name !iven to SAPs annual user conference. Fultiple

SAPP&I= s can %e found around the !lo%e each year, and are usually sold out in advance. -orth American SAPP&I= 1s are typically held in hot cities +off season, and attract upwards of /5,((( prospects, customers and partners. =ead up on SAPP&I= AA here. SAPP&I= is a !reat place to !o e@plore, %ut is Luite e@pensive at around 32,2(( for three days +food,

lod!in!, travel etc is at your own e@pense,. ven so, it is well worth the time and e@pense. 9ote: SAP holds other events throu!hout the year +Tech d, for e@ample, is aimed at the more technical users, See their we%site for additional details. ASU! (A"erica;s SAP User !roup

As the name su!!ests, ASN# is a forum for users of SAP. -on-users +prospects and consultants, and not usually found lurkin! here. ASN# actually comprises of multiple su%-ASN#s G each focusin! on a particular area of SAP, for e@ample there is an ASN# for &i!h Tech companies, and an ASN# for companies usin! A? etc. ?eadership of these su%-ASN#s +for lack of a %etter description, usually rotates %etween mem%ers of the user community. ASN# provides opportunities for networkin!, learnin! and influencin! SAP +for e@ample .oinin! forces with other users to convince SAP to include a particular modification in their standard software,. In addition to meetin!s within the su%-ASN#s, there is an annual conference +which attracted nearly C,((( users and vendors in /AAA,. Fore details on ASN# can %e found at www.asu!.com. <his we%site thespot5sap.com was created with a sin!le o%.ective in mind J to provide a we%site where people involved with SAP can learn more a%out it and interact with their peers. $e are proud to %e independent of any other company. There are many avenues availa%le for you to e@pand your knowled!e here J you catch lurk follow post find si!n read up on on the the your a up for more SAP-related our can; newsletter articles news Fessa!eBoard links resume .o%

%uy

vote %uy %uy a

in a a premium paper

our

polls %ook EBT +etc etc,.

If you have a specific Luestion in mind, try our search facility or post it to the Fessa!eBoard. If you have read all five of the articles in this series, well done" If you have the time, we would really appreciate some feed%ack.

Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +C of A, SAP A# Eorporate Hverview June 2000 4rd - SAP is the 4rd lar!est software company in the world 22,((( 3'.25( /2,((( /2,(((,((( usin! SAP 26 5C -um%er -um%er of of lan!ua!es country-specific supported versions %y of SAP SAP Total num%er of of of people employed 78AA companies people usin! usin! %y SAP ',5(( - -um%er of pro!rammers employed %y SAP %illion -um%er -um%er =evenue SAP SAP 3''( million - 78AA -et Income

/2(,(((,((( - Total num%er of people in the /2,((( companies who are

22 - -um%er of industry-specific versions of SAP /,((( - -um%er of pre-defined %est practices contained in the SAP system /(,((( -um%er of ta%les reLuirin! confi!uration in a full SAP implementation '',((( - -um%er of SAP e@perienced consultants worldwide 26 - -um%er of years a!o SAP was started

' - -um%er of people who started SAP

Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +0 of A, SAP Fodules and Solutions Hverview (9o'e"%er 2002 In the past when people were discussin! SAP, the conversation very Luickly %oiled down to modules, for e@ample; SAPs courses were structured alon! module lines so that you would attend FF /(/, /(2 and /(4. $hile at the course you would learn many thin!s a%out FF, %ut not much a%out the rest of the SAP system and how FF fits into A conversation with a SAP recruiter mi!ht !o somethin! like this; =ecruiter J Owhich modules do you work with<P Eandidate J Owell, I have a lot of purchasin! process e@perienceP =ecruiter J Oyes, %ut which modules do you work with<P Eandidate J Owell, its purchasin! functionality J so that would %e, umm, FF, 7I and EH mainlyP =ecruiter J O!reat I have .ust the .o% for youP Eandidate J Ofantastic, is it purchasin!<P =ecruiter J Owell it says here that they want an FF, 7I and EH person and thats you, ri!ht<P Not necessarily! A MM, FI, ! role mig"t include Inventory Management #MM$, Accounts %eceivable #FI$ and Profitability Analysis # !$ & none of w"ic" a 'urc"asing 'erson is guaranteed to "ave Fany pro!ramme teams were or!anised alon! module lines, so that you would have a 7I>EH, an FF and a &= team, for e@ample. Trainin! courses were +therefore, often prepared and delivered alon! module lines too. The result of this was that solutions were freLuently optimised alon! module it.

lines, and less often well inte!ratred, and as for users, well, they were pretty much trained up in a module and left to !et on with it post !o-live. 7ortunately those days are mostly passed, and more and more pro!rammes +from desi!n to %uild to trainin!, are %ein! or!anised alon! process lines such as; Hrder to Eash +includin! parts of S9, 7I-A= and pro%a%ly T8 as well, Purchase to Pay +includin! FF-Purchasin! and 7I-AP, =ecord to =eport +7I-#? etc, SAP now are movin! away from descri%in! their system as a set of modules, and now are usin! the term Msolutions, which is much %etter. If you visit SAPs we%site +as we ur!e you to do, you will find that they have structured their Solutions ta% as follows; 7inancials &uman =esources Eustomer =elationship Fana!ement Supplier =elationship Fana!ement Product ?ifecycle Fana!ement Supply Ehain Fana!ement Business Intelli!ence $e think that this is a Luite intuitive way of %reakin! it down, and a %i! leap forward for SAP. Hf course, most recently +this year, SAP have unveiled their latest initiative which is :apps G %ut that is the su%.ect of a yet to %e written article +as soon as we understand it ourselves, that is,. If youre still lookin! for that list of modules, here they are; 7I 7inancial Accountin! G essentially your re!ulatory M%ooks of record, includin! #eneral led!er Book close Ta@ Accounts receiva%le

Accounts paya%le Eonsolidation Special led!ers EH Eontrollin! G %asically your internal cost>mana!ement accountin!, includin! Eost elements Eost centres Profit centres Internal orders Activity %ased costin! Product costin! AF Asset Fana!ement G track, value and depreciate your assets, includin! Purchase Sale 9epreciation Trackin! PS Pro.ect Systems G mana!e your pro.ects, lar!e and small, includin! Fake to order Plant shut downs +as a pro.ect, Third party %illin! +on the %ack of a pro.ect, &= &uman =esources G ah yes, people, includin! mployment history Payroll Trainin! Eareer mana!ement Succession plannin! PF Plant Faintenance G maintain your eLuipment +e.!. a machine, an oil ri!, an aircraft etc,, includin! ?a%our Faterial

9own time and outa!es FF Faterials Fana!ement G underpins the supply chain, includin! =eLuisitions Purchase orders #oods receipts Accounts paya%le Inventory mana!ement BHFs Faster raw materials, finished !oods etc QF Quality Fana!ement G improve the Luality of your !oods, includin! Plannin! @ecution Inspections Eertificates PP Production Plannin! G mana!es your production process, includin! Eapacity plannin! Faster production schedulin! Faterial reLuirements plannin! Shop floor S9 Sales and 9istri%ution G from order to delivery, includin! =7Q Sales orders Pricin! Pickin! +and other warehouse processes, Packin! Shippin! EA Eross Application G these lie on top of the individual modules, and include $7 G workflow B$ G %usiness information warehouse Hffice G for email $orkplace

Industry solutions -ew 9imension products such as E=F, P?F, S=F, APH etc Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +6 of A, /' Thin!s 8ou -eed To Dnow A%out mySAP.com $hat is mySAP.com< In SAP(s words )mySAP*com is an o'en collaborative business environment of 'ersonali+ed solutions on demand) Hk, really now. $hat is mySAP.com< In our words, mySAP*com is actually a collection of t"ree t"ings* a$ ,"e Market'lace is a website w"ere buyers and sellers can register t"emselves, and t"en buy and sell from eac" ot"er* b$ ,"e -ork'lace is a 'iece of software w"ic" sits on your deskto', and allows you #after ity is setu' correctly$ to gain access to all of t"e systems you use in your com'any* It is, naturally, tig"tly integrated wit" bot" SAP and a''lications* $hat is SAP1s competitive advanta!e over other e-Business vendors< In a word, integration . es'ecially for SAP(s /0,000 customers* SAP "ave termed it )t"ree.dimensional integration) $hat back.end b$ Seamless flow of data between two organi+ations w"o transact wit" eac" ot"er c$ Ability for 'artici'ants in an industry to use any systems, and still communicate wit" ot"er 'artici'ants in t"at industry 9oes Is the the Farketplace $orkplace e@ist availa%le now< now< 1es* It can be visited at www*mysa'*com* 1es* It was available 2rd 3uarter 4555* is Kthree-dimensional inte!rationK< a$ Integration of core business systems wit"in an organi+ation . front.end to t"e Market'lace* c$ mySAP*com is also t"e umbrella name for all of SAP(s internet.enabled

9o

you

have

to

%e

SAP

customer

to

use

the

Farketplace<

No* Anyone can register as a buyer or seller on t"e market'lace* 6ut if you use SAP, it is muc" easier to transact wit" anot"er 'arty w"o also uses SAP . it(s called a one.ste' transaction* $hat1s a one-step transaction< If bot" 'arties to a transaction use SAP, t"en all 'urc"ase orders, sales orders, etc etc are automatically entered into bot" 'arties( systems wit" one click #i*e* on a''roval of t"e 'urc"ase$* 9oes Is $hat mySAP.com. Ean mySAP.com run %y itself< 1es* ,"e -ork'lace, Market'lace and Internet.enabled a''lications can run wit"out SAP %72 as t"e back.office system* &ow is mySAP.com priced< Not an easy 3uestion* ,alk is of )'ay 'er name), )'ay 'er record) and )'ay 'er transaction)* Stay tuned* ?et1s !et technical. 9oes mySAP.com use :F?< 1es* -e understand it is in close co.o'eration wit" webMet"ods and Microsoft(s 6i8,alk* $hich standards +$4E, HA# etc, are mySAP.com in compliance with< No clear answer yet* ,"eir res'onse is )mySAP*com will be com'liant wit" all relevant content and 'rotocol standards) Eontinue the 1introductory1 Article Tour +A of A, mySAP.com this is replace actually =>41s =>4< =>5< future< No* If you "ave SAP %72 im'lemented, t"en mySAP*com sits )on to') of %72* No* mySAP*com sits )on to') of %72* =>4, alon! with all other current SAP products, will %ecome 1components1 of

SAP Eonsultin! Partners

?o!o Eonsultin! Partners +typically lar!e firms with worldwide service capa%ilities that can provide assistance in all phases of an =>4 implementation pro.ect, Andersen Eonsultin! EAP # FI-I ESE 9.A. Eonsultin! #roup +9AE#, 9eloitte Eonsultin! #roup > IES 9ynamic 9ata Solutions, Inc +99S, 9S > A.T. Dearney rnst R 8oun!

IBF #lo%al Services Intelli!roup DPF# modis Professional Services, Inc. Hri!in Technolo!y in Business Plaut Eonsultin! Price $aterhouse Eoopers Siemens -i@dorf

&ewlett-Packard Professional Services -ational Implementation>AcceleratedSAP Partners +consultin! firms that focus on the !rowin! midmarket, A%acus Software AES8S Information Technolo!y Applied Inte!ration Services Inc. App-et #roup Atlantic 9uncans International Application Partners ??E Ar!us Inte!rated Solutions Arthur Andersen Braun Technolo!y #roup EAI>Advanced Solutions Ea=9 America cd! R Associates, Inc. EIScorp Elarkston Potomac #roup Elient Server Solutions Eomplete Business Solutions nterprise Feridian Eonsultin!, ??E Fetamor $orldwide Furray R $est Eonsultin!, Inc. -e@us Technolo!y, Inc. -ichols &olland HAH Technolo!y Solutions Hptimum Eonsultin! America Hsprey Systems, Inc. Pe!asus Systems, Inc. Phaedra Software Solutions, Inc. Plaut Eonsultin!, Inc. Plus Hne Eonsultants PH$ =haus Eonsultin!, ??E Premiere &= Solutions Prescient Eonsultin! ??E Prism Eonsultin! #roup

e-Business -ano%yte Software

Eonley, Eanitano R Associates, Prism Eonsultin! Services, Inc. Inc. Ey%erTech 9elphi Eonsultants 9elta Eonsultin! d.d. syner!y NSA 9eno Forris #roup, Inc. 9ynPro ea consultin!, inc. isner Eonsultin! nterprisim Solutions @ecutive Eonsultants, Inc. #amma Eomputer #lo%al Eore Strate!ies #rant Thornton #rom Associates &ewlett-Packard Eonsultin! &oneywell &ori*on Eomputers &= ?ink #roup I9S Prof. Scheer, Inc. IF# Americas, Inc. IFI Systems, Inc. Inte!ration Software Eonsultants IT Services, Inc. Dni!hts%rid!e Solutions Durt Salmon Associates ?o!ical Ehoice Fana!ement =esources, Inc. =adiant Systems =E# Information Technolo!y =ealtime Eonsultin! =eed Eonsultin! =apidi!m =SA =$9 Technolo!ies SEB Eomputer Technolo!y, Inc. Schmidt-)o!el Eonsultin! Science Eorp. SES America S?I Eonsultin! Soft #uide International Software Eonsultin! Partners Sol%ourne Solutions Eonsultin!, Inc. Spearhead Systems Eonsultants SPH America, Inc. Syskoplan Eonsultin! Inc. Systems America, Inc. Team Eonsultin! #roup, Inc. Technolo!y Solutions Eompany The Am%er #roup, Inc. The I-E #roup Transaction Information Systems )#S, Inc. Applications Internal Business Systems

&eck and Partner Eonsultin! +&PE, Softline, Inc.

Fa!nus Fana!ement Eonsultants Triple I

FAS, Inc. SAP Eonsultin! Partners

$alldorf Technolo!y #roup $hittman-&art

?o!o Eonsultin! Partners +typically lar!e firms with worldwide service capa%ilities that can provide assistance in all phases of an =>4 implementation pro.ect, Andersen Eonsultin! EAP # FI-I ESE 9.A. Eonsultin! #roup +9AE#, 9eloitte Eonsultin! #roup > IES 9ynamic 9ata Solutions, Inc +99S, 9S > A.T. Dearney rnst R 8oun!

IBF #lo%al Services Intelli!roup DPF# modis Professional Services, Inc. Hri!in Technolo!y in Business Plaut Eonsultin! Price $aterhouse Eoopers Siemens -i@dorf

&ewlett-Packard Professional Services -ational Implementation>AcceleratedSAP Partners +consultin! firms that focus on the !rowin! midmarket, A%acus Software AES8S Information Technolo!y Applied Inte!ration Services Inc. App-et #roup Atlantic 9uncans International Application Partners ??E Ar!us Inte!rated Solutions Arthur Andersen Braun Technolo!y #roup EAI>Advanced Solutions Ea=9 America cd! R Associates, Inc. EIScorp Elarkston Potomac #roup nterprise Feridian Eonsultin!, ??E Fetamor $orldwide Furray R $est Eonsultin!, Inc. -e@us Technolo!y, Inc. -ichols &olland HAH Technolo!y Solutions Hptimum Eonsultin! America Hsprey Systems, Inc. Pe!asus Systems, Inc. Phaedra Software Solutions, Inc. Plaut Eonsultin!, Inc. Plus Hne Eonsultants PH$ =haus Eonsultin!, ??E Premiere &= Solutions

e-Business -ano%yte Software

Elient Server Solutions Eomplete Business Solutions Inc. Ey%erTech 9elphi Eonsultants 9elta Eonsultin! d.d. syner!y NSA 9eno Forris #roup, Inc. 9ynPro ea consultin!, inc. isner Eonsultin! nterprisim Solutions @ecutive Eonsultants, Inc. #amma Eomputer #lo%al Eore Strate!ies #rant Thornton #rom Associates &ewlett-Packard Eonsultin! &oneywell &ori*on Eomputers &= ?ink #roup I9S Prof. Scheer, Inc. IF# Americas, Inc. IFI Systems, Inc. Inte!ration Software Eonsultants IT Services, Inc. Dni!hts%rid!e Solutions Durt Salmon Associates ?o!ical Ehoice

Prescient Eonsultin! ??E Prism Eonsultin! #roup =adiant Systems =E# Information Technolo!y =ealtime Eonsultin! =eed Eonsultin! =apidi!m =SA =$9 Technolo!ies SEB Eomputer Technolo!y, Inc. Schmidt-)o!el Eonsultin! Science Eorp. SES America S?I Eonsultin! Soft #uide International Software Eonsultin! Partners Sol%ourne Solutions Eonsultin!, Inc. Spearhead Systems Eonsultants SPH America, Inc. Syskoplan Eonsultin! Inc. Systems America, Inc. Team Eonsultin! #roup, Inc. Technolo!y Solutions Eompany The Am%er #roup, Inc. The I-E #roup Transaction Information Systems Applications Internal Business Systems

Eonley, Eanitano R Associates, Prism Eonsultin! Services, Inc.

&eck and Partner Eonsultin! +&PE, Softline, Inc.

Fa!nus Fana!ement Eonsultants Fana!ement =esources, Inc. FAS, Inc.

Triple I )#S, Inc. $alldorf Technolo!y #roup $hittman-&art

Industry Solutions 6r2 =Ad'anta-e SAP= As mentioned in our 1Take a closer look1 article +first pu%lished Suly 2((2,, we %elieve that Industry Solutions are one of three ma.or advanta!es that SAP have %uilt up over their competition. &ere we provide more information a%out SAP1s industry solutions. As you know, SAP started many years a!o with a sin!le, inte!rated, solution. 7or many years they continued alon! this 1one si*e fits all1 until a%out /AA5>' when at SAPP&I= they launched their industry solutions initiative promisin! that now they understood that industries were different +surely not", and so they would release versions of their software which were customised for particular industries. SAP have %een workin! on it for around 0 years now, and we think they have a fine .o%. &ere then are the 2/ Industry Solutions to!ether with an SAP written overview document you can download. If you want to know more a%out any of them, use the links to the SAP Industry Solution pa!e. As you read throu!h the list %elow take a look at some of the key features we e@tracted +not %y any means a comprehensive list,. Aerospace and 9efence - includin! F=H and airline re!ulations ... Automotive - includin! H F1s, aftermarket, sales and service ... Bankin! - includin! customer account, profita%ility and risk mana!ement ...

Ehemicals - includin! unit, campai!n, recipe and %atch mana!ement ... Eonsumer Products - includin! trade promotions, cate!ory m!t, mo%ile and

internet

sales

...

n!ineerin! and Eonstruction - includin! machinery, eLuip, contractin! and en!ineerin! ...

7inancial Service Provider - from deal capture throu!h risk and performance analysis ...

&ealthcare - includin! patient care, %ed assi!nments and treatment strate!ies &i!her ...

ducation and =esearch - includin! students, !rants and %ud!ets ...

&i!h

Tech

includin!

H F,

)A=,

Eontract

Fana!ement

...

Insurance - includin! policies, collections, claims and dis%ursements ... Fedia - includin! advertisin!, media P?F and mana!in! intellectual property ...

Fill Products - includin! supply network, delivery schedules and colla%orative distri%ution ...

Finin! - includin! &RS, %ulk material pricin! and asset mana!ement ... Hil and #as - includin! the entire value chain from wellhead to retail station ...

Pharmaceuticals - includin! electronic si!nature, %atch controls and recipe mana!ement ...

Pu%lic Sector - includin! records m!t, constituent1s accounts and !rant1s mana!ement ...

=etail - includin! strate!ic partnerships, multiple sales channels and workforce m!t ...

Service Providers - from first customer contact to %illin!, and performance analysis Telecommunications invoicin! includin! ... contract ... accountin! and conver!ent

Ntilities - includin! 7 =E re!ulations, load profilin! and call centre mana!ement ...

$hat an incredi%le competitive advanta!e. Ean you ima!ine the inte!ration meetin!s reLuired to keep all these parallel developments in check and inte!rated with the core< The answer to the 1how do they keep all this inte!rated with the core1 Luestion we posed at the top of the article lies, we think, in keepin! a ti!ht !rip on the data ... and there is a lesson in there for everyone workin! on enterprise systems. This Take Take the 1techie1 tour is the last the article in the 1introductory1 tour tour 1mana!er1