Chapter 1 - ERP and SAP Overview - SAP ABAP - Hands-On Test Projects With Business Scenarios

1/5/2016
Chapter1:ERPandSAPOverviewSAPABAP:HandsOnTestProjectswithBusinessScenarios
SAP ABAP: Hands-On Test Projects with Business Scenarios
Recent
Topics
Tutorials
NEXT
PREV
Introduction
Highlights
Chapter 2: ABAP Dictionary/Data Dictionary/DDIC
1
CHAPTER1
Settings
Feedback
ERPandSAPOverview
Sign Out
ERPOverview
EnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP)softwareproductsarebusiness
application,packagedsoftware.Theyareusedtorunlargetomedium
sizedbusinessenterprises.TheERPsoftwaresuppliersclaimthattheir
softwarecancatertoeverybusinessactivityofeverycategoryofbusiness
enterprise.Inmostcases,anenterprisereliesonmultipledatabasesto
Settings
10 days left in your trial. Subscribe.
Feedback
maintainitsoperations:tofacilitatethemigration,theERPsoftware
supportsmultipledatabasesforinteractionandinputbutreliesprimarily
onacentralizeddatabaseforstoringallfunctionmoduledata.TheERPs
Sign Out
integratethedifferentbusinessactivitiesofabusinessenterprise.They
supportmultiplecurrencyhandling,anessentialfeatureforbusiness
enterprisesoperatingglobally.TheERPsalsohavethefeatureof
consolidation,whichfacilitatestheconsolidationoraccumulationofthe
accountingnumbersoftransnationalbusinessenterpriseshavingalarge
numberofsubsidiariesaroundtheworld.TheERPsoftwaresuppliers
claimthatalladvancesinhardwareandsoftwaretechnologiesare
incorporatedintheirnewerupgradesorversions.Quiteafewphrases
andtermshavebeenusedinthisattemptatdefininganERP.
Explanationsofthesetermsandphrasesfollow.
BusinessEnterprises
Enjoy Safari? Subscribe Today
Alanguagedictionarymeaningofbusinessenterprisedoesnothelpin
thepresentcontext.Adefinitionisbeingattemptedfromthepointof
viewoflaworstatute.TheusersofERPsoftwarearelargeandmedium
sizedbusinessenterprises.Suchbusinessenterpriseshavetobe
registeredorincorporatedcompanies.Anygroupofpeoplewantingto
startabusinessenterpriseshouldapplyforregistrationorincorporation.
Businessenterprisesarealsocalledcompanies,enterprises,firms,or
organizations.Anyofthesesynonymoustermswillbeused.IntheERP
world,theregisteredcompaniesarealsocalledlegalentities.Oncea
companyisregistered,itcancommencebusinessoperations.The
registeredcompanymust,asperlaw,publishitsauditedfinancialresults
onceayear,andunauditedfinancialresultseverythreemonthsor
quarter.Auditedmeansthefinancialresultsgeneratedbythecompany
wouldbecrosscheckedandverifiedforitsaccuracy,orauthenticity,by
anindependentauditcompany.Thesearestatutoryfinancialresultsas
requiredbylawdistinctfromfinancialresultsthecompanywould
produceforitsowninternalpurposes.Thestatutoryfinancialresults
mustbereportedinthecurrencyofthecountrywherethecompanyis
registered.Hence,companiesregisteredintheUnitedStateswould
producetheirfinancialresultsinU.S.dollars.Thiscurrency,inwhicha
companyhastoproducefinancialresults,asperlaw,couldbetermed
operatingcurrencyofthecompany.
Acompanyregisteredinonecountry,generally,willnotdirectlyoperate
afullscalebusinessinanothercountry.AcompanyABCU.S.registered
inonecountry,saytheUnitedStates,wantingtoconductafullscale
businessinanothercountry,saytheUnitedKingdom,willregistera
localcompanyintheUnitedKingdom,suchasABCU.K..Thiscompany
intheUnitedKingdom,ABCU.K.,isdesignatedasasubsidiaryofthe
parentcompanyABCU.S..Aparentcompanycanown100%ofa
subsidiaryorless.Aparentcompanycanhaveanynumberof
subsidiariesaroundtheworld.Asubsidiarycompanycan,inturn,have
manysubsidiaries.
https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/sapabaphandson/9781430248040/9781430248033_Ch01.xhtml
1/17
1/5/2016
Businessenterprisesarecategorizedbasedontheirprimeactivity.
Figure11showsthecategoriesofbusinessenterprises.
Figure11.BusinessEnterpriseCategories
Thefirstcategoryofbusinessenterprise,Trading,doesnotinvolve
producingormanufacturinganygoods.Suchenterprisesbuygoodsand
sellthem.AverycommonexampleofthissubcategoryisRetailTrading,
suchassupermarkets.Thesecondcategoryofbusinessenterpriseis
Utilities&Services(ElectricEnergyDistribution,Banking)anddonot
doanymanufacturing.Thoughelectricityisproduced,itisnotagoodin
thenormalsenseoftheword,soitiscategorizedunderUtilities.
ThethirdcategoryofbusinessenterpriseisManufacturing.This
categoryisfurthersubcategorizedintoProcess,Engineering,and
Turnkey.Thesubcategoriesreflecttheproductionormanufacturing
characteristic.InthefirstsubcategoryProcess,ingredientspassthrough
aprocess,andtheproductattheendoftheprocessisfrequentlypackaged
indifferentmodes.Onceingredientsandprocessesarefixed,thisis
repetitiveinnature.ThemostcommonexamplesofProcess
manufacturingarethesoftdrinkcompaniesandthepharmaceutical
companies.OneotherexampleofthesubcategoryProcesswouldbean
oilrefinerycompany.Thecrudeoilpassesfromonefractional
distillationprocesstoanother,producingvariouspetroleumproductsat
eachstageoffractionaldistillation.
Inthesecondsubcategoryofmanufacture,Engineering,componentsor
partsareproducedand/orprocuredinthefirststage.Thenthese
componentsareassembledtoproducethefinalproduct.Beforethe
assemblystage,alltherequiredcomponentsshouldbeavailableifthe
assemblyistobecarriedoutsuccessfully.SointheEngineering
Manufacture,toproduceacertainnumberoffinishedproducts,
componentsrequiredbeforetheassemblystagearetobeascertained.
ThisiscalledRequirementPlanning,amajorexercisetobeperformed
inEngineeringManufacture.Infact,asetofsoftwarecalledMaterial
RequirementPlanningMRPwerepredecessortotheERP.Themost
commonexampleofthissubcategoryisabusinessenterprise
manufacturingautomobiles.Itistobenotedthatoncethespecifications
of,forexample,acarmodelarefinalized,theprocessofproduction,
procurement,andassemblyisrepeatedoverandoveragain,akindof
routineprocesstoproducethatmodelofthecar.Componentscouldbe
manufacturedwithinthebusinessenterprise:forexample,anengineis
manufacturedwithinthebusinessenterprisefromsomerawmaterials.
Readymadecomponentscouldbeprocured(outsourced)components:for
example,headlightsandtaillightsareprocuredfromotherbusiness
enterprises.Therefore,intheassemblystage,therecouldbeamixof
producedcomponentsandprocuredcomponents.
ThethirdsubcategoryofManufactureisTurnkeyManufacture.This
subcategoryissimilartothesubcategoryEngineeringManufactureto
theextentthatcomponentsareproducedfirstandthensubsequently
assembled.ButinTurnkeyManufacture,unliketheEngineering
Manufacture,thereisadegreeofnonrepetitivenessintheprocess.
Somepartsoftheprocesscouldberepetitive,butsomepartswouldbe
nonrepetitive.
Thougheachofthebusinessenterprisecategoriesiscomplexinitsown
way,asshowninFigure11,thecomplexityofbusinessincreasesin
relativetermsasyoumovefromlefttoright.SoServicesareperceived
asrelativelymorecomplexthanTrading,Manufacturemorecomplex
thanServices,EngineeringManufacturemorecomplexthanProcess
Manufacture,andsoon.
Therecouldalsobemorecategoriesofbusinessenterprises.Trytothink
whetherpackagedsoftwarecompaniessuchasSAP,Oracle,and
Microsoftwouldfitintothesecategoriesorrequireanewone.Similarly,
thinkaboutwhetherRealEstatebusinessenterprise(sellinghouses)fits
intoanexistingcategoryinthediagramornot.
Thecategoriesofbusinessenterprisesinthediagrammightnotbe
complete.Thesubcategoriesofmanufacturingbusinessenterprises
mightnotpassmusterfromafastidiousproductionplanning
professional.Buttheobjectivehereofdescribingthecategoriesand
subcategoriesistogiveafeelforthecomplexitiesofbusinessenterprises
thatERPsoftwarehastoaddresstopeoplehavingtheirfirstexposureto
businessinacommercialworld.
2/17
1/5/2016
BusinessActivities
Withinabusinessenterprise,differentbusinessactivitiesareperformed.
ThesebusinessactivitiesareAccountingorFinance,Sales,Material
AccountingorMaterialManagement,ProductionPlanning,HR,etc.
Someofthesebusinessactivitiescouldbecommontocategoriesof
businessenterprisessuchasFinance(Financeistheheartofevery
business,andeverybusinessenterprisemustperformthisbusiness
activity)SalesHRorMaterialManagement.Someofthebusiness
activitiescouldbespecifictocertaincategoriesofbusinessenterprises.
ThebusinessactivityMaterialManagementisrelevanttothe
categoriesofManufacturingandTradebutnottothecategory
Services.Similarly,thebusinessactivityProductionPlanningisnot
relevanttothecategoriesTrade,Services,andsoon.Thesebusiness
activitiescouldbeviewedasdepartmentsperformingaspecificfunction
inabusinessenterprise.InERPparlance,thesedepartmentsaretermed
businessfunctionsorfunctionalmodules,andeachfunctionalmodule
caterstoaspecificbusinessfunction.Henceforth,youwillrefertothe
businessactivitiesasfunctionalmodules.
ERPConcept,ItsEvolution
PreERPBusinessApplicationSoftwareScenario:Beforethe
adventoftheERPconceptinthemid1970sandearlier(alongtime
ago)businessapplicationsoftwareusedtobecreatedaroundeach
businessfunction.Theaccountingorfinancefunctionalmodulewould
haveitssetofprogramsorsoftwareanddatathesaleswouldhavetheir
ownsoftwareanddatatoruntheapplication.Thedataofthedifferent
functionalmoduleswasmaintainedseparately,notinacentralized
database.Thesoftwareofdifferentfunctionalmoduleswasrunningina
segregatedmanner(i.e.,therewasnointegrationamajorhallmarkof
theERPsoftware).Moreover,thesoftwarewasthesocalledtailormade
software.Atthattimetherewasnoconceptofpackaged,offtheshelf
softwarethatisavailabletoday.Businessapplicationsoftwareusedtobe
createdmuchlikethetailormadeshirt.Everytimeyouwantashirt,you
gotothetailorwiththerequisitecloth,givemeasurements,andspecify
theshirtsfeatures(forexample,howmanypockets?).Arethepockets
flapped?Aretheyfullorhalfsleeved?Inananalogousfashion,tocreate
newbusinessapplicationsoftwareforafunctionalmoduleofabusiness
enterprise,personneldesignatedassystemsengineersorsystems
analystswouldinteractwiththefunctionalmodulespersonnelofthe
businessenterprise,studythefunctionalmodulesprocessesand
systems,doaconceptualdesignandadatadesign,writeprograms,test
programs,andimplementandmaintaintheprograms.Nexttimethat
softwareforthesamefunctionalmoduleistobeproducedforadifferent
businessenterprise,thesamegamutofactivitieswouldbecompleted,
maybeinvolvingrepetitionofsomeormostoftheseactivities.
PreERPTechnologyScenario:Inthe1970s,thecomputerindustry
wasinitsnascentstage.Thelevelandscaleofhardwareandsoftware
featuresavailablewerenowhereclosetowhatisavailabletoday.
Togiveabareideaofwhatwasconspicuouslynotavailableinhardware,
considerthislist:(i)Nomicroprocessors.(ii)Nodistributedprocessing,
onlycentralizedprocessingrepresentedbythemainframesandmini
computers.(Minicomputerssubsequentlyvanished.)(iii)No
semiconductorRAM.RAMsizeswereoftheorderofkilobytesandafew
megabytes.Disksizesoftheorderof10sofmegabytes.(v)Verylittle
networking,almosttotheextentofnonexistence(i.e.,noconnectivity).
Hereisnowanideaofwhatwasconspicuouslynotavailableinsoftware:
(1)NoGraphicalUserInterfaceGUI.(2)Nonetworkingoperating
systems.(3)NoOOPStechnology.(4)Theoperatingsystemswere
rudimentaryevenatasklikediskandfilespacemanagementwas
performedbytheenduser.(5)RDBMSwasinaverynascentstage.
Andallofthiscostlotofmoney,millionsofdollars.Thecomputerscould
onlybeaffordedbytheFortune500companies!
ThePreERPBusinessApplicationSoftwareScenarioandPreERP
TechnologyScenariodescriptionshavebeenincludedbecauseERP
softwarecarriesalegacyrelatingtothesescenarios,andexposuretothis
helpsrelatetothelegaciesintheERPsoftware.
MajorAttributesofERPSoftware
CentralizedDatabase
InERPsoftware,allthedatarelatingeveryfunctionalmoduleisstored
inonecentralizeddatabase.Thenextattribute,integration,ispossible
onlywithacentralizeddatabase.
Integration
ThetermintegrationhasbeenintroducedinthecontextofERP
software.Letthisintegrationbeillustratedbyasimplebusinessneed.
Considertheinstanceofbusinessenterprisepayrollprocessing.Every
week/month(dependingonthepaymentperiod),anenterprisehasto
generatethepaysheetofitsemployees.Foreachemployee,apaysheet
3/17
1/5/2016
hastobecreateddetailingthevariousearningsbasicsalary,house
allowance,conveyanceallowance,etc.andthevariousdeductions
providentfund,healthinsurance,etc.Eachemployeewillreceivehisor
herrespectivepaysheetsthroughanemailorbysomeothermode.The
functionalmoduleresponsibleforthepaysheet(perhapsHR)will
maintainthepaysheetdata.
Now,sincethepaysheetinvolvesmoneypayment,thefinance
functionalmoduleshouldbenotified.Thisisabasicneedofany
business.Anyactivityinvolvingpaymentorreceiptofmoneywill
invariablyinvolvethisnotificationtothefinancefunctionalmodule.But
thefinancefunctionalmodulerequiresthepaysheetinformationina
differentfashion.Theydonotwantthedetailedinformationofevery
employee.Instead,theywantsummaryinformationforeachfunctional
module:thetotalofeverytypeofearninganddeduction.Tables11and
12elaboratethisscenario.
Table11.EmployeePaySheet
Table12.FunctionalModuleWisePaySheetSummary
Forillustrativepurposes,onlythreeemployeesforthefirstfunctional
modulehavebeenconsidered,andonlytwoemployeesforthesecond
functionalmodule.Inareallifescenario,therecouldhundredsand
thousandsofemployeesinafunctionalmodule,andtherewouldbequite
afewfunctionalmodules,notjusttwo.Whatistobeunderstoodisthe
waythefunctionalmoduleoffinanceshouldreceivethepaysheetdata.
IntheERPsoftware,thisfacilityofsummarizingthedataandsending
thedatafromHRtofinanceisbuiltin.Thesendingandreceivingofdata
intechnicaltermsobviouslymeanstransferofdatafromHRtablesto
financetablesofthecentralizedERPdatabase.
MultipleCurrencyHandling
Businessenterprisesconductbusinessaroundtheglobe.Theybuygoods
andservicesfromsuppliersincountriesotherthanthecountryoftheir
registration,sotheymayhavetopayinthecurrenciesofthecountries
wherethesuppliersarelocated.Similarly,theysellgoodsandservicesto
customerslocatedincountriesotherthanthecountryoftheir
registration,sotheymayraisebillsinthecurrenciesofthecountries
wherethecustomersarelocated.Butasperthelawoftheland,ultimately
everythinghastobeconvertedintothecurrencyofthecountrywherethe
businessenterpriseisregistered.Sotheelementofconversionfromone
currencytoanothercomesintoplay.Theconversionratetoconvertfrom
onecurrencytoanotheriscalledtheexchangerate.Theissueof
conversioniscomplicatedbyrequirementsofthelaws.Mostcountries
lawsrequirethatdifferentexchangeratesbeadoptedindifferent
contexts.Thisentailsmaintenanceofalargenumberofexchangerates
tobeusedandassignedindifferentcontextsasprescribedbylaws.Let
theseconceptsbeagainexplainedwithasimplebusinessscenario.
AssumethatthereisasoftwareservicescompanyABCLtd.operatingin
IndiaitsoperatingcurrencyisIndianrupees.ABCLtd.hasprovided
services(probablyimplementedSAP)toacustomercompanylocatedin
theUnitedStates.Fortheservicesprovided,ABCLtd.presentsabillof
5,000,000U.S.dollars.Asperthelaw,thisfigureneedstobeconverted
toIndianrupeestoincorporatethisintothebookofaccountsofABC
Ltd..Theissueiswhatexchangeratetoadopt.Thisisacontextofsales
(i.e.,softwareserviceshavebeensold).Supposethelawstatesthatinthe
contextofsales,theexchangerate(U.S.dollarvisvisIndianrupee)
prevailingonthelasttradingdayofthemonthonthemoneymarketin
whichthesalesbillwasraisedshouldbeadopted.Supposethisratewas1
U.S.dollar=55.00Indianrupees.[Thereisamoneymarket,where
moneyofdifferentcurrenciesissoldandpurchasedlikeacommodity].
Hencethefigureof5,000,000istakenintoABCLtd.accountbooksas
275,000,000.Thisistheendofthistransaction.Thiswasasimple
scenarioofcurrencyconversionandmultiplecurrencyhandling.
Theissueofmultiplecurrencyhandlingisacomplexone.TheERP
softwarehasbuiltinfeaturestoenablethehandlingofthisissue.
Consolidation
Thisfeatureisrequiredbybusinessenterpriseshavingsubsidiaries
aroundtheglobe.Whenthefinancialstatementsarepreparedforthese
4/17
1/5/2016
businessenterprises(parentcompanies)havinganumberofsubsidiaries
aroundtheworld,thefinancialstatementsmustincorporatethenumbers
ofallthesubsidiariesaswell.Thisflowofnumbersfromthesubsidiaries
totheparentiscalledconsolidation.Theprocessofincorporating
subsidiariesnumbersiscomplicatedbytwofactors:(a)Whenthe
numbersofthesubsidiariesflowtotheparentcompany,theyshouldbe
convertedtothecurrencyoftheparentcompany,astheparentcompany
anditssubsidiarieswillbeoperatingindifferentcurrencies.The
multiplecurrenciesfactorisagainoperating.(b)Theparentcompanys
ownershipisnotdirectbutthroughothersubsidiaries,andownership
mightbelessthan100%.TheERPsoftwareaddressestheseissuesand
hasbuiltinfeaturestoenableconsolidation.
Figure12attemptstographicallyconveytheconsolidationofasimple
scenario.
Figure12.Parent&SubsidiaryCompanies
Inthegraphichierarchalrepresentation,theparentcompanyUSAABC
Inc.hassubsidiariesINDIAABCLTD.(90%ownership),UKABCLLC
(100%ownership),andBANGLADESHABCLtd.(20%ownership).USA
ABCInc.alsoownsBANGLADESHABCLtd.throughsubsidiaryINDIA
ABCLtd.(80%ownership).Thecurrenciesofthesecountriesare
indicatedinparentheses.
WhenfiguresofparentcompanyUSAABCInc.areprepared,the
numbersofitssubsidiariesshouldflowinthemannershowninTable13
Table13.FlowofNumbersfromSubsidiaryCompaniestoParent
Company
Thisisasmallillustrativescenario.Areallifescenariowouldinvolve
moresubsidiariesandmorecomplexparentvisvissubsidiary
relationships.TheERPsoftwareisequippedtodealwiththe
consolidationprocess.
TechnologyAdvances
EverymajorERPsupplier/vendorhasatechnicaltieupwitheveryother
hardwareandsoftwaresupplier/vendor.ThesemajorERPsuppliers
claimtheyintroduceandincorporatefeaturesoftechnologyadvances
intotheirnewerrelease/versions.
MultipleLingualSupport
Businessenterprisesconductbusinessintheirrespectivenative
language:businessenterpriseslocatedinChinaconductbusinessin
Mandarin,businessenterpriseslocatedinGermanyconductbusinessin
German,andsoon.TheERPsoftwaresupportsmultiplelanguages.At
theuserloginstageoraprocessofsetup,alanguageisinput.IntheERP
operatingenvironment,themessages,labels,andtexts,etc.willthen
appearintheloggedlanguage.
SAPOverview
SAPSystems,Applications,andProductsinDataProcessingisthe
nameofthecompanyaswellastheproduct.Thecompanywaslater
renamedasSAPA.G.ItisheadquarteredinGermanyandwasstartedby
fiveengineerswhowerethenemployedwithIBM.AtIBMthey
performedthetaskofcreatingtailormadebusinessapplicationsoftware.
Atthattimeeverysinglecomputersuppliersuppliedeverythingrelated
tocomputerssuchasallhardware(processorsandmemorydevices),
operatingsystems,developmenttoolssuchaslanguagecompilers,and
tailormadebusinessapplicationsoftware.Whenthefiveengineersleft
IBMandstartedtheirowncompany,theypersuadedIBMtosubcontract
thebusinessapplicationsoftwareparttotheircompany,probablythe
firstinstanceofoutsourcingintheITindustry.WhereverIBMdelivered
mainframehardwareandaccompanyingdeliverables,exceptthe
businessapplicationsoftware,SAPcreatedthisbusinessapplication
software.
5/17
1/5/2016
SAPcameoutwithproductSAPR/1in1972.Inthisproductspecification,
Rsignifiedrealtime.Realtimewasthenahottechnologyfeaturelike
cloudcomputingistoday.Thesimplestexampleofrealtimeiswhenyour
airlineticketsarebooked,theseatavailabilityforbookedflight/softhe
specificday/sareupdatedinstantly.The1signifiedoneorsingletier
architecturethedatabase,application,andpresentationresidedona
singlesystem.
In1979,SAPreleasedthemultiuserSAPR/2withthefollowingfeatures:
SupportedonIBMMainframe
RindicatedRealTime
2indicated2tierarchitecture:(1)Database+Applicationslayer(2)
Presentationlayer
Mostofthecommonmodules,suchasFinance,Sales,Material
Management,Manufacturing,andHRwereoffered
Untilmid1992,whenSAPR/3wasreleased,thenumberofSAP
installations300.
Inmid1992,SAPreleasedtheSAPR/3productwiththefollowing
features:
3indicateda3tierarchitecture:(1)Database(2)Applications
layer(3)Presentationlayer
Supportedon(1)popularflavorsofUNIX:IBM,HP,SunSolaris(2)
OS/2,Windows
Supportedthefollowingdatabases:(1)ADABASnowcalledSAP
MaxDB(2)Oracle(3)Informix(4)IBMDB2(5)MSSQLServer
(whenitwasreleased)
SAPasofnowsupportsthefollowingadditionaldatabases:(1)
SybaseASE(2)HANA
NootherERPsuppliersorvendorscouldmatchthismultiplatform
offeringofSAPatthattime.Becauseofadrasticreductioninhardware
andsoftwarelicensingcostsinfollowingyears(moreandcompanies
couldaffordit),SAPwitnessedanexponentialgrowthintheseyears.Its
installedbasecrossed100,000in2010.Itisnowthethirdlargest
softwarecompany.
SAPfolloweduptheSAPR/3productwithMySAPBusinessSuite(with
integrationthroughtheInternet),E.C.C.5.0(E.C.C.ERPCore
Component),andE.C.C.6.0.Thelatestversionatthistimeofwritingis
E.C.C.6.0EHP6(Enhancementpackage6).
ClientServerArchitecture
Atthisstage,itissufficienttohaveonlyabasicideaabouttheclient
serverarchitecture,whichisthesoftwareviewofSAParchitecture.An
SAPinstallationconsistsofadatabaseserver,typicallyonaUNIXbased
machine/systemoneormoreapplicationserver/s,eachtypicallyona
UNIXbasedmachine/system(maybeamaximumofsix)andmany
windowbasedpresentationserversorsystems.Thedatabaseserveris
meanttoprovidetheservicesofdatamaintenanceanddataaccess.
Programsareloadedintotheapplicationserver/sandexecutedinthe
applicationserver/sRAM.Presentationserversareforuseraccess,
operation,interaction,anddialogue.
IntypicalwindowbasedSAPtrainingenvironments,thedatabase
serverandapplicationserversarelocatedonasinglesystem/machine.
IfyouinstallSAPsoftwareonalaptoporadesktopandworkonit,all
threeservers(i.e.database,application,andpresentation)arelocated
onthesamesystemormachine.
SAPNetWeaver
SAPNetWeaverisanintegrationframework.Itwasdesignedtooperate
inserviceorientedarchitecture(SOA).Itconstitutescooperative
technologiesthatintegrateSAPfunctionalmodulesandalsoprovide
connectivitytoexternalsystems.TheNetWeaverisasuccessortoSAP
R/3.ThefirstNetWeaverversion6.2wasreleasedin2003.Thelatest
NetWeaverversionis7.3atthetimeofthiswriting.TheNetWeaver
versionisdistinctfromTheSAPsoftwareversion(E.C.C.6.0).TheSAP
NetWeaverhascomponents,tools,andapplications.
TheapplicationserverisacomponentoftheSAPNetWeaverandalso
partofthesoftwareviewofSAParchitecture.Theapplicationserverhasa
complexarchitecture.TheapplicationserveriscalledtheNetWeaver
ApplicationServer(SAPNWAS).TheNetWeaverapplicationserverhas
afivetieredarchitecture:presentation,business,integration,
connectivity,andpersistence.TheNetWeaverapplicationserver
consistsofanapplicationserverABAP(ASABAP)andanapplication
serverJava(ASJAVA).Youcaninstalleitheroneorboth.
OthercomponentsofNetWeaver:businesswarehouse,businessprocess
management,businessrulesmanagement,processintegration,master
datamanagement,mobile,portal,AutoIDInfrastructure,identity
6/17
1/5/2016
management,andinformationlifecyclemanagement.
SAPFunctionalities
TheSAPbusinesssuiteconsistsoffivecomponents:
EnterpriseResourcePlanningERP
CustomerRelationshipManagementCRM
SupplyChainManagementSCM
SupplierRelationshipManagementSRM
ProductLifeCycleMaintenancePLM
TheERPcomponent,inturn,consistsofthevariousfunctionalmodules.
Thefunctionalmodulesarereferredbytheshortforms:FIforfinance,
SDforsalesanddistribution,andsoon.
Apartiallistoffunctionalmoduleswiththeirnamesandtheirshort
forms:
1. Accounting/FinanceFI
2. Control(Cost)CO
3. Sales&DistributionSD
4. MaterialManagementMM
5. ProductionPlanningPP
6. HumanResourcesHR
7. QualityMaintenanceQM
8. PlantMaintenancePM
9. ProjectSystemPS
10. TreasuryTR
SAPImplementationOverview
TheSAPimplementationisasubstantialexerciseandinvolveslarge
highskillmanpowerresourcesandtimeresources.ThecostofSAP
implementationexceedsthecombinedcostofhardwareandsoftware
licensing.GenerallythecompanyplanningtousetheSAPsoftwaredoes
notimplementthesoftwaretheywouldnothavetherequisiteknowhow.
Theimplementationforthemostpartisdonebythirdparties.Thesethird
partiesareSAPauthorizedimplementationpartners.TheSAP
implementersformimplementationteamsatthecommencementof
implementation.Thereisateamfromtheimplementersideandanother
teamfromthecompanythatwillusetheSAPsoftware.Acompany
planningtouseSAPwillnotimplementalltheSAPfunctionalmodules.
Theywillonlyimplementfunctionalmodulesrelevantorrequiredby
them.Eventhefunctionalmodulestobeimplementedbyacompany
neednotbeimplementedinonephase.Theimplementationcouldbe
doneinphases,withatimegapbetweenthephases.AtypicalSAP
implementationtimeperiodis18months.
ASAPimplementationinvolvesconfiguration,customization,
enhancement,andmodification.ModificationinvolvesmodifyingSAP
providedobjectsnotadvisableexceptinraresituations.
Atypicalconfigurationactivitywillinvolvecreationofacompanycode:
assigningachartofaccountsandbusinessareatothecompanycode,etc.
Asimpleexampleofcustomization:onaSAPprovideddataentryscreen,
disablingfieldsnotrequiredbytheenterprise.
Anexampleofenhancement:additionoffieldsrequiredbythe
enterprisetoaSAPdeliveredtable.
ImplementationTeamComposition
Animplementersideteamwillhaveahierarchysuchasproject
managers,projectleads,teamleaders,teammembers,andsoon.The
teamfromtheimplementersideconsistsofthreemaincategoriesof
consultants.Theyare:
1. TheBasisconsultants
2. TheFunctionalconsultants
3. TheABAP/Technicalconsultants
ImplementationEnvironments
TheSAPimplementationiscarriedoutinwelldefinedcontrolled
environments.Differentstagesofimplementationarecarriedoutin
differentenvironmentssegregatedfromeachother.Thetypical
implementationenvironmentsare(i)developmentand(ii)testingand
qualityassurance.Theoutcomeofthesetwoenvironmentswillflowto
thethirdenvironment,whichistheliveenvironment(atypical
implementationhasatleastthreestages,whicharediscussedhere).
EndusertrainingisaverycriticalactivityofSAPimplementationthat
commencesafterconfiguration,customization,andenhancementstages
7/17
1/5/2016
arecomplete.Itdealswithtrainingofstaffatthecustomersiteinusage
ofsoftwaretocarryouttheirdaytodaytasks.
ObjectswouldbecreatedbyanABAPconsultantinthedevelopment
environment.ThesewouldbemovedortousetheSAPterminology
transportedtothetestingandqualityassuranceenvironment.Oncethey
passtestingandqualityassurance,theywillbetransportedtothelive
environment.
Similarly,afunctionalconsultantwillcreatefunctionalcomponents(like
companycodes,chartsofaccounts,etc.)inthedevelopment
environment.Thesewouldbetransportedtotestingandquality
assurance.Oncetheypasstestingandqualityassurance,theywillbe
transportedtotheliveenvironment.
Suppose,inanotherscenario,testingandqualityassurancearetwo
separateenvironments.Then,objects/componentswouldbetransported
fromdevelopmenttotesting,fromtestingtoqualityassurance,andfrom
qualityassurancetoliveenvironment.
Nowhowanobject/componenttravelsisdeterminedbythetransport
layerthatgetsassociatedwiththeobject/component.Thetransportlayer
andtransportationofobjects/componentsarepartofafeature,Central
TransportSystem,whichisthepurviewoftheBasisconsultant.
Intodayshardwareandsoftwarescenario,youcanhavedifferent
systemsfordifferentenvironments(athreesystemLandscape).You
canhaveoneWindowsbasedsystemassignedtothedevelopment
environment.(Windowscansupportafewhundreduserswithoutany
performanceorresponsebottlenecks.)SimilarlyanotherWindowsbased
systemisassignedtotestingandqualityassurance.Theenduser
trainingusuallyresidesononeofthesetwosystems.Ontheotherhand,
aUNIXbasedsystemisassignedtoaliveenvironment.Thesystemsare
connectedtoeachotherthroughnetworkfortransportingobjectsand
datafromoneenvironmenttoanotheraspertransportlayer
specification.Theobjectsanddataintheseenvironmentsaresegregated
fromeachotherbecausetheyareresidingphysicallyondifferent
systems.Thisiscalledthethreesystemlandscape.Thisdescriptionis
representedinFigure13.
Figure13.ThreeSystemLandscape
TheClientsareexplainedinthesectionentitledClientCode
Perspectives.
Now,considerthiscaseintheSAPR/2mainframesystem.Aseparate
mainframecouldnothavebeenassignedforeachenvironment
(development,testingandqualityassurance,live).Alltheenvironments
hadtoresideonasinglemainframesystem.Yettheseenvironments
neededtoexistinasegregatedmanner.Thesegregationwasobviously
implementedthroughalogicalmeans.Themeansoflogicalsegregation
isalegacycarriedbythesubsequentandlatestversionofSAPsoftware.
Thesegregationisessential.Whateverisbeingdoneinthedevelopment
environmentshouldnotbevisibleandavailableinotherenvironments
andviceversa.Thereisaseparateenvironmentforendusertraining.
Totrainanenduserintheprocedureandprocessofcreationofcustomer
data,dummycustomersarecreatedintheendusertraining.These
dummycustomersmustnotappearintheliveenvironmentorother
environments.Therewouldnormallybenotransportofobjectsanddata
fromendusertrainingenvironmenttootherenvironments.
OverviewofSAPLogin,SAPGUI,ABAPWorkbench
YouareadvisedtousetheSAPIDESserver.(TheIDESserverhasbeen
elaboratedinthesectionentitledSAPIDESServeranduseofSAPIDES
ServerforTrainings.)Allthehandsonexercisesinthisbookhavebeen
performedontheIDESserver.
ItisassumedyouhaveaccesstoaSAPserver,preferablytoanIDES
server.Thefrontendsoftwarehasbeeninstalled,connectivity
established,andyouarereadywiththeloginpad.
SAPLogin
WhenyouclickontheSAPloginpadonyoursystem,theSAPLogin
screenwilllookliketheoneinFigure14.
8/17
1/5/2016
Figure14.SAPLogin
TheSAPloginscreen(Figure14)promptsforfourfieldsofinformation:
1. Client
2. User
3. Password
4. Language
1.TheClient,athreedigitnumber,isoneoftheparametersthrough
whichenvironmentsegregation(development,testing&quality
assurance,etal.)isimplemented.InthesectionentitledClientCode
Perspectives,thishasbeendiscussed.
2&3Userand.Passwordessentialinanymultiusersystem.
4.Alanguagecode(ENforEnglish,DEforGermanetal.)istobeinput
here.LanguagecodefieldintheSAPtablesisasinglecharacter,but
whilepresentedonscreen,appearsastwocharacters.Thisisthetypical
situationprevailingintheSAPenvironment.Theinternalstorageof
datafieldsinthetablesisdifferentfromthemannerinwhichit
presentedonthescreenandprinter.DuringSAPinstallation,youcan
specifyadefaultlanguagefortheinstallation.Youcanalsospecifythe
language/stobeinstalled.(AllthelanguagessupportedbySAPneednot
beinstalled.)TheGermanlanguage(DE)getsinstalledmandatorily.
Youcannotomititsinstallation.IfyouleavetheLanguagefieldblankon
theloginscreen,loginwilloccurwiththedefaultlanguage.
TheUserandLanguagearecaseinsensitive.ThePasswordiscase
sensitive.
SAPGUI
Aftertheentriesonthisscreenhavebeenaccepted,theSAPopening
screenappearscalledtheSAPEasyAccess.(Figure15)
Figure15.SAPEasyAccessScreen
IntheSAPEasyAccessscreen,thefollowingareas,indicatedbyarrows
inFigure15,needtoberecognized:
1.
TheSAPMenuBar,MenuOptions:Thiswillvaryscreentoscreen
exceptforthelasttwobars,SystemandHelp.
2.
TheStandardToolBar:Thebuttonsoriconsappearinginthisarea
arethesamefromscreentoscreen.Buttonsoriconsareenabledor
disableddependingonthecontext.The
buttonisfor
saving.OntheopeningSAPEasyAccessscreen,thisisina
disabledstate,asthereisnothingtosaveonthisscreen.
3.
9/17
1/5/2016
TheWindowTitle:Thiscontainsthetitleofthewindow.
4.
TheApplicationToolBar:ThebuttonsoriconsontheApplication
ToolBarvaryfromscreentoscreen.
5.
SAPEasyAccessMenuTree:IntheSAPGUIenvironment,you
needtonavigatetodifferentscreenstocarryoutdifferenttasks.
Onewayofnavigatingtodifferentscreensistousethemenutree.
Clickingonorexpandingthenodesofthemenutreewillgive
accesstosubnodesandtotheinnermostsubnodeclickingonthis
innermostsubnodewillenableyoutonavigatetodifferentscreens
tocarryoutthevarioustasks.IfyouwantedtocreateanABAP
program,youwill(1)clickonthenodeTools(atthebottom),and
subnodeswillappear.(2)ClickonthesubnodeABAPWorkbench,
andfurthersubnodeswillappear.(3)Clickonthesubnode
Development,andfurthersubnodeswillappear.(4)Clickonthe
lastlevelofsubnodeABAPEditor.Thiswilltakeyoutothescreen
supportingtheABAPprogrammaintenance.ThisistheABAP
editorscreen.Thissequenceofnodes/subnodeswillappear,
providednobodyhascustomizedtheSAPEasyAccessscreenfrom
itsinitialdefault.Inthismannertheusercannavigatetovarious
screenstocarryoutdifferenttasks.
6.
CommandField:Usingthecommandfieldisanotherwayof
navigatingtoscreenstocarryoutvarioustasksbytheSAPuser.
OnemodehasbeendescribedunderSAPEasyAccessMenuTree.
Theothershortermodeistoenterthetransactioncodeinthe
commandfieldandpressthe<Enter>key.Forinstance,again,
youwanttonavigatetotheABAPeditorscreen.Thetransaction
codetonavigatetotheABAPeditorscreenisSE38.Youenter
SE38inthecommandfieldandpress<Enter>.Ifyouwantto
navigatetotheABAPdictionaryscreen,thetransactioncodeis
SE11.ThesearepredefinedtransactioncodesprovidedbySAP.
Youcanalsocreateyourowntransactioncodes.Youwillcreate
yourowntransactioncodeduringintheChapter14entitledScreen
Programming.Therearemorethan100,000predefinedSAP
providedtransactioncodesavailableintheSAPGUIenvironment.
Youwillbefamiliarwitharound15transactioncodesbythetime
youfinishreadingthisbook.Thecommandfieldcanbemadeto
appear/disappearthroughthebuttonattheright.
7.
StatusBar:Thisisatthebottomofthescreen.Intherightsidearea
ofthestatusbar,systemrelatedinformationsuchassystemid.,
systemno,loginclient,applicationservernameandstatusof
keyboardINSkeyon/offispresented.Theleftsideofthestatusbar
isusedfornotificationstotheuserthroughmessagesduring
programexecution.Ifthebuttonappearingonthestatusbarafter
systemid.,systemnoandloginclientisclickedapopuplike
theoneshownbelowappears.Yougettoknowtheprogram,
transactioncodegettingexecuted,andloginclientetal.
MostoftheiconsintheSAPGUIenvironmentarepeculiarand
specifictotheSAPGUIenvironment.Youwillgetfamiliarwith
themandwhattheysignifyasyouoperateintheSAPGUI
environment.
FunctionkeyscanbeusedintheSAPWorkbenchenvironmentto
performoperations.ApartiallistisavailableinTable14.
10/17
1/5/2016
Table14.FunctionKeysOperations
Function
Operation
Key
F1
Whenthecursorisonascreenfield,helptextfor
thescreenfieldpopups.
WhenthecursorisonanABAPprogram
keyword,ABAPdocumentationfortheABAP
programkeywordinanewsessionpopups.
F2
MouseDoubleClick.
F3
Goestopreviousscreen.
F4
SelectionListpopups.
F5
Tocreateanewobject.
F6
Toeditorchangeanexistingobject.
F7
Todisplayanexistingobject.
F8
Toexecuteaprogram.
Alistofverycommonlyusediconsorbuttons(onthesystemand
applicationtoolbars)isavailableinTable15.
Table15.VeryCommonlyUsedIconsorButtons
Icon
Description
or
Button
Equivalenttopressing<enter>key.The<enter>
keyhasadifferentmeaningintheSAPGUI
environment.Whenyouarefinishedwithascreen,
youpressthe<enter>key.Tonavigateforward
fromonefieldtoanother,usethe[tab]keyto
navigatebackwardsbetweenfieldsusethe[shift]+
[tab]keycombination.
UniversalSave
Navigatetopreviousscreen[F3]
Exitscreen
Canceloperation
11/17
1/5/2016
Find
Createsession
Execute[F8]
Createobject[F5]
Displayobject[F7]
ChangeorEditobject[F6]
Delete
SAPExternalSessions,SessionsControl
Inastandardtoolbar,the
buttonistocreatenewexternal
sessions.Alternatively,youcanselectthemenuoptionSystemand
selectthesuboptionCreateSessiontodothesame.Thesystemcreatesa
newtaskorwindow.Inthismanner,asingleSAPloggedinusercan
createamaximumof16windows,whicharecalledexternalsessions.The
Basisadministratorcanreducethislimittolessthan16.Thislimitof16is
excludingtheexternalsessionsthesystemspawnswhenanonclassical
debuggerisusedandwhenthefunctionkeyF1ispressedonthekeyword
ofanABAPprogram.Theseareexternalsessions(simplydifferent
windowsoperatingsystemtasks)andthereistheconceptofinternal
sessions.Thedifferencebetweenthetwowillbeknownwhenthe
conceptofinternalsessionsisintroducedinChapter7.
AdevelopersworkinvolveshandlingofmultipleobjectslikeABAP
program,ABAPdictionaryobjects,screens,GUIstatusetc.Onewayof
carryingoutthedevelopmentalworkinvolvingmultipleobjectsisto
havemultiplewindowsorexternalsessions.Inoneexternalsession,the
developerwouldbeoperatingtheABAPeditorinasecond,operating
ABAPdictionaryinathird,thescreenpainterinafourth,themenu
painterandsoon.
Theexternalsessionscanbemanipulatedthroughthecommandbox.
Table16summarizesthis:
12/17
1/5/2016
Table16.SAPSessionsHandling
Command
Explanation
Box
Content
/NXXXX
Thisterminatesthecurrenttransactionand
starts
TransactionXXXX
(example:/NSE38).
/N
Thisterminatesthetransaction.Thisgenerally
correspondstopressingF15togoback.
/NEND
Thisterminatesallseparatesessionsandlogs
off
(correspondstoSystemLogoff).
/NEX
Thisterminatesallseparatesessionsandlogs
off
immediately(withoutanywarning!).
/NOXXXX
Thisopensanewsessionandstarts
transactionXXXXin
thissession.
/O
Thislistsexistingsessionsandallowsdeletion
oropeningofanewsession.
/I
Thisterminatesthecurrentsession
(correspondstoSystemEnd).
Performeachofthecommandsinthetableasanexercise.
ABAPWorkbench
ABAPAdvancedBusinessApplicationProgrammingisSAPspropriety
language,earliercalledABAP/4:/4signifiedafourthgeneration
languageandhasbeendroppednowthatmostofthelanguagesare
fourthgenerationlanguages.IntheSAPenvironment,exceptforvery
fewkernelprograms,(likeloginscreen)everyotherprogramisanABAP
program,andtheentireSAPERPsoftwarehasbeenwritteninABAP.
Whenyouclickonthe
buttononthestatusbarofSAPGUI
screen,thenameoftheABAPprograminexecutionisavailable.Referto
SAPGUI7.ABAPisnotjustalanguage.Itisafullfledged
developmentalplatformwithaplethoraoftools.Thewholegamutof
developmentaltoolssuchasABAPeditor,ABAPdictionary,Function
module(generalpurpose,genericsubroutines)builder,Classbuilder,
Screenpainter,Menupainteretal.constitutetheABAPWorkbench.As
thechaptersofthisbookunfold,theseworkbenchtoolswillbeintroduced:
howtoaccessthem(transactioncodes),howtooperatethem,and
settings,etc.willbeelaborated.
Inthisbook,thefocusisonthecreationofworkbenchobjectsasper
scenarios.Theoperationsrequiredtocreatetheseobjectsisdescribed.
Formoreelaboratedescriptionsofworkbenchoperations,youcanrefer
tothedownloadeddocuments:BCABAPWorkbenchToolsandBCABAP
WorkbenchTutorial.
ClientCodePerspectives
IntheSAPloginsection,youhaveseenthatthefirstfieldonthelogin
screenistheclientorclientcode.Itisathreedigitnumber.Whenanew
useriscreatedbytheBasisadministrator,clientcodewillbepartofita
usercannotbecreatedwithoutaclientcode.Andtheclientassociated
withauserhastoexistonthesystem.Itwasmentionedthattheclient
codeisoneoftheparametersusedtoimplementthesegregationofSAP
environments:development,quality,testingandlive.Youwillthenget
13/17
1/5/2016
aclearerpictureoftheenvironmentsegregation.Afunctionalconsultant
willviewtheclientcodeverydifferentlyabasisadministratorwill
perceiveaclientdifferentlythanafunctionalconsultant.You,asan
ABAPconsultantoranaspiringABAPconsultant,willviewtheclient
codefromatechnicalanddeveloperperspective.
WhenSAPsoftwareisinstalled,theSAPdatabasegetscreated
automaticallyaspartoftheinstallationprocess.Thisdatabase(in
versionE.C.C.6.0)containsmorethan70,000tables.Almostallofthese
tableswillbeemptyafterinstallation.Afewofthetablesenvisaged
containtheuniversalnatureofdatasuchascountrycodesandnames
states/provinces/regionsofcountriesandcurrencycodesandnames
willbepopulatedwithdataafterSAPinstallation.
EverydevelopmentalobjectthatadevelopercreatesinsideSAPsuchas
programs,screens,andABAPdictionaryobjects,etc.arestoredintables
ofSAPdatabase.
Amajorityofthe70,000+tablesofSAPdatabasewillstorethefunctional
moduledata.Tomentionsimpleexamples:datarelatingtocustomers
suppliersorvendorsbusinessdocumentsdatasuchascustomersbills,
purchaseorders,etc.Thetablesstoringthefunctionalmoduledata
invariablycontaininthetablestructureafieldofABAPdictionarytype
CLNTasthefirstfield.ABAPdictionarysupportsitsown20odddata
typesCLNTisoneofthem.Thenextchapter(Chapter2)willintroduce
these20odddatatypes.Mostoftenthenameofthisfirstfieldoftype
CLNTisMANDT.
AlltablescontaininginitsstructurethefirstfieldoftypeCLNTare
termedclientdependenttables.Tablesnotcontainingthisfieldasthe
firstfieldinthestructurearetermedclientindependenttables.Shown
belowinFigure16isapartialstructureofafunctionalmodule(client
dependent)tableandinFigure17,apartialstructureofaclient
independenttable.
Figure16.TableKNAStructureClientDependent
Figure17.TableTADIRStructureClientIndependent,firstfield
notTYPECLNT
IthasbeenmentionedearlierthatSAPsupportsdifferentdatabase
brands:Oracle,MSSQLserver,Informix,ADABAS,andIBMDB/2.You
canhaveanyoneoftheseinstalled.(Databasebrandcanbespecified
duringSAPsoftwareinstallationtime.Installationofdatabasesoftware
formspartofSAPsoftwareinstallation.)ThiscreatesanABAPprogram
portabilityproblem.SupposeyouhavecreatedanABAPprogramusing
OracleSQLstatements.Thisprogramwouldrunaslongastheinstalled
databaseofSAPinstallationisOracle.Iftheinstalleddatabaseisother
thanOracle,thesourceprogramneedstobemodified.SAPgotoverthis
portabilityproblembyintroducingitsownSQLcalledtheOpenSQL.If
programsarewrittenusingOpenSQLstatements,theyareportable
acrossallthesupportedbrandsofdatabases.TheABAPlanguage
supportsOpenSQLaswellastheSQLofthesupporteddatabasebrands.
Inpractice,invariablytheOpenSQLisusedtheuseofdatabaseSQLis
rareandinfrequent.
WhendataisretrievedorupdatedthroughSELECTorUPDATE
statementsusingOpenSQLstatementforanyofthefunctionalmodule
tables(i.e.,theclientdependenttables),thesystemwillretrieveor
updateonlydatabelongingtotheclientcodewithwhichuserhaslogged
in.Toexplaininspecificterms:Auserhasloggedintoclient800.Once
loggedin,userexecutesanABAPprogramusingOpenSQLSELECT
statementtoretrievedatafromaclientdependenttable,sayTCURC
(tablecontainingthecurrencycodes,dataofuniversalnature)onlyrows
havingMANDT=800areretrieved.ItisasifanimplicitWHERE
MANDT=800isexecuted.Thetablewillcontaindatabelongingto
templateclientcode/ssuchasclientcode000and/orclientcode001.
(Templateclientsareexplainedinthefollowingtextinthissection.)The
tablecouldcontaindataofnontemplateclients,ifnontemplateclients
exist.
WhendataisinsertedthroughtheINSERTstatementofOpenSQL
14/17
1/5/2016
statementforanyclientdependenttables,thesystemwillautomatically
assignloggedinclientvaluestotheclientcodefields(i.e.,arowwillbe
insertedwithaclientcodevalueequaltothevalueoftheloggedinclient
code).SimilarwillbethecasefortheSQLDELETEstatementonlyrows
belongingtotheclientinwhichtheuserisloggedinwillbeoperated
uponbytheDELETEstatementofOpenSQL.
Withclientdependenttables,OpenSQLstatements,innormalcourse,
willoperateonlyondatabelongingtoclientinwhichtheuserislogged
in.
TheSQLcommandsINSERT,UPDATE,DELETEwillnotbeusedinan
ABAPprogrambyadeveloperintheSAPimplementationorsupport
teamontheSAPdeliveredtables.TheSAPdeliveredtablesarestrictly
maintainedbySAPprovidedprogramsforthemostpart.
Youareseeingtheeffectofsegregation.TheSAPimplementation
environmentsareassociatedandassignedaspecificclientcode.Inan
installation,thedevelopmentenvironmentwouldbeoneclient,say100
testingandqualitywouldbeasecondclient,say200live,athirdclient
say300endusertraining,afourthclient,say400andsoon.
WhenSAPsoftwareisinstalled,aspartoftheinstallationprocess,
templateclient/sgetscreated.Theoptionistoeithercreate000or001
orboth.Theseareclassifiedastemplateclients.Thetemplateclientsare
nottobeoperatedin.Thetemplateclientsarecopiedintothe
environmentalclientssuchasdevelopmental,testing/quality,andlive.
Forexample,supposeyoudecidetohaveclient100fordevelopmental
environment,200fortesting/quality,300forlive.Thenthesewouldbe
derivedbymakingcopiesof000/001into100,200,and300.The
processofcopying(templateorevennontemplate)clientsisatask
carriedoutbythebasisadministrator.
Thedifferencebetweenthetemplateclients000and001isthatthe
client001containsthespecialfunctionalitiesofEurosalestaxVAT.
(ValueAddedTax).IfEuroVATfunctionalitiesarerequired
(implementationorsupportisbeingdoneforacustomerlocatedin
EuropeanUnion),001needstobecopiedtonontemplate/operational
clients,orelse000needstobecopiedtonontemplate/operational
clients.Onecan,ofcourse,copyonenontemplatetoanothernon
templateclient.
ThereisoneotherclientthatgetscreatedaspartofSAPsoftware
installation.Thisisclient066calledtheearlywatchsystem.WhenSAP
isinstalledinitiallyinanenterprise,itcouldfaceperformanceand
responsetimeissues.TheSAPOnlineSupportSystemOSSoffersits
servicestohelpfixtheseissues.Forthis,theSAPOSSrequireslogininto
theenterpriseSAPsystem.Theywouldlogthroughclient066.Afterall,
theSAPOSSshouldnotaccesstheenterprisedata.
SAPIDES(InternetDemonstration&EvaluationSystem)Serverand
UsageofIDESServerforTrainings
WhenSAPsoftwareisinstalled,ashasbeenmentionedearlier,except
forthefewtablescontainingdataofuniversalnature,suchascountries,
states/provinces/regions,currenciesetal.,allotherfunctionalmodule
tableswillbeempty.IthasalsobeenmentionedthattheSAPfunctional
moduletablesarepopulatedthroughSAPprovidedABAPprogramsthat
performrigorousvalidationbeforedataisacceptedandinsertedintothe
saidtables.
Also,datacanbeinsertedintofunctionalmoduletable,(throughSAP
providedABAPprograms)providedthefunctionalmoduleshavebeen
configuredandcustomizedbythefunctionalconsultants.Togiveone
scenario,ifyouwanttocreateanewcustomer(i.e.,insertdatainto
customertables),theSD(SalesandDistribution)orFI
(Accounting/Finance)moduleshouldhavebeenconfiguredand
customizedbytherespectivefunctionalconsultants.
WhenSAPsoftwareisinstalled,nomoduleisconfiguredandcustomized.
Ifthiswereso,therewouldbenoneedforthecostlyexerciseof
implementationthroughfunctionalconsultants.
SincetheSAPfunctionalmoduletablesaremaintainedbySAPprovided
ABAPprograms,ABAPconsultantsimplementingandsupportingSAP
projectsareabsolvedofthistaskofmaintainingdataofSAPtables.One
ofthemajortasksrequiredtobeperformedbyABAPconsultants
implementingandsupportingSAPisretrievingdata(SQLSELECT
statements)andpresentingdata(reports).
Togetgoodexposuretothedataretrievalaspect,youneedtodofairly
complexexercisesindataretrieval.WithnodataintheSAPfunctional
moduletablesofbareSAPinstalledsoftware,thiswouldbeimpossible.
Evenifmoduleswereconfiguredandcustomized,itwouldrequiresome
skillstomanuallyenterdata.Andmanuallyyoucantbecreatingtoo
muchofdata:datarunningintothousandsofrows.Noteverybodycan
haveaccesstoSAPinstallationwithsubstantialdatainfunctionalmodule
tables.
15/17
1/5/2016
TheIDESserverispreconfiguredandcustomizedforanumberdummy
businessenterprisesandcontainsloofdummydatainfunctionalmodule
tables.
Asitsnamesuggests,SAPinitiallyintendedtheIDESserverfor
demonstrationofsoftwaretoprospectivebuyers.Butnowitisbeingused
everywherefortraining,especiallyforfunctionalmodulestrainings.To
thoseundergoingtraininginthefunctionalmodules,thepreconfigured
dummydataofmorethanadozencompaniesisaveryhandyreference.
MostABAPtrainings,includingthecertificationtraining,useSAP
providedtablesofFlightDataSystemforexercises.Thesetableshave
beenspeciallycreatedandprovidedforABAPtrainings.Buttheseare
smalltables.(Smallintermsofnumberoffields,smallintermsof
numberoftables,lessthanadozen.)Thesetablesareavailableinall
servers.TheycanbepopulatedbydatathroughexecutinganABAP
program.Theyareofhypotheticalnature.
Butwhyusehypotheticaltableswhentherealworldonesareavailable?
Youwilluseafewtablesofsalesandpurchaseinyourexercises.People
notexposedtothebusinessandcommercialworldcaneasilyrelatetothe
basicsalesandpurchasefunctionalities.Thoughthesetablesonan
averagecontainmorethan100fields,youwillberestrictedtousinga
fewfields,maybe1520.ButyouwillgetthefeelandexposureoftheSAP
realworldtableswhiledoingtheexerciseswiththesetables.
Typically,theIDESserverinstalledwithdefaultandnotcustomoptions
createsfourclients:800,810,811,and812.Theclient800couldbeused
asitcontainssubstantialdummydata.Typically,itcontains:
Dataofmorethan15companiescodes.
Morethan7,000customers.
Morethan1,500suppliersorvendors.
Morethan30,000billingdocuments.
Morethan10,000purchasingdocuments.
TerminologyClarification
Thefunctionalmoduleshavebeendescribed.IntheABAPWorkbench,
thereisanobjectFunctionModule.TheFunctionModulesaregeneral
purposeroutinesexistinginthelibraryarea.Theycanbecalledfrom
multipleABAPprograms(Reusability).Thefunctionmodulesarethe
mostpowerfulconstructoftheprocedureorientedABAP.Thiswillbe
coveredinChapter7entitledModularization.Thetwosimilarsounding
termsfunctionalmodulesandfunctionmodulesshouldnotbe
confused.Sometimes,functionalconsultantsrefertofunctionalmodules
asfunctionmodules!
Thewordcompanyreferstoabusinessenterprise.IntheSAP
environment,thewordcompanyhasadifferentmeaning.IntheSAP
environment,thewordcompanyisusedtorefertoabusinessgroup.For
instance,supposethereisabusinessgroupcalledSuperGroup.This
businessgroupoperatesanumberofregisteredcompaniesorbusiness
enterprisessuchasSuperIron&SteelCo.Inc.,SuperMotorsInc.,and
GlobalBeveragesInc..TheregisteredcompaniesintheSAP
environmentaretermedascompanycodes.Itisimportanttoknowthis
terminology.
Conclusion
Inthischapter,youlearnedthebasicsofERP,SAP,andSAPGUI
environments.Youhavealsolearnedaboutclientcodeandhavebeen
apprisedofthesuitabilityofSAPIDESserverforSAPtrainings.Inthe
forthcomingchaptersyouwillbelearningtechnicalaspectsoftheABAP
developmentalplatform.Inthenexttwochapters,youwillbelearning
abouttheSAPABAPdictionaryordatadictionary(DDIC)asitis
popularlyknown.
PREV
Introduction
People
who finished this also enjoyed:
NEXT
Chapter 2: ABAP Dictionary/Data Dictionary/DDIC 1
16/17
1/5/2016
BOOK SECTION
Chapter 1:
Introduction to
Scrum and Kanban
from: Agile SAP: Introducing
flexibility, transparency and
speed to SAP
implementations by Sean Robson
Released: January 2013
BOOK SECTION
Hour 2. SAP Business

Basics
from: SAP in 24 Hours, Sams
Teach Yourself, Fifth Edition
by Michael Missbach...
Released: September 2015
23 MINS
SAP
9 MINS
SAP
Recommended / Queue / Recent / Topics / Tutorials / Settings / Blog / Feedback / Sign Out
2016 Safari.
Terms of Service / Privacy Policy
17/17

Chapter 1 - ERP and SAP Overview - SAP ABAP - Hands-On Test Projects With Business Scenarios

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Chapter 1 - ERP and SAP Overview - SAP ABAP - Hands-On Test Projects With Business Scenarios

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

1/5/2016

SAP ABAP: Hands-On Test Projects with Business Scenarios

Chapter 2: ABAP Dictionary/Data Dictionary/DDIC 1

Hour 2. SAP Business

Вам также может понравиться