mySAP ERP for Dummies

Description

SAP is the world's leading provider of ERP software and services, with worldwide revenue in 2004 of $9.7 billion and a 57 percent market share among major business application providers; it is one of the world's largest software companies overallERP is a flexible, open technology platform that helps businesses run more efficiently (and profitably) by providing integrated management of key operations and supply chainsWritten for IT professionals who find it hard to get through SAP's complex documentation, our book demonstrates how ERP can cut costs, provides a clear overview of how the ESA (enterprise service architecture) model affects ERP, and shows how to implement the new ERP in the real worldTopics covered include reducing the cost of an existing IT backbone, using the new ERP to address a company's "pain points" and challenges, and proving the value of ERP through ROI (return on investment) and TCO (total cost of ownership) studies mySAP ERP For Dummies About the Authors Authors’ Acknowledgments Contents at a Glance Table of Contents Foreword Introduction Why Buy This Book? Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Part I: mySAP ERP in a Services-Enabled World Chapter 1: ERP: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Just What Is ERP? A Brief History of ERP What Early ERP Did Right Where ERP Had Room to Grow The New ERP: mySAP ERP at Your Service Service-Enabled: The Foundation of Flexible ERP Today Exploring the Benefits of Enterprise Services Enterprise Services Provide Building Blocks Where Does ERP Fit In? Chapter 2: Differentiating Yourself with ERP Start by Being Business Model–Driven Differentiating versus Standard Processes Bringing in Innovation Meeting the Two Challenges of Innovation Chapter 3: Raising the Bar on Productivity Upping Your Usability Integrating with Applications You Use Every Day How Roles Make Life Easier Self-Service for Productivity Preconfigured Business Scenarios Gaining Productivity through Industry-Specific Scenarios Sharing and Outsourcing Making Things Run Smoothly with Automation Chapter 4: Gaining Business Insight Tapping into the Potential of Analytics Empowering Business People Tallying Up the Analytics You Get in mySAP ERP Analytics in Action Chapter 5: Keeping IT Flexible Creating a Common Language for IT and Business How IT Works in a Service-Enabled World Using Abstraction to Hide Complexity Summing Up the IT Service-Enabled World Part II: Getting Under the Hood: The Underlying Technology Chapter 6: Meet SAP NetWeaver So, What Exactly Is SAP NetWeaver? Orchestrating a Technology Symphony Giving SAP NetWeaver the Once-Over Making Users Productive Unifying Data Managing Business Information Customizing Development Unified Lifecycle Management Governing Applications Consolidating All Your Systems Service-Oriented Architecture Design and Deployment Guided Procedures: Focus on Activity Designing Processes and Managing Solutions: SAP Solution Manager What Can SAP NetWeaver Do for You? Technology and Data: The Great Equalizers SAP NetWeaver Enables Business Process Evolution Chapter 7: Bringing Services to Life with SAP NetWeaver Working with Services A Web Service Description Language Primer Modeling with Enterprise Services ESA Is Open to Working with Other Tools Chapter 8: SAP NetWeaver Up and Running Figuring Out ESA Run-Time Architecture Business and Technical Protocols: Synchronous versus Asynchronous Getting a Handle on the Transactional Behavior of Services Simplifying Sessions Seamless Security Taking a Closer Look at Web-Service Run-Time Architecture Discovering XI Run-Time Architecture Chapter 9: Composites: Extending mySAP ERP What Are Composites? The Nature of Composites Fitting Together Composite Applications SAP xApps: Delivering on the Innovation Promise A Case in Point: SAP xApp Cost and Quotation Management The Composite Team What Can You Do Today with Composites? Part III: Implementing Change Chapter 10: Knowing What to Expect: Covering Costs and Managing Change The Financial Bottom Line of mySAP ERP Exploring Costs with a TCO Model Making a Plan with Value-Based Services Tackling the Change Management Challenge Chapter 11: Building an ERP Roadmap Zeroing in on Business Goals Understanding Your Industry Finding a Roadmap Getting the Most Out of SAP Solution Manager Chapter 12: Following ERP into the Future The SAP Roadmap for ESA and ERP How mySAP ERP Will Change Going Forward Part IV: The Part of Tens Chapter 13: Top Ten Ways to Make People More Productive Using Both Generic and User-Specific Roles Work Lists Active Alerts Mobile Scenarios Voice Technology Embedded Analytics RFID Technology Form-Based Processing Guided Procedures Easier User Interfaces Chapter 14: Top Ten Ways to Enable Innovation Creating the Framework for Innovation Composing Service-Based Applications Strategically Offering Services to Others Using Services from Others Using Model-Driven Development Tools Connecting Analytics to the World Working with Composite Processes Utilizing Composite Applications Collaborating and Sharing Knowledge Deploying Hardware Efficiently Chapter 15: Top Ten ERP Resources Your SAP Account Rep ESA Adoption Help User Groups ERP Events Web Sites Publications SAP Partners and the Ramp-Up Program SAP Developer Network Solution Manager Industry Solutions Glossary Index