The SAP R/3 System

Business application systems are subject to continual change. Fundamental causes for this include new and expanding requirements for functions, as well as the breakneck speed of progress in hardware and software technology. This book, now in its fourth edition, aims to lay the foundation needed for a discussion of the technology of business application systems. It further aims to deepen this discussion by presenting concrete examples from the SAP R/3 System. The book is based on the R/3 release series 4.x.

Table of contents

Preface
Chapter 1
Changes in Business Data Processing
1.1
Information management as deciding competitive factor
1.2
Requirements for enterprise-wide information management
1.3
Reorientation of business software development
1.4
Component software as a new solution
1.5
Business application solutions from one source
1.6
Fundamental technologies for business application systems
1.7
Topics covered in this book
1.8
Who should read this book?
Chapter 2
Client/Server Computing
2.1
Client/server computing is a software technology
2.2
Examples of client/server configurations
2.3
Use of client/server systems
Chapter 3
The Importance of Standards
3.1
What are standards?
3.2
Use of standards to benefit the user
3.3
Open systems
Chapter 4
Technical Foundations for Business Application Systems
4.1
Microprocessors and memory chips
4.2
Disk storage technologies
4.3
Networks
4.4
Operating systems
4.5
Database management systems
4.6
Transaction processing
4.7
Objects and components
4.8
Graphical user interfaces
4.9
Multimedia systems
4.10
Development tools for business application systems
Chapter 5
What is the R/3 System?
Chapter 6
The Technical Architecture of the R/3 System
6.1
Architectural principles
6.2
R/3 hardware configurations
6.3
Network communication
6.4
Presentation services
6.5
Application services
6.6
Database services
6.7
System management
6.8
Security and reliability
Chapter 7
Object-oriented Application Development with the ABAP Workbench
Karl Kessler
7.1
Dialogue programming
7.2
Application programming with ABAP
7.3
Report development using ABAP
7.4
Communication
7.5
ABAP Workbench tools
7.6
SAP Knowledge Engineer
Chapter 8
Business Framework
Dr Herbert Schuster
8.1
Evolution of the Business Framework
8.2
Business Framework basics
8.3
The components of the Business Framework
Chapter 9
R/3 Business Processes over the Internet
Dr Herbert Schuster
9.1
Consumer-to-business and business-to-business
9.2
Employee Self-Service
9.3
Internet Transaction Server
9.4
The security aspect
9.5
R/3 Internet application components
Chapter 10
Workflow, Documents and Communication
Dr Herbert Schuster
10.1
SAP Business Communication
10.2
SAP Business Documents
10.3
SAP Business Workflow
Chapter 11
An Overview of the Business Applications of the R/3 System
11.1
Basic principles of the R/3 application architecture
11.2
Accounting
11.3
Logistics
11.4
Human Resources Management
11.5
Industry solutions
11.6
Cross-application concepts and functions
Chapter 12
Process-oriented Implementation of the R/3 System in a Company
Claudia Jansen-Niedermeier
12.1
Continuous business engineering versus classic re-engineering
12.2
The AcceleratedSAP implementation method
12.3
Implementation phases
12.4
Model company IDES
12.5
Personalization of R/3
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index