Answer:
A company purchases the SAP software and licenses having decided
which of the modules/industry/new dimensional products they wish to use.
The software is installed by a system administrator who is trained
to install and maintain the SAP software and its communication with the
database which holds the underlying data (ie Oracle database)
The SAP solution comes pre-configured meaning that in theory a
company needs to merely set up master data (eg material, customer,
vendor, pricing records etc) in the SAP system and start transacting on
the new system. This however rarely happens as all companies are
different in some way so normally the standard settings are copied and
modified as per need.
The modules are implemented by functional consultants who analyses
the requirements of the business and configures the SAP system
accordingly. If a requirement cannot be met by the changing the
settings of the module such as the need for a new report, new screen
layout or interfaces between SAP and existing systems then new code
will need to be created. The SAP code is known as ABAP (Advanced
Business Application Programming) and requires a programmer (commonly
referred to as an ABAPer) to make the changes requested. These changes
are normally outlined on what’s called a functional spec which is
usually written by the responsible functional consultant.
If a company is implementing SAP for the first time it normally
hires the services of a consultancy firm. The firm then implements the
SAP system to meet its customer’s requirements in a series of steps.
These steps are normally part of what’s call a methodology. A typical
methodology would be:
1) Project preparation
Determine the project team both from the business and from the consultancy firm, its location etc.
2) Business blueprint
Conducting workshops to gather requirements from the business and come
up with business blueprint document which outlines what the system will
perform once configured. This document should be signed by the relevant
parties to ensure that all everyone concerned understands what is to be
achieved by the implementation.
3) Build
Configuring the SAP system as per blueprint including ABAP developments so that there is a working solution.
4) Go-live prep
Loading master data into the system, end user training and final preparations for go-live.
5) Go-live
The day the system is switched on.
6) Go-live support
Supporting the system once it’s gone live
to ensure that any issues which my come up are resolved speedily. These
are the general steps of a SAP implementation which would be the case
for any major IT implementation project.
As you can imagine with the breadth of SAP’s offerings and the
number of companies which use SAP there is a great deal of demand for
those who have knowledge in SAP all across the world.
There are four types of SAP roles:
| End user |
As SAP is a
business software then there needs to be end users who have been
trained In using the software for their day to day business. So for
instance a sales clerk would be trained to enter orders into a SAP
system, a warehouse person to goods receipt stock sent by a vendor into
the SAP system, an accounts person checking that payments made to
vendors or to be received by customers are being done in a timely
manner. |
| Consultant |
A consultant trained in a
particular area of SAP may be employed by a consultancy firm or the
business itself to implement a SAP solution |
| Support |
Support roles are those normally
where the SAP solution is has been implemented and there is a need to
deal with end user queries about further enhancements, resolving issues
preventing an end user from performing their task etc. |
| Contractor |
These are individuals who offer
their services to end user companies or consultancies that do not have
the relevant SAP resource in-house so need to look to the open market
for those specific skills. |
SAP roles will take place in two types of business environment:
| End User |
These are
basically companies which are not consultancy firms whose business
model is to go and implement IT solutions. These are companies which
has SAP in order to support their business be it manufacturing, retail,
services etc. |
| Consultancy |
These are companies whose business model is to implement and support SAP implementations. |