SAP R/3
SAP R/3 is the name of the main ERP Software produced by the SAP company. It's new (modern) name is mySAP
The name of the company comes from the acronym of German Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung (German: Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing; SAP AG)
SAP has typically focused on best practice methodologies for driving its software processes, but has more recently expanded into vertical markets. In these situations, SAP produces specialized modules geared toward a particular market segment, such as utilities or retail.
SAP R/3 is written using its own proprietary language called ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming). ABAP is a fourth generation language (4GL), geared toward the creation of simple, yet powerful programs. R/3 also offers a complete development environment where developers can either modify existing SAP code to modify existing functionality or develop their own functions, whether reports or complete transactional systems within the SAP framework.
ABAP's main interaction with the SAP system is via open SQL statements. These statements allow a developer to query, update, or delete information from the database. Advanced topics include GUI development and advanced integration with other systems.
Changes to SAP R/2
The SAP R/2 was an ERP Software specially adapted to the purchaser needs. The new SAP R/3 software goes one step beyond. It adapts the purchaser of the software to the standarized processes, which the R/3 software is bringing with it. This best-practice solution of processes gives the purchaser an optimization on the internal processes. The radical changes in the historic grown processes of the company need in most cases supported by external consultants.Organization
SAP R/3 is arranged into distinct functional modules, such as Sales & Distribution, Finance, and others. Each module handles specific business tasks on its own, but is linked to the others where applicable. For instance, an invoice from the Billing portion of Sales & Distribution will pass through to accounting, where it will appear in accounts receivable and cost of goods sold.Technology
SAP R/3 is a client/server based application, utilizing a 3-tiered model. A presentation layer, or client, interfaces with the user. The application layer houses all the business-specific logic, and the database layer records and stores all the information about the system, including transactional and configuration data.External links
