TECHONOLOGY

SAP R/3 is a client server based application, utilized a 3-tired modle. A

presentation layer, or client, interfaces with the user. The application layer houses
all the business-specific logic, and the databased layer records and stores all the
information about the system, including transactional and configuration data.

SAP R/3 functionally is structured using its own proprietary language called
ABAP (Advance business application programming). ABAP , or ABAP/4 is a fourt
generation language (4GL) , geared towards the creation of simple, yet powerful
programe. R/3 is also offers a complete deveploment environment where
developers can either modify exisiting SAP code to modify exisiting functionality
or develop their own function , whether reports or complete transactional system
within the SAP framework.

ABAP’S main interaction with the database system is via open SQL statement.
These statement allow a developer to query, update, or delete information from the
database. Adavance topics include GUI development and advance interagation
with the introduction of ABAP object , ABAP provides the opportunity to develop
application with object-orinted programming.

The most difficult part of SAP R/3 is its implemation , since SAP R/3 is never used
the same way in any two places. For instance, Atlas copco can have a different
implementation of SAP R/3 from Procter & Gamble. Some companies may run
multiple productive client/system or even multiple instances of SAP acquires a
new business already running SAP. They may elect to keep both system seprate,
migrate one into another, or migrate both onto a completely new instance.

The system landscap is ultimately the customer’s decision. There are definite pros
and cons on the continuum from single global instance/productive client(master
data, impact of configuration changes on multiple business units) to seprate
instances per business unit(hardware costs and communication between
instance/client)