What Is SAP

Introduction

SAP stands for Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing. SAP SE is a German multinational software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Today Large number of companies are using SAP software to manage their day to day business activities.

• SAP was founded around 1972 by five IBM engineers Hopp, Wellenreuther, Hector , Tschira and Plattner.
• There are different products of SAP.

1. SAP R/3 and R/3 enterprise.
2. SAP business suite.
3. SAP ERP (Enterprise Resourse Planning).
4. SAP industry Solutions
5. SAp xApps.
6. SAP solution Manager.

• There are different versions of SAP.

1. SAP R/1.
2. SAP R/2.
3. SAP R/3.

• Here R Stands for real time processing.
• Basically the SAP is a 3 layered architecture.(Presentation - Application - Database) 
• All these versions differ by the combination of these layers. 

SAP R/1

It is one tier architecture in which three layers are installed in one system/server.

SAP R/2

Here there are two system/server.The presentation and Application layer is combined to form one layer. and there is separate layer for database.

SAP R/3.

Here all the three layers are installed on 3 different server systems.

There are different Modules in SAP which are divided into two categories

1. Functional Modules.
2. Technical Modules.

Functional Modules of SAP.

• FICO- Finance & Control.
• PP- Production Planning.
• MM- Material Management.
• SD- Sales & Distribution.
• HR- Human Resource.
• CRM- Customer Relation management.

Technical Modules of SAP

• ABAP- Advanced business application programming.
• XI- Exchange Infrastructure.
• Net Viewer
• Basis
• BIW - Business information warehousing.

In the next article You will learn about Introduction to SAP (ABAP) Advanced Business Application Programming