SAP R/3 system consists of a set of application modules to support various business processes of a company and are integrated between themselves on the real time basis.
The module is intended for organisation of the basic accounting, accounting on debtors, creditors and sub-ledger accounting. It includes: General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, Finance Management, Special Register, Consolidation and Accounting Information System.
The module ensures the accounting of the enterprise costs and profits, and includes: Cost Centre Accounting, Cost Order Accounting, Cost Project Accounting, Cost Calculation, Profitability (result) Control, Profit Centre Control, Production Accounting, Enterprise Controlling.
The module is intended for assets accounting and management. The key elements of this module are:
Technical Assets Management, Equipment Maintenance and Repairs, Investment Controlling and Asset Sales, Traditional Asset Accounting, Asset Replacement and Depreciation, Investments Management.
PS application module supports planning, management and monitoring of long-term projects of a high level complexity. The key elements of PS application module are: Control of Financial Assets and Resources, Quality Control, Time Data Management, Project Management Information System, General Modules.
The module is used to organise planning and control of the production activities of the enterprise. The key elements of this application module are: Specifications (BOM), Technological Maps, Workstations, Sales Planning (SOP), Master Production Schedule (MPS), Material Requirements Planning (MRP), Production Management (SFC), Production Orders, Item Costing, Activity Based Costing, Serial Production, Canban (Just in time), Continuous Production Planning.
The module supports functions of procurement and stock management used in various business activities. The key elements are: Purchase of Materials, Stock Management, Warehouse Management, Accounts Control, Material Stock Assessment, Vendor Evaluation, Works and Services Processing, Purchasing Information System and Stock Management Information System.
The module solves problems of distribution, sales, deliveries and invoice issuing. The key elements are: Presales Support, Inquiry Processing, Proposal Processing, Order Processing, Delivery Processing, Invoice Issuing (Invoicing), Sales Information System.
This module includes the information system and the system of quality management. It ensures the support of quality planning, quality check and control during production and purchasing. The key elements are: Quality Check, Quality Planning, Quality Management Information System (QMIS).
The module helps to take account of costs and to plan resources needed for maintenance and repairs. The key elements are: Emergency Repairs, Servicing Management, Scheduled Maintenance, Specifications Maintenance, Maintenance and Repairs Information System.
The fully integrated system for staff work planning and management. The key elements are: Personnel Administration, Payroll, Time Data Management, Travel Expense Report, Privileges, New Staff Hiring, Planning and Staff Professional Development, Manpower Utilisation, Workshop Management, Organisational Management, Personnel Information System.
This part of the system binds the integrated application modules with technologies, services and tools which are common for all applications. Workflow management automates business processes in accordance with the procedures and rules established in advance. The module includes a multifunctional office system with a built-in e-mail, document management system, multipurpose classifier and CAD-integrating system. When a certain event happens, a relevant process is launched, and the workflow manager initiates a workflow item. Data and documents are consolidated and processed at every step in accordance with a certain logic.
IS combines SAP R/3 application modules and additional functionality specific for the industry. At present there are specific solutions for various industries: aviation and space industry, defence, automotive, oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, machine-building, consumer goods, electronic industry, and for the non-productive sphere: banking, insurance, government bodies, telecommunications, communal services, health care, retail trading.
Basis system serves as a foundation of the R/3 system and guarantees the integration of all application modules and their independence on the hardware platform. The basis system makes it possible to work in a multilevel distributed client-server architecture. The SAP R/3 system functions on servers UNIX, AS/400, Windows NT, S/390 and with various database management systems (Informix, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2). Users can work in the Windows, OSF/Motif, OS/2 or Macintosh environment.
It is necessary to note, that here we have enlisted only basic functions of the SAP R/3 system and did not mention the extensive resources for the work in Internet/intranet, access of external systems to the SAP R/3 logic through interfaces BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) etc.
Even the shortest review of the SAP R/3 system shows its capability to solve basic problems which big organisations are facing. SAP R/3 is the most comprehensive system to date. So it is not by chance that many leaders of the world economy have chosen it as their main corporate system.
Nevertheless, statistics say that over one third of companies buying SAP R/3 are medium-size firms with an annual turnover of below 200 mln dollars. The reason for this is that SAP R/3 is a configurable system, therefore an enterprise, having bought it, will work with an individual version customised exactly to its parameters. The method of the system customisation can be an indicator of its technical level.
The wider are capacities for the system configuration and customisation without the need to re-write it, the higher is this system’s technical level. On this parameter SAP R/3 is also leading in the world.
