SAP Enterprise 4.7 20091009

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SAP Enterprise Release 4.7

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Contents

1.0 Introduction ...............................................................................................................2

2.0 Architectural model of SAP R/3 Enterprise 4.7..........................................................2Web Application Server (WAS): .................................................................................3

Enterprise Core:...........................................................................................................4Enterprise Extensions: .................................................................................................4

3.0 Features and Benefits of SAP R/3 Enterprise Core (SAP Enterprise 4.7)....................5Commonalities: ...........................................................................................................5

Differences:.................................................................................................................64.0 Technical Specification of SAP Enterprise Core ........................................................6

5.0 New Functionality in SAP R/3 Enterprise 4.7 ............................................................7Human Resource .........................................................................................................7Supply Chain Management..........................................................................................7

Financial Management.................................................................................................86.0 Upgrading SAP Enterprise R/3 4.7 ............................................................................8

7.0 Conclusion ................................................................................................................9

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SAP R/3 Enterprise Core(Release 4.7)

1.0 Introduction

SAP R/3 Enterprise Core popularly known as Enterprise Release 4.7 - is the latestversion of the SAP R/3 suite of enterprise software applications. It is designed to offerthe best possible foundation for easily carrying the company through to e-business withmySAP Business Suite.

The first release of SAP R/3 Enterprise Core (4.7) contains some functionalenhancements, but it is primarily a technical change. SAP R/3 Enterprise is built on SAPWeb Application Server (SAP Web AS) and integrates seamlessly with the enterpriseportals and exchange infrastructure.

SAP Enterprise Core is the heart of SAP R/3 4.7 and supports the packaging concepts,business configuration sets and Unicode-compliance. In addition, enterprise coreprovides users with the SAP R/3 Enterprise HR and non-HR Core Support Packages.

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As its name suggests, Enterprise Core will contain the inward,enterprise processes that make the enterprise work. The

outward, collaborative processes will not be included inEnterprise Core. They will be included in what is calledEnterprise Extensions.

Release 4.7 is a major change of direction for SAP and therefore for its customers. Thisnew release needs to be closely studied by each of its customers and then acted on.

2.0 Architectural model of SAP R/3 Enterprise 4.7

The SAP R/3 4.7 version is the functional and technical advancement over classicalEnterprise Resource Planning solution that provides customers flexibility, stability, newfunctions and new technology. It achieves these functions by facilitating connection tomarketplaces, portals and other collaborative applications as well as enabling an easyevolution to mySAP.com. This new model of SAP R/3 is also more flexible to futureupgrades.

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The basic model of SAP R/3 Enterprise Release 4.7 consists of three parts:

Web Application Server Enterprise Core

Enterprise Extensions

Figure: Architectural Model of SAP R/3 4.7 (Enterprise Core)

Web Application Server (WAS):

The WAS 6.2C of SAP Enterprise integrates all the features of already existing SAPBasis and Web application server. In addition, it provides users with additionalenhancements in the form of package concept, global parameterization with businessconfiguration sets, Unicode compliance, and accessibility.

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Read This Nugget

Thespot4sap.com offers a premium paper covering SAP Web

Application Server. You can take a look at the table of contentsat http://www.thespot4sap.com/shop/SAP_WAS_302_TOC.htm

Enterprise Core:

Enterprise Core (SAP Release 4.7) includes all R/3 4.6 functionality with limitedfunctional enhancements and developments. On a go-forward basis, all legal changesand support packs, including stabilization and performance enhancements, will beapplied at the Enterprise Core level. According to SAP, this Enterprise Core will remainstable until at least 2007. Therefore, no planned upgrades are necessary, just supportpackages.

Enterprise Extensions:

Extensions use a technology called package builder. The concept is similar to userexits. Extensions may be activated selectively and independently of each other orremain inactive. A new set of extensions will be released annually as the EnterpriseCore remains stable. For example, Extension Set 1.10, available with R/3 Enterprise, willconsist of extensions in FIN (FI/CO), HR, PLM, TRVL, and SCM (WM, PP, MM). If youtake advantage of any Extension, the Extension would need to be activated in a similarmanner and with the level of effort required to customize new functionality. ThisExtension philosophy decouples all development from the R/3 technical platform,allowing the SAP community more flexibility in taking advantage of enhanced

functionality The Enterprise Extensions are the center of functional developments. Thesefunctionalities are selectively deployable and each functionality has its own releasecycle.

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SAP R/3 Enterprise Core will remain stable until 2007. Thismeans that the functionality will not change unless absolutelynecessary and then this will be done via support packs.

All functionality upgrades from now on will be done via theEnterprise Extensions which will have their own releaseschedules (probably yearly).

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3.0 Features and Benefits of SAP R/3 Enterprise Core(SAP Enterprise 4.7)

Thus, the main difference between 4.6C and 4.7 is that 4.7 comes with new

technologies, optional deployment of new features and more flexibility is

available for future upgrades. The basic architecture for SAP R/3 4.7 is given in

the figure below.

Figure: New Architecture Model of SAP R/3 Enterprise versus SAP 4.6C

Commonalities:

SAP 4.7 has all the features such as development workbench, transportmanagement system, monitoring, versioning and business object repository ofalready existing SAP 4.6C.

Web Application Server6.20 of 4.7 includes all the features of SAP Basis of SAP4.6C.

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Differences:

SAP 4.7 has a more structured approach as compared to SAP 4.6C from atechnical perspective. It is based on mySAP.com technology, which is actuallythe Web Application Server 6.2C. This not only includes SAP Basis Technologieswith their latest advancements but also the new features of SAP Web AS 6.20.

SAP 4.7 is more structured even from a functional perspective as this versionhas been developed after functional and infrastructure developments of earlierSAP R/3 4.6C.

In SAP 4.7 the functional and infrastructure developments are made on separatelevels. The functional developments are made in the Enterprise Extensions andinfrastructure developments are made in the Enterprise Core unlike SAP 4.6C inwhich both the developments take place within the systems.

SAP in its Web AS has additional enhancements in the form of package concept,

global parameterization with business configuration sets, Unicode complianceand accessibility that are not present in 4.6C.

SAP 4.7 Core supports the above-mentioned enhancements that SAP 4.6C doesnot.

SAP 4.7 unlike 4.6C has Enterprise Extensions that can be separately deployedand have their own releases.

4.0 Technical Specification of SAP Enterprise Core

The functionality of SAP R/3 Enterprise Core is based on the previous SAP R/3 releaseSAP R/3 4.6C. Its functionality has been enhanced in SAP 4.7 by optimizing andstabilizing of existing processes as well as legal changes and limited functionaldevelopments. Also, SAP R/3 Enterprise Core supports the packaging concept,business configuration sets, and Unicode-compliance. Moreover, it comes with fiveencapsulated extensions. These Extensions along with the enterprise core aremaintained through scheduled support package tracks:

SAP R/3 Enterprise Core: Non-HR Core Support Package

SAP R/3 Enterprise Core: HR Core Support Package

Read This NuggetThe five encapsulated extensions that are delivered along withSAP R/3 Enterprise Core are: FIN (FI/CO), HR, PLM, TRVL, andSCM (WM, PP, MM). Again, no functionality upgrades areplanned for Enterprise Core. Rather, all functionality will beapplied to these Enterprise Extensions and they will each havetheir own release schedules.

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In addition, SAP Enterprise Core features Accrual Accounting Engines. These enableAccrual Accountings, allowing users to automatically calculate and post accruals, suchas license fees, rent costs, or revenues, in the general ledger accounting functionality ofSAP R/3 Enterprise Core. Also, the users can calculate and post the accruals accordingto as many accounting principles as desired.

Other features of SAP Enterprise core are:

Native Internet

Support (SOAP/XML)

Open Integration

Web Services

Java and J2EE

Web Flow

Security Enhancements New Upgrade Tools

5.0 New Functionality in SAP R/3 Enterprise 4.7

SAP Enterprise Core provides users with new functionalities in the following areas byincorporating SAP Enterprise Extensions in its architecture.

Human Resource

SAP 4.7 facilitates the companies in management of global employees along with theirpayroll management by providing a function to support all processes involved intransferring an employee abroad. The cases where the employees cannot always obtainaccess to a personal computer it gives an additional feature of mobile time management.In this the employees working in the field can use the wireless application protocol(WAP)-enabled mobile phones to record their working times directly and to check theirtime accounts regardless of time or location. In addition, SAP 4.7 makes available theusers with newly introduced or updated functions of benefits and compensation,concurrent employment, payroll, time management and enabling for application serviceprovision.

Supply Chain Management

The 4.7 version provides users with manufacturing execution that is based on theprocess management functionality of the previous SAP R/3 releases. It deliversadditional production execution features and serves as a basic manufacturing platform.This version also comes with the function for managing cross- system flow of goods. Itattains this function by facilitating the management of good movements relating to salesand purchase orders within a business system group. Moreover it comes with the

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functions for advanced warehouse interface, business application add-ins, documentchange management for purchase orders, interfaces and extractors, task and resourcemanagement.

Financial Management

It comes with new post processing of electronic bank account statements functions thatenable customers to select and correct bank statement items faster in case the functiondid not post automatically. This enables the users to trigger automatic postings forseveral items at the same time. It also has an accrual accounting engine that enablesusers to automatically calculate and post accruals such as license fee, rent costs, orrevenues in the general ledger accounting facility of SAP R/3 Enterprise core. Besidesthis, the functions have been added or changes have been made in the functions forprocess improvements, valuation and legal improvements, and technical improvements.

6.0 Upgrading SAP Enterprise R/3 4.7

4.7 does include some enhanced functionality. These enhancements may include vastareas such as the recruitment front end, compensation, time management, financialmanagement and organization management. The first decision is whether to utilise thisfunctionality or not. If the decision is to not utilise it, then the upgrade is mostly technicalin nature.

In addition to the new functionality, there are other reasons for electing to upgrade toRelease 4.7:

Optimization of SAP 4.6C to transform it into SAP Enterprise core: It involves theadvancement in SAP 4.6C to make it more stable, improve its performance andenhance its Unicode compatibility. This optimized SAP 4.6C functions as theenterprise core of SAP 4.7.

New additions in the form of SAP Enterprise Extensions: The functionalenhancements that are to be made in SAP 4.6C are made in Enterpriseextensions. These enterprise extensions are independent of the Enterprise Coreas they are grouped on the basis of the area that it deals with such as Financials,SCM, HR, Travel Management and PLM. This feature of Extensions being

independent of enterprise core makes it possible for the users to independentlyupgrade the functionalities of SAP4.6C. These extensions are linked to theenterprise core functionality by the means of BADIs (Business Add-Ins) or BTEs(Business Transaction Events), so that the SAP R/3 enterprise objects are notmodified directly.

Integrating with SAP Web Application Server (WAS): SAP WAS is the advancedform of SAP Basis technology that has been achieved by adding a few systemadministration processes, especially with regard to Web enabling. Hence, in it all

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the administration system activities are carried on as before without need formany changes.

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SAP have stated that they will only support 4.6C until March2006.

The upgrade of SAP 4.6C devises a new upgrade procedure known as System SwitchUpgrade, which is the standard procedure for all software components that run on SAPWAS 6.10 and higher. This upgrade procedure gives its customers the option ofselecting between two different upgrade strategies, depending on whether they want to

keep their downtime or system resources to a minimum. The feature of the system thatmakes this procedure so popular is the non-active shadow system (the additionalinstance of the system) that already runs with the target release software version. Thisallows the upgrading of the objects without shutting down by processing the objects inthe non-active shadow system while the production system is still running. Thegenerated shadow repository is activated later on and replaces the old repository.

The time that is required for upgrading to SAP 4.7 is much less i.e. 30% to 50% faster ascompared to what was required in upgrading previous versions. Also, the version ismore user-friendly and stable. The feature of SAP Enterprise being available for 64-bitoperating system might require the upgrade their operating system platforms. Theperformance and resource requirements for SAP enterprise are plus or minus 10% less

that of SAP 4.6C.

7.0 Conclusion

SAP 4.7 has been developed keeping in mind specific needs of the customers. Thisversion of SAP can be easily downloaded and will be easy to upgrade to the futureversions. SAP R/3 4.7 allows users to maintain stability and reduce costs for upgrade asthey can upgrade functions depending on their personal requirement unlike earlierversions that needed end-to-end upgrade from the already existing ones. Moreover this

version enables total e-business solutions for each company with fully integratedtechnology and best in-class solutions.

SAP Enterprise 4.7 20091009

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