Sams Teach Yourself SAP in 24 Hours

by Anderson, George W.; Rhodes, Tim; Davis, Jeff; Dobbins, John; Jenzer, Andreas

• ISBN13: 9780137142842
• ISBN10: 0137142846
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Sams

Summary

Third Edition: Thoroughly Updated and Expanded, with Extensive New Coverage! In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, yours"ll master the entire SAP project lifecycle, from planning through implementation and system administration through day-to-day operations. Using this bookrs"s straightforward, step-by-step approach, yours"ll gain a strong real-world foundation in both the technologyandbusiness essentials of todayrs"s SAP products and applications-from the ground up. Step-by-step instructions walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks yours"ll encounter with SAP. Case study-based exercises help you build and test your knowledge. By the Way notes present interesting pieces of information. Did You Know? tips offer advice or teach an easier way. Watch Out! cautions warn about potential problems. Learn how tohellip; Understand SAPrs"s newest products for enterprises and small-to-midsize businesses, and choose the right solutions for your company Discover how SAP integrates with Web services and service-oriented architecture Develop an efficient roadmap for deploying SAP in your environment Plan your SAP implementation from business, functional, technical, and project management perspectives Leverage NetWeaver 7.0 features to streamline development and integration, and reduce cost Walk through a step-by-step SAP technical installation Master basic SAP system administration and operations Perform essential tasks such as logon, session management, and printing Build SAP queries and reports Prepare for SAP upgrades and enhancements Develop your own personal career as an SAP professional Register your book at informit.com/title/9780137142842 for convenient access to updates and corrections as they become available.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1
Introduction to SAP
What Is SAP?	p. 9
SAP Basics: What Itrsquo;s All About	p. 21
Business Basics: Developing a Roadmap for Deploying SAP	p. 29
Infrastructure Technology Basics: Hardware, Operating Systems, and Databases	p. 41
Developing a Technical Roadmap for Deploying SAP	p. 57
SAP Products and Components
SAP Overview: SMB and Enterprise Products	p. 71
Laying the Groundwork: SAP NetWeaver	p. 87
SAP ERP: SAPrsquo;s Core Product	p. 97
The SAP Business Suite	p. 121
Implementing SAP
Implementation Overview: A Project Management Perspective	p. 139
Implementing SAP: A Business and Functional Perspective	p. 157
Implementing SAP: A Technical Perspective	p. 171
Development Tools and Methodologies	p. 181
SAP and Enterprise SOA	p. 199
SAP Technical Considerations
Technical Installation of SAP	p. 211
Integrating SAP with Microsoft Office	p. 231
After Go-Live: System Administration and Operations	p. 253
After Go-Live: SAP Upgrades and Enhancements	p. 265
Using SAP
Logon, Session, and SAP GUI Basics	p. 281
SAP GUI Screen and Printing Basics	p. 301
Customizing Your SAP Display	p. 323
Reporting and Query Basics	p. 343
Developing a Career in SAP
Where Do I Start?	p. 379
SAP Resources	p. 393
Appendix
Appendix A
Case Study Answers	p. 411
Index	p. 427
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction IntroductionWelcome, and thank you for picking up this latest edition ofSams Teach Yourself SAP in 24 Hours. Inside these pages you will find six newly renovated SAP parts and 24 hours of instruction refocused to better teach the SAP newcomer. My colleagues and I have spent a considerable amount of time aligning the content with what a person new to SAP needs to know up front, and we've done this from several different perspectives--the information technologist, the end user, the project manager, the wannabe SAP developer or programmer, and the business professional.We have organized each hour (or chapter) around one of several common themes, beginning naturally with introductory materials useful in helping most anyone understand the underlying technology, business basics, and various SAP implementation roadmaps. Next, we cover SAP's products and components in detail, laying the groundwork for the next part of the book, which covers implementing SAP. By addressing SAP deployment from project management, business, and technology perspectives, we have strived to give our readers enough real-world breadth and depth to make the book a truly useful guide. Additional SAP technical considerations round out this breadth and depth, followed by a section focused on end users: how to log in, use the various SAP interfaces, customize the interface, and execute common business functions such as reports and queries. The final part of the book concludes with materials designed to help our readers land a job in SAP, including pointers to readily available Internet-based and other resources.Though necessarily broad, our new approach accomplishes two things. First, it gives the new reader an opportunity to understand all that SAP comprises, particularly with regard to the many changes we've witnessed in the world of SAP since 2005. Second, the third edition makes for less jumping around from hour to hour, and is therefore an easier read. If your company has just announced it is deploying SAP, or you have just joined a company using SAP, you'll find it easy to navigate the book and quickly come up to speed. For example, end users may want to first read Parts I and IV before focusing their attention more fully on Part V, whereas technologists might prefer to focus their attention fully on Parts II and IV. Meanwhile, decision makers and project managers might find Parts II and III most useful, and SAP hopefuls might turn immediately to Part VI for advice aimed at breaking into the SAP workforce.For you, our reader, picking up this book represents an assertive step forward. You are going with the market leader, the model of endurance, and the preeminent technology frontrunner and enterprise solution enabler. As a result, after about 24 hours of reading, you will possess a solid foundation upon which to build greater capabilities or even a career in SAP. Your knowledge foundation will be broad, certainly, and in need of further bolstering before you're an expert in any sense of the word. But the great thing about your decision is simply that you'll know what you know and have a handle on what you still need to learn. You'll know where you want to go, and be smart enough about it to navigate a roadmap and career of your own choosing. That good sense alone will be enough to get you on the road toward making something new happen in your career, maybe even your life. And in the meantime, your 24 hours of investment may serve you well in your current employment position, too. Armed with insight, skills, understanding, and a broad sense of the big picture facing most every company in business today, you will no longer look at business applications and the technology solutions underpinning those applications in the same way again. You'll be wiser and more able to contribute to a greater