Thursday, January 1, 2009

An Overview Of Every Different SAP Modules

By James Cox

An ERP system is a real-time business support system that provides to the data wants of an entire organization using a single repository of informations (a database) and a really sophisticated set of highly-customizable software modules which, together, help decision-making and the actions located on these conclusions. This invariably results in highly effective procedures and a resultant competitive reward. SAP, prepared by SAP AG, based in Walldorf, Germany, is 1 such copyrighted ERP system.

The SAP system is organised into whatever sets of 'solutions' (essentially, modules) that comprehend the information wants of specific areas of any corporation's operations. Sitting on top of these already-integrated personalized modules is the Cross-Application layer, components of which further see that these various solution 'talk' to each other in a cohesive way.

There is a saying, "If you fail to plan, you are actually planning to fail". Consequently, a easy introductory aim for interpreting SAP is it's Project System which treats every action within the enterprise as part of some project. Set on actual orders (or perceived demand), this module is practiced define projects that will meet these orders and begin chasing them from then on. A regular project would include a combination of some manufacturing activities as well as whatsoever associated procurement (raw materials as well as bought-out items). Trailing every such project right from inception, through to it's completion and beyond (post-project analysis) is ably handled by this module.

For project actions that relate to manufacturing, the Production Planning module handles the specifics of capacity planning, production scheduling down to the individual tasks on the store floor. This includes handling data on the accessibility and deployment of human resources, machinery, tools and fixtures, consumables and energy requirements to name a few.

With streamlined production comes Plant Maintenance which treats preventive maintenance, breakdown maintenance along with the associated down-time of equipment and lost hours of the work-force as well as the time, material and labor expected for such maintenance.

The Materials Management module interfaces with Production Planning and Plant Maintenance to ensure a) Timely delivery of stuffs and b) Cut down price of inventory. Its scope originates with material requisitions (based on Bills of Material emanating from production programmes as well as for unplanned purchases) and tracks them from placing orders to receipt of goods, their receiving review (quality control), their being taken into stock and being subsequently supplied for production. This module also addresses finished-goods inventory.

The Costing module interfaces with every entity that has a cash value connected with it. It gets into consideration the different cost-centers and all the associated costs : equipment, material, labor and services. The identical holds true for the profit centers. This costing module has a provision for product-based costing (which could fail to treat certain fixed prices accurately ) as well as activity-based costing which is advised more scientific and supplies for cross-functional apportioning of each of the drivers of these costs.

The Sales and Distribution module tracks all dealings from queries, requests for proposals/ quotations and pricing to interfacing with the finished-goods stock (in factory and warehouses) to picking, packing, shipping and delivery.

The Financial Accounting module logs financial transactions in the electronic equivalent of basic books of accounts, keeps the General Ledger and every defined sub-ledgers, consolidates all this into the last books of accounts (essentially, Profit & Loss account and the Balance Sheet), manages tax-related transactions/adjustments and interfaces with book closure. Incidentally, most of this is of a statutory nature and has applied with the country-specific picks of SAP.

Asset Management is practiced for tracking assets from the time they are bought, right through their life-time with regard to their depreciation (and, therefore their latest valuation) to the point they are either sold or written off.

The Quality Management module, along with the Project System, really overlaps all another procedures and interfaces with each one of them throughout the lifetime of the corporation. Quality, they say is never by chance; it's always by design. That is why this module is practiced to facilitate all activities that make quality into the corporation's products/services (preventing defects/errors occurring in the 1st place). This is done by planning (essentially, incorporating preventive measures in the corporation's work-flow), fulfilling these quality programmes and leading periodic inspections to find out deviations, if any. Important to the company's icon and credibility in the outside world, are actions that result to the several applicable certifications obtaining which is also addressed in effect by this module

This was a simple prospect of a very large application called SAP. - 16738

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