What is SAP?

Mrs_pbradley936

What is SAP?

Can anybody explain or provide a link that explains what SAP is. You have to be an expert to understand what the website says. I just want an overview of what it is and who would find it useful. Why is it better/different from Excel or Sage?

Thanks.

amcluesent

SAP R/3? It's an enterprise resource planning application.

>Why is it better/different from Excel or Sage<

It's about 100 time more expensive!

MadCowMan

Its also very modular , so you can use it to perform many functions.

The following link should give you a quick overview.

http://www.thespot4sap.com/Articles/SAP_Modules.asp

BillScarab

"Why is it better/different from Excel or Sage?"

erm, it's not a spreadsheet or accounting package!

From memory SAP is actually the name of a German (I think) Company who make software to help managing businesses.

Have a look here for an overview of what they do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SAP_products

Mr_Mister

SAP is a German company and means System Application Products.
Its one of the largest software companies in the world like Microsoft or Oracle and they specialise in Business Applications.
Companies mainly use their applications to manage their Payroll or Purchasing i.e raising invoices, purchase orders etc but theres so many uses to it.
Most large companies use it but you can never be an expert in it as theres too much involved.
Its good to have an understanding of the front end of one of the components

[Deleted User]

it's an 'enterprise system', kinda like peoplesoft (i think).

Pay is v. v. good if you truely understand it...

rick@findthatfuchsia

Also very, very, very expensive. The company I work for are having it installed over the next 18 months. So far they have spent £14m with a project spend somewhere in the region of £40m.

newfoundglory

SAP consultants also get paid a fortune.... ball park 6-figure salaries.... i know SAP consultants and "problem solvers" who have been paid in the region of £2,500 per day.... yes thats right PER DAY.

[Deleted User]

Just on the lines of this, i'm an interface analyst working on enterprise healthcare IT systems (good knowledge of front end, middleware and backend database and AIX).. other than doing an MBA, how does one get into SAP work?

Currently applying to work for a big consultancy.. wonder if i could pick up those skills there.

raeble

info on sap consulting here
http://www.sap.com/uk/careers/consulting/thestory/index.epx

I work for a Uni and we have SAP. It is a great big hulking monolith of a thing. I would say it is much bigger than Sun Business Systems. Where I work I get to use/view a lot of it - HR, Payroll, Sales, Purchasing, Projects, general ledger. To say it is complex is to understate it significantly. I can use it to do what I want to do but don't ask me to do anything else. I think it would take years to become an expert and I doubt after all that you'd understand half of what SAP is capable of. That having been said the interface is quite straightforward and similar to other programs.

magyar

To be honest, to be a SAP consultant you're better off having a finance background and being pretty good with computers, rather than the other way round.

The big money is to be made in talking to people in big corporations and translating what they want into what SAP can do.

(And I wish I could!)