SAP Enterprise Release 4.7 PART- II

Technical Specification of SAP Enterprise Core

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

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

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The five encapsulated extensions that are delivered along with SAP R/3 Enterprise Core are: FIN (FI/CO), HR, PLM, TRVL, and SCM (WM, PP, MM). Again, no functionality upgrades are planned for Enterprise Core. Rather, all functionality will be applied to these Enterprise Extensions – and theywill each have their own release schedules.

In addition, SAP Enterprise Core features Accrual Accounting Engines. These enable Accrual Accountings, allowing users to automatically calculate and post accruals, such as license fees, rent costs, or revenues, in the general ledger accounting functionality of SAP R/3 Enterprise Core. Also, the users can calculate and post the accruals according to 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
• New Functionality in SAP R/3 Enterprise 4.7
  
  SAP Enterprise Core provides users with new functionalities in the following areas by incorporating SAP Enterprise Extensions in its architecture.
  Human Resource
  SAP 4.7 facilitates the companies in management of global employees along with their payroll management by providing a function to support all processes involved in transferring an employee abroad. The cases where the employees cannot always obtain access 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 their time accounts regardless of time or location. In addition, SAP 4.7 makes available the users with newly introduced or updated functions of benefits and compensation, concurrent employment, payroll, time management and enabling for application service provision.
  Supply Chain Management
  The 4.7 version provides users with manufacturing execution that is based on the process management functionality of the previous SAP R/3 releases. It delivers additional production execution features and serves as a basic manufacturing platform. This version also comes with the function for managing cross- system flow of goods. It attains this function by facilitating the management of good movements relating to sales and purchase orders within a business system group. Moreover it comes with the functions for advanced warehouse interface, business application add-ins, document change management for purchase orders, interfaces and extractors, task and resource management.
  Financial Management
  It comes with new post processing of electronic bank account statements functions that enable customers to select and correct bank statement items faster in case the function did not post automatically. This enables the users to trigger automatic postings for several items at the same time. It also has an accrual accounting engine that enables users to automatically calculate and post accruals such as license fee, rent costs, or revenues in the general ledger accounting facility of SAP R/3 Enterprise core. Besides this, the functions have been added or changes have been made in the functions for process improvements, valuation and legal improvements, and technical improvements.
  Upgrading SAP Enterprise R/3 4.7
  
  4.7 does include some enhanced functionality. These enhancements may include vast areas such as the recruitment front end, compensation, time management, financial management and organization management. The first decision is whether to utilise this functionality or not. If the decision is to not utilise it, then the upgrade is mostly technical in nature.
  In addition to the new functionality, there are other reasons for electing to upgrade to Release 4.7:
  • Optimization of SAP 4.6C to transform it into SAP Enterprise core: It involves the advancement in SAP 4.6C to make it more stable, improve its performance and enhance its Unicode compatibility. This optimized SAP 4.6C functions as the enterprise core of SAP 4.7.
  • New additions in the form of SAP Enterprise Extensions: The functional enhancements that are to be made in SAP 4.6C are made in Enterprise extensions. These enterprise extensions are independent of the Enterprise Core as 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 independently upgrade the functionalities of SAP4.6C. These extensions are linked to the enterprise core functionality by the means of BADIs (Business Add-Ins) or BTEs (Business Transaction Events), so that the SAP R/3 enterprise objects are not modified directly.
  • Integrating with SAP Web Application Server (WAS): SAP WAS is the advanced form of SAP Basis technology that has been achieved by adding a few system administration processes, especially with regard to Web enabling. Hence, in it all the administration system activities are carried on as before without need for many changes.

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  SAP have stated that they will only support 4.6C until March 2006.

  The upgrade of SAP 4.6C devises a new upgrade procedure known as System Switch Upgrade, which is the standard procedure for all software components that run on SAP WAS 6.10 and higher. This upgrade procedure gives its customers the option of selecting 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 that makes this procedure so popular is the non-active shadow system (the additional instance of the system) that already runs with the target release software version. This allows the upgrading of the objects without shutting down by processing the objects in the non-active shadow system while the production system is still running. The generated 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 as compared to what was required in upgrading previous versions. Also, the version is more user-friendly and stable. The feature of SAP Enterprise being available for 64-bit operating system might require the upgrade their operating system platforms. The performance and resource requirements for SAP enterprise are plus or minus 10% less that of SAP 4.6C.
  Conclusion
  
  SAP 4.7 has been developed keeping in mind specific needs of the customers. This version of SAP can be easily downloaded and will be easy to upgrade to the future versions. SAP R/3 4.7 allows users to maintain stability and reduce costs for upgrade as they can upgrade functions depending on their personal requirement unlike earlier versions that needed end-to-end upgrade from the already existing ones. Moreover this version enables total e-business solutions for each company with fully integrated technology and best in-class solutions.