Dumb question: what is SAP

[TykeMerc]

The vast majority of SAP installations have Oracle as their db server, so in that sense there is more Oracle about, because there are many oracle installations that don't run SAP. But when it comes to running your business, oracle isn't in first place.

IFS has an Oracle back end repository as well.

[Sysman]

SAP, stands for Suffer After Purchase.

Or in German:

"Sanduhr-Anzeige Programm" - hourglass display program.

SAP is simply a misspelling of "Gravy Train". SAP consultant means "My rate is at least double yours", in most cases.

Also:

Sosse Akquisitions Programm - Gravy Acquisition Program.

[ThomasSoerensen]

Or in German:

"Sanduhr-Anzeige Programm" - hourglass display program.

but in the new Portal the hour glass has 3 colours - that is enough justification to upgrade

[Pondlife]

That's complete and utter tripe I'm afraid.

Having worked extensively with (not for) IFS and to a lesser extent SAP and Lawsons their staff are far from just being IT people. In fact apart from the obvious coders and tech support their staffs are business experts with real world experience in their industries who work with the client to analyse and optimise the requirements, processes and application, the actual IT technical work is about 30% of the projects.
A vanilla Supply Chain module for example will have been constructed around what are regarded as best in class business processes, the modules are then intended to be configured to suit the clients specific business needs. If the client chucks out the carefully designed ERP model in favour of retaining old inefficient or just plain broken processes (I've seen all 3) then the ERP can be bespoked to fit, but the end result is inevitably a failure to realise the long term cost savings which could be achieved and were the justification for the whole project in the first place.

IT solutions should be an instrument to drive Business improvements otherwise there's no point installing them.

Oi, we'll have no talking sense 'ere.

[TykeMerc]

Oi, we'll have no talking sense 'ere.

Sorry, I got carried away and forgot the rule about bringing facts into a perfectly good bitchfest, my apologies to the members.

I'll do my best to remember the rules in future.

[NotAllThere]

ABAP used to stand for Allgemeiner Berichts-Aufbereitungs-Prozessor which translates roughly to

Common Report Analyser Producer. So they renamed it Advanced Business Application Programming.

[TheFaQQer]

The vast majority of SAP installations have Oracle as their db server, so in that sense there is more Oracle about, because there are many oracle installations that don't run SAP. But when it comes to running your business, oracle isn't in first place.

I agree - however the market share figures between SAP and Oracle in the ERP-space hardly equates to the dominance that M$ has on the desktop compared with any other solution provider.

[TheFaQQer]

That's complete and utter tripe I'm afraid.

Having worked extensively with (not for) IFS and to a lesser extent SAP and Lawsons their staff are far from just being IT people. In fact apart from the obvious coders and tech support their staffs are business experts with real world experience in their industries who work with the client to analyse and optimise the requirements, processes and application, the actual IT technical work is about 30% of the projects.
A vanilla Supply Chain module for example will have been constructed around what are regarded as best in class business processes, the modules are then intended to be configured to suit the clients specific business needs. If the client chucks out the carefully designed ERP model in favour of retaining old inefficient or just plain broken processes (I've seen all 3) then the ERP can be bespoked to fit, but the end result is inevitably a failure to realise the long term cost savings which could be achieved and were the justification for the whole project in the first place.

IT solutions should be an instrument to drive Business improvements otherwise there's no point installing them.

WHS

To a large extent...I concur.

And him

Oi, we'll have no talking sense 'ere.

And him

[Bob Dalek]

WHS



And him



And him

WHS

[NotAllThere]

But WHS was completely testicular.