SAP Architecture
What is SAP Architecture?
SAP Architecture is the technical requirements of your system landscape and the applications that you need for that. SAP’s major step forward in architecture came when it introduced SAP R/3 — the three references a three-layer architecture — in the late 1990s. SAP ERP applications ever since, including SAP S/4HANA, still follow these basic architectural layers:
- The Presentation Layer is the component specialized in interacting with end-users, the user interface. SAP GUI is the traditional SAP interface, but newer SAP applications utilize SAP Fiori design principles.
- The Application Layer is the component that specializes in processing the SAP application — such as SAP S/4HANA. Development at the SAP application layer has been done traditionally with the ABAP coding language. The HTML5-based UI5 is growing in importance as a language for building applications that can run on a variety of devices.
- The Database Layer is the software component that specializes in the management, storage, and retrieval of data. The key difference in SAP S/4HANA vs. previous ERPs at this level is a simplified data model that is specifically designed to run on the SAP HANA in-memory database.
What is SAP Architecture?
SAP Architecture is the technical requirements of your system landscape and the applications that you need for that. SAP’s major step forward in architecture came when it introduced SAP R/3 — the three references a three-layer architecture — in the late 1990s. SAP ERP applications ever since, including SAP S/4HANA, still follow these basic architectural layers:
- The Presentation Layer is the component specialized in interacting with end-users, the user interface. SAP GUI is the traditional SAP interface, but newer SAP applications utilize SAP Fiori design principles.
- The Application Layer is the component that specializes in processing the SAP application — such as SAP S/4HANA. Development at the SAP application layer has been done traditionally with the ABAP coding language. The HTML5-based UI5 is growing in importance as a language for building applications that can run on a variety of devices.
- The Database Layer is the software component that specializes in the management, storage, and retrieval of data. The key difference in SAP S/4HANA vs. previous ERPs at this level is a simplified data model that is specifically designed to run on the SAP HANA in-memory database.
There’s a wide range of vendors that support at least part of the SAP Architecture. Red Hat and SUSE specialize in the Linux operating system, on which the SAP HANA database runs. SAP architecture needs a foundation, and a vendor such as Dell Technologies can provide on-premise hardware such as servers. Microsoft is one of the hyperscalers that can set up cloud environments for SAP applications. Companies like Deloitte offer consulting services to assist companies in building out their SAP Architecture.
Key Considerations for SAPinsiders:
- ABAP coders are still important to SAP Architecture. If your company is looking to adopt SAP S/4HANA and other SAP applications with consumer-grade user experiences, then you will likely need UI5 and SAP Fiori skillsets.
- Legacy SAP ERP systems typically have heavy customization at the application layer and potentially complex data models. Many customers that are adopting SAP S/4HANA are choosing to eschew customization and instead are adapting their processes to the technology to provide cleaner data and easier upgrades.
- SAP HANA’s in-memory capabilities are meant to speed up data retrieval significantly. However, with the rise of low-cost and open-source data storage, many companies are storing their data in “hot” and “cold” locations. Hot, or frequently accessed, data may be stored in-memory, but cold, or sporadically accessed, data may be stored in a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) or cloud storage.
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Protect Your SAP HANA Investment with HA and DR Options
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Prevent Data Disaster in Your SAP HANA System Landscape With Effective Backup and Restore Strategies
Become acquainted with concepts, best practices, optimal settings, tools, and recommendations that are invaluable for SAP HANA database backup and restore operations. Key Concept An effective backup and restore strategy is vital to an organization because data and information are important assets of a business enterprise. Backup and restore activities ensure that an organization can...…
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Adapt SAP S/4HANA Business Functionality to Meet Your Company’s Requirements
Discover how to apply two extensibility options to modify SAP S/4HANA business functionality. Key Concept SAP S/4HANA is the next generation of business applications that can be installed locally in a data center or in a public or managed cloud. One of the central issues users have is how to extend the business functionality delivered...…
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Case Study: How a Queensland Government Agency in Australia Leverages SAP Screen Personas for Improving the User Experience of HR Resources
Discover how you can improve the user experience of your on-premise SAP system using SAP Screen Personas. Get an inside look at three real-life HR use cases designed and built for HR professional users at the Department of Transport and Main Roads, part of the Queensland Government – Australia. Key Concept In SAP Screen Personas,...…
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SAP Data Services Part 1: Integrating with SAP Business Suite Sources
Gain an overview of SAP Data Services and how to extract data by leveraging SAP Business Suite extractors. Key Concept SAP Data Services can integrate with the SAP Business Suite to transport data by using extractors that streamline the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process for this type of deployment. SAP Data Services (formerly SAP...…
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SAP CRM 7.0: Three Enhancements to the CRM WebClient UI Framework
Gain insight into three of the new CRM WebClient UI features and tools that come with SAP CRM 7.0 and enhance usability and efficiency. Key Concept The new tools and features for CRM WebClient UI in SAP CRM 7.0 are built on the Business Object Layer (BOL). The BOL offers uniform access from a user...…
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Cloud Foundry and the Future of Cloud-Native Development on SAP Cloud Platform
Learn what Cloud Foundry is and its impact on the future of cloud-native development and SAP Cloud Platform. Key Concept With production support for Cloud Foundry scheduled with the Q2/2017 release of SAP Cloud Platform (formerly SAP HANA Cloud Platform), it’s important for developers to understand what Cloud Foundry is and the prominent role it...…
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Tips for Enhanced Reporting and Planning Using Local Providers
The embedded model of SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation 10.1, version for SAP NetWeaver, offers a unique functionality for ad-hoc planning that leverages SAP HANA tables for easy data input and retrieval: local providers. Learn how you can use local providers in SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation 10.1, version for SAP NetWeaver, to perform quick...…
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How to Comply with IFRS 15 Regulations Using SAP Revenue Accounting and Reporting 1.2
Learn how to set up SAP Revenue Accounting and Reporting 1.2 in SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) 6.0 to comply with the new accounting standard regulation IFRS 15. The new regulation was jointly released by two leading accounting standard bodies: the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Key Concept...…
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Tips for Business Partner Adoption for SAP S/4HANA
Looking to embrace SAP S/4HANA as the next leapfrog step in your IT strategy? Are you facing challenges in master data governance for your massive customer or supplier master data records, leading to high master data maintenance costs and a frequent need to reconcile and check duplicates? You might have heard of various mandatory functionalities...…
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