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CH A P TE R8

RFID, BUSINESS

INTELLIGENCE (BI), MOBILE

COMPUTING, AND THE CLOUD

L E ARNING O BJ ECTIVE S

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
• Define RFID and its role in logistics and sales
• Define business intelligence (BI), and provide examples of its uses
• Explain how in-memory computing will change the use of BI
• Discuss the importance of mobile applications to businesses
• Describe cloud computing and why it is becoming important for ERP
providers
• Explain how the service-oriented architecture (SOA) concept has
changed ERP development
• Describe Web services, and outline the unique components of
NetWeaver
• Define software as a service (SaaS), and identify the advantages and
disadvantages of using this software delivery model

I N TRODUCTION

This chapter examines advanced topics relevant to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

As you have read in earlier chapters, an ERP system allows a company to accomplish tasks that

cannot be done well, if at all, without such a system. Traditionally, ERP systems have been

software applications that are run on a company’s own computer systems, and the focus of ERP

has been on managing business transactions. In this chapter, you will see how technologies such

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