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How to use This Book 19

SAP course, which results in an offi cial SAP Associate Application Consultant
certifi cation and can be used as a supplement to the SAP course materials.
Alternatively, students who master the concepts in this textbook and the
additional online materials can take the SAP certifi cation exam at one of over
8,000 global testing centers without participating in a certifi cation academy.
Students who pass the exam will receive the same offi cial SAP certifi ca-
tion as working professionals who complete an SAP-sponsored training pro-
gram. Earning this certifi cation is the fi rst step toward a successful and perhaps
lucrative career as an SAP application consultant. Speak with your instruc-
tor, and consult the certifi cation information on the SAP University Alliances
Community and WileyPLUS for more details.

WILEYPLUS
WileyPLUS is an important online supplement to this book. It includes four
key components: hands-on exercises, SAP ERP system demonstrations, online
chapters, and information about preparing for the SAP certifi cation exam.
The hands-on exercises found on the WileyPLUS companion site for this
textbook will guide you through the execution of the process steps found in
each chapter. You will complete these exercises in a live SAP ERP system
based on Global Bike, Inc., which you will become very familiar with through-
out the chapters. In essence, you will assume the role of the various employees
of GBI and complete their tasks in the SAP ERP system, as if you were doing
their job. In this way, you will see the processes executed from multiple view-
points and thus further develop your “process perspective” of the fi rm. Your
instructor will provide you with login information and the SAP interface to
complete these exercises in the SAP ERP system. We anticipate that you will
encounter some diffi culties while completing the exercises. Nearly every stu-
dent does, so don’t become discouraged if this happens to you. Your instructor
or lab assistant can provide some help if you are working in an on-campus lab.
You can also seek help from fellow students in your class. One of the most
valuable sources of assistance is the SAP University Alliances (SAP UAC)
discussion forum for this textbook. Go to www.extrabandwidth.com/forum,
which will redirect you to the SAP UAC forum, where you can ask questions
about the text and the exercises. Students and professors around the world will
quickly assist you. If you receive a helpful answer, you can award points to the
person who helped you. Not only is this a nice form of recognition, but it helps
the community reinforce its focus on mutual support and knowledge sharing.
Throughout each chapter you will see references to demonstrations that
will illustrate how a particular concept, task, or data is presented in the SAP
system. These demonstrations are meant to enhance your conceptual under-
standing of the topic by providing you with a visual and physical represen-
tation of how the system executes or displays a particular component of the
process being discussed. We advise you to follow the demonstrations on
the WileyPLUS website while reading and reviewing the chapter in the printed
textbook. For the online version of the textbook on WileyPLUS, the demon-
strations are linked directly from the references in the chapter for easy access.
Going further, the demonstrations are very similar to the activities required in
the exercises. Therefore, it will be helpful to review the demonstrations prior to
attempting the exercises so as to familiarize yourself with the navigation, key
data, and activities required to complete the process steps.

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