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26 CHAPTER 2 Introduction to Enterprise Systems

Figure 2-2: The SAP ERP solution map. Copyright SAP AG 2011

currencies. Figure 2-2 shows the solution map for the current version of the
system developed by SAP, known as SAP ERP.
The solution map identifi es the functionality and processes supported
by the system. Notice that many of the functional capabilities in the solution
map are similar to the business processes that were defi ned in Chapter 1.
In addition, several areas of SAP ERP overlap with functional groups within
the company. These overlaps are a result of the tight integration of ERP and the
processes that it manages. As companies have adopted more and more ERP
capabilities and begun to view their companies from more of a process per-
spective, the ES world and the functional world have begun to merge. Given
the scope and size of the SAP ERP system, we will focus on the core ERP
functional modules in this book.
Although companies are moving toward a process view of organizations,
and our book takes a process view of business operations, the functional view
still persists in many organizations. The capabilities of an ERP system are often
described in terms of modules or specifi c capabilities, and it is still quite com-
mon to see or hear SAP ERP referred to in terms of module abbreviations in
job advertisements or industry discussions. Figure 2-3 lists the more common

Figure 2-3: SAP ERP modules

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