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Data in an Enterprise System 29

capabilities and tools. SAP NetWeaver also contains several technical tools
to help companies extend the SAP Business Suite applications, integrate
with other non-SAP applications, and build (compose) new applications. In
essence, SAP NetWeaver is the “operating system” for a company’s entire range
of business processes.

DATA IN AN ENTERPRISE SYSTEM

As we discussed earlier, a central component of any ERP system is the com-
mon database that stores data related to all the processes. Without this func-
tion, integrating the various processes would be diffi cult, if not impossible.
Therefore it is essential to understand how data are organized in an ERP
system. We address this topic in the following section. We then introduce the
different types of data that are stored in an ERP system, and we identify basic
data elements that are common to many processes. We will develop these top-
ics and introduce additional data elements in later chapters that discuss spe-
cifi c processes. For the purposes of this chapter we will restrict our discussions
to the procurement and fulfi llment processes introduced in Chapter 1.
Data in an ERP system are used to represent the physical system in
which process steps such as creating a purchase order and receiving goods are
carried out. These steps generate data, which represent the outcomes of the
steps. There are three types of data in an ERP system: organizational data,
master data, and transaction data.

ORGANIZATIONAL DATA

Organizational data are used to represent the structure of an enterprise.
Examples of organizational structure are companies, subsidiaries, factories,
warehouses, storage areas, and sales regions. The three organizational data
elements discussed in this chapter are client, company code, and plant (see
Figure 2-6). Note that the terms organizational data, organizational levels, and

Figure 2-6: Organizational data

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