Application IntegrationThe data from the different SAP functional applications are shared and integrated,building what is often known as an internal information highway.This integration can be seen as an implicit applications workflow. One of the mainbenefits of the set of SAP applications is their capacity for creating a perfect integrationbetween the different business processes of companies. It is that integration betweenapplications that ensures that all business and management information is available to allareas of a company.An accompanying feature that makes application integration stand out is the capacity ofdoing it in real time. This means that information is constantly updated, so when amanager requests a report about the current balance the system provides instantinformation about the status of the financial statements. This avoids the difficulty ofrunning end-of-period reports and programs from a traditional legacy system, which hasto search and incorporate needed data from other applications before the run.From the point of view of the business processes, the integration of the R/3 applicationmodules used to be represented using the tools available within the R/3 BusinessEngineer, which is no longer available in latest releases. At the level of data models, thisintegration can be accessed using the available functions included in the Data Modeler.Customizing ToolsCustomizing is the cornerstone of SAP systems implementation. Once you get your kit,you have all the application modules with all the business processes from the selectedsolution.The next step is to customize the system to suit your business needs and practices. This isthe method of implementing and enhancing the SAP R/3 systems or other SAP Solutions,as well as upgrading to new SAP releases.SAP R/3 Handbook, Third Edition37Some of the customizing tasks are as easy to implement as electronically entering thecountries where the company is located. That has an automatic effect on currencies, taxcalculations, legal requirements, and so on. Other tasks are very industry specific andsomewhat more complicated. Customizing the system is a long, time-consuming processbecause it can only be done by expert company users and with help from consultants thatknow the real business. Customizing must precisely match business organization,processes, and functions with those of the SAP system. Figure 1-14 shows an example ofone of the multiple screens used by SAP systems for help in customizing.Figure 1-14: Example of customizing screen (Copyright by SAP AG)SAP includes some standard tools to help customers and consultants with this processand also provides many templates to be used for adapting the SAP functions to theircorresponding business practices.Some of the tools and documentation provided are as follows: The IMG (Implementation Guide), An interactive model to help users andconsultants map company requirements for specific business needs. IMG canhandle the automatic creation of recommendations for organizing andimplementing the project. It acts like an electronic manual for consultants, linkinghypertext documentation with real transactions. The transport system. Tools for transferring system configuration from testsystems to production systems. ASAP (Accelerated SAP), which is an implementation roadmap, and now includedwithin the SAP Solution Manager. SAP Solution Manager, a framework for monitoring and implementing SAPsystems. Tools for managing system and release upgrades.Administrators also have some customization work to do for the basis system, such assetting printers, copying clients, setting up the correction and transport system, and so on.SAP R