Preface
Simplicity is a key success factor in today's complex business world. The new SAP Solution, called SAP Business ONE, promises a simple, yet powerful feature set for fast-growing companies. In this book, you will find the answers to help you separate the marketing promise from the real-world features.
What this book covers
Section 1 – SAP Express Implementation
The first section is focused on quickly getting SAP Business ONE up and running. You will learn about the essential configuration steps that you need to undergo. We will leave nothing behind and you will see all the steps. Upon completion, you will be equipped with the required skills and tools to tackle the SAP system without fear. Section 1 - SAP Express Implementation comprises three chapters:
Getting Ready to Implement SAP Business ONE – In this chapter, you will learn how SAP can help you improve your business. This chapter also covers the most common terminology related to SAP and the Business ONE solution.
SAP Business ONE Express Implementation Walk-through – This is hands-on to the max. You will start configuring a new SAP system.
Reporting and Analysis: Getting Ready for Growth – With a running SAP system, we can now retrieve information. You will see that the system is used as an information collection skeleton.
Using a step-by-step implementation approach, we will configure a simple system, and then expand the configuration to match state-of-the-art business methodologies.
The Lemonade Stand case study showcases the key value an integrated system like SAP Business ONE can provide, even at a very simple business level. We will collect data as the Lemonade Stand operates, and view dashboard reports to better understand the business. Even experienced users may find the tips and tricks in this section beneficial.
Section 2 – Implementing SAP Business ONE in your own Company
The second part of the book will take a different approach and show you what an implementation looks like if you first undergo a thorough analysis to identify potential improvements in the way you run your business. The second section naturally is a bit longer. I have adopted the concept to introduce a specific functionality organized in sections. For example, I will talk about sales, inventory, and service in separate chapters. Each chapter will also include a proven add-on that enhances the standard functionality. This way, you will see that SAP Business ONE is a business engine. This engine can be used by industry experts to plug in their industry-specific know-how seamlessly.
Learning by example is a good way to understand new concepts and technologies. Therefore, we will be implementing a complete SAP Business system, including add-ons, as part of the case study. The case study starts out in section one with an ad hoc implementation of a Lemonade Stand. In the second section, we will professionally expand this idea and develop a beverage distribution center with outsourced production. This will include advanced inventory optimization. The workflow will be optimized using existing functionality, and proven add-ons that significantly improve the standard features.
Finally, we will connect SAP to the Web and introduce the N2ONE Portal solution. This solution presents SAP features in a web interface with real-time integration. The book will be completed with the chapter focusing on growth. I will introduce a franchise architecture for SAP Business ONE. This architecture will be applied to the case study to help you learn how to get started with this concept. Each chapter has a section that assists you with applying knowledge for your own project. Ideally, you will be in business with the completion of this book.
What you need for this book
A piece of paper and a pencil
A business idea and vision to confront the difficult while it is still easy
A lack of patience for islands of data
SAP Business ONE installation or trial system – You can request a demo at http://www.expanding-your-view.com
A trial for add-ons is available at http://www.expanding-your-view.com upon request
Who this book is for
This book is written for technically savvy business owners, entrepreneurs, and departmental managers. Making decisions with the right information is a competitive success factor. SAP Business ONE can be seen as the business engine that helps drive your business towards success. In today's economic climate, the implementation of guerrilla-style business units, based on SAP Business ONE, is crucial. The information in this book can be used for new implementations and also existing systems that need improvement. If you have SQL skills, you can leverage your knowledge and connect to SAP tools and features that are built on queries. If you are a departmental sales manager, you can benefit from the advanced sales stages and workflow concept in this book. The seasoned inventory and warehouse manager can immediately utilize the inventory optimization and warehouse management concepts. Your web technicians will benefit from the e-commerce information and will see how your web strategy can be aligned with SAP Business ONE. As a business owner, your key players from sales to fulfillment can gain back control and you can grow your business to the next level using modern franchising concepts.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in our text like this: "clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".
Note
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.
Tip
Tips and tricks appear like this.
Reader feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.
To send us general feedback, simply drop an email to <[email protected]>, and mention the book title in the subject of your message.
If there is a book that you need and would like to see us publish, please send us a note in the SUGGEST A TITLE form on http://www.packtpub.com or email <[email protected]>.
If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on http://www.packtpub.com/authors.
Customer support
Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.
Errata
Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our contents, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in text or code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration, and help us to improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.com/support, selecting your book, clicking on the let us know link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata added to any list of existing errata. Any existing errata can be viewed by selecting your title from http://www.packtpub.com/support.
Piracy
Piracy of copyright material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media. At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the Internet, please provide us with the location address or website name immediately so that we can pursue a remedy.
Please contact us at <[email protected]> with a link to the suspected pirated material.
We appreciate your help in protecting our authors, and our ability to bring you valuable content.
Questions
You can contact us at <[email protected]> if you are having a problem with any aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.