Erp Sap

People who understand business software, think of SAP. SAP is widely recognized as being the world's largest developer of accounting and business-processing software, and has been for some time.

SAP, formed in 1972 by five ambitious young men who had learned their trade whilst working as colleagues at American computer giant, IBM, boasts a client base numbering almost 40,000 spread out over more than 120 countries. From their original offices in Mannheim, Germany the company's growth has been so dynamic that they now operate 50 subsidiaries around the World.

By virtue of their software solutions, SAP has developed in the thirty-five years that they have been in business to a world rated international corporation, with their stocks being traded both in Europe as well as in the United States. From their inception, SAP has combined effective marketing as well as flexible programming skills to become the global market leader in e- business solutions.

The first examples of SAP software began to show their face to the German market in 1973, The Company's first range of accounting software, beating the undistinguished title of R/1 was introduced.

The original programming behind this software remains the foundation on which all the subsequent SAP software is based. For those who were curious of the thinking behind the auspicious title "R/1", it is simply an abbreviation of "real-time 1".

To understand this fact, is to understand the philosophy behind the development of SAP software. To discover simple but effective solutions for real-time data processing software problems.

Demand for SAP's software grew rapidly as their reputation spread, and soon demand for their software solutions spread throughout Europe, to cope with the demand the company moved their custom designed premises in the early nineteen eighties. Despite their constant expansion these offices still remain the company's head office as software development area till today.

The increased and broadened demand for their R/1 software saw the development of the new and improved system entitled (guess what) R/2. Apart from its range of technological advances, R/2 was also capable of handling most of the major European languages and local currencies, and this advance kindled a major expansion in demand for the SAP software throughout Europe.

All through the Nineteen-eighties, SAP expansion throughout Europe was constant and stable, with turnover rising steadily every year throughout the decade. In 1988, SAG became a publicly owned company, with its shares being floated on the stock exchanges both of Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Around about this time, SAP decided that the time was right to make two major breakthroughs. Firstly was the launch of their next generation of real-time data processing software solutions, aptly titled R/3. The principal upgrades were many, and included uniformity of interfaces so that the software could be run on a variety of hardware.

The principal change in format was that the SAP software was now run on a three-tier format. This format was based on database, application and user interface format which totally superseded the previous main frame format. The next significant breakthrough that SAP made was the founding of its first subsidiary outside of Europe.

And in no place other than the United States. It is fair to say that the launch of the SAP Company in general and their R/3 software was an outstanding success.

The success of their expansions brought a new awareness within the World's business community of the strengths of the SAP Company and of their software. Today their growth continues and their applications are in daily use everywhere in the world where there is business date to be gathered, assimilated and archived. SAP software is part of the global picture and will be around for a long time.