SAP R/3 System: Client Server Overview (Buck-Emden & Galimow, 1998) Dr. K. Palaniappan

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan2 Business Data Processing Radical changes Radical changes Information Management Information Management The deciding competitive factor The deciding competitive factor Short innovation cycles, global competition, high costs Short innovation cycles, global competition, high costs Enterprise-wide information/resource management Enterprise-wide information/resource management

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan3 Business Data Processing Corporate Competitiveness Corporate Competitiveness Business re-engineering: optimization of all business processes along with the entire net-value added chain Business re-engineering: optimization of all business processes along with the entire net-value added chain Technology re-engineering: use latest data processing (DP) technology for optimization of ERM, ERP Technology re-engineering: use latest data processing (DP) technology for optimization of ERM, ERP Past: Function Orientation Past: Function Orientation Business data processing: administrative support for functions like accounting, materials management, etc. Business data processing: administrative support for functions like accounting, materials management, etc.

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan4 Business Data Processing vs Present: Customer Orientation vs Present: Customer Orientation Optimization of entire business process Optimization of entire business process DP support for business process: reduce inventory, improve delivery, flexibility, improve quality, minimize cost, etc. DP support for business process: reduce inventory, improve delivery, flexibility, improve quality, minimize cost, etc.

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan5 Requirements for EIM Functional Functional Online integration of all business applications and data in the company vs (obsolete centralized with alphanumeric screen- based) batch processing Online integration of all business applications and data in the company vs (obsolete centralized with alphanumeric screen- based) batch processing Timely provision of operational business information Timely provision of operational business information Universal support of customer/firm/vendor business processes Universal support of customer/firm/vendor business processes Customization and adaptation to changing business conditions Customization and adaptation to changing business conditions Data and program integration with desktop tools Data and program integration with desktop tools Intuitive, consistent user interfaces Intuitive, consistent user interfaces

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan6 Requirements for EIM Technical and Administrative Technical and Administrative Cost of DP infrastructure Cost of DP infrastructure Portability of business application software Portability of business application software Lifespan of ten or more years vs hardware, software, communication technology changes Lifespan of ten or more years vs hardware, software, communication technology changes Scalability to varying load profiles Scalability to varying load profiles Short predictable online response time Short predictable online response time High throughput of background jobs High throughput of background jobs 24-hour availability 24-hour availability Easy systems administration Easy systems administration Short downtime during release changes Short downtime during release changes

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan7 Requirements for EIM Re-orientation of in-house software development Re-orientation of in-house software development Too expensive Too expensive Continual business requirement changes Continual business requirement changes Rapid infrastructure changes Rapid infrastructure changes Unpredictable software innovations Unpredictable software innovations

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan8 Component Software as a New Solution Not possible to produce integrated software with all of the functions and modules described by the customer Not possible to produce integrated software with all of the functions and modules described by the customer Software component reuse Software component reuse Integration of application modules Integration of application modules Microsoft OLE (object Linking and Embedding) Microsoft OLE (object Linking and Embedding) OMG CORBA (Object Management Group Common Object Request Broker Architecture) OMG CORBA (Object Management Group Common Object Request Broker Architecture) Interoperability between different vendor software Interoperability between different vendor software Object oriented (Smalltalk, C++, Java,…) vs Procedural languages (COBOL, C, ABAP/4,…) Object oriented (Smalltalk, C++, Java,…) vs Procedural languages (COBOL, C, ABAP/4,…)

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan9 New Technologies for Business DP Client-server computing, GUI, multimedia, broadband networks Client-server computing, GUI, multimedia, broadband networks Wireless networks, thin clients, speech processing, Internet/Web, XML Wireless networks, thin clients, speech processing, Internet/Web, XML Middleware Middleware Software that sits between business applications and hardware operating system Software that sits between business applications and hardware operating system Critical for client-server applications development (key enabling technology) Critical for client-server applications development (key enabling technology)

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan10 Essential Tools of Middleware Isolate applications from specific hardware and system software interfaces (i.e. printing, window management, network, POS, ATM, DBMS, etc.) Isolate applications from specific hardware and system software interfaces (i.e. printing, window management, network, POS, ATM, DBMS, etc.) Provide open communication interfaces for distributed application Provide open communication interfaces for distributed application Control and monitor distributed transactions Control and monitor distributed transactions Access different distributed data sources Access different distributed data sources Provide object management functions Provide object management functions

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan11 Classes of Middleware (Gartner Group) Middleware for data management Middleware for data management Remote file systems (i.e. UNIX NFS) Remote file systems (i.e. UNIX NFS) Database tools and interfaces Database tools and interfaces Middleware for support of distributed functions Middleware for support of distributed functions Communications (sockets, etc.) Communications (sockets, etc.) Remote procedure calls Remote procedure calls Database expansions (replication, mirroring, etc.) Database expansions (replication, mirroring, etc.) Transaction monitors Transaction monitors 4 GL runtime environments 4 GL runtime environments Object management Object management

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan12 Client-Server Computing Hardware view vs software view Hardware view vs software view Computer networks + programs that operate on different computers and asynchronous calls Computer networks + programs that operate on different computers and asynchronous calls Calling program: client or master Calling program: client or master Called program: server or slave Called program: server or slave

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan13 Client-Server Configurations Centralized system Centralized system Distributed presentation Distributed presentation Database access across computer boundaries Database access across computer boundaries Three layer client/server system with distributed presentation, distributed application logic, and database access across computer boundaries Three layer client/server system with distributed presentation, distributed application logic, and database access across computer boundaries Multilayer client/server systems with cooperative processing Multilayer client/server systems with cooperative processing

Sep. 16, 1999Dr. K. Palaniappan14 Technical Foundation for Client/Server Systems Hardware systems: CPUs and memory Hardware systems: CPUs and memory High performance local and wide area networks High performance local and wide area networks System software System software

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