SAP R/3 for Everyone: Step-by-Step Instructions, Practical Advice, and Other Tips and Tricks for Working with SAP

Lesson 1. Logging On and Logging Off

The SAP software and its database are installed in large centralized computers called servers that are dedicated solely to this system and that have the memory and processing speeds to support it. The servers are linked by cable and satellite networks to remote or peripheral client computers, where end users like you interact with the system.

Large corporate operators of SAP often maintain several classes of servers, such as production, development, and training servers.

Production servers house a live SAP system; that is, the software and database used by a business to manage its affairs and by all users to do their work with the system. We use several production servers to house the SAP software and its database in our organization, although they all provide the same access to the entire system. These servers are assigned functional names such as Warehouse Management and Purchasing in order to direct different types of users (warehouse managers and purchasing agents, in this example) to different production servers. This distributes the workload more evenly among all these servers (a process called "automatic load balancing") and speeds the overall operating and response times of the system for all users.

Development servers are used only by computer programmers and SAP specialists to develop and test customized versions of the software.

Training servers contain copies of a live database and are used as training "sandboxes" where new users can "play" with and learn the system without harm to the live database. Most end users do not usually have access to these servers except in training classes.

To log on to SAP, you must first select a logon server and then identify yourself to the system with a user ID and password (and sometimes client and language codes). Once the system verifies that you have an account with the SAP administrator, the SAP application window appears and displays the SAP Easy Access screen. This screen is your gateway to the application and its database.

This first lesson provides instructions on logging on to the SAP system through the available servers in your network, dealing with problems during logons, and logging off the system.