SAP is one of the popular and widespread enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems typically used by large- and medium-sized companies. As an archetype of enterprise information systems, SAP was studied by scientific approaches; that is, SAP was meticulously described by information system analysis methodologies, for example, process diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, and architecture describing methods. The use of SAP required descriptions of the system for end users; for this reason, several books and user guides were created that contain instructions on how to use specific modules of SAP.
This book is devoted to consultants working with SAP, business analysts, and SAP support and project management teams. It is aimed at a specific module/submodule of financial accounting, namely asset management. Therefore, the book presents the main function groups of asset management.
The book’s style resembles a user guide more than a scientific, technical explanation of the major design structure and architecture.
Each chapter typically provides basic knowledge of the related accounting concepts and business information systems, namely the relevant functional services of SAP. An important feature of a SAP system is that it takes into account the country-specific properties of the related regulations on accounting and asset management. Then, the book explains the transactions, illustrated by screen shots. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the knowledge and information presented.
The first chapter discusses the organizational structure within SAP, which is critical for using the financial accounting module. Then, the book systematically goes through the activities that are important for asset management, the setting of parameters, and transactions, that is, functions that can be used to customize and store data in the SAP system. Each significant transaction is explained in detail along with data items on screens and opportunities for customization.
The second chapter describes how to integrate asset management and accounting in general. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with depreciation and storing the various rules in the system. The fifth chapter treats valuation methods in relationship to depreciation. The sixth chapter presents issues related to master data management. The seventh chapter expounds on the topics related to asset retirement. Chapter 8 discusses how to define validation and substitution rules using Boolean logic expressions. Chapter 9 speaks about parameter settings for report selection and how to create customized reports about the assets. In chapter 10, asset data transfer and the required setting of parameters are explained. Chapter 11 discusses details about preparing for production startup. Chapter 12 exemplifies how to create and use periodic programs that run monthly, quarterly, and annually for closing. The book explains how to create reports according to various business and regulation requirements. A strongly coupled set of activities to reporting is running the periodic programs typically at the end of the fiscal year. The book ends with two appendices that could be used as references.
The reader can get a very technical overview about using asset management and can understand a little about the underlying software, information, and application architecture. A little slice of business architectures and business processes can be gleaned through the information provided in the introductory part of each chapter.
The intended audience, according to the book, includes “functional consultants, application consultants, business analysts, accountants, SAP support teams, and project management teams in charge of asset accounting.” The book is really dedicated to the intended audience who works in practice; it does not provide any theoretical, scientific, or technical background.
