| SAP has been the dominant solutions provider in the | | | | only once. Once entered in Excel the data is |
| ERP space for some time; having over 40,000 | | | | automatically updated in SAP and vice versa. The |
| customers worldwide, across 120 countries and 25 | | | | user is able to use Excel like an alternative front end |
| industries. A significant portion of the Fortune 500 | | | | to SAP. |
| companies in the US make use of SAP for | | | | Users would require a minimum of features like: |
| day-to-day transactional and operational processing. | | | | Create New Spreadsheets: Helps users to create |
| An ERP system typically exhibits the following | | | | a new workbook of data or use a existing template |
| features: | | | | sheet and just add data into it. |
| Packaged software | | | | Develop Custom Templates: Users can develop |
| Integrates the majority of a business's | | | | customer specific templates, defining the meaning of |
| processes | | | | each column and row in the worksheet, create user |
| Processes the majority of organizations | | | | specific labels and headers and define formulas. |
| transactions | | | | Upload to SAP: Upload excels data to SAP. |
| Uses a data warehouse | | | | Download from SAP: Download data from SAP |
| Allow access to data in "real time" | | | | to an Excel Spreadsheet/Template, including history |
| Integrates transaction processing and planning | | | | and master data. This is the same Spreadsheet |
| activities | | | | Template that will be used for the upload process. |
| SAP has all the features that an ERP system should | | | | Advance Error Checking: A key differentiators |
| have. It does all that an ERP systems needs to do | | | | from a simple load program. Standard SAP error |
| and also a lot more than expected. It has a modular | | | | messages are passed back to Excel, therefore the |
| functionality, which enables the system to provide | | | | user sees it exactly as if they had made the input |
| solutions to all the key aspects of the business. | | | | directly into SAP. |
| SAP provides a wide range of solution, from finance, | | | | Integration with SAP Security: Users must be |
| to human resources management, to ware house | | | | SAP users and have the relevant security objects |
| supply management, to supply chain, to online and | | | | assigned to their User ID to make to upload or use |
| offline sales management. All these functions are | | | | SAP data through the Excel to SAP Software. |
| reconfigurable /customizable according to the | | | | F4 Style Look-ups: Users can perform SAP F4 |
| business needs. | | | | Style lookups either to Master Data available in their |
| Though SAP possesses such amazing features and | | | | spreadsheets or into SAP. |
| fulfills its role as an ERP system, there is a still lot of | | | | SAP System Selection: Ability to select which |
| double handling of data or manually (re)entering data | | | | SAP System processing will take place with. DEV |
| into SAP, plus corporate data continues to reside in | | | | TST/PRD. |
| spreadsheets. Updating data in spreadsheets into SAP | | | | Multiple Sheet Processing: Users can process |
| remains a significant challenge. Many business | | | | multiple sheets at once. Through the multiple sheet |
| departments waste resources by manually entering | | | | configuration form, users can identify which sheets to |
| data into SAP system, the data that is entered into | | | | process and the processing task. |
| SAP can be error prone and be of poor quality. | | | | Use of Excel Functionality: Users can enter data |
| There is a better way! A software solution that | | | | either as a manual number, a formula or a reference |
| works the way you do, in essence link Excel and | | | | to another sheet. |
| SAP seamlessly, so that data entry occurs in Excel | | | | |