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INTRODUCTION

After the Internet, sap r/3 is one of the hottest topics in

the computer industry, and the company that developed it, SAP
AG, has become one of the successful in the software market.
The SAP R/3 system is targeted to most industries:
manufacturing, retail, oil and gas, electricity, health care,
pharmaceutical, banking, insurance, telecommunications,
transport, automotive, chemical, and so on. All hard ware
vendors, without exception, are fully engaged to partner with
SAP: currently, AT&T, Bull, Compaq, Data General, Digital,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Pyramid, Sequent, Siemens-Nixdorf,
and SUN has supported and certified SAP R/3 platforms.

SAP AG was found in 1972 by four former IBM

employees. Since its foundation, SAP has made significant
development and marketing efforts on standard application
software, being a global market player with its R/2 system for
mainframe applications and its R/3 system for open
client/server technologies.
The company name SAP stands for Systems, Applications
and Products in Data Processing. It is a standard software package
that can be configured in multiple areas and adapted to specific
needs of the company. To support those needs, SAP includes
large number of business functions, leaving room for further
enhancements or adaptability to business practice changes.
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FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM

Financials, Materials Management, Sales & distribution,

Human Resources, Production, Assets……

R/3 APPLICATIONS-FUNCTIONAL LAYER S

A
P
ABAP/$ Workbench, CCMS, Administration, Interfaces
SAP Office, Authorizations, Jobs, Data Dictionary R/3

BASIS SYSTEM-MIDDLEWARE-
CROSS APPLICATIONS

OPERATING SYSTEM-DATABASE-NETWORK

The lower layer is made of operating system, physical

database (whose software is included in the SAP kit), and the
network. The middleware layer, which is above it, interfaces
with the lower one and integrates SAP applications on top of it.
This middle layer is known as the basis system, or R/3 kernel, and
includes components such as the ABAP/4 development work
bench, the system administration tools, batch job handling,
authorization and security management, and all cross application
modules.
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ABAP/4 is the $GL (fourth-generation programming

language) in which all R/3 applications (the upper layer) are
developed. Middleware are the layered software components
that facilitate the development of client/server applications that
can be deployed in heterogeneous vendor platforms. The basis
system, also known as kernel, is the SAP R/3 middleware.

The upper layer, the functional layer, contains the

different business applications: financial, human resources,
sales and distribution, materials management, and so on. The
integration of all applications relies on the basis system.

The R/3 kernel makes use of standard communications

and application program interfaces to access the operating
system, the database, and the network. This architecture allows
users to change system configuration and install new systems
without interrupting or altering the applications themselves.
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CLIENT/SERVER SOLUTION

DATABASE SERVER

APPLICATION SERVER

X-terminals
PC’s

PRESENTATION SERVER

In general client/server is a style of computing that

distributes the workload of a computer application across
several cooperating computer programs. This type of
computing separates user-oriented, application, and data
management tasks. Client/server is mainly a software concept
that includes a set of service providers and service requesters. In
client/server computing, individual software components act as
service providers, service requesters, or both. These software
services communicate with each other via predefined interfaces.
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Major advantages of the client/server approach are as

follows:
 Flexible configuration. With the deployment of standard
communication interfaces, there are many possibilities for
planning a client/sever installation: from a centralized
configuration to a highly distributed system.
 Workload distribution. Since application servers work in
parallel, and communicate with the data base, users can be
evenly distributed based on their job tasks. Also there is the
possibility of deploying dedicated application servers to
specific business areas.
 High scalability. Client/server permits users to adapt their
capacity of their hardware according to the performance
needs of their businesses, such as adding application servers
when there is an increase in the number of users, when
additional modules start production, and when data base
becomes larger. This enables companies to protect their
hardware and software investments.

One of the widely used client/server configurations with

the R/3 system is the three-tiered architecture, which separates
system’s computers in to three functional groups: presentation,
application, and database. The central server contains the
database, widely known as database server. Application servers
include the processing logic of the system, including services
such as spooling, dispatching user requests, and formatting
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data.

The tasks related to presentation of data are handled by the

presentation servers, which typically are personal computers or,
workstations, enabling easy access to the system.

Communication among the three tiers is accomplished

with the use of standard protocol services, such as the one
provided by TCP/IP or CPIC.

The key to SAP/R3 success was the strategy of making

open solutions, in which applications can run on multiple
operating systems, databases, and communication technologies.
This enables customers to remain independent of a single
vendor if they wish.
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ABAP/4 DEVELOPMENT WORKBENCH

ABAP/4 is a 4GL (fourth-generation programming

language); the acronym stands for Advanced Business Application
Programming Language. It is the SAP programming language
used in the development of all standard applications included
with R/3.

On top pf ABAP/4, SAP has designed a full-purpose

development environment, known as the ABAP/4 development
workbench, which is integrated with R/3 system and is
available for customers to develop their own solutions and
enhance or extend the capabilities of the existing applications.

It includes all tools necessary to develop and design

programs, screens, menus, and so forth. It also contains
performance and debugging facilities. Central to the workbench
is the ABAP/4 object repository and the data dictionary.

Object repository stores all the development objects of

workbench: programs, dictionary data, dynpros (dynamic
programs), and documentation. The repository is the key to
managing and testing ongoing development. Data dictionary
contains the descriptions of the data structures used with in
programs. This is metadata repository that includes table
definitions, allowed values and relationship between tables.
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ARCHITECTURE OF SAP/R3

R/3 BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

ABAP/4 DEVELOPMENT WORKBENCH

OS DATA NET- SAP

BASE WORK GUI
Oracle, Macint
UNIX Adabas TCP/IP osh,
WIND Inforni LUG.2 OS/2,
OWS, x,SQL RPC OSF/M
OS/400 server otif

SAP R/3 MIDDLEWARE

R/3 BASIS SOFTWARE

The basis software is the set of programs and tools which

interfaces with the computer operating system, the underlying
database, the communication protocols, and the presentation
interfaces. This software enables R/3 applications to have the
same functionality and work exactly the same way no matter
what operating system or database the system is installed on. It
is an independent layer which integrates all application
modules. It is the kernel of SAP R/3 software.
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In addition to that R/3 basis also provides:

 The environment for R/3 applications.
 System administration and monitoring tools.
 Architectural software client/server design.
 Authorization and profile management tools.
 Database monitoring and administration utilities.
The features of the R/3 basis system which enables these
types of interfaces are as follows:
 The client/server architecture and configuration
 The use of relational database management systems
 Graphical user interface design for presentation

The R/3 basis system is based on standards: ANSI-C for the

programming of the run time environment, Open SQL for
embedded SQL calls inside, ABAP/4 for interfacing with the
database, communication standards such as TCP/IP, and
graphical interfaces such as Microsoft Windows, Motif, or
Macintosh.
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ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS

The R/3 system uses some widely known terms to which

SAP gives some specific meanings.

TRANSACTION

Generally, a transaction is an operation that lets user make

changes to a database. The overall R/3 system must be seen as a
business transaction processing system.

In the SAP system, a transaction is a sequence of related

steps. These logically related steps, known as dialog steps, are
screens in which the data is introduced causing the generation
of other events. There is a special transaction monitor, the SAP
dispatcher, which takes care of handling the sequence of those
steps.

The final task of transaction is to modify the information

which ultimately goes in to the database. The transactions
usually contain two phases: an interactive phase and an update
phase. The interactive phase may be at least one step, but can
have many. This phase is responsible for preparing the database
records that can update the database. The update may be one
step or many. This phase processes the previously prepared
records and updates the database.
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DILOG STEP

A dialog step is a SAP R/3 screen, which is represented

by a dynpro. A dynpro, or dynamic program, consists of a screen
and associated processing logic. A dialog step is controlled
exactly by a dydpro.

LOGICAL UNITS OF WORK (LUWs)

Conceptually, a logical unit of work (LUW) is an

elementary processing step which works as a locking
mechanism to protect the transactions integrity. A LUW is a set
of steps with in a transaction, and all those steps must be
correctly completed to go ahead with transaction logic. If there
are errors before the end of transactions, the current LUW is
canceled, but not the previous ones.

Three kinds of work processes can be distinguished.

 A database transaction, known as LUW or database LUW, is

the period of time in which the operation requested must be
performed as a unit. This is an all nothing operation, i.e. at
the end of LUW either changes are committed or they are
rolled back.
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 An update transaction or SAP LUW is the equivalent to the

database concept for the SAP systems. Generally it consists
of numerous database LUWs.
 ASAP transaction or ABAP transaction is made up of set of
related tasks combined under one transaction code.
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SYSTEM CENTRAL INTERFACES

USERS

Graphical User Interface

R/3
R/3 BASE APPLICATIONS
SYSTEM

Database
Interface
Operating System
Interface

OPERATINGSYSTEM
DATABASE

The R/3 middle ware is made of central interfaces as shown in

the figure
 The interface with the operating system.
 The interface with the database.
 The interface for presentation.
 Communication can be seen as a special type of interface
which directly or indirectly is present in the other three
types.
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For compatibility and portability
reasons, all these interfaces are grouped together in the central
interface functions of the SAP system kernel.

OPERATING SYSTEM INTERFACE

One of the main task of the operating system inter face is

to guarantee the portability of the whole system. This done
using an internal portability [Link] layer offers to the
applications nearest services to the system, such as message
handling and memory management, independently of the
platform and optimized for performance. The inherent
openness of R/3 makes it run over different operating systems,
which has to be POSIX standard-compliant.

The mission of system interfaces is to provide services

such as scheduling, memory management, and similar tasks,
which could be partially done by the operating system software,
but SAP executes them internally for portability reasons. The
R/3 run time environment is written in ANSI-C, but all
application programs inside R/3 are written in the interpreted
programming language ABAP/4 developed by SAP.

The components in charge of controlling the user dialogs

are the dynpros. The technology base for R/3 application is
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made of the interrelation of the dynpro interpreters and the
ABAP/4 language.

From the view point of the operating system, the runtime

system of R/3 can be seen as a group of parallel processes (work
process). Among these processes there is a special one, the
dispatcher, which controls and assigns tasks to the other
processes.

DISPATCHER PROCESS

The SAP dispatcher is the control program which

manages the resources of the R/3 applications. It works as a
typical transaction monitor which receives screens and data
from the presentation services and passes them to the
corresponding work processes.

Using client/server terminology, a work process is a

service offered by the server and requested by the client.
Dispatcher manages the information exchange between the
SAPGUIs and the work processes, enabling users to share the
different work processes available.

Main tasks of dispatcher are as follows:

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 Balanced assignment of the transaction load to the work
processes.
 Buffer management in main memory.
 Connection with presentation level.
 Organization of communication processes.

CLIENTS
SAPGUI SAPGUI SAPGUI

Dispatcher
Work process

Work process

Work process

database SAP DISPATCHER

PROCESS

The logical flow of execution of a user request follows:

1. Users enter data in the presentation server; the data is
received by SAPGUI, converted to a SAP format, and send to
the dispatcher.
2. Initially, the dispatcher keeps the requests in queues, where
the dispatcher later processes them one by one.
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3. The dispatcher allocates the user requests using the free work
processes. The real execution takes place inside the work
processes themselves.
4. At the end of execution, the result of the work process task
goes back to the SAPGUI through the dispatcher. SAPGUI
interprets the received data and fills up the user screen.

SAP GUI Presentation server

Application server

Dispatcher

Work Roll

Process
SAP
Buffers page Main
memory

Database Server
Data base

Dataflow in dialog steps

SAP has optimized the data flow between the

presentation and application servers. Typically the quantity of
data that goes in the network from dispatcher to the SAPGUI
does not exceed [Link] communication is established via
standard TCP/IP sockets.
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The dispatcher has a special advanced program-to-
program communication (APPC) server built in to it which
communicates and responds to requests submitted by the work
processes. On each application server there is one dispatcher
but multiple work processes.

WORK PROCESS ARCHITECTURE

Work Process

Task handler

ABAP/4 Dialog
processor Interpre- Database
ter Interface

A work process is a program in charge of execution the

R/3 application tasks. It consists of a task handler, ABAP/4
processor, dialog interpreter, and database interface. Activities
inside the work process are coordinated by task handler. It is
the control program inside the work process. The processing of
the codes of the application program is done by ABAP/4
processor. Dialog interpreter manages the user dialogs. The
database interface allows the work processes to establish direct
links with the database.

SERVICES: WORK PROCESS TYPES

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Depending on the type of services provided work

processes are: dialog, batch, update, enqueue, spool, message,
and gateway.

DIALOG WORK PROCESS

A dialog work process is in charge of the interactive tasks

of the R/3 system. Dialog work processes execute just one
single dialog step at a time and becomes immediately available
for the next user request, which is assigned by the dispatcher.
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CLIENTS
SAPGUI SAPGUI SAPGUI

Dispatcher
Dialog Work process

Dialog Work process

Dialog Work process

database
Dialog work Process

BACKGROUND WORK PROCESS

The back ground work processes are in charge of

executing ABAP/4 programs submitted by for background
execution. The ABAP/4 programs submitted for background
processing are executed in the planned time by the background
work processes.
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CLIENTS
SAPGUI SAPGUI SAPGUI

Dialog server with back ground

Dispatcher

services
Dialog Work process

Dialog Work process

Dialog Work process

Background Work

Background Work
process

process
……..

database
Dialog work Process

SPOOL WORK PROCESS

Host Spool server

spool

Database

Spool server Host

spool

SPOOL SERVICE
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Spool work process is in charge of formatting the data for

printing and passing it to the host spool system. The spool
requests, indicating the printer and the printing format of the
spool request, are generated during dialog or background
processing and are held in spool database.

ENQUEUE WORK PROCESS

Enqueue work process is in charge of lock management

system. In order for the system to run in a consistent manner, it
must ensure that when a transaction’s dialog steps are handled
by different work processes, they retain the assigned locks until
the end if the transaction or intentional release of lock, even
when switching work processes.
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Locks are managed by the enqueue work process using

lock table which resides in the main memory. Locking objects
are of two types: type S, object that can be shared, type E,
objects that cannot be shared.

UPDATE WORK PROCESS

The update work process is in charge of executing
database changes when requested by the dialog or background
work processes. A dialog program first generates log records in
the VBLOG table, which are then passed by the update program
once dialog is finished. The update log record can have two
components, primary update component (V1) and secondary
update component (V2). Time critical processes are held inside
the V1, less critical ones inside V2.
1. Create update
request
2. Send update
message
3. Read update request
4. Implement update
request Dispatcher

2
D ….. ….

Dispatcher

D …. V …. 1

DB
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MESSAGE SERVER

The message server is a service used by the different application

servers to exchange data and internal messages. There is only
one message server per R/3 system. Every application server
has a unique name for the message server.

Dispatcher Dispatcher

D E D E

Message server

Dispatcher Dispatcher

D V B D B

Message service
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GATEWAY SERVER

The gateway services allow the communication between

R/3, R/2, and external applications.

R/2
system
Dispatcher Dispatcher
TCP/IP

D E D E

R/2 system Message server

DB TCP/IP DB
LU 6.2
UPIC
Non-SAP application

Dispatcher

LU 6.2
D V B UPIC

DB
Gateway service
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PRESENTATION INTERFACE

The presentation interface is the component is in charge

of making functionally equivalent the presentation and
handling of R/3, no matter the type of front end used.

The connection between the SAPGUIs and the SAP

dispatcher is made with an optimized protocol, in which small
data packets are send through the network. The presentation
interface allows for upload and download functions from the
application server.

DATABASE INTERFACE

The underlying database of he SAP/3 system acts as the

main container for all the information managed by the system.
The database interface supports different relational databases
from different vendors. The main task of the database interface
is to convert SQL requests from the SAP development
environment to the database’s own SQL requests.
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SAP R/3 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS

AND INTERFACES

Inside R/3, communication is an overall process which

involves most of the components of the systems both internally
and to the exterior world. At the operating system level, the
protocol used is TCP/IP. Communication with the database is
accomplished using remote SQL calls. Between applications
there are many programming interfaces which use an
underlying communication layer, such as CPIC, RFC, ALE, and
EDI.

The communication interfaces are employed to integrate

all the layers of the client/server architecture, from database
server to application server to presentation servers.
Additionally they define channels for exchange of information.
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APPLICATIONS

The R/3 applications are usually categorized in three core

functional areas: financial, logistics, human resources.
Additionally SAP actively develops special software packages
on top of R/3, targeted to specialized vertical industries.

SAP financial modules give customers the whole picture of

accounting functions, with excessive report facilities to allow for
fast decision-making support. They are also suited for
international corporations with multiple subsidiaries, including
support for foreign currencies and multilingual capabilities.

HR modules include all necessary business processes to

efficiently manage all the needs of a company’s human resource
area- application screening to payroll accounting or personnel
development.

Logistics applications manage all processes involved in

the supply chain of goods: from raw material procurement to
final customer delivery and billing.
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CONCLUSION

Looking from whole point of view SAP R/3 is one of the

suitable software for managing large number of business
processes. SAP AG provides online service systems for
administration and guidance. It provides consulting,
information and maintenance services for the customers of
SAP/3 software. Thus SAP R/3 would be the most suitable
software package to almost every industrial application for
medium as well as large scale industries.
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REFERENCES

1. USING SAP R/3 BY: ASAP WORLD CONSULTANCY AND

JONATHAN BLAIN

2. THE SAP R/3 HAND BOOK BY: JOSE ANTONIO

HERNANDEZ
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my sincere thanks to Prof. AGNISHARMAN

NAMBOODIRI (Head of department of computer Science &
engineering, MESCE) for his kind cooperation.

I also extend my sincere thanks to all other members of the

faculty of computer science & engineering department and my friends
for their cooperation and encouragement.
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ABSTRACT

SAP R/3 ARCHITECTURE.

SAP R/3 is a standard software package for business

applications. It integrates most of the currently run business
applications in a single package. The software was developed by SAP
AG company. SAP stands for systems, applications, products in data
processing. SAP R/3 is a standard package which can be configured in
multiple areas and adapted to specific needs of a company. To
support those needs, SAP includes a large number of business
functions, leaving room for further functionality and enhancements
or adaptability to business practice changes.

The topic covers the functional diagram of R/3 software, the

need of client/server architecture, the development environment
provided by the software, the terms such as transaction, dialog steps,
LUW etc ,the systems central interfaces, and the applications .The
environment provided for development is ABAP/4 development
work bench which allows us to integrate the applications according
to the needs of our use as well as for developing new applications. In
the central interfaces, operating system interface is the most
prominent one. Others are database interface, presentation interface,
and communication interfaces. It also covers the services provided
such as dialog service, message service, gateway service, spool
service, background service, and update service.
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SAP R/3’s nucleus is the basis software also known as
kernel. Kernel is responsible for integration of all the applications in
the R/3 software.
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CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM

3. CLIENT-SERVER SOLUTION

4. ABAP/4 DEVELOPMENT WORKBENCH

5. ARCHITECTURE OF SAP/R3

6. ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS

7. SYSTEM CENTRAL INTERFACES

8. APPLICATIONS
9. CONCLUSION
10. REFERENCES