Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Integration with SAP

ERP/SAP Project

  • ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
  • ERP in the Curriculum: Showing students the connection between all the business disciplines in the real world and how ERP systems support the planning and management of business processes
  • SAP: System Application Products
  • ERP-SAP Project Summary 1-page PDF

Project Objective

The ERP[1] integration implemented curricula changes in the College of Business bringing ERP concepts and SAP[2] software into the classroom to give students in all the business disciplines hands-on exposure to how enterprise-wide information systems support the planning and management of business processes.

Project Overview

This five-year project integrated ERP into five business courses. In the first year of our membership in the SAP University Alliance membership, three courses were selected for ERP software integration and teachers attended training for SAP. By the third year of the ERP project the three selected courses had ERP concepts, software and assignments integrated into the courses. Also, in the third year, two more courses were identified for ERP integration. At the end of the five years five courses had integrated ERP concepts and SAP software into their coursework and the approval process for the ERP minor had begun. Later the ERP minor was approved.

During the fall semester of 2012 the SAP Academic Alliance approved issuing a certificate of recognition to students who complete three of four approved courses (BCIS 338, BCIS 485, ACCT 351, BCIS 495). As of May 2014, seventy-nine students have been awarded this certificate.

Project Benefits

  • Newly hired graduates with ERP and SAP experience are more productive more quickly.
  • Graduates will have an overview of enterprise resource planning and its role in managing business processes.
  • SAP/ERP integration will take place across the curriculum, specifically in:
    • Business Information Systems for Managers (MBA program)
    • Knowledge Management and Decision Support (senior-level)
    • Accounting Information Systems (senior-level)
    • Enterprise Systems & Business Process Integration (junior-level)
    • ERP Implementation & Management (senior-level)
    • Management Information Systems (junior-level)

[1] ERP is a generic industry term for a full suite of software to support business functions, including: customer relationship management, financial and managerial accounting, production planning, logistics, performance analysis tools, and human resource management. In the past few years the term “enterprise systems” (ES) is often being used instead of ERP.

[2] SAP (System Application Products) is a software company that develops and sells all the components of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, as well as add-on applications, such as data mining and supply chain management. SAP is a commercial ERP product suite.