SAP is the world's leading provider of ERP software and services, with worldwide revenue in 2004 of $9.7 billion and a 57 percent market share among major business application providers; it is one of the world's largest software companies overall. ERP is a flexible, open technology platform that helps businesses run more efficiently (and profitably) by providing integrated management of key operations and supply chains. Written for IT professionals who find it hard to get through SAP's complex documentation, our book demonstrates how ERP can cut costs, provides a clear overview of how the ESA (enterprise service architecture) model affects ERP, and shows how to implement the new ERP in the real world. Topics covered include reducing the cost of an existing IT backbone, using the new ERP to address a company's ''pain points'' and challenges, and proving the value of ERP through ROI (return on investment) and TCO (total cost of ownership) studies.