System Architect®

The SA/ERP add-in enables you to reverse engineer ERP systems to analyze their data model tables, and their related application components and processes. The following ERP systems are supported:

• Salesforce.com
• SAP
• Siebel
• J.D. Edwards
• PeopleSoft
• Oracle Enterprise Business Suite (EBS)

Looking under the hood of ERP systems

The data structures of enterprise applications are complex and difficult to understand. Making sense of the meta-data hidden within your enterprise applications can be a time-consuming and frustrating task, especially when embarking on a project that requires specific knowledge of data structures. With SA/ERP, data managers can control meta-data without relying on enterprise application providers, this results in more consistent data, easier data migration, and cost savings. Select important parts of the ERP data model (based on their related applications or processes for example) to import into System Architect, where its strong data modeling capabilities enable you to analyze the data model of the ERP system within the scope of the EA. This is a feature unique in the enterprise architecture world.

Enterprise data management and mapping

SA/ERP is the only tool on the market that extracts enterprise application meta-data solely for the purpose of exploration. It also links directly into your enterprise architecture for organizational analysis. It complements the existing System Architect repository, leaving you free to navigate complex ERP relationships with ease. Using SA/ERP, data managers can maintain control over the examination of meta-data and its results without reliance on enterprise application providers.

Meta-data interrogation

With SA/ERP, you can perform customized queries on the existing ERP implementation, and allow for model search by common words or related artifacts. The queries can be saved into separate views for direct import into System Architect and can be used for comparing process and applications with the architecture.

Meta-data comparison

With SA/ERP, users can compare and contrast separate versions of ERP implementations and easily identify changes across the application meta-data. This capability enhances the management capabilities and decreases the level of effort required in ERP maintenance and deployment.

A look under the hood of SA/ERP

Via SA/ERP's easy-to-use browser, users can navigate complex data structures - search for tables and fields, navigate up and down relationship paths, and search by application module. SA/ERP extracts key meta-data information (tables, fields, relationships, indexes, etc.) from the enterprise application data dictionary using the most appropriate connection mechanism for each enterprise application:

• Salesforce.com – SA/ERP uses direct SQL calls on the data dictionary
• SAP systems – SA/ERP uses RFC calls to an ABAP function
• J.D. Edwards – SA/ERP uses a combination of direct SQL calls to the data dictionary and an import of an XML file created by a J.D. Edwards-developed process
• PeopleSoft – SA/ERP uses direct SQL calls on the data dictionary
• Siebel – SA/ERP uses direct SQL calls on the data dictionary
• Oracle EBS - SA/ERP uses direct SQL calls on the data dictionary

In each case, SA/ERP makes an initial connection to the system and then extracts the requested meta-data to a separate SA/ERP repository. So users work in an independent environment and make no further demands on the enterprise application team.