SAP NetWeaver is an open integration and application platform, the only comprehensive solution of this kind, offered by ERP systems suppliers. Using SAP NetWeaver platform the clients reduce the total costs of maintaining IT infrastructure.

The platform helps quickly unite SAP systems with all the most important IT products and technologies available on the market. SAP NetWeaver integrates processes in developed IT environments both inside a company and among business partners. It unites such Internet technologies as http, XML and WWW services. At the same time it ensures openness and cooperation with Microsoft.NET and J2EE.

SAP has integrated NetWeaver with most of its platform components: SAP Web Application Server, SAP Composite Application Framework, SAP Master Data Management, SAP Enterprise Portal, SAP Exchange Infrastructure, SAP Business Intelligence, SAP Solution Manager and SAP Mobile Infrastructure.

The most important SAP NetWeaver components:

SAP Enterprise Portal (SAP EP)

A common, consistent platform that integrates data from different systems and aggregates applications that is available to users on the basis of a flexible role system.

The portal is the front-end component for SAP NetWeaver—the comprehensive integration and application platform that facilitates the alignment of people, information, and business processes across organizational and technical boundaries.

SAP Business Intelligence (SAP BI)

Aggregates information, supports reporting process from gathering and analysis to data distribution in an organization.

As a core component of SAP NetWeaver, the SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) provides data warehousing functionality, a business intelligence platform, and a suite of business intelligence tools. Relevant business information from SAP applications and all external data sources can be integrated, transformed, and consolidated in SAP BW.

SAP BW provides flexible reporting and analysis tools to support you in evaluating and interpreting data, as well as facilitating its distribution.

SAP Master Data Management (SAP MDM)

Helps unite information scattered in many systems and applications. It enables creating and handling huge data warehouses that constitute the basic, consistent source of data for the organization.

Companies that have implemented SAP R3 globally and wish to create common master data for their whole enterprise use MDM to have consistent master data across the different instances.

SAP Exchange Infrastructure (SAP XI)

A flexible integration platform that offers a data exchange system among data processes operating in the application. The basis for creating adapters that enable communication among various systems with heterogeneous and complex system landscapes.

SAP Exchange Infrastructure (XI) enables you to implement cross-system business processes. The aim of the Exchange Infrastructure is to integrate different versions of SAP and non-SAP systems implemented on different platforms (Java, ABAP, and so on).

SAP Web Application Server (SAP WAS)

An Application Platform that is the basis for all SAP NetWeaver platform components.

SAP Web Application Server provides a complete development infrastructure on which you can develop, distribute, and execute platform-independent, robust, and scalable Web services and business applications. SAP Web Application Server supports ABAP, Java, and Web services. The Application Platform is the basis of SAP NetWeaver and is implemented by SAP Web Application Server.

SAP Solution Manager (SAP SSM)

A set of tools and services for managing SAP solutions support.

The SAP Solution Manager supports provides central access to tools, methods and preconfigured contents which can be used throughout the entire life-cycle of solutions, from the Business Blueprint to the configuration to production processing.

SAP Mobile Infrastructure (SAP MI)

A complete infrastructure that allows to give access to and develop applications on mobile equipment (notebooks, PDA, mobile phones etc.), also offering technological independence.

The SAP Mobile Infrastructure (SAP MI) is a technology solution of SAP NetWeaver on which SAP Solutions for Mobile Business is based. With SAP MI, however, you can also make applications mobile that are not SAP-based.