An SAP module is a software component that enables the management and optimisation of various company operations. Each module is designed for a specific function and offers tools and features that are tailored to its particular needs. SAP organises these modules into different families, each of which targets a distinct area of activity. This enables the complete integration and efficient management of business processes.
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The main SAP modules facilitate the management of various business processes. The most commonly used are:
SAP FI – financial management
SAP CO - management control
SAP MM - purchasing and procurement management
SAP SD - (sales and distribution management)
SAP PP - production planning
SAP WM- warehouse management
These modules can be combined to cover all of a company's business processes.
They are organised into three families:
SAP Logistics Module Family
SAP Finance Module Family
SAP Human Resources Module Family.
Each family requires specific SAP expertise, particularly for projects involving the implementation of the latest version of SAP S/4HANA.
The SAP Logistics family (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing) comprises several modules and features designed to optimise and efficiently manage a company's logistics operations. Below is an overview of its main components and how they are used.
The SAP MM module is designed to manage a company's purchasing and inventory processes. It covers several key aspects of the supply chain, including purchasing, supplier, and inventory management. The MM module is essential for ensuring efficient materials management and optimising inventory levels while minimising costs.
Key features:
• Purchasing management
• Supplier management
• Contract management
• Purchasing info sheets (FIA)
• Supply source directory (RSA)
The SAP PP module is designed to manage and optimise a company's production processes. It covers various aspects of production planning, execution and monitoring. It helps to coordinate and integrate production activities in order to maximise efficiency, reduce costs and improve the quality of finished products.
Key features:
• Production planning
• Capacity planning
• Manufacturing control
• Technical data management
The SAP LES module is designed for the management of inbound and outbound logistics within a company. It focuses on efficiently managing goods movements and associated transportation costs, thereby optimising the supply chain and reducing costs.
Key features:
• Transportation management
• Transportation expense management
The SAP SD module is designed to manage and optimise a company's sales and distribution processes. It integrates various sales administration processes, including order management, invoicing, contract management and shipment planning.
Key features :
• Tender management
• Creation and management of quotations
• Contract management
• Creation and processing of customer orders
• Shipment planning and management
• Creation and management of invoices
• Reports and analyses
• Management of promotions and discounts
• Price calculation and management
• Business partner management
The WM module is designed for comprehensive, optimised warehouse management. It integrates several key aspects of inventory management and goods movement within the warehouse.
Key features :
• Stock management
• Stock movements
• Inventory control
• Warehouse optimisation
• Goods tracking and traceability
• Shipment management
• Integration with MM and SD
Designed for comprehensive project management, the SAP PS module offers tools for planning, monitoring and controlling projects. It helps companies manage resources, costs and deadlines efficiently, thereby ensuring project success.
Key features :
•Project structuring
•Cost and budget tracking
•Planning and scheduling
•Capacity planning
•Integration with PM, PP and CO
•Information system
•Interface with MS Project and Excel
Discover our comprehensive guide to the SAP PS module dedicated to project management.
The SAP QM module is designed to ensure comprehensive quality management within a company. It incorporates several key features for planning, controlling and documenting product and process quality, thereby ensuring compliance with standards and facilitating continuous improvement.
Key features :
• Quality planning
• Inspection plan
• Quality control
• Documentation
The SAP PM module is designed for comprehensive plant and equipment maintenance management within a company. It covers several key aspects of preventive and corrective maintenance to ensure optimal equipment operation and minimise downtime.
Key features:
• Description of technical specifications
• Preventive and corrective maintenance
• Management of service requests
• Processing of maintenance orders
• Management of completion confirmations
• History management
• Maintenance history
• Maintenance cost management
• Repair management with item revaluation
Designed for comprehensive customer service management, the SAP CS module integrates the functionality of the PM (Plant Maintenance) module with additional features specific to customer services. It enables companies to provide a superior service, optimise maintenance operations, and boost customer satisfaction.
Key features :
• Customer service management
• Integration of PM features
• Completion confirmation management
• Service history tracking
• Service cost management
• Resource planning
• Service contracts
• Repair management
• Information system
For more information, see our comprehensive guide to the SAP CS module dedicated to customer service.
The SAP PLM module is designed for the comprehensive management of a product's lifecycle, from initial design to end of life. It integrates several key features for managing the data, processes, and collaborations required at each stage, ensuring efficient management and continuous innovation.
Key features :
• Product data management
• Change management
• Project and programme management
• Collaboration and integration
• Quality management
• Cost and resource management
• Compliance and regulatory management
• Innovation and sustainability
The SAP EHS module is designed for the comprehensive management of environmental, health and safety issues within a company. It incorporates several key features for managing environmental aspects and health and safety risks, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance.
Key features :
• Environmental management
• Occupational health and safety management
• Regulatory compliance
• Chemicals management
• Risk and crisis management
• Reporting and analysis
• Compliance and regulatory management
• Sustainability
Also known as SAP Financials, the SAP Finance family comprises several modules designed to manage and optimise a company's financial operations.
The SAP FI module is designed to manage a company's accounting and financial activities, ensuring compliance with and transparency in financial records. It facilitates the production of accurate financial statements and ensures compliance with local and international accounting standards.
Key features :
•FI-GL: General Ledger
• FI-AR: Accounts Receivable
• FI-AP: Accounts Payable (Accounts Payable)
• FI-AA: Asset Accounting
• FI-TR: Cash Management and Bank Accounting
• FI-TV: Travel Management
• EC-CS: Consolidations
For more information on this topic, see our comprehensive guide to the SAP FI and CO module (finance and management control).
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The CO module is designed to manage and control costs and performance within a company. It provides tools for planning, monitoring and analysing costs, thereby facilitating strategic and operational financial management.
Key features :
• CO-OM: Overhead cost control
• CO-OM-CEL: Cost element accounting
• CO-OM-ACT: Activity type management
• CO-OM-STA: Statistical ratio management
• CO-OM-CCA: Cost centre accounting
• CO-OM-ABC: Activity-based costing
• CO-OM-OPA: Overhead orders
• CO-OM-PRO: Overhead projects
• CO-OM-IS: Information system
• CO-PC: Product cost control
• CO-PC-PCP: Product Costing
• CO-PC-OBJ: Cost Object Controlling
• CO-PC-ACT: Actual Costing/Material Ledger
• CO-PC-IS: Product Cost Controlling Information System
• CO-PA: Profitability Analysis and Market Segment Analysis
• EC-PCA: Profit Centre Accounting
The SAP TR (Treasury) module is designed for the comprehensive management of cash flow and financial risk within a company. It provides tools for managing cash flow, payments, financial risks, investments, loans and liquidity, ensuring effective, strategic financial management.
Key features :
• Cash flow management
• Payment management
• Financial risk management
• Investment management
• Loan management
• Liquidity management
• Reporting and analysis
The SAP IM (Investment Management) module is designed for comprehensive financial investment management within a company. It facilitates the planning, monitoring and control of investments, optimising the use of resources and maximising returns.
Key features :
• Cash flow management
• Payment management
• Financial risk management
• Investment management
• Loan management
• Liquidity management
• Reporting and analysis
The SAP CATS module is designed for recording and managing working hours. It enables the linking and integration of various modules, such as PS (Project Systems), HR (Human Resources) and CO (Controlling). It centralises time recording and facilitates time data management across various SAP applications.
Key features :
• Time recording
• Integration with PS (Project Systems)
• Integration with HR (Human Resources)
• Integration with CO (Controlling)
• Integration with PM (Plant Maintenance) and MM (Materials Management)
• Time validation and approval
• Reports and analyses
This module is designed for data management and informed decision-making. It collects, transforms and stores data from various sources, providing in-depth reports and analyses.
Key features :
• Data collection
• Data transformation
• Data storage
• Analysis and reporting
• Data exploration
• Planning and simulation
• Performance management
• Integration with SAP BusinessObjects
• Data security and governance
• Automation and orchestration
The SAP Human Resources family, also known as SAP HCM (Human Capital Management), comprises several modules designed to help companies manage and optimise their human resources operations.
The SAP PA module is designed to manage all personnel management information and processes within a company. It centralises and efficiently manages employee data while ensuring compliance with regulations and internal policies.
Key features :
• Personal data management
• Contractual data management
• Administrative information management
• HR event management
• Compensation and benefits management
The SAP OM module is designed to manage a company's organisational structure. It enables you to create, maintain and analyse organisational hierarchies, facilitating the management of roles, responsibilities and relationships between different company units.
Key features :
• Definition of organisational structure
• Management of positions and jobs
• Management of assignments
• Organisational planning
• Analysis and reporting
• Management of qualifications
The SAP PY (Payroll) module is designed to manage all of a company's payroll processes. It calculates and processes employees' salaries, bonuses, deductions and benefits while ensuring compliance with local regulations and internal policies.
Key features :
• Payroll calculation
• Benefits management
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Absence and leave management
• Payment management
The SAP PT module is designed to manage all aspects of employee working time within a company. It facilitates the planning, recording, monitoring and analysis of working hours, absences and attendance, thereby enabling effective time and human resource management.
Key features :
• Work schedule planning
• Work time recording
• Absence management
• Attendance tracking
The SAP TM (Talent Management) module is designed to oversee every stage of the talent lifecycle within an organisation. It covers several key areas, including recruitment, performance management, skills development, succession planning and talent retention. This enables organisations to attract, develop and retain the best talent.
Key features :
• Recruitment
• Performance management
• Skills development
• Succession planning
• Talent retention
SAP's ECM module is designed to manage compensation policies and processes within an organisation comprehensively and seamlessly. It covers various aspects of compensation management, including base salaries, bonuses, incentives, and benefits. This enables organisations to fairly compensate and motivate their employees.
Key features :
• Basic salary management
• Bonus and incentive management
• Benefits management
• Compensation planning and budgeting
• Pay rise and promotion management
SAP's LSO module is designed to manage and optimise training and skills development activities within a company. It covers various aspects of learning management, including planning, course management, skills tracking, and performance evaluation. This enables companies to develop talent and improve performance.
Key features :
• Training planning
• Course management
• Skills tracking
• Certification management
• Results assessment
The SAP E-Recruiting module is designed to manage every stage of the recruitment process within a company. It covers various stages of the recruitment process, including posting job vacancies, selecting candidates, managing applications, and onboarding new employees. It enables companies to attract, select and onboard the best talent efficiently and effectively.
Key features :
• Job posting
• Application management
• Candidate selection
• New employee onboarding
• Communications management
This module is designed to improve the efficiency and autonomy of employees and managers by providing them with the tools and features needed to manage various administrative and management tasks independently. Employees can use it to manage their personal and professional information, while managers can use it to supervise and approve tasks related to their teams.
Key features :
• Employee Self-Service (ESS)
• Manager Self-Service (MSS)
• Integration with other SAP modules
The choice of modules depends on business needs, company size and the maturity level of the information system. Not all SAP modules are necessary for every organisation; they are generally selected based on which processes are to be digitised and the company's transformation objectives.
There are several criteria that can be used to determine which SAP modules to deploy.
Business processes to be covered :
The first step is to identify the company's key processes :
Financial management
Purchasing and supply chain management
Sales and customer relationship management
Production management
Human resources management
Each process generally corresponds to one or more SAP modules. For example, an industrial company will often require the SAP PP, SAP MM and SAP SD modules, whereas a service company will make more use of SAP FI, SAP CO and SAP PS.
The company's sector of activity
The choice of SAP modules also varies depending on the industry.
For example:
An industrial company would prioritise the production and logistics modules.
A service company, on the other hand, will make greater use of finance and project management modules.
Retail companies will require sales, supply chain and inventory management modules.
SAP's modular architecture allows its ERP to be adapted to the specific needs of each sector.
The maturity level of the information system
Some companies deploy SAP gradually, starting with critical modules such as SAP FI or SAP MM before extending to other functional areas.
This modular approach enables companies to:
control deployment costs;
limit the risks associated with transforming information systems; and
gradually adapt the ERP to the needs of the company.
Support from SAP experts is also available.
Selecting and implementing SAP modules often requires the intervention of specialised consultants who can analyse business processes and configure the modules optimally.
The wrong choice of modules or a poorly adapted implementation can lead to:
high project costs
operational complexity
difficulties in adoption by teams.
This is why many companies call on experienced SAP consultants to structure their ERP architecture and support their transformation projects.
Whether you are seeking a freelance SAP consultant or expertise on a complex SAP project, FocusTribes gives you access to a community of over 1,000 accredited SAP experts
Do you need an SAP consultant for your project?
FocusTribes provides access to a community of over 1,000 accredited SAP consultants.
who support companies with their ERP projects and SAP transformations.