ERP Software Packages - SAP and Oracle - Essay Example

? ERP Software Packages: Compare/Contrast SAP and Oracle Introduction Globalization has played a key role in leading towards a faster mode of performance and growth in every sector, as a result every organization requires to update their operational units with modern technologies in order to perform and compete with the competitors in the globally competitive marketplace. In relation to this aspect various organizations have incorporated the use of decisive and invaluable software for almost each and every activity performed in the operational process in order to perform according to the global market competition. It is observed that SAP AG Corporation based in Germany and Oracle Corporation from California, United States have developed certain software for the organizations in order to facilitate them to perform their activities faster and with utmost accuracy. The software can be identified as SAP ERP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing Enterprise Resource Planning) by SAP AG and Oracle by Oracle Corporation. Contextually, the paper intends to compare and contrast between the two ERP related software packages i.e. SAP as well as Oracle and also intends to find out the distinctiveness between the two organizations i.e. SAP AG and Oracle Corporation. Additionally, the paper also provides a recommendation about the software that can be recommended to a potential customer based on certain pros and cons of the software. Compare and Contrast SAP ERP SAP ERP is a type of software used by the organizations to reduce the operational or transaction entry error. This software was first introduced in the market by a German company named SAP AG, a multinational software company in the year 1972. Generally, this software is utilized for the maintenance of the organizational performances in the areas of human resource management, finance departments and operational units along with maintaining the database of the organization (SAP, 2012). SAP ERP has certain benefits for which it is mostly used or known to the users and is utilized by the customers in their business purpose. Furthermore, the benefits entail the fact that it helps to improve or formulate or implement strategic plans for the organizational operations. SAP ERP also assists organizations to improve or increase their productivity. Additionally, the software also helps the organizations to introduce a flexible management process along with reducing the cost of production or operation. It also facilitates organizations to identify the exact technologies according to the operations that should be considered by the management while implementing within the working premises. Moreover, the software also helps the organizations to improve their financial dealings and transactions along with facilitating in faster accessing of organizational information (SAP, 2012). There are also certain limitations of SAP ERP apart from a number of benefits. Moreover, one of the limitations of the software can be identified as the software does not facilitate the organizations to draw any table or visual design in order to analyze more accurately. The use of the software at times can create a situation where there is a lack of adequate information which is vital for proper functioning of the software as the overall process is interrelated to each other. As a result, the organization can become dependent on the departments to provide timely information for functioning of the software. Furthermore, accessing the software is not convenient and easy owing to which sudden implementation of this software can cause project failure. As it is designed with programs, it can also create certain faults which can result in inefficiency in the work process (Euro Plus & Niceware International, 2009). Oracle Oracle is another type of software which is being used by the companies to maintain a systematical flow of work. This software had been developed by a United States based company namely Oracle Corporation in the year 1977. Generally, the software is designed for the organizations to maintain a database in which all the valuable information related to the organizational internal affairs can be stored and saved for future references. Furthermore, this software also acts as a library for the organizations because it helps to locate or identify the exact information as required by the members of the organizations at a faster pace with the use of certain queries (Oracle, 2012). In using the Oracle ERP, organizations can enjoy certain benefits which would facilitate them in achieving their organizational objectives. Furthermore, the benefits can be identified as atomicity which can be stated as the executed transaction of an organization which is either engaged or retracted. Isolation is another benefit of Oracle which is recognized as a feature in which the results of entire transaction are shown after every transaction is made and also presents the accurate outcome. In this context, consistency reveals about the valid transaction which means accurate or a right data are only entered, if any wrong data is entered as compared to the previous data then the software does not allow the wrong data to be entered and notifies the user to check for the validity of the data. Additionally, in terms of durability of Oracle ERP, it is observed that once the data is entered it gets saved or stored for lifetime. Thus, it also enables to ensure data security (Oracle, 2011). The disadvantages of Oracle software can be identified as one database cannot be connected to another for relating two ongoing transactions. It is not user-friendly software because it takes much time to access or enter information. In keeping with the frequent changes related to organizational performances, the software fails to react in line with the organizational requirements because the operating process of Oracle system cannot be changed easily (Oracle, 2000). From the recognised advantages and limitations of SAP ERP and Oracle ERP, it can be stated that both the software are used in the organizations for ensuring faster performance and accuracy in the operational process. However, the software are different in identities because they provide certain different features. Furthermore, it is observed that SAP ERP functioning is interrelated and can be related to other programs as well, however forms of Oracle cannot be integrated to other databases. Moreover, SAP ERP does not facilitate organizations with maximum level of data security as compared to Oracle because once the data is stored it can be accessed for lifetime. In terms of arrangement of data, in SAP it may not be arranged systematically, whereas the data in Oracle ERP can be stored in a systematic way. SAP ERP is user-friendly software because this software within the organization can be operated by any of the employees with limited amount of training. However, Oracle ERP software can be operated by certain employees after proper and elaborate training process. Recommendation and Conclusion After analyzing the features of these two ERP software, it can be stated that between both the software, Oracle ERP software is one of the best software for the organizations in order to maintain a faster operational performance while leading the company towards attaining organizational efficiency. Furthermore, Oracle ERP software can be recommended to the potential customers for using the software in their business processes with the intention of making their operations faster in accordance with the fundamental requirements of increasingly competitive business marketplace. The recommendation of using Oracle ERP is presented in front of a potential customer because it provides certain benefits to the user in making their business operational process faster. Furthermore, the benefits can be recognized as the software would help the individual to make an entry of correct information for future use. It also would help the management to store and arrange the data systematically in order to access the data quickly at the time of needs as well as for the future reference. The data those are saved or stored by using Oracle ERP software is permanently stored; this feature also can act as a security measure for data. However, while using Oracle software in the organizational process it can also lead to certain problems which include the aspect that storing procedure of this software does not allow the users to connect with other databases. Oracle ERP software at times fail to react appropriately in accordance with the changes made by the user in the databases in relation to the organizational operational process. With due consideration to the overall discussion, it can be stated that by recognizing the benefits and limitations, an organization will be more profitable while accessing and recording their operational performance with the help of Oracle ERP software. Furthermore, the organization will also be able to maintain their organizational operational functions faster which would in turn facilitate in competing with their competitors in order to sustain in the global marketplace. References Euro Plus & Niceware International. (2009). Printing labels from SAP ERP: Solving a common issue with a structured approach. Retrieved from http://www.nicelabel.com/resources/files/doc/NWEBC/wp-SAP-eng.pdf Oracle. (2012). About Oracle. Retrieved from http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/index.html Oracle. (2011). Oracle solution in detail. Retrieved from http://www.oracle.com/us/products/oracle-bi-apps-erp-analytics-1401327.pdf Oracle. (2011). Oracle8i distributed database systems. Retrieved from http://docs.oracle.com/cd/A81042_01/DOC/server.816/a76960/ds_conce.htm SAP. (2012). Enterprise resource planning. Retrieved from http://www.sap.com/solutions/bp/enterprise-resource-planning/why-sap-for-business-applications/index.epx SAP. (2012). Business benefits. Retrieved from http://www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/erp/businessbenefits/index.epx Read More