• Use
• Pre-requisites
• Features
• Advantages
Use
R/3 Internet Application Components (IACs) are applications that enable you to set up a link between the R/3 System and the Internet. You can then perform business functions in R/3 using a World Wide Web browser as the user interface.
Internet Application Components allow you to use the Internet to perform business processes within your company and beyond. You can either use the Internet Application Components supplied by SAP and make the appropriate modifications (for example, configure the Web user interface to suit your corporate identity), or you can use them as templates to develop your own Internet Application Components.
Prerequisites
Internet Application Components are based on the technology of the Internet Transaction Server (ITS), a basic module in Web Basis. When you call an Internet Application Component, the Internet Transaction Server is the interface that controls communication and data exchange between the R/3 System and a HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) server. Such an interface is required because R/3 Systems cannot be accessed directly from a Web browser or via an HTTP server because of the different protocols and data formats used in the different systems.
Features
You can use the standard Internet Application Components supplied by SAP not only to access the Internet, but also in Intranets, which manage internal communication within a company. Both networks use the same services and protocols originally developed for the Internet.
Depending on their purpose, standard Internet Application Components are divided into the areas, Internet or Intranet. The Internet application area is divided further into the areas Consumer-to-Business and Business-to-Business.
In this document, the term "Internet" is used in this document to refer to both application areas. The term "Intranet" is used only to refer explicitly to internal applications.
This document contains general information about the concept and use of Internet Application Components, as well as details of the individual Internet Application
Components.
For technical information on the development and implementation of Internet Application Components, see IAC Programming.
Advantages of R/3 Internet Application Components
From a customer's perspective, business processes performed on the Internet offer the following advantages:
• Customers and other interested parties have round-the-clock access to the Internet 365 days a year.
• Customers can communicate with systems in any company across the globe.
• Customers can navigate easily in the Internet, thanks to the user-friendly Web browser interface.
• Data transfer costs are low. Browser software is either inexpensive or free of charge.
For companies too, there are many reasons to offer services through Internet Application Components in the Internet:
• Business transactions can be performed at relatively low cost.
• Business processes can be extended far beyond company boundaries. This can be achieved using applications such as transparent warehouse management and direct data input by the buyer.
• Direct data entry by the customer speeds up business processes and also reduces costs.
• The user interface of an Internet Application Components can be designed in such a way that it is both clear and self-explanatory, thus enabling users to perform simple tasks. Time-consuming and costly training courses are no longer necessary.
