Logging On

I l @ ve RuBoard

You can access SAP R/3 from various different desktop computers and software. Although the examples here are intended for Windows users, access from other operating systems will be similar.

You start from the Windows desktop. The first step of the actual process will vary from company to company, but there will be either an icon on your desktop or an item on the Windows Start button:

If there's an SAP R/3 icon on your Windows desktop, double-click it to launch SAP R/3.
If there's no icon on the desktop, click the Start button, move through the menu, and click the SAP R/3 menu item to launch SAP R/3.

Some companies also use an intermediate step, where you can make a selection from a list of available clients . Either way, the SAP R/3 logon screen appears (see Figure 1.1). This is SAP's "front door."

Figure 1.1. Type the client name, your user name , and your password to log on to SAP R/3.

Notice the screen title SAP R/3. The screen title helps you keep track of where you are in SAP R/3.

TIP

Can't Find the Icon?

Some companies use customized SAP R/3 startup programs, and some name the icons after the project that initiated SAP R/3. For example, the icon might be called RMIS if your company installed SAP R/3 with a project named Retail Marketing Information System. If you don't see an SAP R/3 icon or an item on the Start menu, the SAP R/3 client software may not be installed on your PC yet. Call your local support organization to get help.

Follow these steps to log on to SAP R/3 from the logon screen:

Enter the number of your company's training system in the Client field.
Press Tab to move to the User name field, and then enter the user name you were given. (This is usually an abbreviation or a number instead of your full name.)
Tab down to Password and enter the password you were given. For security purposes, your password won't appear onscreen as you type it.
Depending on your company's setup, the Language field may or may not be filled in. If it is not, type E for English.
Press Enter to enter your information.
The first time you log on, the Change Password dialog box appears (see Figure 1.2), prompting you to change your password (for security reasons). Type your new password twice, making sure you type it the same way in both fields. Then click Copy.
Read the information in the SAP R/3 Copyright dialog box that appears, and then click Continue. The SAP R/3 home screen appears.

Figure 1.2. The Change Password dialog box.

Figure 1.3 shows the main SAP R/3 screen, where you'll start all your tasks and work. You learn about the elements that make up this screen in Lesson 2.

Figure 1.3. The SAP R/3 home screen.

Password Panic

Remember these points about your passwords:

Your user name and password authorize you to perform certain tasks. For example, if you are in Purchasing, your user name will probably allow you to perform only the tasks related to your purchasing duties .
Some companies set up SAP R/3 with almost universal display access. This means that any user can look at virtually every record, except those of a sensitive nature.
You will be given either a special temporary user name for training or your permanent user name right away.
Be careful when choosing a password: You should protect it like your signature. Don't write it down or use words or names that can be guessed easily. (Combinations of letters and numbers are more secure.)
Your password must be between three and eight characters long, and it can't start with three of the same character.

Logging Off

To log off from SAP R/3, do one of the following:

Click the Close ( —) button on the SAP R/3 title bar.
Press Alt+F4 (hold the Alt key and press the F4 key).

The Log Off confirmation box appears (see Figure 1.4). Click Yes to log off, or No to cancel.

Figure 1.4. Do you really want to log off?

Changing Your Password

After the first time you log on, SAP R/3 won't present you with the dialog box to change your password. When you want to change your password again, go to the logon screen (refer to Figure 1.1). From there, follow these steps:

Enter the appropriate client name.
Enter your user name and your current password.
Click the New Password button near the top of the screen. The Password dialog box appears.
Enter your new password in both fields and click the Transfer button.

In this lesson, you learned how to log on and off SAP R/3, how to specify which client system to connect to, and how to change your password. In the next lesson, you will learn the components of the SAP R/3 interface.

I l @ ve RuBoard