What Is SAP IMG?
By Meg North
SAP, an acronym for Systems, Applications and Products, was developed in 1972 in Germany. The SAP company provides client and server business solutions, but SAP is also a software program. SAP has a high level of integration among its individual applications. IMG stands for Implementation Guide and is a collective of other programs and software applications for implementing the SAP system and controlling and documenting the implementation.
IMG Settings
In order to most effectively run SAP software and its programs, the IMG includes specific settings for the SAP software user. Business settings include the countries in which the company does business along with the country codes, currencies, measurements, calendars and time zones. Internally, the specific organizational structure of the company is also defined. The user's company structure is analyzed and matched to the SAP software's structure. The areas included are financial, control management, logistics, sales, materials and human resources.
Cross-Application Components
The SAP software program can also work with cross-application components by using the Implementation Guide. Non-application-specific functions include currency changeover to the euro currency, setting up a document management system, CAD integration and defining settings for the user's company classification system.
Finance and Treasury
The Implementation Guide has financial accounting and treasury settings to customize for company structure uses. Accounting settings include balance sheets, profit and loss statements, fiscal years, sales and purchase taxes, inflation and accounting correspondence with business partners. Treasury settings include cash management, company budget and market risk.
Other Components
The Implementation Guide is extensive and includes detailed settings for many more SAP business components, including the user's company logistics, environment, health, safety, sales and distribution, materials management, customer service, production and production planning, personnel, payrolls and training. All of these components are designed to be customized by SAP software users for their specific business needs and requirements.
References
Writer Bio
Meg North has written professionally since 2008 as an online copywriter for the Sturbridge Yankee Workshop. She also published a short story in "The Maine Scholar." North has a Bachelor of Arts in media writing from the University of Southern Maine.