Lego: Embracing Change by Combining BI with a Flexible Information System

Explain the role of the database in SAP’s three-tier-system.

Referring to the Case Study, SAP’s business suite is based on a flexible three-tier client-server architecture that can easily be adapted to the new Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) available in the latest versions of the software. In the first tier, a client interface-a browser-type graphical user interface (GUI) running on either a laptop, desktop, or mobile device-submits users’ requests to the application serves. Second is the applications servers send the processed requests to the database system-receive and process clients’ requests to the database system. Lastly, the third tier are SAP’s business suite supports database from different vendors, including those offered by Oracle, Microsoft, MySQL, and others.

Explain why distributed architectures are flexible.

Distribute architectures are flexible because they adapting company operations to these  changes required a flexible and robust IT infrastructure with business intelligence capabilities that could help management perform better forecasting and planning. As part of the solution, LEGO chose to move to SAP business suite software.SAP’s software products include a variety of applications designed to efficiently support all of a company’s essential functions and operations.

Identify some of the business intelligence features included in SAP’s business software suite.

Lego choose to implement SAP’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) because it’s included features such as supply chain   monitoring and analysis as well as forecasting, planning and inventory optimization. In SAP’s Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) module enables managers to optimize development processes and systems. SAP’s Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) modules includes among another applications, the Human Capital Management (HCM) application for personnel administration and development.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of having multiple databases in a distributed architecture? Explain.

Advantages:  Managers can easily use the SAP query tool to obtain reports from the database because it does not require any technical skill.

Disadvantages:Increased the use of database space. Every table must exist in every database. When the number of tables is very large, the amount of space used this way can be significant. Administrators must use database storage parameters to size tables and reduce database space consumption.