Among the leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, SAP Business One (SAP B1) offers a rich set of business functionalities through its SAP modules list. Through a unified platform, all SAP ERP modules work together to handle multiple business processes, including:
- Finance and accounting
- Sales and marketing
- Materials procurement and inventory control
- Project management
And much more.
Here’s a closer look at the various types of SAP module applications – and how they are used across industries:
Types of SAP ERP Modules – Overview
Designed as a cost-effective ERP solution for small businesses, SAP B1 comprises functional modules and submodules. Functional modules are used to execute business processes (for example, payment processing) and generate business reports.
SAP Modules List – Core
First, let’s look at some of the core modules in SAP B1:
1. Financial Management
Among the core modules of SAP B1, financial management is the backbone that enables smooth financial operations in any small business. This core module covers various finance-related tasks including:
- General ledger
- Financial reporting
- Journal entries
- Budgeting
- Payables and receivables management
Additionally, this module includes submodules for journal entry and reporting, payment processing, and accounts receivables & payables. Among the benefits of this module, it enhances the financial health and visibility of the organisation.
2. Customer and Sales Management
This SAP ERP module is essential for small businesses looking to streamline their sales operations and customer relationships. With sales management, they can track the entire sales cycle – right from the initial prospecting, contact management, to post-sale invoicing and customer support.
Customer-facing industries can leverage this ERP module to improve sales and customer engagement. In the long run, it can build customer loyalty and revenue generation.
3. Manufacturing Management
As the name suggests, this SAP B1 module is used by different types of manufacturers. This module effectively handles every stage of the manufacturing process including procurement, supply chains, and material requirements. Some of the important submodules in manufacturing management include:
- Product costing
- Shop floor management
- Work in Progress (WIP)
- Project data management
Here are some of the benefits of Manufacturing Management module:
- Real-time tracking of manufacturing operations thus ensuring on-time delivery
- Scaling up (or down) of production planning
- Dynamic production scheduling based on demand
4. Inventory Management
Inventory management is another core module of SAP Business One – used by manufacturers and retailers. This module is crucial to ensure optimum stock levels at all times. Some of the common submodules of inventory management include:
- Inventory lot control
- Inventory adjustment
- Purchase orders
- Vendor contracts
Inventory management is highly beneficial at reducing inventory carrying and storage costs. For producers, it ensures ready availability of stock for the next production cycle, thus avoiding delays.
5. Business Intelligence (BI)
The Business Intelligence module in SAP Business One is designed to analyse real-time data from various business functions and generate valuable insights. This module is beneficial for data-driven companies that leverage their data for decision-making.
Here are some BI tools that are available with SAP B1:
- BI reporting
- Querying
- Interactive BI dashboards
- Data visualisation
The BI module is useful for various business functions including marketing, finance, and human resources. For example, HR teams can leverage BI to improve their hiring process and identify employee training requirements.
SAP Modules List – Functional
Functional modules in SAP B1 ERP are primarily used to support ERP functionalities for various business processes. With functional modules, companies can integrate various business processes and enable real-time data sharing.
Let’s look at 15 of the functional modules in SAP B1:
1. Administration Module
Used by ERP administrators, this module enables them to configure the core settings of SAP B1.
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
SAP B1 also features the CRM module that provides customer records to customer-focused processes like sales.
3. Financial
This is another functional module in SAP Business One – where you can create a journal of entries and chart of accounts for financial purposes.
4. Opportunities
The Opportunities module in SAP Business One is used to track current opportunities in sales and procurement.
5. Sales
This functional module is used to regulate the progression of sales tasks.
6. Purchases
This functional module is used to regulate the progression of purchase-related tasks.
7. Business Partner
The Business Partner module in SAP B1 is used to store master data for all business partners – including sales leads, suppliers and customers.
8. Banking
The Banking module in SAP B1 is used to store details of all incoming and outgoing payments.
9. Production
The Production module in SAP B1 is used for creating production orders and maintaining bill of materials.
10. Materials Requirement Planning (MRP)
This functional module is used for forecasting and recommending orders for items for sales and production activities.
11. Resources
The Resources module is used to define all the resources required for production.
12. Inventory
The Inventory module includes the master data including the tracking of goods to be sold or procured – as well as the quantity and value of each item.
13. Project Management
The Project management module is used for designing and storing current (and future) project workflows.
14. Service Management
The Service management module in SAP B1 stores and manages all service contracts and details of service calls.
15. Human Resources
This functional module is used to store employee details – including name, designation, and contact information.
Conclusion
As seen in this blog, SAP ERP modules have enriched the overall functionality of the SAP ERP solution. While some of these ERP modules are independent of the industry domain, other modules are specific to industries like retail and manufacturing.
Among the popular ERP tools for small companies, SAP Business One serves a single solution to run business functions like sales, procurement, finance, and services.
As a leading SAP implementation partner, Praxis Info Solutions has successfully implemented industry-specific solutions, including:
- SAP B1 erp for manufacturing
- SAP B1 for retail
Check out our SAP Business One licensing cost on our website. Need more information? Contact us today.