SAP SCM: Applications and Modeling for Supply Chain Management (with BW Primer)

Acknowledgments

In considering the variety of people who’ve contributed directly or indirectly to the development of the book, its seems to me that most fall into any of three categories: those who introduced me to the world of SAP and SAP SCM, those who taught me SAP products including SAP SCM, and those who in one way or another helped directly in bringing about this book. Considering the first, I should express thanks to Mark Zinsli, who, back in 1996, long before it ever was really relevant to my job role, allowed me to take courses in SAP R/3 architecture, data models, and ABAP programming. I must further thank Janet Kerby, who deserves credit for bringing me officially into the world of SAP, “under false pretenses,” as she artfully puts it. Thanks, too, to Bob St. Louis for the early seeding of this book by exposing me to the state-of-the-art research at a time when APO was probably still just a glimmer in SAP’s eye.

As regards those who have at one time or another taught me something of the uses of SAP products, particularly planning products, here I know for sure that I’ll go amiss as there are simply too many to remember, let alone mention. Thanks to Peter Kaiser, my very first SAP instructor. Thanks to David Wiley and Gautam Bhattacharya, my very first APO instructors. Thanks also to Bharad Wuppalapati and Steve Blair, who, though never formal instructors, brought me to pace on master production scheduling and materials requirements planning. Hilmer Hintz deserves mention ...