Glossary

ACL
access control list: A list that specifies which resources (such as portal objects) a user can access with which authorizations.

Application Link Enabling (ALE)
Integration technology (middleware) that integrates business processes between SAP Systems and between SAP Systems and external systems. Data is exchanged between application systems in a controlled manner and consistency is maintained.

ALE Landscape
One system in the Central User Administration ALE environment is defined as the central system. The links to the child systems emanate from the central system. The child systems are not linked to each other This means that the central system is also the child system.

ALE Integrated System
Systems that are connected using ALE. The application systems of an ALE integrated system are loosely linked. The data is exchanged asynchronously, ensuring that the data arrives in the recipient system, even if this is not available when the data is sent. Synchronous connections are only used by ALE to read data.

User Master Record
Record that contains important master data for a user in the SAP system. The user master record contains the assignment of one or more roles to the user. In this way, a user menu and the corresponding authorizations for the activities contained in the user menu are assigned to the user. Only users who have a user master record can log on to the system.

Authorization
Authority to execute a particular action in the SAP system. Each authorization references an authorization object. It defines one or more values for each authorization field contained in the authorization object. Authorizations are combined in profiles, which are entered in a user’s master record. The user can work in the SAP System after a successful authorization check.

Authorization Profile
Element of the authorization concept. Authorization profiles give users access to the system. They contain authorizations, which are identified using the name of an authorization object and the name of an authorization. If a profile is specified in a user master record, the user is assigned all of the authorizations defined in this profile.

Background Processing
Processing that does not take place on the screen. Background processing enables you to process data in the background while executing other functions in parallel on the screen. Although background processes are not visible to the user, they have the same priority as online processes.

IDoc
Standard SAP format for electronic data interchange between systems (Intermediate Document). Different message types (such as delivery confirmations or purchase orders) normally represent different specific formats, the IDoc types. However, multiple message types with related content can be assigned to one IDoc type: For example, the IDoc type ORDERS01 transfers the “logical” message types ORDERS (purchase order) and ORDRSP (order confirmation).

iView
Program that calls up data from any information source and outputs this data in the content area of the portal.

Communications User
User type for dialog-free communication between systems. Communications users are used, for example, for setting up RFC destinations.

Logical System
System in which applications sharing a common data basis run. In SAP terms, a logical system is a client in a database. Messages are exchanged between logical systems.

Partner Profile
Definition of parameters for the electronic interchange of data with a trading partner using the IDoc interface. To communicate with a partner using the IDoc interface, you must have a partner profile.

PDK
Portal Development Kit: Developer tool for creating portal applications

Profile Generator
Tool for generating roles. The authorization administration generates a role in the profile generator based on transactions, reports, or Internet links that contains the activities for the work area of an employee.

Remote Function Call (RFC)
RFC is an SAP interface protocol based on CPI-C. It is used to simplify the programming of communication processes between systems. RFCs enable you to call and execute predefined functions in a remote system - or in the same system. They manage the communication process, parameter transfer, and error handling.

Role
Describes the activities of a user and allows the display of user-specific menus in the SAP system. Predefined or self-created roles can be assigned to any number of users. Roles also contain the authorizations with which users can access the reports, Web-based applications, and so on that are contained in the menu.

Child System
Central User Administration (CUA) system. With active Central User Administration, you can only delete or create child system users in the central system. You can change users that already exist in the child system, if the settings that you choose for the distribution of the data (transaction SCUM) allow this.

Distribution Model
Model that describes the ALE message flow between logical systems. The relationships between logical systems, message types, BAPIs, and filters are defined in the distribution model. Applications and the ALE layer user the distribution model to determine receivers and to control the data distribution.

Central User Administration (CUA)
Maintenance of users in a central system. A system group includes several SAP systems with several clients. The same users are often created and the same roles assigned in each client. Central User Administration is designed to perform these tasks in a central system and distribute the data to the systems in the system group.

Central System
Central User Administration (CUA) system. You administer users for all systems of the Central User Administration and their authorizations in the central system. With active Central User Administration, you can only create and delete users in the central system and not in the connected child systems. You can also lock and unlock users, assign roles to users, and so onfrom the central system, in accordance with the settings that you have chosen in transaction SCUM for the distribution of the data.

SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio
Integrated development environment for developing professional Java Web applications in the SAP environment.

SDN
SAP Developer Network: Online community for developers, consultants, and integrators

Single Sign-On
A single logon is sufficient to access various systems, from SAP Enterprise Portal, for example.

UME
User Management Engine: A Java-based user administration component with central user administration, an SSO, and secure access to distributed applications