MSc Business Systems Integration (with SAP Technology)

The aim of this ‘cutting edge’ programme is to develop practical skills and critical awareness in relation to the state-of-the-art in business/enterprise systems integration (from a service-oriented perspective).

 

Aims

At the end of the course, you should be able to:

 

model key aspects of business in an integrated and logical manner;

demonstrate a critical and practical understanding of the issues relevant to business systems integration and use in the context of modern business environments;

demonstrate a critical and practical understanding of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) and the role they play in business systems integration;

demonstrate a critical and practical understanding of the professional skills necessary for effective business systems integration;

eflect, critically and in-depth, on relevant aspects of the state-of-the art of both the practice and theory of business systems integration.

The practical elements of your course will be supported by SAP technologies. SAP is a leading provider of Enterprise Resource Planning systems and a keen innovator from a service-oriented perspective. Broadly speaking, you will gain experience of SAP R/3, Netweaver platform and business intelligence approaches. Consequently, you will get hands-on experience of technology and systems that will enhance your employability.

 

As part of the Business Systems Integration course, students will have the opportunity to achieve SAP TERP 10 certification

 

 

Your studies on the course will cover:

 

Professional Development and Research, which aims to develop knowledge and skills to support the continuous learning and competence improvement necessary for ongoing success in commercial and academic environments. Example topics of study include learning to learn, approaches to teamwork, approaches to critical evaluation and research methods.

 

Business Modelling, which cultivates skills and knowledge related to business, conceptual and software modelling. Example topics of study include different paradigms for modelling (including business services, processes and objects), techniques for modelling the business domain and business behaviour, the relationship between business modelling and software modelling and the use of the Unified Modelling Language (UML).

 

ERP Systems Theory and Practice, which examines the rationale, theories and practices around Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP) and develops the knowledge required to understand the forces driving ERP design and implementation. Example topics of study include enterprise systems strategy and rationale, issues of organisational implementation and business services, processes and functions from an ERP perspective. The module provides an introduction to the SAP R/3 environment and the practice of business process integration in that environment.

 

ERP Systems Deployment and Configuration, which examines the implications of implementing ERP systems in organisations and develops the key skills necessary to deploy and configure ERP systems. Example topics of study include business process improvement alongside enterprise systems configuration and configuration management (including Master Data Management, business services, processes and functions). The module examines practical aspects of configuration in the context of the SAP R/3 environment.

 

Service-oriented Architecture, which examines the organisational impact of service-oriented approaches and the technologies necessary for the successful implementation of enterprise and web services. Example topics of study include issues in creating and managing a system landscape based on services, architectural approaches to service-orientation and web service technologies (including semantic web services). Practical aspects of web service implementation are examined in the context of integration via the SAP Netweaver environment.

 

Data Management and Business Intelligence, which aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to support the development of business intelligence solutions in modern organisational environments. Example topics of study include issues in data/information/knowledge management, approaches to information integration and business analytics. Practical aspects of the subject are examined in the context of the SAP Netweaver and Business Warehouse environment.

 

Systems project management, which aims to develop a critical awareness of the central issues and challenges in information systems project management. Example topics of study include traditional project management techniques and approaches, the relations between projects and business strategy, the role and assumptions underpinning traditional approaches and the ways in which the state-of-the-art can be improved.

 

Semantic Integration Frameworks, which aims to help you develop a critical and practical understanding of concepts, standards and frameworks supporting semantic system integration, with a particular emphasis on the Semantic Web – the web of the future. Example topics of study include ontologies and their uses, ontology management and integration, inferencing and reasoning for and in semantic integration, as well as semantic integration standards such as RDF and OWL.

 

Dissertation

 

In addition, provided that you have reached an acceptable standard in the assessments and examinations, you may then undertake a dissertation. Work on a dissertation for this course will normally involve an in-depth study in the area of distributed information systems and computing (eg, a state-of-the-art review together with appropriate software development) and provides you with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in this area to future employers or as a basis for future PhD study. Additionally, you can now work on an internship during your dissertation (see Special Features below).

 

Awards

 

A master's degree is awarded if you reach the necessary standard on the taught part of the course and submit a dissertation of the required standard. If you do not achieve the standard required, you may be awarded a postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate if eligible.