Getting Started: Print All Getting Started Help

Print All Getting Started Help

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SAPweb?
Who Should Use SAPweb?
When Should I Use the SAPgui and not SAPweb?
What are the Benefits of Using SAPweb?
What Training is Available?

What is SAPweb?

SAPweb is a web-based front-end to MIT's SAP financial and administrative system. It was developed to provide a simple interface, requiring minimum training that could be used on any platform that supports the Netscape web browser. You can use SAPweb to perform many financial and administrative functions, including creating requisitions and journal vouchers, approving requisitions, verifying credit card transactions, and maintaining employee personal information.

top

Who Should Use SAPweb?

For financial transactions, any SAP user who prefers the look and feel of the web may use it for the available transactions. SAPweb is especially appropriate for those users who only perform SAP transactions occasionally. There are some exceptions however; not all transactions are available on the web, and for those that are available, there are some limitations.

For updating employee information, DLC Administrators whose employees choose not to use Employee Self Service should use SAPweb.

top

When Should I Use the SAPgui and not SAPweb?

Here are some examples of reasons you may want or need to use the SAPgui, and not SAPweb:

• You do other financial work in SAP and prefer to do all your work in one system.
• You want to generate reports (you could also use the Data Warehouse).
• You need to charge a requisition to more than three cost objects, or create one with more than 50 line items.
• You want to upload a journal voucher from a spreadsheet.

top

What are the Benefits of Using SAPweb?

• User friendly screens without extraneous fields
• Minimal training time
• Data is created in real-time in SAP
• Knowledge of how to navigate in SAP is not required
• Not subject to the SAP two-hour time out
• Update employees’ personal information without having to contact HR/Payroll directly

top

What Training is Available?

Information about SAP training is available on our web pages.

top

Requirements for Using SAPweb

If you are currently working in SAP, you are already set up with the required Kerberos userid, SAP userid, and authorizations. If you are already successfully using SAPweb for purchasing, then your computer is also correctly set up for journal voucher and credit card transactions.

Kerberos Userid
SAP Userid and Authorization
Web Browsers
MIT Web Certificates
Browser Preferences

Kerberos Userid

To use SAPweb, you need to have a Kerberos userid. This is (usually) the same as your email userid. However, some MIT departments, labs, and centers have email systems that do not use the Kerberos protocol. If you work in one of these areas, you may need to get a Kerberos userid to access SAP.

All MIT staff are eligible to receive Kerberos userids. You get a Kerberos userid by contacting Athena User Accounts:

Office: N42 1st Floor
Phone: x3-1325
Email: accounts@mit.edu

top

SAP Userid and Authorizations

To begin using SAPweb, you must have authorization to perform SAP-based financial and/or administrative transactions. To get access to SAP, contact the primary authorizer for your department, usually your Administrative or Fiscal Officer. If you do not know who the primary authorizer is, you can look it up on the Primary Authorizer page listed in Other Resources below.

top

MIT Web Certificates

You will need two different certificates in order to access SAPweb. One, the MIT Certification Authority (CA) "signer" certificate, identifies all legitimate MIT web sites. The other, your personal web certificate, identifies you to MIT secure web servers.

You need the MIT CA certificate before you can get a personal certificate. To see if you already have an MIT CA certificate, see "Check for the MIT CA Certificate" in Other Resources below.

To get the certificates, see Other Resources below.

If you share a computer with someone, be sure to create your own user profile. See "Sharing a Computer: Netscape User Profiles" in Other Resources below.

top

Browser Preferences

Set your browser to turn Javascript on and Cookies on if it is not the default already. See Related Topics below if you need assistance in setting your browser requirements.

To prevent from repeatedly having to select a certificate in Netscape while you are working in SAPweb, see "Recommended MIT Certificate Security Preferences for Netscape" in Other Resources below.

top

Other Resources:

Related Topics:
Contact Information

top

Using the List Tabs

The blue tabs on the right can be used to scroll through the list of results or items on a screen, ten at a time. If you have more than ten items in the list, the next and last tabs will be highlighted when the screen is first displayed.

The tabs are (from left to right):

Performing a Search

You can search for field values using the Search (binoculars) button on the right of certain fields such as vendor number and G/L account. When you click on the Search button, you are launched into the Searchhelp page.

1. Click the Search (binoculars) button.

On the Searchhelp page:

2. Select a category from the drop-down list.

3. Enter one or more Search Fields such as the search term, name, or G/L long text. (If the search fields are not visible when you first access Searchhelp, select another category and then return to the previous one.)

Tip: You can enter part of the word and a wildcard (*) either before and after the letters. For example, equip* will find all G/L accounts beginning with the letters "equip," and *equip* will yield all G/L accounts containing the letters "equip" either at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.

4. Click the Search button. The results appear on the screen.

5. Click on the search term (left) to select it. You return to the transaction page where your selection is filled in.

6. (optional) Click Exit Searchhelp at any time to leave the Searchhelp page and return to the transaction page.

Icons

The following icons are used in SAPweb transactions:

Execute Workitem button

Click the Execute Workitem button to change the journal voucher from your JV Inbox.

Search button

Click the Search button to execute a search for a valid field value.

Select All button

Click the Select All button to select all items.

Deselect All button

Click the Deselect All button to deselect all items that are currently selected.