SAP ERP incorporates the key business functions of an organization.

R/3 Enterprise was replaced with the introduction of ERP Central Component (SAP ECC).

SAP ERP consists of several modules, including Financial Accounting (FI), Controlling (CO), Asset Accounting (AA), Sales & Distribution (SD), SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM),[7] Material Management (MM), Production Planning (PP), Quality Management (QM), Project System (PS), Plant Maintenance (PM), Human Resources (HR), Warehouse Management (WM).

Full implementation of all modules can take years",[attribution needed] which also adds to the end price.

[9] Independent studies have shown that deployment and maintenance costs of a SAP solution can vary depending on the organization.

For example, some point out that because of the rigid model imposed by SAP tools, a lot of customization code to adapt to the business process may have to be developed and maintained.

[13] These Enhancement Packages allow SAP ERP customers to manage and deploy new software functionality.

[17] Reaching its final stage, SAP ECC 6.0 concludes its evolution with Enhancement Package 8 (EHP 8.0).