Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a business management software - usually a suite of integrated applications - that a company can use to collect, store, manage and interpret data from many business activities.
ERP provides an integrated view of core business processes, often in real-time, using common databases maintained by a database management system. ERP systems track business resources - cash, raw materials, production capacity - and the status of business commitments: orders, purchase orders and payroll. The applications that make up the system share data across various departments (manufacturing, purchasing, sales, accounting, etc.) that provide the data. ERP facilitates information flow between all business functions and manages connections to outside stakeholders.
Enterprise Systems Software is a multi-billion-dollar industry that produces components that support a variety of business functions. IT investments have become the largest category of capital expenditure in enterprises, smaller enterprises increasingly use ERP systems.
The ERP system is considered a vital organizational tool because it integrates varied organizational systems and facilitates error-free transactions and production. However, ERP system development is different from traditional systems development. ERP systems run on a variety of computer hardware and network configurations, typically using a database as an information repository.
