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When you consider that SAP R/3 boasts some 8,000 tables and a mind-boggling number of Germanic-language data tags, it's hard to believe you could ever learn anything about SAP AG's flagship enterprise resource planning product in 10 minutes. However, SAMS Teach Yourself SAP R/3 in 10 Minutes, a slim volume written by SAP consultant Simon Sharpe, manages to provide a pragmatic blueprint of this software behemoth from a user-level perspective.

Catchy as it is, the title is slightly misleading. Instead of one 10-minute learning session, the book actually contains a series of exercises designed to familiarize new users with SAP R/3's core functionality. These lessons go from the very basic, such as how to log on and move between screens, to much more advanced topics, such as understanding configurations and creating documents. Each lesson is carefully constructed and provides a numbered list of steps to walk you through the tasks. In addition, the book's pages are studded with time-saving tips, real-language definitions of computerese, warnings, and relevant screen shots.

As Sharpe makes clear, the book is not intended for implementers or administrators. As a reference for new users to SAP R/3 or departments exposed to a recent implementation, SAMS Teach Yourself SAP R/3 in 10 Minutes comes extremely close to accomplishing its stated goal. -Sarah L. Roberts-Witt