SAP is a software application, used world-wide, that integrates information for financial, human resources, and procurement business processes. This type of software is also known as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Essentially, SAP is a database that allows information to flow between all City bureaus to facilitate better planning and decision making.

City employees who use SAP access it through a desktop application (a Graphical User Interface or GUI) and through the internet via the CityLink portal. The GUI gives about 1,500 users access to transactions to enter data into the system and to run reports. About 5,500 employees use the CityLink portal for Employee Self-Service and Manager Self-Service. There is also a separate reporting component, called BusinessObjects (or BOBJ, pronounced “bob-jay”), which allows users to pull information out of SAP and other databases for more robust reporting.