Normally, textbooks are pretty dull and boring. Some are even in the realm of torture to read, even if you enjoy reading. However, Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning Third Edition by Ellen Monk and Bret Wagner really changes the concept of a boring old textbook.
What is really good about this textbook is that it is short and to the point. Usually, textbooks, especially in the IT field, are known to stretch for thousands of pages. This textbook is only 254 pages long, making it a reasonable read for a class. The content is still pretty intense, but it’s summarized in succinct enough terms that you won’t sit around for 50 or 100 hours trying to read this textbook. This is a nice change from the norm.
The textbook itself is quite easy to read. There are no incredibly difficult linguistic tactics. You may find some terminology quite technical, but the authors do a decent job of introducing these concepts. Also, there is a list of key terms at the end of each chapter that you can refer to in case you missed something.
The SAP screenshots are also incredibly helpful for those who have never seen SAP before. They take screenshots of the GUI itself instead of digging into the details of the SAP code. This is great for an introductory college ERP class.
The questions at the end of the chapter are particularly useful for studying for a test. They aren’t overly difficult like some teachers like to put on their test, but generally if you can solve the problems then you understand the concept of the chapter. It was nice to see that they have some questions to challenge you before a test because this is a trend that college textbooks steer clear of.
While this isn’t something most people read for fun, if you’re taking a class on ERP, then it’s not a bad read. I just hope you’re lucky enough to be in a class that assigns Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning Third Edition by Ellen Monk and Bret Wagner.