Michael Willinger works at SAP SI in the area of System Landscape Optimization, where he focuses on migration projects that go beyond the standard SAP ERP system and which have been described briefly in Chapter 8. Born in 1971 in Heidelberg, Germany, he studied business administration at the University of Mannheim from 1990 to 1996, focusing on bank management,financing, auditing, fiduciary structures, and statistics. Since he first encountered SAP R/3 during his graduate studies in business data processing, it has had a major impact on his career. From 1998 to 2001, Michael worked as an SAP consultant (focusing on Financial Accounting) at Bilfinger & Berger AG, a construction firm, before he moved to Tarkett, an internationally active manufacturer of flooring. At Tartkett, he was the project manager for the global implementation of the SAP Financial Accounting and Controlling modules.

Johann Gradl is currently involved in strategic projects at SAP Service and Support. Born in 1961, he studied mathematics and computer science at the Technische Universität München (Munich Polytechnic University) from 1980 to 1986. After taking a hiatus, during which he performed his civil service duty, he completed his doctorate in mathematics from 1988 to 1990. In 1993, Johann joined SAP. Initially, he worked in the R/2 Services department, and then turned his attention to the area of data migration. He was a driving force behind the development of the Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW), which is described in this book. He subsequently performed various tasks in SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) development as Vice President for Installed Base Development, Middleware, and Test Automation. After moving to the Support area, he was responsible for the maintenance of the SAP CRM product.