The Advantages of Using Mind Map for Learning Web Dynpro ANA DANIELA CRISTEA, ADELA DIANA BERDIE, MIHAELA OSACI, DANIEL CHIRTOC Politehnica University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania Received 30 June 2008; accepted 26 September 2008 ABSTRACT: This article presents an easy study technique, based on a complex and modern informational technology, the Web programming on integrated systems, in particular Web Dynpro Java. The project developed for this learning technique is realised in Mind Map and combines an assembly of utilities, from the transparent presentation of complex concepts to comparative studies and tests used to verify the knowledge, all these being based on a rich collection of applications. Using this learning technique, it is possible to receive either an assembly image on the technology, or to deeply get into the subtlest details. ß 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 201À207, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20285 Keywords: e-learning instrument; presentation software; graphical technology; design technique INTRODUCTION The new integrated platform ERP SAP is NetWeaver. The SAP integrated system is multilingual, multitasking, based on the clientÀserver technology. Besides software, in the Application Server environmental are created and organised all the develop- ment objects required for an application. SAP NetWeaver Application Server (http://help. sap.com/ ) represents the central part of the SAP software stack that makes possible the development of the ABAP and/or Java applications for data storing and processing. It supports J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition) complete standard. SAP NetWeaver Application Server is developed also for Web applications. The two programming environmental communi- cate through a SAP JCo (SAP Java Connector), RFC interface (Remote Function Call). The AS SAP NetWeaver (http://help.sap.com/) architec- ture includes three levels: the presentation level, responsible for everything related to data presentation and users’ entries reception, the applications level, where the software ABAP and/or Java are executed and the persistence level, where the persistence data are stored in the data base. ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is a programming lan- guage that was developed by SAP for developing commercial applications in the SAP environment [1]. Over the course of three decades, SAP has evolved from a small, regional enterprise into a world-class international com- pany. Today, SAP is the global market leader in collaborative, inter-enterprise business solutions. With enterprise services- oriented architecture and the underlying integration and application platform, SAP NetWeaver, SAP is providing customers with solutions for end-to-end business processes (http://www.sap.com/company/history.epx). Web Dynpro ABAP and Web Dynpro Java are the SAP technology to create web business application base on Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern. To build Web Dynpro application we use two independent Web Dynpro development environments: one for Java and one for ABAP. The strongest influence on Web Dynpro architecture was the design pattern called MVC [2]. According to a study performed in 2007 [3], the Web Dynpro technology represents a top web technology on SAP integrated systems (Fig. 1). The SAP Web Dynpro concept is now based on establishing a model-driver framework that facilitates the development of quickly reusable and combinable applications [4]. In full development, Web Dynpro combines a series of complex concepts. The project realised in Mind Map and presented in this article comes as an efficient technique for concept understanding and application. The father of Mind Map is considered to be Tony Buzan, because he promoted the Mind Map as a tool for thinking and learning, a graphical technique for representing the ideas through images, words, symbols, and colours. The human brain differs very much from a computer, the association playing an important role in the human brain. A Mind Map is similar to a semantic network or to a cognitive map (http://www.imindmap.com/). When realising a Mind Map, Tony Buzan suggests [5]: * To start with a central image of the topic, using at least three colours. * To use images, symbols, etc. * To use keywords, written with capital and small letters. * Each word and image should be alone and located in its own line. * To develop the own personal style. * To keep the Mind Map clear. Correspondence to A. D. Cristea (anadaniela05@yahoo.com). ß 2009 Wiley Periodicals Inc. 201