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Power user



 
 
A power user is a user
User

:For information on Wikipedia user accounts, see...
 of a personal computer
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
 who can use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, yet is not capable of advanced, non application-oriented tasks like programming and may or may not be capable of system administration. In enterprise software systems such as Oracle or SAP
Sap

Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Baton #Blackjack, another word for a blackjack, an easily concealed Club ....
, this title may go to an individual who is not a programmer, but is a specialist in a transaction or business process.






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A power user is a user
User

:For information on Wikipedia user accounts, see...
 of a personal computer
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
 who can use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, yet is not capable of advanced, non application-oriented tasks like programming and may or may not be capable of system administration. In enterprise software systems such as Oracle or SAP
Sap

Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Baton #Blackjack, another word for a blackjack, an easily concealed Club ....
, this title may go to an individual who is not a programmer, but is a specialist in a transaction or business process. The "Super User" in enterprise programs (SAP
SAP AG

SAP Aktiengesellschaft is the largest European software enterprise and the fourth largest in the world, with headquarters in Walldorf, Germany....
, Oracle) often refers to an individual who is an expert in a module or process within the enterprise system.

Operating system administration


In Microsoft
Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational corporation computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of computer software products for computing devices....
 Windows 2000
Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on business desktops, Laptop, and Server . Released on 17 February, 2000, it was the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the final release of Microsoft Windows to display the "Windows NT" designation....
, Windows XP
Windows XP

Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptop, and media centers....
 Professional, and Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a Server operating system produced by Microsoft. Introduced on 24 April 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server, it is considered by Microsoft to be the cornerstone of its Windows Server System line of business server products....
, there is a "Power Users" group on the system that gives more permissions than a normal restricted user, but stops short of Administrator
Superuser

On many computer operating systems, the superuser, or root, is a special user account used for system administration.Many older operating systems on computers intended for personal and home use, including MS-DOS and Windows 9x, do not have the concept of multiple accounts and thus have no separate administrative account; anyone using...
 permissions. It should be noted that if a user is a member of the Power Users group, he or she is able to promote
Privilege escalation

Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a Computer bug or design flaw in a software application to gain access to resource which normally would have been protected from an application or user ....
 their account to an Administrator with little effort. Thus, the Power Users group should be used with 'trusted' users only; it is not suitable to contain 'untrusted' users. The Power Users group has been removed in Windows Vista
Windows Vista

Windows Vista is one member in a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business Desktop computer, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs....
 as part of the consolidation of privilege elevation features in the introduction of User Account Control
User Account Control

User Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. It aims to improve the security of Microsoft Windows by limiting application software to standard user privileges until an System administrator authorizes an increase in privilege level....
.

Other uses

Power user can also be a marketing term referring to a computer user who seeks and uses products having the most features and the fastest performance.

The term Power user of ICT is also used to describe youth who have acquired advanced technology skills at a young age.

SAP & Oracle


SAP
Sap

Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Baton #Blackjack, another word for a blackjack, an easily concealed Club ....
 and Oracle are well known enterprise systems which often require a complex set of training in order to learn. Because of this, and also to encourage engagement with the systems, many companies have created a "Super User Model" (also called Power User
Power user

A power user is a user of a personal computer who can use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, yet is not capable of advanced, non application-oriented tasks like programming and may or may not be capable of system administration....
, Champion) in order to take regular users and raise them to a level of leadership within the system. Doing this accomplishes three objectives:

1. More engaged use of the system as there is a personal face assigned to champion the system and make acceptance of the technology less challenging.

2. A significant time and cost reduction as companies are not seeking or hiring new or temporary resources for the purposes of developing and/or delivering documentation, training, and support.

3. ROI or proof of concept of the SAP investment should be more easily achieved as users are directly involved, thereby using the system invested in, which benefits the company overall.

Extensive research has been done specifically with the Super User Model in SAP, specifically in regards to the role they take in training and supporting end users. Currently, more than 70% of SAP companies utilize a form of the Super User Model.

Power User can also be described as a term for a leader (non-programmer) in enterprise software, such as SAP AG
SAP AG

SAP Aktiengesellschaft is the largest European software enterprise and the fourth largest in the world, with headquarters in Walldorf, Germany....
 or Oracle
Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation specializes in developing and marketing enterprise software products ? particularly database management systems. Through organic growth and a number of high-profile acquisitions, Oracle enlarged its share of the software market....
. Often these are people who retain their normal user job role, but also function in testing, training, and first-tier support of the enterprise software.

See also

  • nobody (username)
    Nobody (username)

    In many Unix variants, "nobody" is the conventional name of a user account which owns no files, is in no privileged groups, and has no abilities except those which every other user has....
  • superuser
    Superuser

    On many computer operating systems, the superuser, or root, is a special user account used for system administration.Many older operating systems on computers intended for personal and home use, including MS-DOS and Windows 9x, do not have the concept of multiple accounts and thus have no separate administrative account; anyone using...


External links