An application administrator installs, updates, optimizes, debugs and otherwise maintains computer applications for an organization. In most cases, these applications have been licensed from a third party, but they may have been developed internally. Examples of application types include enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer resource management (CRM), and point of sale (POS), legal contract management, time tracking, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, SOX compliance tracking, budgeting, forecasting and training. In many cases, the organization is absolutely dependent that these applications be kept running. The importance of application administrators and the level to which organizations depend upon them is easily overlooked.

Application Administrators Handbook provides an overview of every phase of administering an application, from working with the vendor before installation, the installation process itself, importing data into the application, handling upgrades, working with application users to report problems, scheduling backups, automating tasks that need to be done on a repetitive schedule, and finally retiring an application. It provides detailed, hands-on instructions on how to perform many specific tasks that an application administrator must be able to handle.