Guidance for learning SAP

[Former Member]

Hello. My name is Muhammad Talha and I am 18 years old. I am interested in SAP but i do not have anybody who can tell me about SAP.

I only know that SAP is a database system, i do not know what is special about it...It would be very helpful if somebody could tell me that.

I am interested in sales and would further like to go in that career field. Which SAP module will suit me best according to my future career field? And how much will it cost?

Where do the examinations happen for SAP? How much does it cost for one exam?

How can i study for SAP..is it must to go to a certified institution or i can buy books for this and study at home?

Thanks

Message was edited by: Colleen Lee - change title

[Former Member]

Dear Muhammad Talha,

As according to your age you are thinking so much that is very nice thing. And which filed you are trying that has a great career but for that you need a good training institute who has a great name with good products.

As you want to know what is SAP?

SAP stands for Systems, Applications and Products mainly in data processing. SAP is the world leader in implementing ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning) – ERP 6.0 (EhP6)/ Business Suite R/3 and Business One – which are fully integrated business real-time systems. They enable transactions to be processed end-to-end and eliminate data inconsistencies between sub-systems. Many companies replace their old business systems with the top-of-the-line ERP packages developed by SAP.

<<removed by moderator. Do not advertise your company in your posts as it against SCN rules>>

Message was edited by: Colleen Lee

[Colleen]

Hi Muhammad

No one is going to be in a position to tell you what to study without you explaining some background and your interests. Based on your age, I assume you recently completed secondary school and now need to decide what you study and the career path you take.

SAP interests you yet you know nothing about it. That sound a bit strange. Regardless, my recommendation is for you to do a little research first and then you might be in a better position to make your decision or ask a specific question:

• Search - go to your favourite search engine an enter SAP - read up about what the software is all about
• SAP Learning Hub - search this (check out Training Space in SCN) and go get a Discovery subscription as it's free. You can then do a few overview courses on different areas of SAP (functional and process overviews as well as some foundations) to get an idea of the diversity
• Check out open.sap.com which will allow you to enroll in some more technical courses
• Read up on the different posts in Careers space to see how fresher discuss their challenges and opportunities for jobs in SAP.

Good luck in your future career path

Regards

Colleen

[Former Member]

'' I am interested in sales and would further like to go in that career field. Which SAP module will suit me best according to my future career field? And how much will it cost? ''

Interest and background and this is from the first post.

I do know that SAP is a database, i also know that most businesses are switching to SAP nowadays, but i could learn about sap from google..i would not need to come to this website..right??

i wanted to know things that werent on google and were experienced first hand by Sap consultants and users. Things that if they knew before doing Sap would have helped them.

Regards.

[Colleen]

Hi Muhammad

Interest and background and this is from the first post.

Sorry, I managed to mix up some of your question (multitasking failure)

I do know that SAP is a database,

However, SAP is not just a database. It is business application software. That is something that Google can assist you with (as you did mention in your original post "you don't know what's special about it". Also, if you are trying to get personal experience stories there have been quite a few posts in this space trying to get the same guidance.

'' I am interested in sales and would further like to go in that career field. Which SAP module will suit me best according to my future career field? 

If you do search in here for SD or Sales and Distribution as well as CRM  (Customer Relationship Management) you will find posts and careers advise for sales background. Some of the regular members in this space are from SD background.

The advise Michael gave you is only scratches the surface of what SAP is. That's the hard bit with SAP - it is such a big area and no-one can learn everything about it. One thing, you will always have a new topic and diversity if you are interested.

And how much will it cost? ''

For training costs, I recommend you look at authorized institutes. I'm not sure where you are from but if you do go to training.sap.com (SAP Education Site) for your local country you can get the contact details and for the Training office to discuss course options to suite your goals.

How can i study for SAP..is it must to go to a certified institution or i can buy books for this and study at home?

In relation to Certification  you will also find that information on the site, including the prices. Again, depending on your country there may be additional rules to qualify for certification (India does for example). If you choose to go down the Sales pathway (Functional background in SD or CRM), you may also need to get some domain experience. As I am not a functional person, I am not in a position to comment there. It just means you might need to consider tertiary education in business area or work experience.

If price is an issue, you can also look at SAP Learning Hub subscriptions (also at Training) which is an annual subscription and grants you access to all of SAP's courses. You can then look at obtaining access to a system to practise on (search for IDES or SAP Learn Now). The downside of this option is your chance to be in a formal classroom and ask for assistance and connect with others (though SAP Learning Hub does have Learning Rooms to help prepare for certification).

i wanted to know things that werent on google and were experienced first hand by Sap consultants and users. Things that if they knew before doing Sap would have helped them.

My advise to you on this one - be prepared for the competition. You are right that a lot of companies are switching to SAP. However, they have been on their "SAP journey" for years. As a result, there are a lot of skilled workers in SAP competing for limited jobs. You will see such posts and questions on this space. With that, try not to take shortcuts to save money on training at a cost to job opportunities (again, it's a lesson some members have learned the hard way).

My own experience - there is always more to learn and whenever you find yourself in a new situation try to get your trainer to explain why the system works a certain way. You will go further in your career if you learn the fundamentals and not just the steps (too often people ask for step by step instructions without understanding the context)

Again, good luck

Regards

Colleen

[Former Member]

Much Obliged Ms Colleen Lee,

Thank you so much for all the information, I will definitely search all that you have said and right now I am viewing that training.sap.com website...

there is just one thing i wanted to know, (sorry for disturbing all of you so much) ...i heard there are sap professionals and then SAP consultants...can one study directly to become a consultant??

Much Respect...

Thank You

[Colleen]

Hi Muhammad

From my point of view I see them as almost the same thing. Do you have an example of how you differentiate between consultant and professional.

A consultant can work for a company and be sent to client/customer sites to design, implement and support the SAP system. At the same time the client/customer can choose to keep it all "in house" whereby they build up their own team of employees (and sometimes contractors). In both cases, they are professionals. You then also have the actual end users with domain experience who use the system for their job (e.g. Accountants, Purchasing Officers, HR and Payroll Staff, Inventory Warehouse Managers, etc)

Regards

Colleen

[Former Member]

Much appreciated Mr Michael.

Thank you so much