2012 Jun 22 11:27 PM
Hi everybody. I have studied Databases using Oracle 10g. Now I would like to switch to SAP MDM. Can anyone please give me the initial guidance to start learning from scratch and then to a hands on experience level. Thank you very much in advance
2012 Jun 25 8:40 PM
Sandeep,
Please have a look at http://scn.sap.com/community/career-center/blog/2012/03/13/faq-for-sap-netweaver-admin-sap-basis-car.... If that blog correctly describes your job functions as a DBA, then your first step is to find work as an SAP Basis person.
SAP Master Data Management is actually a pretty sophisticated collection of components that work together to provide synchronization of Master Data among several SAP systems. You'll need to learn to walk before you can run or fly, so SAP Basis is your first step.
If, on the other hand, your Oracle experience is more programming oriented, then you'll want to go down the ABAP programming road first.
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
--Tom
2012 Jun 25 8:40 PM
Sandeep,
Please have a look at http://scn.sap.com/community/career-center/blog/2012/03/13/faq-for-sap-netweaver-admin-sap-basis-car.... If that blog correctly describes your job functions as a DBA, then your first step is to find work as an SAP Basis person.
SAP Master Data Management is actually a pretty sophisticated collection of components that work together to provide synchronization of Master Data among several SAP systems. You'll need to learn to walk before you can run or fly, so SAP Basis is your first step.
If, on the other hand, your Oracle experience is more programming oriented, then you'll want to go down the ABAP programming road first.
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
--Tom
2012 Jun 25 9:52 PM
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your response. I have understood the intesity of work required for working on mdm. I am attending a course as well. I heard that SCN community is the best place for advice, so thought of asking from the beginning to catch up any gaps I left. I have a great interest in mdm and just wanted to practise it at home. Can you lease give me suggestions on how to access mdm console and work on harmonisation, central master data management and GDS concepts. Thanking you.......
Regards
Sandeep
2012 Jun 26 2:17 PM
Hi Sandeep,
Getting access to a system on which you can practice is a commonly held dream. You can find some general advice on that topic at Learning SAP when you don't have an SAP job already - System Access but I'll tell you the bad news right now. MDM is not one of the components that you can download on a trial basis. As you are learning in your class, MDM is actually comprised of a number of interlocking systems and is on the complex side of setup. The best I can do is to recommend that you continue your studies and to monitor the discussions in http://scn.sap.com/community/mdm for any tidbits of interest.
Keep at it and you will be successful. I admire your passion!
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
--Tom
2012 Jul 12 2:06 PM
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your earlier response. I understand that it is essential that I need to learn the basics before I go in to a high end work. I have completed my MDM course and have learnt the concepts an MDM administrator needs to perform. I have studied using the centre's online access to SAP portal and confident with the operations to maintain an online product catalogue and other concepts. Can you please let me know Thomas if there is a possibility for me now to work in a company in the MDM field. My background is as follows: (B.tech: I.T, MS I.T in UK with specialisation is in databases). I have worked on Database projects for 2 years prior to my MS study. I have just started working as an Database administrator.
Best Regards
sandeep
2012 Jul 12 3:58 PM
It is good that you've gotten a job as a DBA. At the moment, very few companies would hire you to do SAP Basis because you don't have enough admin experience. Once you get that at your current DBA job, you should be able to get an SAP Basis job. After you've done SAP Basis for a few years, you can start looking for the MDM job you want.
You might be able to get there more quickly with luck and hard work, but probably not. MDM is not in wide use, so you'd have to get hired by a company that has or is planning to deploy it. Then you'd need to be the most qualified. Even if you are the most qualified there are times when company politics plays a role as well. Follow the path, sure and steady, and eventually you'll get there.
You can start applying for MDM admin jobs now, but realize that most of your competition will have several years of hands on SAP Basis experience and your certificate may not be as impressive to a hiring manager as hands on experience doing activities similar/identical to what the MDM Admin would be doing.
Could you do the work if you got the job today? Probably, but you wouldn't be as well rounded and generally useful as someone with several years of SAP Basis under their belt. The hiring manager is generally going to consider that the person hired will do MDM admin but also other SAP Basis tasks as needed.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
--Tom