SAP Netweaver, ABAP Training info

[Former Member]

I am a newbie to the SAP World...But experienced developer in another ERP product....interested in learning SAP BASIS, and ABAP.

Which Training courses from SAP I need to take... [Only the essential modules]

[Former Member]

You should probably pick one or the other: Basis or ABAP. Basis is System Administration. ABAP is programming and development. If you are an experienced developer and like that sort of work, then ABAP is the way to go. You'll want to aim for the SAP Certified Development Associate - ABAP with SAP NetWeaver 7.31 certification (C_TAW12_731)

You'll want to call the SAP branch in your home country (training.sap.com , then use the dropdown box to get to your home country training page) to get a list of classes. If you are in India, SAP offers training through Certified Training Providers. In the US, all training comes through SAP itself. In India, you can only sit for the certification exam if you've gone through SAP or a CTP. In the US, you can sit for the exam any time, but you'd be better off taking a formal class first anyway so you have the full set of data from which the test is drawn to study and practice.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,

--Tom

[Former Member]

Tom, Thanks.

I am in US.

Can I take BC400 to start with? or need to complete the essential courses.

Can I pick and choose the courses? or they have to be taken in a particular order.

I am not seeing training course TAW10. and TAW12. Are they discontinued?

Senthil

[Former Member]

Hi Senthil,

Because you have experience developing, certification in ABAP is actually quite important for you. (This is contrary to the advice that I give to folks who have no experience. For them, getting some kind of experience first is more important. But in your case, certification is the key.)  You are shooting for C_TAW12_731. Check the Certification Details tab for which topics are covered on the exam and which classes teach those topics.

TAW10 and TAW12 are streamlined courses that teach basically all of the courses on this track as two two-week courses (total of 4 weeks) rather than a series of 1 week courses. If you are good at self-study (and have an extra $11k lying around, you can also use TAW1E to get the same material.

This page is supposed to show graphically that taking TAW10 + TAW12 is equivalent to taking all of the classes on the right. Ignore the fact that NET310 is shown before BC400. BC400 is actually a prerequisite for NET310. This is actually the best picture and even it doesn't give a very good roadmap.

So, here's the short version:

BC400 + BC430 = minimum. This will teach the basics of ABAP plus the data dictionary. Once you get that much, you can go in different directions. There are some specialties within ABAP life.

BC405 - Reports. There are some people that right reports all day long, every day, for decades. Some would say that this is not a great area, that BW has taken over for ABAP reporting. I tell you that ABAP reports tend to be used for tactical reporting while BW is used for strategic reporting. It's a larger discussion, but my opinion is that there is still significant development every day on reporting. I'd love to hear others chime in on this since I'm a Basis guy and not a developer.

BC410, BC425 & BC427 - Enhancements. This means creating new screens for end users to use that do something that SAP doesn't already do. Most companies try to stick with "vanilla" SAP, but many companies still end up creating custom screens and processes for things they do that aren't covered in the way they'd like by SAP.

Those are probably your two choices to begin with. The traditional development mnemonic is WRICEF or RICEFW, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms, and Workflow. The classes outlined above cover Reports and Enhancements and probably enough ABAP to handle some interfaces and conversions with guidance from a mentor. These days interfaces and conversions also involve Process Integration and Legacy System Migration Workbench (among other tools) which would be a bit of a gamble to try to reach for first.

As you can see, it's actually quite a bit more difficult to do this in the US than it is in India. The TAW10 and TAW12 classes are what you would get from an Institute (SAP Approved Education Provider) in India. Companies sometimes schedule TAW10/TAW12 in the US when they start a new implmentation and have a bunch of folks to teach at once and sometimes large consulting companies schedule a class when they do a new hire wave (not very frequent these days with the number of experienced ABAPers floating around). If you call the US training number (888-777-1727), you might be able to get on a waiting list and be notified if/when a TAW10/TAW12 series is scheduled in the US.

If you're in a hurry, then BC400 is the place to start. Also, you should download a copy of the "Trial version" of SAP ECC so you can practice ABAP on your own. You could buy a book and self study. It only costs $500 to take the exam in the US, you don't have to have any formal training first. If you can find someone to train you one-on-one, that might also be a way to go.

BC 401, BC402, and NET31 are all advanced forms of ABAP that you'll want to learn eventually, but in the spirit of crawl before you walk, should be taken after you've learned the basics and programmed on it for a while.

It looks like both BC400 and BC430 are offered for FREE through the SAP Learning Hub. Here's a list of all classses offered. There are three links at the bottom of the list that lead to blogs that explain how to get access. If you're going to try this, you'll definitely need the Trial version so you can do the exercises.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck! An alternative approach would be to use the programming skills you currently have to get hired at a company that already runs SAP and then, over time, let it be known that you'd like to learn ABAP and support SAP. The company would then pay to train you or at the very least have someone mentor you so you wouldn't have to do all of this out of your own pocket.

You might also be able to find a member of the SAP University Alliance that offers college classes in ABAP, but in my experience that's pretty hard to find. Most of the SUA programs are part of MBA programs and focus on functional topics.

Best regards,

--Tom

[Former Member]

Tom,

Thank you very much for the very detailed reply.

I will start with BC400, BC430.

Info about the SAP ECC Trial version is very helpful.

Senthil