In 1972 five former IBM employees started SAP in Mannheim, Germany. SAP in German stood for ''Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte,'' meaning ''systems, applications, products.''
According to Information Technology Toolbox Inc.’s website, originally SAP was introduced as software that provided ''customers with the ability to interact with a common corporate database for a comprehensive range of applications.'' As these applications were assembled, IT majors started using SAP products for their own projects.
Career Building through SAP
Building a career in SAP requires knowledge of the functional modules of SAP R/3, such as FI/CO and SD. One can also build a career in SAP by understanding the industry’s new dimension solutions, such as BW and APO. Basic knowledge of all other modules of SAP is also important.
While an SAP expert must have good business sense, SAP consultants need to be good at communications, project management, and troubleshooting. Knowledge of accounting information systems is a plus.
A career in SAP can entail the following:
- Strategy and demand management relating to translating business requirements into IT requirements
- Playing an operational role in business process management and IT infrastructure
- IT project management
- Working as an IT architecture and innovation specialist
Your career in SAP is likely to witness high demand for NetWeaver, BW, enterprise portal, and HCM skills. ERP knowledge in FI, MM, and PP most likely will also be in demand in the future. Customers will push for more upgrades, such as new NetWeaver releases.
It is important that you keep yourself up to date regarding the new product introduction (NPI) space. As companies grow they will look to implement the best products.
SAP Skills You Must Acquire
- Web 2.0: Basic Web 2.0 skills are a must for every person pursuing a career in SAP. Associated with technologies such as AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML), XML, SOA, and Flash, Web 2.0 provides an excellent platform for mashups.
- Solution Manager: Solution Manager helps you link pre-NetWeaver SAP, NetWeaver SAP, and eSOA. It also helps with SAP upgrades and can be used for performance management and optimization. It is designed to tackle the changes in new SAP modules.
- NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE): NetWeaver CE, SAP’s Java-based environment that comes along with NetWeaver 7.1, has many useful components, such as Enterprise Services Repository, NetWeaver Application Studio, and Web Dynpro.
- BI/BW Multi-Dimensional Expression Language (MDX): BI/BW MDX helps in creating SOA-driven mashups that power the BW environment. Using MDX, you can ''mash'' third-part content data with your internal data.
- Visual Composer: Visual Composer may not be as easy to handle as other SAP tools, but it is very useful for both functional and technical consultants. Currently it is available in two versions: Visual Composer 6.0, which comes with NetWeaver 7.0, and Visual Composer, which is a part of the NetWeaver Composition Environment with NetWeaver 7.1.
For a successful career in SAP, it is important that you become an expert in a specific area rather than a ''Jack of all trades, master of none.''
The year 2008 is looking fairly promising for people wishing to pursue careers in SAP.
However, if the US economy continues to slide toward a recession, IT budgets are going to be affected, and in turn, fewer SAP projects will be available.
