SAP queries thread

hi puys. i hope you all are doing well in your endeavors and wish for the same. :slight_smile: there have been many threads on the forum, regarding SAP and its related fields in context of mba, job, work experience. here are the threads: sap Threadโ€ฆ

hi puys.
i hope you all are doing well in your endeavors and wish for the same. :)

there have been many threads on the forum, regarding SAP and its related fields in context of mba, job, work experience.
here are the threads:
sap Threads - Forum Tags by Zoints

i had been thinking for quite a long time now to have a separate thread for this important thing which constitute a major chunk of the jobs and opportunities for both mba and non mba graduates.

i will try to procure important information on this very subject from the puys who have worked and are working in this field.
also, i will ask puys to post here and take part in the discussion about SAP.

to start with basics, we must know what is SAP.

according to the definition from searchsap.com (What is SAP? - Definition from Whatis.com)
"SAP, started in 1972 by five former IBM employees in Mannheim, Germany, states that it is the world's largest inter-enterprise software company and the world's fourth-largest independent software supplier, overall.
The original name for SAP was German: Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte, German for "Systems Applications and Products." The original SAP idea was to provide customers with the ability to interact with a common corporate database for a comprehensive range of applications. Gradually, the applications have been assembled and today many corporations, including IBM and Microsoft.

It is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software delivered by the company SAP AG based in Germany.

Although there are many ERP software available in the market, SAP leads the pack because of many reasons including scalability, stability etc.

To get more idea what is ERP, have a look here:
Enterprise resource planning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This thread is a very good initiative.

I am a fresher IT engineer. I am going to pursue MBA from NMIMS this year. I need to know when should I go for a SAP certification course?

This thread is a very good initiative.

I am a fresher IT engineer. I am going to pursue MBA from NMIMS this year. I need to know when should I go for a SAP certification course?


thanks :)
actually there can't be a good time for you to do that certification, or i should put it this way, you can go for it anytime.
the thing you need to keep in mind is that the certification exams costs quite a lot.

another option you can think about it is that you work for some time in the field of your choice and then decide which module you want to get certified in.

just as a matter of opinion, post mba any functional domain will suit you the most, as compared to a technical domain in SAP. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

sorry for being inactive on this thread.

here is some generic stuff about SAP.

i have had any queries about SAP and many of these generally mean 'what is SAP'??
even i had this question when i was getting trained on the same. but no one could answer that. i was looking for a very layman answer, which eventually came out when one of our senior colleagues discussed it with us.

SAP is a software.
the use of a software is to simplify tasks and reduce human intervention in the trivial and repetitive tasks.

so if we see SAP now, it can be understood as large software product suite which is used to manage the complete organization as a whole.
hence the name Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) which can be used to classify these kind of software.
e.g. suppose an organization of the size of TCS or infy, if we want to combine all their functions (e.g. HR, Sales, customers etc etc) in a single system interface, then SAP is a solution.

the software itself is so vast in size and scope that it needs days to completely implement it and then support it too.
the SAP AG (company) has delivered it to be generic in nature, but when some organization needs to implement it, it needs to get the software customized according to their own needs.
hence the need for customization and it is indeed a time consuming process.

hope this makes clear the basic layman view for SAP software.

i will write something about 'why SAP' and 'SAP consultants' in the next post on this thread. :)
PS: you can have a look at this link till then.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_implementation

Dear Friends,

I need advice on a very important decision of mine i.e "Career Change".

I am 32 years old, commerce graduate, completed my MBA in IB. I started my career with reliance infrastructure (off roll), then joined HDFC Standard life as 'Sales Development Manager' where I was responsible for recruiting agents and getting business through them. Then I joined 'Bajaj Life Insurance co.' in 'Alternate channel' , here I was responsible for Recruiting franchisee and on rolls sales team of executives. Then I joined 'Reliance Money' as 'Center Manager', here I was responsible for overall profitability of the branch and I was handling Channel Management and selling products like Equity, Mutual Fund, Insurance, General Insurance etc.

Due to some serious Personal tragedy I left the job, then joined again after a gap of 9 months in a construction firm as 'Investment Manager' here I am responsible for company investments, and their project appraisal.

I have total experience of 9 years, I have cleared AMFI certification, NSE 'Equity Analyst', Licentiate from III.

I want to look possibilities in SAP-CRM module, what you say.... What else I can try to go into... your advice matters. Please reply

Dear Friends,

I need advice on a very important decision of mine i.e "Career Change".

I am 32 years old, commerce graduate, completed my MBA in IB. I started my career with reliance infrastructure (off roll), then joined HDFC Standard life as 'Sales Development Manager' where I was responsible for recruiting agents and getting business through them. Then I joined 'Bajaj Life Insurance co.' in 'Alternate channel' , here I was responsible for Recruiting franchisee and on rolls sales team of executives. Then I joined 'Reliance Money' as 'Center Manager', here I was responsible for overall profitability of the branch and I was handling Channel Management and selling products like Equity, Mutual Fund, Insurance, General Insurance etc.

Due to some serious Personal tragedy I left the job, then joined again after a gap of 9 months in a construction firm as 'Investment Manager' here I am responsible for company investments, and their project appraisal.

I have total experience of 9 years, I have cleared AMFI certification, NSE 'Equity Analyst', Licentiate from III.

I want to look possibilities in SAP-CRM module, what you say.... What else I can try to go into... your advice matters. Please reply

hi,
you can definitely look at this field.
but you have to clear some things before. the certification cost will be high so you need to plan accordingly.
also, you need to check out how you will be able to justify the career change from your previous role to SAP CRM.

also, searching a job after SAP certification will be a bit tough as everyone wants an experienced consultant.
as far as rest fields are concerned, you can have a look at the FI (finance) module too as you have a finance background and also try finding more about sales and distribution SD module.

hi,friend,
I am in urgent need of help.I have done my BE computers and afterwards worked in big MNC as a developer for 1.5 years after that i did MBA in systems and now i selected in another big MNC where they are going to train me on a functional module from list of modules available.

My condition is
Technical modules like BI,ABAP,Basis is not available as option to me.

SO it is pretty clear that as i did not did my MBA in main stream i have to learn something new.Problem is that i dont have knowledge of functional domains as to what will be better for me.

All i know is that i want to enter in some functional module which will have bright future and plus give me ample opportunities to work abroad.

so considering these both concerns what do u think will be best for me.I have already canceled out fico module and so from rest what will be best for me.?

pls guide me as i have to give my choice in comming days.?

hi,friend,
I am in urgent need of help.I have done my BE computers and afterwards worked in big MNC as a developer for 1.5 years after that i did MBA in systems and now i selected in another big MNC where they are going to train me on a functional module from list of modules available.

My condition is
Technical modules like BI,ABAP,Basis is not available as option to me.

SO it is pretty clear that as i did not did my MBA in main stream i have to learn something new.Problem is that i dont have knowledge of functional domains as to what will be better for me.

All i know is that i want to enter in some functional module which will have bright future and plus give me ample opportunities to work abroad.

so considering these both concerns what do u think will be best for me.I have already canceled out fico module and so from rest what will be best for me.?

pls guide me as i have to give my choice in comming days.?

hi,
first of all sorry for the late response.
you can have a look at the modules like Material Management (MM), Sales Distribution (SD), Production Planning (PM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), HR (functional), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Plant Maintenance (PM) and many more which i don't remember right now. :)

rest all depends on your interest. you can always have a look at these functional modules and as you have a technical background, you can dig deep into the technical side of these modules and work accordingly.
it may lead you to develop yourself as a subject matter expert on a particular module.

as far as onsite opportunities are concerned, i believe that is a matter of sheer luck. you can get an onsite opportunity as a high level consultant for a complex functional domain in SAP or a simple plain testing professional who does (the so called 'not so interesting', 'not so hot', 'not so challenging') testing work too.

just follow your areas of interest and take an informed decision.
best of luck ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

as mentioned in previous posts, today i will try to give info on the very generic question 'why SAP'.

this question can be seen from many perspectives.

  1. from an organization's point of view which is contemplating an SAP implementation.
  2. from an individual's point of view who is contemplating a high salaried career in IT.
  3. from a lay man perspective who is trying to find the answer to the same question for quite a while now

to be frank, i myself was a category 3 some 2-3 years ago until i understood the actual reason and factors.

on googling, i could find this quite relevant information:-
(source : 7 Reasons why SAP is a Market Leader in Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP Systems)

SAP has been a market leader, if not the market leader in the enterprise resource planning, ERP systems arena for the last three decades. Although the competition is fierce with a lot of new entrants in the market place from large and small vendors over this time, SAP is still a leader in enterprise software. Here are some reasons, though they may be similar benefits of other ERP solutions in the marketplace today, explain why SAP continues to be the market leader in the enterprise applications market.

1. The first reason is simply the fact that SAP is a market leader after three decades. Customers both new and old find comfort in a long historical track record. Although there are many new vendors and robust technologies on the market from large and start-up companies (startups meaning companies fewer than 4 years old), customers and prospective buyers making decisions on an enterprise solution for their company find comfort in a company with a long track record, and for good reason. Technology decision makers have been burned many times before with going forward with newer technologies that disappeared along with the software support and software upgrades. Knowing that a technology company will be around 5 years from now is a big influencer when buying enterprise wide solutions.

2. The primary focus of SAP has been on enterprise applications for the last 30 years, the area where they hold the market leader spot today across the globe. In contrast to the other large ERP software vendors, are focused on databases as an example.

3. SAP continues to focus its ERP applications on maximizing resources and reducing costs that are customized for businesses and industries. SAP has evolved its applications to have very deep industry focused solutions.

4. SAP architecture is incredibly strong with a process-centric focus and a foundation that operates in real time communication with enterprise wide business processes that is highly flexible.

5. Lasty, SAPs strong customer base and partnership base over the last 30 years has afforded their enterprise applications to be extremely industry and business specific as they have already built and refined these industry specific solutions with real customers and real implementation carrying the knowledge base and improving their technology and application offerings each year for the last three decades.

To the customers benefit, there are more solutions available on the marketplace to choose from, and even given the increasing competitive landscape, SAP has kept their market dominance.
_____

coming back to the 3 categories which i made above, the reasons for first category would be clear on reading the above mentioned data.
still, on skimming and understanding, one can deduce that organizations implement SAP in their enterprises to reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, reduce man hours for their core processes and hence as a result of all these: make profits.

however, it doesn't mean that SAP is an elixir for every organisation.
there have been many failures and consequent roll backs and dissociation too.
you can google it and have a look. (i have tried it and found this link below)
10 Famous ERP Disasters, Dustups and Disappointments CIO.com

for the second category, which is one of the important category as far as the audience here is concerned, the major reasons are

  1. the large market share of the SAP ERP,
  2. hence the large number of jobs generated,
  3. greater onsite opportunities as enterprises implementing SAP are generally very big in size and have an almost truly global presence
  4. good salary as the enterprises tend to make sure that their process and work should not be compromised.

only these reasons come to my mind right now. :)

finally as far as third category is concerned, read this above faltoo gyan and keep subscribed to this thread.

hii guys
m persuing MBA finance in university of pune.
i want to go for msc finance and investment in uk.....having 2 yrs of exp.. in chartered account... company after B.Com (financial accounts from Goa University)

sap fi/co module seems to be booming in market in recent years.. so if i enrol for sap course just after completion of PG, it will provide me good employment opportunity immediately ? or i should go for MSC finance in UK.. ???
please reply

which one of 2 i should consider ?

::::planning to do sap in genovate pune or siemens mumbai

second question - what are global opportunities for sap fi/co module ?
especially in asian countries...

hii guys
m persuing MBA finance in university of pune.
i want to go for msc finance and investment in uk.....having 2 yrs of exp.. in chartered account... company after B.Com (financial accounts from Goa University)

sap fi/co module seems to be booming in market in recent years.. so if i enrol for sap course just after completion of PG, it will provide me good employment opportunity immediately ? or i should go for MSC finance in UK.. ???
please reply

which one of 2 i should consider ?

::::planning to do sap in genovate pune or siemens mumbai

second question - what are global opportunities for sap fi/co module ?
especially in asian countries...

hi rajeev,
first of all you need to be clear why you want to do what you to do.

SAP FICO and MSC finance from UK are two totally different things and non comparable at all.

first of all check your priorities, e.g. if you want to earn money and that's your big priority then i won't suggest you to go for an MSC finance in UK which can potentially burden you with high amount of mortgage.
in comparison, SAP certification is a good option and will cost much less as compared to the MSC.

job opportunities are good in the worldwide market in almost every SAP module.

so plan your steps carefully.
hi rajeev,
first of all you need to be clear why you want to do what you to do.

SAP FICO and MSC finance from UK are two totally different things and non comparable at all.

first of all check your priorities, e.g. if you want to earn money and that's your big priority then i won't suggest you to go for an MSC finance in UK which can potentially burden you with high amount of mortgage.
in comparison, SAP certification is a good option and will cost much less as compared to the MSC.

job opportunities are good in the worldwide market in almost every SAP module.


so plan your steps carefully.


raghav sir,
thank you very much
your advise boost my confidence..

can i start my course in coming third sem.. of PG or after completion ?
what should i consider ? siemens or genovate (there is genovate in pune but no siemens) ? or some better suggest ? secondly
can u please give some more details of sap fi/co module.. being taught in siemens or genovate
as regards prior work exp..i hav worked on Tally package for 2 yrs i.e. 4.5, 7.2 & 9
also which books can i go for ? for getting idea about basics of SAP FI/CO module ??

thanks in advance
raghav sir,
thank you very much
your advise boost my confidence..

can i start my course in coming third sem.. of PG or after completion ?
what should i consider ? siemens or genovate (there is genovate in pune but no siemens) ? or some better suggest ? secondly
can u please give some more details of sap fi/co module.. being taught in siemens or genovate
as regards prior work exp..i hav worked on Tally package for 2 yrs i.e. 4.5, 7.2 & 9
also which books can i go for ? for getting idea about basics of SAP FI/CO module ??

thanks in advance

hi rajeev :)
i don't know much about genovate but have heard of siemens from my former colleagues and friends.
they provide the course materials once you enroll.
as far as basics are concerned, i believe you'd face no problems as you have a good background in accounting and financials, and FICO is all about the same.
best of luck.

Hi Raghav Sir,
Thanks for sharing info on SAP.Sir i need some serious advice as I have take decision about my career and I am interested in pursuing SAP course.

I did my B.E(Electrical) and then MBA(Marketing) from Mumbai university.I worked for 2 years in Sales and Marketing department in Big Manufacturing Firm.
But I realized later that I didnt want to do this kind of job as it required travelling and field work alot.I was confused and started preparing for Bank Exams but could cleared any.I m but frustated as I do not know what I am doing with my career.One thing is sure that i do not want to field job in marketing.One of my friends suggested me to make career in IT Industry and I am comfortable with computers.Based of my profile he suggested to pursue a SAP course.

I do not know much about SAP modules and which module will add value in my profile.The reason I prepared for Bank exams was my interest in Finance.I dont know future prospects of doing SAP course.

I would be grateful if you could suggest me which module i shud enrol and from which institute and how's market trend of these modules.

Waiting for your reply.

Rumila

Hi All,

I am having 4 years of experience from Infosys.Worked as SAP Security Consultant.I don't have any functional knowledge.Due to some reasons I have to leave my job last year in Oct,2010.Due to gap I am not getting calls for job and moreover I have forget the concepts of SAP Security.When I was on the job most of the time I was on medical leave because of that discontinuity in job and projects my learning is very less. ๐Ÿ˜ž As SAP certifications and courses are costly and after doing that course there is no surety that one will get a gud job in NCR So I am planning for Masters degree that is Executive MBA.Please suggest whether I am thinking in the right direction or not??

Please suggest reputed Indian Colleges which offer Executive MBA with 4 yrs of exp.
Is GMAT is compulsory for Executive MBA?If so,please guide as how to prepare for GMAT?From where I should take coaching.

Thanks in advance

Hi Raghav Sir,
Thanks for sharing info on SAP.Sir i need some serious advice as I have take decision about my career and I am interested in pursuing SAP course.

I did my B.E(Electrical) and then MBA(Marketing) from Mumbai university.I worked for 2 years in Sales and Marketing department in Big Manufacturing Firm.
But I realized later that I didnt want to do this kind of job as it required travelling and field work alot.I was confused and started preparing for Bank Exams but could cleared any.I m but frustated as I do not know what I am doing with my career.One thing is sure that i do not want to field job in marketing.One of my friends suggested me to make career in IT Industry and I am comfortable with computers.Based of my profile he suggested to pursue a SAP course.

I do not know much about SAP modules and which module will add value in my profile.The reason I prepared for Bank exams was my interest in Finance.I dont know future prospects of doing SAP course.

I would be grateful if you could suggest me which module i shud enrol and from which institute and how's market trend of these modules.

Waiting for your reply.

Rumila

hi rumila,
i would ifrst of all suggest you to pursue your interests. :)
as far as your profile is shown from the details given by you, you can chose a CRM, SRM, SD kind of profiles while switching to SAP.
however, if you are keenly interested in finance then the relevant field would be FICO.

as SAP certifications are costly, you need to plan it out a bit.
there are many institutes which offer SAP certifications, the most guaranteed for the course content and reliability is Siemens.
i don't have much idea about others, you can get a good training and then go for certification exam on your own.

market trends are good as there are jobs in these segments in the industry.
i'd further suggest that you should talk to a person who has been in a same situation as yours and has chosen the SAP field.
it will help you a lot. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
Hi All,

I am having 4 years of experience from Infosys.Worked as SAP Security Consultant.I don't have any functional knowledge.Due to some reasons I have to leave my job last year in Oct,2010.Due to gap I am not getting calls for job and moreover I have forget the concepts of SAP Security.When I was on the job most of the time I was on medical leave because of that discontinuity in job and projects my learning is very less. ๐Ÿ˜ž As SAP certifications and courses are costly and after doing that course there is no surety that one will get a gud job in NCR So I am planning for Masters degree that is Executive MBA.Please suggest whether I am thinking in the right direction or not??

Please suggest reputed Indian Colleges which offer Executive MBA with 4 yrs of exp.
Is GMAT is compulsory for Executive MBA?If so,please guide as how to prepare for GMAT?From where I should take coaching.

Thanks in advance

symbiosis pune, pumba, etc r some good colleges for ex-mba

Raghav sir,
i have just completed b'com and i don't have any job in hand will sap fico help me getting a job that would be satisfactory for freshers and help my profile