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How to get started in SAP

The demand for SAP technology and functional consultants is near an all-time high. However, if you don’t already have an SAP job, building an SAP career remains a difficult undertaking.

SAP certification and training is one way to prepare yourself for an SAP job, but recently readers are asking us how to choose between the various options available. One way to begin is by taking two classes directly from SAP:

SAP NetWeaver is SAP’s technological foundation and the core of all SAP foundations. As such, it’s a good investment to take SAPNW and SAPTEC classes directly from SAP. SAPNW is a three-day course, offered in dozens of countries, that will introduce you not only to the NetWeaver interface and fundamentals, but also to SAP’s service-oriented architecture, exchange infrastructure (XI), portal infrastructure (PI), enterprise portal, application server, Run SAP and business intelligence (BI). Aspiring SAP consultants who take this course might find that their classmates are actual SAP end users, so there is an opportunity to network.

After taking SAPNW, sign up for SAPTEC, a three-day course that digs more deeply into the SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP NetWeaverAS). Perhaps the most valuable part of this course is it overview of the SAP development process, an indispensable skill in the SAP world.

Together, these courses are comparable in cost to the money third-party SAP certification providers are charging for certificates in countries such as India, and add more value to an SAP job seeker’s resume.

Once you’ve caught up on NetWeaver, whether on the basis of SAP training or self-study, don’t forget to ask us your more targeted questions about developing an SAP NetWeaver career in particular or an SAP career in general.

Demir Barlas, Site Editor

Now taking BI/BW questions

You’ve probably seen the new guest expert feature called On The Spot we launched last week. First out was SAP jobs expert Jon Reed with his words of wisdom on topics like the next big thing in ABAP careers, how to become a techno-functional consultant, and how a U.S. developer can ask for a raise without getting the pink slip.

We’re now taking questions for next month’s installment, this time featuring BI/BW expert Gary Nolan. Gary just released his latest SAP Press book: Efficient SAP NetWeaver BI Implementation & Project Management, and he is a frequent conference speaker with many years practical experience. Read his bio, then submit your toughest SAP BI/BW questions.

Matt Danielsson
Editor

Great SAP Leaders Among Us contest update

Just a quick update on the Great SAP Leaders Among Us podcast contest. As you may recall, the topic is BI/BW challenges and how regular SAP users like yourself overcame those obstacles. Now we have whittled the field down to two strong candidates, but we need you to cast your vote to decide who wins the grand prize. There’s plenty of useful tips to be gained, yet both podcasts clock in at just five minutes each. Tune in today!

Matt Danielsson
Editor

Podcast challenge: Great SAP Leaders Among Us

Have you or your team faced a gnarly BI/BW project? Then we want to hear about it! Check out our latest contest where you submit a brief podcast (less than 5 minutes) explaining how you overcame the challenge. 

Great SAP Leaders Among Us is your chance to shine, as well as a chance to win a video iPod or one of several $50 iTunes gift certificates. Never done a podcast before? No worries, we have the tools and directions you need to score a winner right on the contest page. 

Regards,
Matt Danielsson
Editor

The SAP Jobs info center is back

Looking for ways to get your SAP career in gear? Check out the SAP Jobs info center for tips and advice on how to break out of the rut. After a holiday break we're back with fresh articles, tips and answers to common challenges. For example:

Stay with permanent job or move to consulting?
Should you stay with a safe, permanent job, or spread your wings as a consultant for more risk and potential income? It's a classic dilemma — get SAP career guru Jon Reed's take on the matter here.

How do I keep my BW job from being outsourced?
Will getting expertise in BW help a SAP professional avoid the outsourcing ax? Yes, if you go one of two specific paths, according to Reed.

There's plenty more where these came from. Check it out today!

Matt Danielsson
Editor

New SAP BW Guide: Open Hub Service

SearchSAP.com introduces our first Crash Course: SAP BW Guide: Open Hub Service. This handy instructional tool will guide you through step-by-step the process for creating, activating and executing an InfoSpoke, which is the central object for exporting data in the BW Open Hub.

This guide is designed to be an easy to navigate set of technical instructions for distributing data from the SAP BW system into external data marts, analytical applications, and other applications. Through the Open Hub service, SAP BW becomes the hub of an enterprise data warehouse and by using this mechanism ultimately your enterprise will become aligned and processes will run more efficiently and more affordably. Opportunities are discovered, and innovations are accelerated and all this contributes to the sustainable and profitable growth of your company.

Check out the SAP BW Guide: Open Hub Service and email me to let me know what you think about our new crash course series and what you want a lesson in.

Juli Austin
Assistant Editor