You have decided to start a career in SAP, you have heard how rewarding it can be. You have done some research to find out what it takes to become an SAP consultant, now you have discovered there are many career paths you can choose . FICO, HR, MM, BI, CRM, SCM, SRM. There are too many 2/3 letter abbreviations that you can possibly process in your mind. Now you are faced with the task. How do I choose the best SAP module for me?
In this post I will give you some things to consider when choosing an SAP module for your career. After that I will use this tips to explain on how I chose SAP business intelligence for mine.
Why you must get it right at this stage
Simply because this is where the game is won or lost. You want to give yourself the best chance at succeeding. Some people base their choices solely on how much money they are likely to earn in the future. This is very wrong, why?
Simply because for you to earn good money, you have to be good at what you do, and to be good at what you do, you have to spend time practising and perfecting your skills. For you to want to spend hours in practising a task, you have to like what you do or at least have an interest in it. So you see from this chain of occurrences, the money comes at the end. You are likely to fall by the way-side before you even get to the money.
Choose a SAP module that compliments your current expertise
Take a deep look at what you are doing now and choose an SAP module that will need those skills, if you are just graduating or have no experience, choose a field that you have an interest in.
If you are a developer, consider starting your career in ABAP, if you can develop in java, that means you already master half the skills necessary to develop in SAP’s web application server Web AS.
Are you are an accountant or studying finance? SAP Financials should be your first module to consider.
Why this is important is because you need to reduce the number of obstacles in your path where you can. You already have the obstacle of having to learn something by getting to know SAP, you do not want to add the other obstacle of learning what a general ledger is if you want to learn SAP Financials with no financial knowledge.
Choose a module in demand
You need to choose an SAP module that is demand. Remember the main goal of this post is to increase your chances of success at the initial stage. Face it, when you get on the job market, you will be competing with other consultants for the same jobs. If there is only one job in the marketplace, the odds are you won’t get that job. Now if there are 500 jobs on the market at that point in time, the odds are definitely better. It is all a numbers game.
SAP SRM has not been in demand and some people might argue that is better to be a specialist and thus your worth is more. I will say this to them, who can be a specialist without mastering the general skills? who can be a dentist without going to medical school?
You are just starting out in your SAP career, so get the basics down and when you are successful you can decide to increase your worth if you specialise in a more tightly focused areas like SAP security.
There are two ways to determine demand. One is to go through your local job board and see which SAP skills are being advertised for. If you are in the UK, you can use ITJobsWatch to determine demand.
Another way is to answer a fundamental question, which companies will need this module? Which departments will use this module.
If you can safely say that almost all companies implementing SAP can potentially make use of the module in question, then you can already determine demand.
Let me give an example SAP financials is a module that all companies can make use of. All companies large or medium sized have a financial department that SAP FI/CO can help optimise. Another good example is human resources, every company has a HR department and that is a reason why SAP HR is in demand
On the other end of the spectrum is SAP SRM which helps largely retailers with lots of suppliers and vendors and helps manage the relationship between the two. SAP Oil and Gas is an example of an industry specific module. The number of companies implementing these modules of SAP will pale compared to SAP Financials.
Why did I choose business intelligence.
I will now take you through the two points I made above and relate that to my choice of SAP business intelligence.
First of all, I am currently a software developer, I develop applications that help make day to day activities easier. I have worked in many industries and I decided for SAP business intelligence because I have a lot of the skills needed in BI. I have done a lot of database work which helps to understand the concepts of data warehousing better. I develop applications that display reports so I can also appreciate the background processing needed to create the reports that BI give you out of the box.
The second main consideration is, which companies can make use of business intelligence and my answer is almost all. BI is a component of SAP Netweaver which is the technology base of any new SAP installation.
Companies implementing FI/CO will need to determine which departments are profitable from the reports that BI produces, those implementing SAP sales and distribution will need to determine which products are lagging, those implementing HR will need to know how many employees are being recruited over time. And the list goes on and on.
Now you have my reasons for choosing SAP BI, please use these tips to choose a module that you can relate to and you can be sure that you can start your SAP career with the assurance that you have thought it out and have a better chance at succeeding at it. I would love to hear your comments on which SAP module you would like to pursue and how you chose it.
How to increase your chances of starting a successful SAP career
You might be asking yourself,
Is SAP right for me?
What are my chances of getting a good SAP job?
The good news is you are not alone. A lot of people have the same questions as well. What is even better news? I have written a series of articles that answer these questions and many more on SAP Unveiled.
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Could you please explain about PI or XI.
SAP Process integration is the new name for SAP XI Exchange infrastructure. Companies always have other systems that are non-SAP but need to integrate the data into the SAP landscape. PI is used to accomplish this task
What about PI or Xi future.
I cannot predict this for you, Udaya but coming from the point of view that companies 99% of the time have data in non-SAP systems, you can safely say it will be in demand but if you only have this as your only skill set, I’m not sure it is viable. Maybe better to have it in combination with other skills in SAP Netweaver
have got more than 11 years of experience in sales & marketing so i think for me it should be the sales module in SAP
How about SAP Banking? Is it in demand?
Hi Sandeep,
SAP for banking is an industry solution for banks, just like SAP Oil and Gas. If you take a look at SAP Financials, now that is one I am sure is in demand.
what is your background?
James
Am an I.T officer with MCSA and CCNA background.Currently work with SAP B1 helping Co-workers with the general use of SAP B1.I dislike programming.Which module will be okay for me.
Thanks
You do not need programming experience to be a BI consultant, Stephen.
Hi James,
I am working as a training coordinator & i want to learn SAP.
Can you please suggest me which module i an choose.
Thanks
Aditya
Hello Aditya,
In what field do you conduct your training? You background matters a lot, this should be your starting point.
James,
I am not conducting any training & I have done BSc IT.
I mainly work on MS Office for preparing database(Excel) & reports for the management.
Aditya
currently i am working as finance admin in an ITES mnc company for almost 1 year. I have done my MBA in finance and before tat i have also done my BE in Mechanical engineering. So which module in SAP do you suggest to take up and which is booming in future. I heard MM and PP ll do good in future and these are related to engg background n it might help me good. My interest is FICO. Wat do you suggest.
FICO is also a good model to go for, Mahesh. As I highlighted in the post, financials is a core process to any business. But you have an MBA in finance, why do you want to restrict yourself to SAP?
Hi,
I am a BizTalk consultant and have good experience of systems integration. I have selected SAP-PI. What you think will it be good for me ?
Sounds like a good choice, Ahsan. Do you already have training in SAP PI, or you are planning to get one?
Hi james,
coz thought fr MBA grad SAP ll be the best as far the careers is concerned n heard MBA can shift into any module in SAP….r else suggest me which suits my career in finance…that would be very much apprecaited..
thanks n regards
mahesh
Hie I studied Finance at university and have extensive experience in internal auditing.I got SAP FI certified in February and I didnt have any prior SAP experience and I am finding it extremely hard to enter the SAP market.Whats your view on certification versus experience?? Is my certification going to waste
Hey James,
I work as Project Manager at a Software house. With BS in software engineering and almost 5 years market experience, my plans are to touch the SAP system as its in great demand now adays. I want your suggestion, considering I dont like programming too much :(, what should i take on. Basic research shows learning fundamentals (SAP basic skills) and then getting to BI is what seems right. What do you think? Help me find some good resources on internet as well. Thanks a lot and a great article answering the dam question that arises in every SAP newbie.
Thanks
Project management is a universal skill. If you want to continue on that road, I shouldn’t think that you will have to develop anything and you needn’t specialise in a defined SAP-area just now. Have you considered switching jobs for a PM in a (maybe small) SAP project someplace?
Hi James,
I am working in a company where I am responsible for new business development,market study and strategy formation.To be more precise ,my task involves framing and studying business model for particular business and to propose a decesion whether the company should go for the business or not.What do you think ,which module of SAP would best suits my role or could provide some help in decesion making?
Hi
I am prathima.I have done engineering under medical electronics branch.i worked as a software tester for 3 years.i am very much interested to become a SAP CONSULTANT.I hate programming .Which module of SAP would best suit me?Kindly suggest
Thanks
Hi James,
I have gone through your above inputs, sounds really nice to me. kindly help me out for choosing a right SAP module. I have done my BE Computer and MBA Marketing. Currently working in a IT Company, I am into Business Development and presales. We provide IT solutions to banks predominantly in the space of Integration. But do you think PI would be a good choice for me. How abt BI?? Will that be a suitable module for me??
PI is a technicality, no more. It’s the successor to XI and more a tool for a real tech-freak, like Basis-people …
Since you are doing presales and development, you might want to investigate CRM.
Just a thought, though.
Presales sounds more like CRM to me. Do a bit of R&D and see, if it suits you …
Hi James,
This is kumar
I am working as a java developer on weblogic portals. mine is telecom domain related company.
But i have a plan to move in to SAP XI / EP. so please tell me the right way to move in to SAP and also tell me which module is good ( XI or EP ) or is there any module related to telecom domain in SAP ??? if its there guide me the best way to learn those stuff …
Regards,
Kumar
As mentioned above, Kumar. PI/XI is more a technicality, a tool … IMHO it does not qualify as anything you can ‘go into’.
Since you are a java developer, have you ever considered expanding that to NetWeaver developer … as in: WebDynpro? Take on some ABAP and you will surely be able to cover a market niche which is just in the upstart-phase now.
On top of that – as a developer java/ABAP you will come across many (modules) areas in SAP software – that might be a good point to start investigations, if you ever want to chose ‘the other side’ (meaning business consulting).
When considering which module might suit you when you start out with your SAP career, my advice would be to choose something that you have an understanding of from a business perspective. For example, if you have been working as a customer services agent for a company, deciding to become a FI (Finance) consultant might not be the best idea.
SAP is logical in all it does and so if you appreciate how a business operates it will really help you. IT people normally end up in BASIS (the technical end of SAP) and a customer Services agent probably would suit being an SD (Sales and Distribution) consultant.
Finally, don’t try to cheat your perspective employer saying you know all about something you don’t, as in contrast to everyday jobs, it is unlikely that there will be anyone else covering the aspect of SAP you have been employed to cover so if you get stuck you’re going to have problems and will find yourself on SAPFANS and SAPSupport.co.uk more often than is healthy.
So, get good training.
As explained on this site, you need to be choosey about who you get training from, there are plenty of online sites offering training but many are on old systems or just teach you the bear minimum…it can be a case of you get what you pay for…so save your pennies up and buy the best you can afford.
If you need advice, we are always ready to help you (for free of course) at http://www.sapsupport.co.uk.
Good luck
Hi
I went to do SAP CRM without the knowledge of using SAP system, i was happy because i wanted to learn more about SAP but my problem is will i get SAP CRM job without the expereince?
James,
I have 9 years of HR systems knowledge. I recently decided to pursue SAP training with the same philosophy that I should learn SAP HR. However, some of the SAP consultants have convinced me that SAP Basis Security or SAP BI as much better option because they are not limited to any one domain or industry. Although, my HR domain knowledge would help, am I better off with one of the other two modules from marketability perspective?
Thanks,
Morphiuzzz
Dear Sir,
i have an experience in production & project coordinator, which SAP module is best for me as a Career?
i have an experience in production & project coordinator, which SAP module is best for me as a Career? i am a mechanical engineer with 4 years of ind. experience.
Hi All,
I have a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering and am working in the same field (Aerospace industry-basically manufacturing industry/sector) from the past 7 years in USA. I am planning to shift to SAP and learn a suitable module for me based on my work experience.
Can you please suggest a suitable SAP module that suits my experience and which is still in demand to get a job in US or in India ?
Thank you all.
hii sir,
I am doing my MBA in HR… i found your website very much useful.thanks 4 that…
i want to do SAP for better placements and i couldn’t decide which suits me well.. i m also interested in finance… i want to do a SAP course which fits into HR and also some finance so that i could have more options left for my placments..
thanks in advance…
SOUJI
Hi,
I have done MSc Computer Science and currently I am working as PHP developer. Frankly, I am not at all satisfied with my Job. Actually I have lost my interest in programming. Still I don’t want to leave the IT industry or technical field.
Could some one please guide me in choosing an appropriate SAP module.
Lot of people have suggested me for BASIS but I heard its not in much demand these days..
Also could someone tell me the difference between BASIS, Netweaver and XI..
Thanks,
Pankaj Wagh
Hi,
I am a fresh graduate and i did IT in uni. I have attended TERP10 course and get a SAP certified business associate. Hence, I have basic knowledge about SAP solution.
I am interested in SAP Logistics area, however, BW is the most demand in my country. And, I am clueless on how to enter SAP Logistics field, mostly required 1 – 3 years of experience. So, I am considering whether want to head into SAP BI as there is a company offering a training for it. I have little interest in BI, but I have limited knowledge in it, will it hard to pick up?
Dear Sir
I am SAP B1 Functional Consultant ,having 4 implementation Exp ,I am BE in Electronics and Tele. I am Doing MBA in IT,
I want to change in to BI/BW can you please guide for same
I am sending you it agian
Dear Sir
I am SAP B1 Functional Consultant ,having 4 implementation Exp ,I am BE in Electronics and Tele. I am Doing MBA in IT,
I want to change in to BI/BW can you please guide for same
As a general comment, I think getting certified or trying to get into SAP directly is very difficult. The best bet for a majority of folks is to become a trainer or end-user with a company or an organization implementing or upgrading SAP, so you get to learn SAP while you work for that organization.
Companies coming onto SAP have to train their employees, so it’s free training and project life cycle experience. Even with a certification, I don’t see many companies hiring SAP consultants with no SAP project experience.
You have made a good point Jasen, Another good opportunity is to find companies that have SAP academies
basically these companies train you in SAP and pay you a salary at the same time.
I did some research into these companies and I noticed Deloitte in South
Africa is one of these companies. Do you have any experience with that?
hi,
i have 5 years experince in sales & Marketing, i am BSc graduate.can i go for SAP.
Regards,
Saravanan
Yes you can. Try to get some information on SAP CRM customer relationship manangement.
There is some good information on http://www.sapunveiled.com
Hello James
Thanks alot for taking time to give us some inputs on the right direction.
I am a PM and also do some part of BA activities due to this recession. However I am planning to take up some technical courses to add value to the work I am doing. I work in PMO and governance team and not related to any specific implementation projects. Sometimes its becoming difficult to score a project when the market is kind of slow/dull.
I have zero knowledge in programming , however I have worked on all kinds of testing tools and some of the reporting tools to generate reports or design reports etc.
I am planning to do SAP-PLM (product lifecycle management).Am I choosing the right module? Please give your expert opinion.
Thanks Again
Best Wishes
Sri
Hi,
I have SAP Business One consulting experience over a number of years, as well as Project Management experience. Currently the B1 market isn’t very lucrative and I have a chance to break into ‘Big SAP’ I have no Big SAP experience and slightly similar to yourself originally come from a techie background, servers, etc NOT development but have experience of SQL and Crystal Reports and moved into Project Managemtn and then into SAP B1 consulting. My initial thoughts are to break into FICO and BI. The oppurtunity is that I am able to securea role in the satates and get training and experience as well as getting paid (pulled a few strings!). Saw your blog how FICO and BI are more secure work wise as I have been made redundant twice hence currently unemployed. What would you advise do FICO and then move into BI or vica versa if able to? My worry is that BI may be too technical for me with my very limited exposure to SQL and Crystal Reports. In light of this would FICO be better? My gut feeling is that I would like to do BI and then FICO if possible. Would greatly appreciate any advice / thoughts
Hi. I’m a fresh graduate considering going for SAP FICO, but i don’t have any background in finance or accounting. Please I would like to know if I need any prerequisite before starting SAP FICO training. Also what is the difference between SAP FICO and SAP ERP Financials. Thank you
Hi James,
I have degree in bank management and 6+years of experience in Call center that involved in Banking, Customer Service, health insurance and supervisory roles. I’m looking for a change in career. Can i get into SAP and which module do you think i must go for?
Kindly advise.
Regards,
Loki
hi james,i did management in marketing and having healthy experience in sales.now i am interested in sap.which kind of module will i pursue?plz suggest me.shall i go for sd&crm or sd&mm considering present market?i have no purchase/material mamagement exp. experience.
Hi,
I am working as a Web Developer and I want to know which SAP module I should do. I dont want to go in the programming field. I have done Masters In IT. But my interest is not in Programming. So you please suggest me that which module i should learn which has better demand and will be needed in any company. Please answer me as soon as possible.
Thanks & Regards
Jitu Lalwani