SAP Consultants Thread

[tophe_17]

SAP -- Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing

So this will be the thread for SAP consultants and those who are soon-to-be SAP consultants -- let's share here what we know about SAP, business processes per modules, implementation and support experiences, SAP companies and education partners, SAP career opportunities, system development, SAP IMG, and all other things that evolve in the "small world of SAP".



SAP, we're gonna be...
The ERP of the Century...

*okay*

[leuman]

That was a quick response bro! Hands-down! *okay*

In my consulting experience, i was able to develop the ability to "throw the questions back to the users", if they have queries. I really believed that the task of a consultant is to build the capacity of the clients to make their own assessments and answer their own questions.
Well, i guess this is a great strategy during the initial phase of your consulting stint, or else you will be eaten alive.;)

What can you say guys?

Go forth and synergise leverage!

[mightyjeff]

Uy, gusto ko to... Actually gusto ko mag career shift to SAP. I'm a .Net Programmer. Paano po ba mag start? Mukhang mahirap kasi since resources are limited. Any good advice?

[tophe_17]

That was a quick response bro! Hands-down! *okay*

In my consulting experience, i was able to develop the ability to "throw the questions back to the users", if they have queries. I really believed that the task of a consultant is to build the capacity of the clients to make their own assessments and answer their own questions.
Well, i guess this is a great strategy during the initial phase of your consulting stint, or else you will be eaten alive.;)

What can you say guys?

Go forth and synergise leverage!


Thanks bro! :)

On my first client exposure, which happened to be my first consulting experience (no shadowing), I've fully appreciated SAP. Because the first time I get to learn what "tcodes" are, I have no idea how I would be able to appreciate this system -- that is, considering that I am a civil engineer (totally no background in IT/programming) and it's definitely far from what I've learned in school.

But then in a way, I was able to apply Project Management principles I learned in school since I am holding Project System (PS) module and that our clients are in the Real Estate and Construction industries. It adds up to the consultant credibility the fact that the one implementing such module is an engineer, just like an accountant handles FI/CO.

Thankfully, the 7 months implem is over and I'm currently in our Development Team, developing our own SAP-based solution (A1 solution for RE/Construction).

I'm currently studying CO in E-Academy of our company as well and hopefully I'd be able to finish it in 2 months time. :)

[sholess]

how hard is it to land an implem gig? I only have two years experience supporting HR module post golive.
I mean can you tell me your story on how you got your first implementation, the extent of your SAP experience during that time, the role you served in the project etc. Thanks.
I really want to have an implementation experience, preferably a local project. All the offers I'm getting are for support jobs and I don't think I'm ready to try my luck abroad yet.ty

[tophe_17]

^ I tried support as well in other companies, but after my implementation experience. :D

These are the major activities we did during our implem:

1. Business Process Blueprint -- we fit the client's business process with our standard SAP process.

2. System Configuration -- this is the actual setting-up of the client's requirements into the system settings. So in actual implementation, normally, there are 3 systems : a. Development (DEV) - where system configuration is done; b. Quality Assurance (QAS) - where end user training is done, system config in DEV are transported here; c. Production (PROD) - where actual company transactions are done, DEV config are transported here as well.

3. Data Migration -- transporting manual data to actual system data. You make migration strategies on how actual transactions are to be transported. Medyo matrabaho ito for my part because direct SAP posting ang ginawa namin. You have other options like an upload program (for massive data transport).

4. End-User Training -- when everything is ready for GO LIVE (term used when the client will actually run the system for real business transactions), the users will be trained on how to use the system either by the client or by the consultants' respective counterparts.

5. User Manual/Configuration Manual Documentation -- documentation of the configuration done in the system and other configuration that might be useful.

[tophe_17]

how hard is it to land an implem gig? I only have two years experience supporting HR module post golive.
I mean can you tell me your story on how you got your first implementation, the extent of your SAP experience during that time, the role you served in the project etc. Thanks.
I really want to have an implementation experience, preferably a local project. All the offers I'm getting are for support jobs and I don't think I'm ready to try my luck abroad yet.ty

Normally, a first timer in SAP would get to work in Support as his initial task. It was different in my case; I didn't go through working in the Support team since there are few consultants in my module. Lucky me, I got deployed immediately to our client.

Unfortunately, it was very hard for me to cope with it at first because I was not properly trained. So I depend mostly on what I've read about it (thank God for SAP Help :D -- you really don't have to be a Kaisa-certified to survive implem) and everyday system transaction practice. :)

Now it's done... ready for the next implem. :D

[leuman]

How about issues with the end-users? The usual exceptions by the managers and stakeholders? And unusual business scenarios you've encountered so far?

[tophe_17]

^ Actually, during the Business Process Blueprint, the scenarios and system transactions are being discussed with the department heads and managers for approval.

This approved flows will serve as the guidelines for the end-users so that issues like conflicting roles and differentiating manual and system data posting are minimized.

One significant issue with the end-users is the system acceptance, especially of they are used to doing manual transactions. At first, when you are presenting the business process and system transactions, it's like you are pre-selling :lol: , trying to convince them as to how the system would help them ease their work. This inevitable occurs when the users are oldies. :glee:

[mb065]

i've been an SAP professional for almost 10 years - done a few full cycles and have been doing support for 5 years.

i chose to leave the consulting world in 2006 and now work as in-house SAP support lead and managing SAP improvement projects.

i love my job. i miss consulting sometimes but i am happy with my job now because my stress levels are healthy and manageable.

PM/CS focus.

sholess, i had a difficult time at first also. no training on the module i handled, no shadowing. umiyak pa ako sa harap ng client a few times and they questioned my credibility because i was new and handling a male-dominated process. but i persevered and proved them wrong.

i was one of the first lucky ones who got into SAP when most companies wanted to get into it. i landed my first implem gig via my first employer, a big audit/consulting firm and one of the first SAP implem partners. i left when they dissolved the SAP consulting group.

[jericholic]

^^ Wow good for you! Ako naman I did technical support for three SAP modules for 3 years. Then lumipat ako sa implem pero parang implem support tong ginagawa namin. Fortunately though I found a job outside of the country to work on an actual implem role. Sana nga ito na yung talagang implem role na hinahanap ko. Wish me luck! *okay*

[tophe_17]

Hi mb065 and jericholic! :wave:
It's nice to know your stories. :)

Sabi nila maliit lang daw ang SAP world. We might bump to each other in an SAP implem in the future. :)


I wonder if there are FICO/FM consultants here...

I'm having problems in doing Planned Payment.
I've activated Project Cash Management in PS and deactivated Cash Management in FI. How would I be able to set up the Fiscal Year Variant in FM Area?

I've already set up the Fiscal Year variant in the Company Code settings as well as assignment of an FM area to it, but the problem persists. There's no Fiscal Year variant settings in the Maintenance of FM Area in IMG. Where could the other setting for the FM Area's Fiscal Year Variant asssignment be found?

Thanks. :)

[onat69]

Any websites aside from sap.com where we can learn a lot more about SAP? Thanks.

[tophe_17]

^ http://help.sap.com --> this is very useful.

[jericholic]

May I also suggest, http://www.sap.ittoolbox.com so you can post your queries to SAP experts who has been there and done that.:)

[sholess]

i've been an SAP professional for almost 10 years - done a few full cycles and have been doing support for 5 years.

i chose to leave the consulting world in 2006 and now work as in-house SAP support lead and managing SAP improvement projects.

i love my job. i miss consulting sometimes but i am happy with my job now because my stress levels are healthy and manageable.

PM/CS focus.

sholess, i had a difficult time at first also. no training on the module i handled, no shadowing. umiyak pa ako sa harap ng client a few times and they questioned my credibility because i was new and handling a male-dominated process. but i persevered and proved them wrong.

i was one of the first lucky ones who got into SAP when most companies wanted to get into it. i landed my first implem gig via my first employer, a big audit/consulting firm and one of the first SAP implem partners. i left when they dissolved the SAP consulting group.

I'm still young so I'm looking for more challenges and opportunities for career growth. I'm really bored right now doing support so high stress environments would be a welcome change. :rotflmao: This is my first job out of college, so in a way I considered myself lucky to be working on SAP, also considering that I have journ degree. :lol:
But I've grown to love the job and it has nothing to do with the money, tho its a great motivator. hehe
I was hoping that my next job would be an implementation. Every job posting I see seems to require full cycle implementation experience. Though it seems to me now that I won't get that kind of exposure here in the country. (specifically SAP HR implems) Is this a safe assumption? What do you guys think?
All offers I'm getting for implem are from overseas.

[mb065]

onat69, www.sapfans.com is also a great forum. i used to be active there.

there's also a yahoogroup for PM, i forget the address but will post it if there's anyone interested.

sholess, some of my friends mentioned before that they were looking for SAP HR people. not sure lang if it's for implem or support. i will ask when i get to talk to them again and will pm you.

it's good that you love the job. i hated it when i was just starting but grew to love it eventually. and now it's just a big plus that the job pays very well.

[santinocorleone]

Is anyone here familiar with SAF (not SAP; Simulation, Analysis and Forecasting) ? Actually, SAF and SAP are partners. I've heard that SAF's software is integrated in SAP F&R (component of SAP SCM). I was just curious if this field is already saturated with consultants.

[neneodin]

Share ko lang sa mga SAP Pexers kung gaano kabait ang founder ng SAP na si Dietmar Hopp.

Nagdonate sya ng 70 million pesos sa isang charity para sa mga bata na nasa ampunan.

Sinusuportahan nya financially ang isang hospital para sa may mga cancer at sa mga nagreresearch para masugpo ang sakit na cancer.

Sinusuportahan nya ang baguhang football club ang FC Hoffenheim para magkaroon ng magandang training.Hoffenheim ay maliit na province malapit sa Heidelberg na almost 3 thousand lang ang bilang ng population pero nagtayo si Hopp ng napakalaking football stadium with capacity of 30 thousand people,na talagang first class ang pagkakagawa para duon ganapin ang mga malakihang liga ng Alemanya.

Si D.Hopp ay laki sa hirap na tanging nanay lang nya ang sumusuporta sa kanilang magkakapatid.Nagsikap sya kaya nya narating kanyang kinalalagyan ngayon.May dalawa syang anak na lalaki na down to earth din ang lifestyle.Ang halaga ng buong SAP company ay 33 billion€uro.Ganyan katatag ang kumpanyang iyan.

[wacky_wacks]

Hi! Anong career path meron sa SAP? Magkakaiba pa ba yung consulting, implementation at support? Ang dating sakin ng previous posts magkakaiba sila. Enlighten me please=)

I'm an IT Auditor sa isang auditing firm and I've handled clients na gumagamit ng SAP. Hindi ko naman natotouch lahat ng modules kapag nag aaudit at saka more of controls un tinitingnan namin. Pero I also have other knowledge sa SAP when it comes to the layer, environments, IMG, user types, etc. dahil sa kakabasa at kapag may hindi ako alam sa setup ng client, sa sap ittoolbox din ako tumitingin. In short, wala akong formal training sa SAP. Pero I'm interested, any advice from the experienced ones? Thanks a lot!

[tophe_17]

Hi wacky. :)

When you "implement" SAP, you roll out the system and do customization as per client's requirements. An SAP consultant does this job. He does system configuration, testing, data migration, etc.

In "support", there is already an existing SAP system being used by the client. As the word dictates, SAP support people (some are SAP consultants too) give "support" to system issues raised by the client.

As for career path, an SAP trainee would normally work for support first before proceeding to SAP implementation. :)

[jericholic]

wacky_wacks, consulting and implementation somehow are the same lang. If I were you, I would suggest doing support first para me time ka to understand and appreciate SAP without having to risk too much. With implem kasi, you will be implementing the product itself based on the configurations that you designed. Medyo high risk lang kasi to pero ok lang rin if you start with implem if you prefer. When you start kasi sa support, you'll get to know the module more. Para pag nag implem ka na, familiar ka na sa product na idedesign mo. This is just my preference though and it's still up to you kung ano mas gusto mo unahin. :)

[leuman]

Hats off to SAP Consultants here!
Keep the posts coming!

[mb065]

ako naman, my personal opinion - better to do implem first then support.

when you do an implem, you configure the system so you know what you did and it will be easy for you to support it later on.

when you do support for a system you did not implement/configure, you'd have to know the reason behind why the system was configured as such. mas madaling i-support ang gawa mo kesa sa gawa ng iba.

pero kasi may levels din ang support. maybe for level 1 support, it would be ok to do support before implem but for higher levels, i think better to do implems first before support.

if you are a consultant, you may do implem and support projects.

as for career path, i started out as a junior sap consultant then moved on to senior. i was a senior consultant when i left consulting.

now i do in-house support. though "lead" ang title ko, parang sap manager na din ang work ko.

but if i had decided to stay with consulting, possibilites are sap project manager or sap support manager siguro.

[tophe_17]

For me, if you're starting your SAP consulting career, the best way to go is implementation. But as a starter, you should "shadow" a consultant first so that you would know the proper way of handling a module and the step-by-step procedure of SAP implem. So after "shadowing", you can now start implementing a module by yourself.

Support is a "safe" way to understand the module you are handling -- no risks when you are making decisions (since you can escalate the issues raised to you when you can no longer solve it). But I think it doesn't give a wider view of an SAP Consultant career because you are confined only to the issues you are solving. Though it is very imperative for an SAP consultant, other things like blueprinting, system migrationm aren't covered in Support. These are tasks of an SAP consultant that can only be learned through in implementation.

[Kolmogorov]

companies have different scope definitions for implem and support


Yung iba, mag dagdag lang ng dollar sign sa total amount sa FICO, implementation na tawag nila kasi tinest raw nila sa dev/qa/ and then moved to prod :rotflmao:


Yung iba naman, they require their consultants to support their module. Kumbaga kalat mo ayusin mo :naughty:

[wacky_wacks]

Salamat sa mga sagot niyo =) Isa pang hirit.

Kahit sino ba pwedeng mag start ng SAP consulting career? Yun bang background ko na nakapag audit ako ng business processes ng clients with SAP will be an advantage? Or anyone na interested kahit zero knowledge pwede rin naman?

Kaisa, iAcademy at Bayantrade un mga naririnig kong companies when it comes to SAP implem. Ano pa ba yung iba? Meron bang mismong si SAP na company ang naghihire? or how does it work? So pag nag-start ka, junior consultant, then senior..and then manager?

Curious lang din ako, kapag ba sa implementation ka, yung pag configure niya is through SAP like IMG? or do you deal with source codes? Is it like meron kang lahat ng modules at first tas ita-tailor mo na lang sa requirements ni client? Sandbox kasi un meron kami, kaya pag may hindi ako alam kapag nagaaudit na ko sa client, dun ako nagrerefer. Thanks a lot guys! Dami kong tanong no. Peace =)

[tophe_17]

Salamat sa mga sagot niyo =) Isa pang hirit.

Kahit sino ba pwedeng mag start ng SAP consulting career? Yun bang background ko na nakapag audit ako ng business processes ng clients with SAP will be an advantage? Or anyone na interested kahit zero knowledge pwede rin naman?

It's definitely an advantage.
During business process blueprinting, clients typically submit business process blueprints made by the auditors... And blueprinting is one of the tasks of an SAP consultant. :)


Kaisa, iAcademy at Bayantrade un mga naririnig kong companies when it comes to SAP implem. Ano pa ba yung iba? Meron bang mismong si SAP na company ang naghihire? or how does it work? So pag nag-start ka, junior consultant, then senior..and then manager?

Logica, Suppy Chain, IBM, HP, Accenture.

Yes, meron mismo sa SAP Philippines. Pero as far as I know, mga senior consultants ang kinukuha nila.

Career path...
It's a case-to-case basis. Depende sa experience. :)
The ideal path for starters... You start as a trainee, then support, then implem "shadow" (OJT), Jr. Consultant, then Sr. Consultant.

Kapag user ka na sa dati mong work, you can either be assigned sa support or "shadow" in an implem project.

Curious lang din ako, kapag ba sa implementation ka, yung pag configure niya is through SAP like IMG? or do you deal with source codes? Is it like meron kang lahat ng modules at first tas ita-tailor mo na lang sa requirements ni client? Sandbox kasi un meron kami, kaya pag may hindi ako alam kapag nagaaudit na ko sa client, dun ako nagrerefer. Thanks a lot guys! Dami kong tanong no. Peace =)


Yes. You do configuration at IMG.
Pero pag customized program, ABAP na. :)
Usually sa implem, may sandbox/playground system. Yung iba DEV system ang ginagamit to "play".

We are implementing an SAP A1 solution. So may standard modules sa package namin. :)
Though sa traditional, depende sa need ng company yung mga modules na kailangan.

[sholess]

@mb065 - thank you! I would really appreciate it.:)

Consultants uses the IMG when implementing SAP. It's mostly a configuration job. Sometimes tho new programs needs to be written due to requirements that does not exist in SAP standards.

Meron din kami nung sinasabi ni Kolmogorov, though we call it change requests para less pretentious. hehe Though sometimes these CRs looks like mini-implementations of sorts. During my support gig, I was involved in the introduction of new HR authorization concept in the system. We created hundreds of authorization roles to replace the old ones. It was intense and i love it.:)

The good thing about support jobs is that you learn about the finer details of the system. Usually, during investigations of break-fix issues we tend to look at every look at every nook and cranny of a functionality or program looking for the problem.

[wacky_wacks]

[QUOTE=tophe_17;31919466]It's definitely an advantage.
During business process blueprinting, clients typically submit business process blueprints made by the auditors... And blueprinting is one of the tasks of an SAP consultant. :)

True, may client akong nagpagawa ng standard operating procedures nila at process flows and then hinihingi nun mag iimplement nun SAP sa kanila.

Kapag nagsearch ako, SAP Consultant yun hahanapin ko? Akala ko kasi kapag SAP Consultant, dapat experienced na. Pero nakita ko yun schoolmate ko dati tas sabi niya SAP Consultant na siya. Ayun, lalo ako naging interesado.

About dun sa kabaitan nun founder ng SAP, may kwento ako pero Pinoy version. Remember nung time na nagka calamity sa Quezon? Konti lang ang employees ng SAP Philippines diba? Umabot ng million Php un donation nila. (nung time na kinwento saken to, SAP Philippines ang iniisip ko, no idea with Kaisa, Logica, etc. kaya kung may taga SAP Philippines dito, tama ba ko?hehe..) :)

[wacky_wacks]

Meron bang training to employment na naghi-hire? Or kailangan muna talagang gumastos for training tulad nun sa mga nag aalok ng courses? Thanks!

[tophe_17]

True, may client akong nagpagawa ng standard operating procedures nila at process flows and then hinihingi nun mag iimplement nun SAP sa kanila.

Kapag nagsearch ako, SAP Consultant yun hahanapin ko? Akala ko kasi kapag SAP Consultant, dapat experienced na. Pero nakita ko yun schoolmate ko dati tas sabi niya SAP Consultant na siya. Ayun, lalo ako naging interesado.

About dun sa kabaitan nun founder ng SAP, may kwento ako pero Pinoy version. Remember nung time na nagka calamity sa Quezon? Konti lang ang employees ng SAP Philippines diba? Umabot ng million Php un donation nila. (nung time na kinwento saken to, SAP Philippines ang iniisip ko, no idea with Kaisa, Logica, etc. kaya kung may taga SAP Philippines dito, tama ba ko?hehe..) :)


Just wanna share: Kaunti lang daw ang Filipino SAP Consultants in SAP Philippines, according to my co-consultant from SAP Phils (nakasama namin sa implem before). Someday, I want to be part of that company. :)

I think experience is important for companies looking for "SAP Consultant". Kaya swerte ka kapag nakahanap ka ng company na ite-train ka. :)


Meron bang training to employment na naghi-hire? Or kailangan muna talagang gumastos for training tulad nun sa mga nag aalok ng courses? Thanks!

Yes. Meron. Kaya iba-bond ka nila, in exchange of the training. Then they will deploy you afterwards.

:)

[silvermug]

I've been with a SAP conversion team for over a year now. We're going from PeopleSoft to SAP AFS. I was a developer in the legacy system and they put me in conversion. Been working on an ETL tool (LSMW) on most of the master data from vendors, customers, material master (which is the most painful!), some small stuffs like pricing conditions. Never, payroll and AR.

We are going live by end of year and hopefully it would go smoothly.

Production support starts next year.

With this experience, I wonder if there is something waiting for me ahead in case I would like to change jobs.

What lies ahead for someone who worked on conversions?

Thanks.

[silvermug]

[QUOTE=tophe_17;31919466]It's definitely an advantage.
During business process blueprinting, clients typically submit business process blueprints made by the auditors... And blueprinting is one of the tasks of an SAP consultant. :)

True, may client akong nagpagawa ng standard operating procedures nila at process flows and then hinihingi nun mag iimplement nun SAP sa kanila.

Kapag nagsearch ako, SAP Consultant yun hahanapin ko? Akala ko kasi kapag SAP Consultant, dapat experienced na. Pero nakita ko yun schoolmate ko dati tas sabi niya SAP Consultant na siya. Ayun, lalo ako naging interesado.

About dun sa kabaitan nun founder ng SAP, may kwento ako pero Pinoy version. Remember nung time na nagka calamity sa Quezon? Konti lang ang employees ng SAP Philippines diba? Umabot ng million Php un donation nila. (nung time na kinwento saken to, SAP Philippines ang iniisip ko, no idea with Kaisa, Logica, etc. kaya kung may taga SAP Philippines dito, tama ba ko?hehe..) :) i would not want to be a SAP consultant if i do not have significant experience. A consultant by definition should be able to give a good, if not the best, solution to the client according to their business. Coming up with such solution normally requires experience.

However, I have met novice SAP consultants. They could do the job, but either they provide not-so-good solution or it takes time for them to come up with one. In other words, they struggle.

I would shadow first for some time.

[mb065]

the times have changed talaga that's why maybe a lot are getting into support first.

when i was starting out kasi, very few companies were using SAP so there was practically no one to support locally. and a lot of companies were wanting to implement SAP so talagang sinabak kami without experience but we were sent to the academy before we got deployed. yon nga lang yung module na na-assign sakin eh hindi naman yon ang kinuha ko sa academy so i really started from scratch. i learned the hard way kaya madaming beses ako napa-iyak ng client.

but after that project, everything else was a lot easier. the first project was the most difficult.

i've been focused on PM for about 7 years (out of my almost 10 years experience) and i've never had PM training. you really learn a lot on job, more than you can ever learn in the academy or other training sessions.

now i am wondering if it'll still make a difference if i take the PM certification exam.

silvermug, i agree with you there. the term "consultant" has been very loosely used (and abused). at my first job, ang pasok talaga junior consultant na kahit fresh grad pa.

[tophe_17]

OT:
silvermug, you've mixed quoted statements. :)

[bliss15]

hi im a fresh grad cpa
*** pa experience
im just curious
anu po ang career path ng cpa as a sap consultant?

[tophe_17]

^ You'll be a FI or CO consultant. :)

Advantage kasi kapag you have Accounting background.
In our company, they require FI consultants to be CPAs.

[tatsumaru]

Yes. Meron. Kaya iba-bond ka nila, in exchange of the training. Then they will deploy you afterwards.

:)

Cool! Can you tell us what companies currently offer training before employment?

Also, are there any other ways to get into SAP? Obviously, not everyone can afford the high cost of training :) And, correct me if I'm wrong, you need to be super smart to get a scholarship.

[tophe_17]

^ Ours. :D I'm not sure if they're still hiring though. Pero sa module namin, kulang kami. :)

Scholarship? None I think.
They won't spend a lot for your SAP education if they can't "use" you. You'll definitely get bonded if you want "free" SAP training.

[g shock]

is it possible for anyone here to post name of companies which they know to be in need of SAP trainees? =)

thanks so much & God bless

[tophe_17]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/tophe_17/Picture1.png

[wacky_wacks]

^ Ours. :D I'm not sure if they're still hiring though. Pero sa module namin, kulang kami. :)



Anong company at module mo tophe? Ok lang ba malaman? :)

[onid]

Do any of you know the company, Fasttrack Solutions? are they any good?
They're looking for SAP Consultants (should be CPA and worked for an auditing firm) and they're willing to provide "free" training.
I have no problems with the requirements, and I'm seriously thinking of shifting to another line of work (from tax audit and corporate strategy, which really bores me). SAP might be the one I'm looking for to snap me out of this corporate malaise.
Can you list down the pros and cons of being a SAP FICO consultant, to make my decision process easier :)

[tophe_17]

^ "free" training? I think they're gonna bond you in exchange of this "free" training.


wacky, Project System (PS) module.

[onid]

yeah, i know, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Just wondering how long the bond will be.

Is there any heirarchy among the SAP modules (in terms of job demand, difficulty, etc?)

And what exactly is SAP B1?

[tophe_17]

SAP B1 is a pre-configured SAP package. The implementation is much much shorter than SAP Business-All-in-One (A1). Usually, only 1 consultant is needed for the implementation of B1.

Hierarchy... FI and CO are the most important module because its concern is the External/Internal Accounting system of a company. Without it, other modules are useless. :)

[tophe_17]

yeah, i know, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Just wondering how long the bond will be.

In our company, it's 2 years (starts on your regularization day). :)

[ggsguy]

tophe: anong difference ng eacademy ng bayantrade sa kaisa? pareho lang ba yun? meron din sila niyan sa makati, sa qc tsaka sa cebu, tapos pwede din daw anywhere magaccess. may iba pa ba kayong center bukod sa fort? pwede din ba magaccess sa inyo pag nagenrol sa kanila? may placement program din ba kayo tsaka mga forum?

pag nagapply ba ako sa inyo, sure nang may project kung makapasa ako? nakaenrol kase ako sa ecademy ng kaisa, for sd,nakainstallment ang payment ko. ang sinabi kase sa akin ng isang taga bayantrade na kilala ko, medyo marami daw kayong project, pero marami daw nag-fafail, pero kaisa daw talaga ang magaling sa mga local project, pero mahirap pumasok, totoo ba to? or kung sa bpo, ok din daw magpractice sa hp, pero isang sub-module nga lang ng isang module ang hahawakan mo doon, hindi buong module. san ba maganda magpractice pagkatapos ng training, pero medyo kakastart ko lang kase? thanks.

[tophe_17]

tophe: anong difference ng eacademy ng bayantrade sa kaisa? pareho lang ba yun?

For E-Academy -- YES.
Pareho lang ng ginagamit -- LMS/Citrix.

meron din sila niyan sa makati, sa qc tsaka sa cebu, tapos pwede din daw anywhere magaccess. may iba pa ba kayong center bukod sa fort? pwede din ba magaccess sa inyo pag nagenrol sa kanila? may placement program din ba kayo tsaka mga forum?

No. It can only be accessed using BT Academy facilities.
Sa Fort lang ang BT Academy.


nakaenrol kase ako sa ecademy ng kaisa, for sd,nakainstallment ang payment ko. ang sinabi kase sa akin ng isang taga bayantrade na kilala ko, medyo marami daw kayong project, pero marami daw nag-fafail, pero kaisa daw talaga ang magaling sa mga local project, pero mahirap pumasok, totoo ba to? or kung sa bpo, ok din daw magpractice sa hp, pero isang sub-module nga lang ng isang module ang hahawakan mo doon, hindi buong module. san ba maganda magpractice pagkatapos ng training, pero medyo kakastart ko lang kase? thanks.

What do you mean, "marami daw nag-fa-fail"? Nagfe-fail saan?

May mga galing Kaisa dito. Usually after finishing their program/certification, sa support sila nilalagay.


It's a case-to-case basis -- the module/submodule that you're gonna handle. There are clients that only require certain submodules for implem (e.g., Cash Management); meron naman buong module (e.g., FI). These are some of the factors that affect your assignment:

1. Client requirement -- per module or per submodule.
2. SAP package. R/3, A1, B1, FastStart
3. Available Consultants


pag nagapply ba ako sa inyo, sure nang may project kung makapasa ako?

Depende kung may client. Again, kapag galing sa Academy, karaniwan, support sila nilalagay.

[tatsumaru]

^ Ours. :D I'm not sure if they're still hiring though. Pero sa module namin, kulang kami. :)

Scholarship? None I think.
They won't spend a lot for your SAP education if they can't "use" you. You'll definitely get bonded if you want "free" SAP training.

I don't mind being bonded as long as I get the training.... whatever it takes hehe :)

What's the name of your company? I'll try to apply there :D

[mb065]

tophe_17, konti lang talaga local PS consultants, no?

di ko mapakawalan yung PS person ko. she completed the academy this year and i want her to take the exam next year.

may PM projects ba ang BT? i left kasi feeling ko dati wala akong future. no regrets naman. :)

[tophe_17]

^ Hi. So may PS program sa EAcademy niyo? :(

Yup. Konti lang talaga. Dalawa kami na PS sa company, but we have 1 certified PS consultant, though PM na siya.

[mb065]

^ no. the company sent her to the academy in SAP KL pero tingi-tingi niya kinuha. couldn't afford for her to be away for a month.

pero di kasi kami consutling, we do in-house support.

[tophe_17]

^ I see. Wala kasing PS training sa E-Academy.

I'm currently taking a course in E-Academy. Pero hindi PS. Yung pinaarelevant na module -- CO.

So while doing my work in PS, nag-aaral ako ng CO.


I heard of a lady PS consultant. Her name starts with a "J" right? :)

[redsimba]

WOW... parang gusto ko mag SAP FI

Im a CPA almost 2 years in a consulting company...

Medyo malayo sa SAP course though sometimes I do systems for our clients pero simple system lang hinde yung complex...

Nagulat lang ako sa fee 100K ^_^

Maybe i'll start next year saving for SAP training...

[tophe_17]

I don't mind being bonded as long as I get the training.... whatever it takes hehe :)

What's the name of your company? I'll try to apply there :D

I'm from Bayantrade Group. ;)

[g shock]

@tophe_17 : thank you for posting the ad. i noticed that it was mentioned in the ad there is "PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY".

can anyone please give me any feedback regarding "PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY"?

i have been meaning to shift career to IT (specifically doing ERPs like SAP). and i am torn between getting a company that will hire me (and bond me) or getting training from SAP eAcademy. admittedly, i find the cost quite steep.

any feedback from you guys will be greatly appreciated. :) God bless you all.

[mb065]

tophe_17, hindi ko kilala yang PS consultant na yan.

tiga-BT din? i left BT years ago.

[b4uc]

Sir Tophe, Bat di na ba naghihire ang BayanTrade for free training and with the bond with company. Almost the same na lang sila ng Kaisa. Ayun kay Sarah Lee Gonzales, Butch Ronquillo, Luigi Manto mas proper daw sa kanila mga HR yun dumaan sa ganon process unlike the previous trainings that they have. Could I ask why? Bakit lahat na lang ng mga institution nowadays for SAP nagpapabayad na. Dati di naman ganun, kaya maraming nasusuffer na mga katulad ko na walang money pero gustong mag career shift to SAP.

[tatsumaru]

I'm from Bayantrade Group. ;)

Cool! I'll try to apply there soon. I'll tell them tophe referred me hehe.

[tatsumaru]

Sir Tophe, Bat di na ba naghihire ang BayanTrade for free training and with the bond with company. Almost the same na lang sila ng Kaisa. Ayun kay Sarah Lee Gonzales, Butch Ronquillo, Luigi Manto mas proper daw sa kanila mga HR yun dumaan sa ganon process unlike the previous trainings that they have. Could I ask why? Bakit lahat na lang ng mga institution nowadays for SAP nagpapabayad na. Dati di naman ganun, kaya maraming nasusuffer na mga katulad ko na walang money pero gustong mag career shift to SAP.

Bro, that sucks! If no companies are hiring SAP trainees for the purpose of deploying them in their projects, then I'm fresh out of ideas on how to get into SAP. :( If only I had 100K lying around somewhere....

tophe,
can you give us any other suggestions on how to get into SAP, if we can't afford the training? Thanks!:)

[tatsumaru]

Can you give us an idea of what a typical day on the job is like? Whether it's doing support, implementation, etc... And is it stressful, fun, or boring? :) Thanks!

[poohkyaw]

Hi,

I'm a cobol developer for 4 years now and wanted a career shift. I am curious about this SAP. What can be my career path if I would choose SAP as my next career?

[b4uc]

sir poohkyaw kailangan mung magwaldas ng Pesos 100K, (VAT not included) to get into SAP for the training, at para maging friends ka nila. Pagwala kang pera meaning your basura ka, or a loser.

[mb065]

tatsumaru, when i was still doing consulting...

during an implem, a typical day would be quite stressful especially if the timeline is tight. it's not boring because new things happen everyday, new problems come up almost everyday. it gets even more stressful as the go-live date draws near. worse pa if go-live is on jan 1 so halos no christmas break. the part i like the most is system design, the part i hate the most is data migration. but for me, once the system goes live and it stabilizes, it's very fulfilling to finally see your hard work pay off. until now when i go to this service company that was my very first SAP project and i see how they use SAP, nakakatuwa. proud ako sa ginawa ko. of course may enhancements na since then (that was 9 years ago pa) but the basic system design is still there.

when i did application support, there were times it got boring because pag walang call, wala masyadong work. but sometimes, when it rains, it pours so it can also get pretty stressful. but fulfilling pa din when you resolve an issue. when i got assigned to provide on-site application support, it was to an industry i so wanted to get into so it was very interesting and challenging and i tried to learn as much as i could everyday.

in between projects, we would normally get involved in sales calls. we would sometimes help prepare proposals or conduct demos to prospective clients. ito yung medyo relatively relaxed part.

now i do in-house support and manage SAP improvement projects for an oil and gas company, the same company for which i did on-site application support.

in terms of SAP support, i head the team and i do level 2 (level 3 is regional). i have a very competent team who supports 2 modules and not very many issues get escalated to me, they resolve most of these on their own so the few issues that get escalated to me are difficult issues that are really challenging. i focus more on improvements - i initiate/propose/recommend, justify the need for it to the business and if they approve it, i head implementation of the improvement. in a way, i get to do small-scale implementation projects. win-win for me because stress levels are healthy, i get paid more than i did when i was senior consultant and i get great benefits.

for me, my work is fun because i love my work.

as regards naman your other question on how else to get into SAP, these are some options i can think of.

a relatively easy way is to work for a company that uses SAP and become an end-user. these companies normally have a no training, no access policy. but you only get trained as an end-user. later on you can probably try moving to in-house support.

or look for a company that has in-house support and work with that team. when you gain enough experience, it might be easier to move to a consulting company. if you're lucky enough, you might get into a company that will send you the SAP Academy, like ours. :) all of my team members should complete the academy and should be certified at some point.

[poohkyaw]

sir poohkyaw kailangan mung magwaldas ng Pesos 100K, (VAT not included) to get into SAP for the training, at para maging friends ka nila. Pagwala kang pera meaning your basura ka, or a loser.

ganun ba! pera-pera lang. but meron naman ata mga companies na ngha-hire for SAP trainess. Dun na lang siguro ako. :) Gusto ko lang malaman eh, worth it ba na iwan ko ang 4 year experience ko to start another career, like in this case SAP.

[mb065]

may tanong lang ako sa mga aspiring SAP professionals. i hope you don't take this the wrong way.

why do you want to get into SAP? dahil ba malaki ang sweldo? or dahil "in-demand"?

i've heard of some people na makagamit lang ng SAP for a short while, ang lakas na ng loob mag-apply sa consulting companies. they make their qualifications look good on paper pero pag pinag-config mo na or pinag-troubleshoot, wala palang alam.

in terms of asking salary naman, medyo extremes din. some of these people didn't earn so much pre-SAP consulting so when they get asked what their asking salary is, ang baba even for an entry-level SAP position so offer-an sila ng mas mataas ng konti sa asking nila, tatanggapin na only to find out later on mababa pa din pala yung offer sa kanila.

some naman think na because may SAP "experience" na sila, they ask for very high salaries so minsan iisipin mo tuloy ang galing-galing siguro niya pero pag in-interview mo na, wala naman palang config exeprience at all. eh bakit ganon kalaki ang asking?

these are real-life scenarios ha, not hypothetical.

over the years, the market rate has changed a lot but i am not so sure if it's better or worse now. there came a point when my boss at my previous employer told me i was getting too expensive, that i was skewing the salary structure of SAP consultants. i was the most senior, i had the most experience but because of scenario 1 above, i got into a "bad" position on the bell curve. i left the consulting world shortly after that.

now when i get calls for interviews, i go even if i don't have any intention to leave my current job just to know how much my market value is. not one offer was better than my current package. the worst offer i have ever received was HALF of my current salary. the best offer naman was a bit better in terms of benefits but basic pay was still way below. nagulat ako.

just sharing my experiences and observations. don't shoot me please. :)

[rabbaddal]

there came a point when my boss at my previous employer told me i was getting too expensive, that i was skewing the salary structure of SAP consultants. i was the most senior, i had the most experience but because of scenario 1 above, i got into a "bad" position on the bell curve. i left the consulting world shortly after that.


It's simple. To justify your salary at that company, they would have had to make you the boss. Your ex-bosses didn't like the idea of you taking over their jobs so they made it look like it was you who was in a bad position.

[tophe_17]

Good morning! :wave:

@tophe_17 : thank you for posting the ad. i noticed that it was mentioned in the ad there is "PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY".

can anyone please give me any feedback regarding "PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY"?

i have been meaning to shift career to IT (specifically doing ERPs like SAP). and i am torn between getting a company that will hire me (and bond me) or getting training from SAP eAcademy. admittedly, i find the cost quite steep.

any feedback from you guys will be greatly appreciated. :) God bless you all.


Upon finishing the course, the company can give you an opportunity of getting into an actual SAP work - either implementation or support, depending on the need. :)

IMHO, getting "bonded" is not as hurting as spending 100K. When you're bonded you're guaranteed of enough experience for you to jump into a higher level of SAP work. But make sure that you get what you're bonded for.


Sir Tophe, Bat di na ba naghihire ang BayanTrade for free training and with the bond with company. Almost the same na lang sila ng Kaisa. Ayun kay Sarah Lee Gonzales, Butch Ronquillo, Luigi Manto mas proper daw sa kanila mga HR yun dumaan sa ganon process unlike the previous trainings that they have. Could I ask why? Bakit lahat na lang ng mga institution nowadays for SAP nagpapabayad na. Dati di naman ganun, kaya maraming nasusuffer na mga katulad ko na walang money pero gustong mag career shift to SAP.

I'm not sure about it. I think it would depend on the module you're interested to work on. If you want to go on EAcademy modules like FI, CO, SD, MM, PP, you might get on that highly expensive path.

Before kasi, they train and bond the consultants because the company is not yet an SAP Education partner. Now that BT Academy is established, that is the training route that they prefer for the aspiring consultants.

But remember, not all modules are covered by EAcademy so the company might get you hired and bonded for training (most likely, bootcamps) and would not suggest you taking the EAcademy and spend a lot. *okay*

[tophe_17]

tophe_17, hindi ko kilala yang PS consultant na yan.

tiga-BT din? i left BT years ago.


I see.

No, I only knew of men PS consultants from BT.
The lady PS consultant I heard of is from other company.

Though I know another lady FI consultant who's familiar with PS-Financial. I got the chance of working with her on an implem project.

[tophe_17]

Bro, that sucks! If no companies are hiring SAP trainees for the purpose of deploying them in their projects, then I'm fresh out of ideas on how to get into SAP. :( If only I had 100K lying around somewhere....

tophe,
can you give us any other suggestions on how to get into SAP, if we can't afford the training? Thanks!:)

and to b4uc:

Try asking them if they can bond you in exchange of the training instead of spending 100K.

Again, not all modules are covered by the EAcademy. :)
Therefore, go that way! *okay*

[tophe_17]

Can you give us an idea of what a typical day on the job is like? Whether it's doing support, implementation, etc... And is it stressful, fun, or boring? :) Thanks!

It depends on what project phase you're in. But generally, it's a busy, stressful but fun day for an SAP consultant, especially if you're loving it. :) It will never be boring because you've got a lot of things to work on -- business process blueprinting, system configuration, strategizing for data migration, train the trainors for the end-user training, everyday meetings with fellow consultants and client's functional team, process flow presentation, etc.

The most stressful for me would be answering client's system issues. :D

[mb065]

rabbaddal, you're absolutely right. taking the natrual course, i should have become SAP project manager at some point but i like the hands-on work - i like doing config and troubleshooting issues and doing system design - so i wanted to remain a consultant.

[wacky_wacks]

Kailangan pala ng 100k for training? WTF?! Hehe.. Ganun pala siya talaga kamahal.. Anong companies yun may free training tapos i-bond ka nila? Akala ko ganun sa BT? Nandun kasi yun kakilala ko.

As for the reason, gusto ko mag SAP Consultant dahil..interesado ako magkalikot ng kung anu-ano :lol: I love the idea of implementing, yung pagiging consultant. Knowing that your client needs you or believes in you. I had consulting experiences and iba talaga yung fulfillment parang teaching profession din hehe..

[mb065]

^ mura na nga yang 100k. if you go to SAP academy mismo mas mahal pa. but i'm not sure how the 100k course compares to the academy.

and i agree with you, iba yung fulfillment. and enjoy din yung work.

[poohkyaw]

mga current sap consultants, baka meron sa inyo na same or close sa situation ko. I'm a developer for 4 years using cobol on legacy systems, wanted to have a career shift. Is it worth it na talikuran yun 4 years experience at mg start ulit sa bagong career?

[xel_7]

mag-apply na lang kayo sa kaisa para sure yung training

yun nga lang 3 yrs yung bond saka kung sap trainee yung pasok mo, 15k yung monthly salary mo regardless of work experience. babawi ka lang talaga sa training

[emsthree]

mag-apply na lang kayo sa kaisa para sure yung training

yun nga lang 3 yrs yung bond saka kung sap trainee yung pasok mo, 15k yung monthly salary mo regardless of work experience. babawi ka lang talaga sa training

pede po ang fresh graduate sa KAISA?

[g shock]

@tophe_17 : thanks for your wonderful insight.

yes, i guess being bonded is the way to go for me. i hope by january 2009, there will be lots of SAP-trainee openings. I long to be able to shift my career to IT!

good luck also to all "SAP searchees" here. hehe :)



Good morning! :wave:


Upon finishing the course, the company can give you an opportunity of getting into an actual SAP work - either implementation or support, depending on the need. :)

IMHO, getting "bonded" is not as hurting as spending 100K. When you're bonded you're guaranteed of enough experience for you to jump into a higher level of SAP work. But make sure that you get what you're bonded for.

[tatsumaru]

mb065,

Thanks for giving a detailed overview. It sounds like a veritable smorgasbord of my previous jobs; the stuff I enjoyed and the stuff I hated.... seems like it's all there (minus SAP, of course). :D

as regards naman your other question on how else to get into SAP, these are some options i can think of.

a relatively easy way is to work for a company that uses SAP and become an end-user. these companies normally have a no training, no access policy. but you only get trained as an end-user. later on you can probably try moving to in-house support.

or look for a company that has in-house support and work with that team. when you gain enough experience, it might be easier to move to a consulting company. if you're lucky enough, you might get into a company that will send you the SAP Academy, like ours. all of my team members should complete the academy and should be certified at some point.

That seems like a good plan. But would it take a number of years before I could actually start working as a SAP consultant? I'm really hoping to get on the fast track to SAP, if that's possible. :)

To answer your question- for the past few years, I've been moving through a variety of industries.... trying to find an IT job that meets 2 criteria:


I enjoy it, or at least I'm ok staying with it for the long haul
It enables me to attain at least some level of financial freedom


And SAP seems to meet those criteria perfectly. :)

I think I know where you're coming from. People who are just in it for the money don't go the extra mile; they don't really care about their work. They're always the first ones to leave the office at the end of the day. :lol:

[tatsumaru]

It depends on what project phase you're in. But generally, it's a busy, stressful but fun day for an SAP consultant, especially if you're loving it. :) It will never be boring because you've got a lot of things to work on -- business process blueprinting, system configuration, strategizing for data migration, train the trainors for the end-user training, everyday meetings with fellow consultants and client's functional team, process flow presentation, etc.

The most stressful for me would be answering client's system issues. :D

Thanks tophe_17. :)

[b4uc]

Boss Tophe, Thanks ah sensya if I'm so nasty:(, kasi desperate na talagang mag SAP its been a year na up to now wala pang employer for SAP, wala talagang money for training unless any1 would sponsor me cost:mecry:. Thanks. A Happy Christmas to all.

[mb065]

tatsumaru, i think those are good reasons to get into any job, even something non-SAP. i think in any job, your first criterion is a must. the second will come naturally and will be the icing on the cake.

like you said, some people just get into it for the money. and some think it's easy to get into it. well, maybe some get lucky and find an SAP job agad but later on, they realize it's not easy to stay in the job (or any job for that matter) unless you really know what you're doing.

and personally, i think consultants really have to go the extra mile. it's not enough that you are technically competent, you have to know how to be a consultant and how to deal with people, especially your clients. some of the people i've worked with nakakahiya pag hinarap sa client. but then again, maybe i just think this way because i got good consulting training from one of the top audit/consulting firms when i was starting out.

and yeah, the options i gave would probably be the slower routes since it might take a few years. but they're also the cheaper routes.

now that 100k fee, that's really cheap already. but if you're paying for it yourself, could be pretty steep. but roi is good, and could be fast.

i hit the 6-digit mark after 5 years of working as an SAP consultant (all local jobs) and i started almost 10 years ago. it could be a lot easier to reach that 6-digit mark now. if you're really serious, i think it's worth it to shell out the money, or get "free" training and a 2-3 year bond. i had a 2-year bond also when the company sent me to the academy with i started out. it went by quickly because my 1st project lasted more than year. before i knew it, the 2 years was up already.

[periwinkles03]

I am a fresh graduate, ITcourse..

la ko alam masyado sa SAP, ang alam ko lang ginagamit siya sa business processing. nag try akong mag apply as a SAP consultant they asked me if anong SAP consultant inaaplyan ko if FI,HR,PP,WM ano ba ang mga ito?

SAP B1 or SAP R3 ano ba pag kakaiba nila.. ??

[mb065]

^ FI, HR, PP - these are some of the functional modules of SAP.

FI - financial accounting
CO - controlling
MM - materials management
SD - sales and distribution
PP - production planning
PM - plant maintenance
PS - project systems
CS - customer service (used to be called service management)
QM - quality management
HR - human resources
etc

then there's basis and abap/4 for the technical side.

normally kasi when you start, you focus on one functional area or one module. you don't necessarily have to be an IT graduate to become a functional consultant.

B1 is SAP designed for SMEs. it's not the same as core SAP that you referred to as SAP R/3 but it is still SAP. the latter has a broader scope.

being an SAP consultant is not the same as being an SAP B1 consultant but you can transition from one to the other.

[gb25]

anybody here who works at ERPBiz? matagal po ba sila mag-reply? i sent my resume last wednesday, haven't received any call from them yet. pano po ba exam dun? thanks!

[tophe_17]

tatsumaru: *okay*

Boss Tophe, Thanks ah sensya if I'm so nasty:(, kasi desperate na talagang mag SAP its been a year na up to now wala pang employer for SAP, wala talagang money for training unless any1 would sponsor me cost:mecry:. Thanks. A Happy Christmas to all.


Hope you'd be able to find the SAP career you wanted. And if every you find one, hope you'd enjoy your work.

Merry Christmas to you too. :)

[b4uc]

Thanks, boss Tophe, I know I will enjoy it. Thanks ulit.

[tophe_17]

^ Apply ka for a PS Consultant (trainee) position. :)

[b4uc]

Uy wala bang Christmas Party or countdown to 2009 or get together, tung Forum ng SAP Consultants Thread groups, ang lungkot na nga ng mga wala work wala pang Party. Anyone. Wala bang exchange gift, raffle, or anything! Wow sobrang lungkot.

[tophe_17]

^ I sent you a PM.

[angisa]

Guys totoo bang walang benefits (SSS, HMO, DENTAL, PAGIBIG, etc) kapag SAP Consultant ka?

TIA

[tophe_17]

^ Nope.
In our company, we are given the benefits we need.

[rychu]

@angisa, I think this will depend on the nature of your employment in a company. I've heard of "contractual" agreements where most if not all of the benefits are removed. The flipside is that the pay is higher to compensate.

[rychu]

Anong module kayo consultants? I'm in Sales & Distribution, Logistics Execution and a bit MM.

[angisa]

thanks for the replies.

@rychu, I guess so. I heard they will offer around 30-35K and it is also per contract/project basis of 3 months.

Is that a BETTER contract? or will I be on the losing end?

I have a family to support. I know my immediate needs will be covered by the 30K salary but there are no benefits that I also need like HMO or medical benefits (including my dependents), dental, SSS, Philhealth etc.

Inputs please.

TIA.

[tophe_17]

rychu, thanks for that, I forgot to mention it. :)

angisa, I think to enjoy the benefits aside from the salary is imperative, being an employee.
I have an officemate who's earning an amount within the range you mentioned, pero hindi siya contractual. Try to look for a job that would give the benefits that you need.


rychu, I'm in Project System, done some Materials Management as well. Bit of SD (but in RE Sales), FI, and CO (e-learning ko ngayon).

[mb065]

angisa, contractors and freelancers normally do not have benefits but they may possibly get paid higher. Some also have 10% tax lang.

I used to be a contractor, no benefits like hmo and i only got 5 days of incentive leave but i had sss, pagibig and philhealth deductions plus mandatory 13th month pay.

[mb065]

rychu, i do pm/cs. also pp and bw trained.

i used to do security support. Now i also support a bit of bw, ps and mm.

[chuboy]

seeing this thread made me smile. :)

Thanks for starting this thread tophe_17, soon to be sap peeps would find this thread very useful.

[chuboy]

may tanong lang ako sa mga aspiring SAP professionals. i hope you don't take this the wrong way.

why do you want to get into SAP? dahil ba malaki ang sweldo? or dahil "in-demand"?

i've heard of some people na makagamit lang ng SAP for a short while, ang lakas na ng loob mag-apply sa consulting companies. they make their qualifications look good on paper pero pag pinag-config mo na or pinag-troubleshoot, wala palang alam.

in terms of asking salary naman, medyo extremes din. some of these people didn't earn so much pre-SAP consulting so when they get asked what their asking salary is, ang baba even for an entry-level SAP position so offer-an sila ng mas mataas ng konti sa asking nila, tatanggapin na only to find out later on mababa pa din pala yung offer sa kanila.

some naman think na because may SAP "experience" na sila, they ask for very high salaries so minsan iisipin mo tuloy ang galing-galing siguro niya pero pag in-interview mo na, wala naman palang config exeprience at all. eh bakit ganon kalaki ang asking?

these are real-life scenarios ha, not hypothetical.

over the years, the market rate has changed a lot but i am not so sure if it's better or worse now. there came a point when my boss at my previous employer told me i was getting too expensive, that i was skewing the salary structure of SAP consultants. i was the most senior, i had the most experience but because of scenario 1 above, i got into a "bad" position on the bell curve. i left the consulting world shortly after that.

now when i get calls for interviews, i go even if i don't have any intention to leave my current job just to know how much my market value is. not one offer was better than my current package. the worst offer i have ever received was HALF of my current salary. the best offer naman was a bit better in terms of benefits but basic pay was still way below. nagulat ako.

just sharing my experiences and observations. don't shoot me please. :)

I can so relate to this. Kala mo kung sinong mga natuto ng "SE11" eh "SPRO" nga hindi alam kung ano ang gagawin tapos maniningil ng malaki. haha!:rotflmao:

[tophe_17]

seeing this thread made me smile. :)

Thanks for starting this thread tophe_17, soon to be sap peeps would find this thread very useful.

You're welcome! *okay*

As SAP consultants, we need to continue learning our craft.
Everyday, whenever I do system testing (transactions), I get to see "doors" to something that I do not know; so I'd seek for solutions to it, asking a senior consultant (which I do not have :( ), SAP help, SDN, SAPfans, and.... hopefully here at PEX. And I know most of us experience this as well (SAP is a very big system and I know no one who knows everything). So I hope this thread would be an active learning ground for us -- forum for work experiences and knowledge sharing between SAP consultants and those who aspire to be one.


Good morning! :)

[chuboy]

One tip - if ever you'd be under a Senior Independent Consultant (IC). Try to bond with him/her more often kahit sa labas ng office. This is because even if their contract expires with your company. They'd be more than happy to be asked from time to time for some clarifications in case you might need some help pag wala na sila sa company niyo. Ika nga, pa-ym ym nalang kayo. tapos siyempre 2 bottles. haha :)

@tophe_17 - checkout this site i found a month ago.
www.onestopsap.com

a very useful site indeed. :)

[tophe_17]

^ Thanks! I'll check that out! *okay*

Yes, I agree on this one:

One tip - if ever you'd be under a Senior Independent Consultant (IC). Try to bond with him/her more often kahit sa labas ng office. This is because even if their contract expires with your company. They'd be more than happy to be asked from time to time for some clarifications in case you might need some help pag wala na sila sa company niyo. Ika nga, pa-ym ym nalang kayo. tapos siyempre 2 bottles. haha :)

On my part, I didn't bond so much with my senior consultant. He left in the middle of my first implementation and it was really hard for me to cope with every activity in the implementation -- talagang most of the knowledge that I gained came from self-study (wala akong bootcamp for my module; konting training lang sa module ko ang ginawa saken tapos shoot sa project). Since he was the only consultant for the module before I entered the company, he was really too busy with his own implem. For that reason, nahiya rin ako to ask questions, but I still communicate with him -- socially na nga lang. But I know one day, we'll be seeing each other and possibly work together.

Good thing (and thank God) I survived my first implementation. Support na yung sumunod. Hopefully, next month, may new project na. *okay*
For now, I'm preparing naman for the training that I'll conduct for our trainees in my module (can't believe I'll be doing this after a year :) ).

[angisa]

The company is Prime Technologies. Though I am still in the first stage of my application (Just had my exam and interview) I was able to get inside information that they offer above 25k for SAP Trainees. Unlike, basing on the info here in PEX, salary for the same position is less than 20K.

But again, no benefits like SSS, HMO, Pagibig etc. Hindi ba illegal tong ganito or because of "consultant" ang title ay normal lang?

Should I grab the opportunity to learn SAP for "free"? (if ever na maconsider)

TIA

[mb065]

chuboy, yes, it's always important to nurture this kind of relationship, not only with independent consultants but with other SAP professionals and even clients.

i am still very much in touch with former officemates and though a lot of them are now working abroad, we ym or email each other once in a while to ask for professional help. it helps to get a different persepective on things sometimes and also, because of different experiences, they might have better ideas or solutions.

tophe_17, magtuturo ka sa academy or sa end-users? some of my friends have been urging me to teach at the academy pero natatakot ako kasi baka may hindi ako masagot na tanong (but i am perfectly fine with end-user training of course), and besides wala naman nago-offer ng PM training masyado kasi wala din naman gumagamit ng PM masyado.

good luck.

[Kolmogorov]

para dun naman sa gustong mamangka sa dalawang ilog, being a SAP Technical Consultant (SAP Basis Consultant) maybe a career path for you.

I mean, mapipilitan ka talagang mamangka sa dalawang ilog, kasi not only you have to learn SAP techie, usually ikaw na rin ang database admnistrator. Matututo ka nang mag SAP, matututo ka pang mag Oracle!

Worse, baka kailanganin din na ikaw na rin ang maging platform (UNIX/Wintel) administrator, backup and storage administrator.

:rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:

[tophe_17]

tophe_17, magtuturo ka sa academy or sa end-users? some of my friends have been urging me to teach at the academy pero natatakot ako kasi baka may hindi ako masagot na tanong (but i am perfectly fine with end-user training of course), and besides wala naman nago-offer ng PM training masyado kasi wala din naman gumagamit ng PM masyado.

good luck.

None of the opetions (for now). I'll be training PS trainees to be deployed in projects. Actually consultants sila sa ibang modules that will shift to be PS consultants.

[sap_titan]

any SAP BW consultant in the house?

[tophe_17]

Happy New Year fellow SAP Consultants. Hope the coming year would be a great one for us! *okay*

[tophe_17]

Has anyone here experienced doing Pre-Sales (system demo)?

[mb065]

^ i did several but years ago pa.

[deathwatch]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[tophe_17]

^ i did several but years ago pa.

Nice. That's the least that I like doing as an SAP Consultant. :bop:



--------------------------------------------

Guys, do you know the company Jeules Consulting, Inc.?
I'd like to ask for your opinion regarding this company. :)

[anino83]

sa mga sap veterans dito ..

ask ko lang ok ba magwork sa fasttrack solutions?

are there any SAP consultancy firms na may openings now?

thanks

[charlie_alpha]

hi guys, can you tell us about any new openings for sap trainees? tnx!! :D

[grilledbeef]

Guys, do you know the company Jeules Consulting, Inc.?
I'd like to ask for your opinion regarding this company. :)

Their office is located at the Philamlife Tower in Makati. But I heard that there's a plan to transfer. They're one of our clients. :D

[mb065]

Nice. That's the least that I like doing as an SAP Consultant. :bop:


ako naman doing pre-sales work and demos were a welcome change after a stressful implem. usually kasi that's what we did in between projects.

[tophe_17]

Their office is located at the Philamlife Tower in Makati. But I heard that there's a plan to transfer. They're one of our clients. :D

Yes. :)

So how is it as a client?

[onid]

Ok ba and SAP Business One?
Madali lang ba mag jump from SAP B1 to FI/CO?
follow-up lang sa question posted before.. is fasttrack solutions any good?

[ggsguy]

sa tanong na "Ok ba and SAP Business One?
Madali lang ba mag jump from SAP B1 to FI/CO?"

ang sap b1(businessone),para sa mga small and medium enterprises or businesses (katulad ng andoks, forever flawless--seryoso to, ha, hehe) , for bigger companies, ginagamit nila, R3,or yung tawag nila ngayon, ECC5 or ECC6 na version. from what I gather, masmalalaki ang sweldo ng mga R3 consultant, significantly.

pwede ka magshift from b1 to fi/co na R3, pero baka better kung durmeretso kana sa fi/co. magkaiba rin talaga sila, eh, lalo na sa scale,mas marami pang opportunity kung fi/co consultant ka ng R3.pag fi/co nga lang ang balak mo i-take better kung cpa ka,or kung maganda na talaga ang background mo sa financials (ar,ap,fs,etc.)

[ggsguy]

mag-apply na lang kayo sa kaisa para sure yung training

yun nga lang 3 yrs yung bond saka kung sap trainee yung pasok mo, 15k yung monthly salary mo regardless of work experience. babawi ka lang talaga sa training

the thing kase jan sa kaisa, medyo mapili daw sila sa pinapasok nila, kase malamang mahal din yung iniinvest nila sa training. sabi ng kilala kong nagapply, kailangan daw talaga magaling ka,kahit walang sap experience, basta makapasa ka sa mahirap nilang exam tsaka interview at kung may operations experience ka, better. di ko pa na-try, pero tinatapos ko lang yung eacademy course ko, tapos magaapply na din ako...pero malaki din daw sweldo sa logica, tsaka mas aggressive mag-hire, kaya iniisip ko din.

hindi naman daw 15k ang inoffer ng kaisa, depende rin kase sa background mo. pero noon daw talaga, sabi ng isang sap old-timer, mababa sila magpasweldo , nagtaas na sila ngayon, dahil may mga kakompetensiya na rin sila sa hiring.

[Cornsnack]

Bukod sa SAP mismo, what IT company is a good training ground for SAP? Yung ABAP thing ba yun.. I don't really know, fresh grad ako eh. Hehehe.

[sapexpert]

Originally posted by: onat69
Any websites aside from sap.com where we can learn a lot more about SAP? Thanks.

May I also suggest SAP Knowledge Database (http://www.sap-knowledge.com) website. Most of the authors in this website are Fillipinos and former External and Internal Auditor from big Auditing Firm. So, rest assured that the way things explained are easy to understand.

Let's support this website. You can also post your comments and questions.

[tophe_17]

UP the thread. :)

[coldrockster]

Fellow SAP consultants, do you know of any company hiring part-time? Aside from the regular sap job i am having right now, I wish to venture in doing part-time too. Please do PM me if you guys know any company. Thanks.

[rexdflex]

Tanong ko lang sa mga consultants, ano ba ang range ng salaries for SAP. I'm in the IT field for more than 5 years involved in roles such as programmer, business analyst, project management, kaso everytime I tried applying for SAP positions i get turned down, of course wala akong experience, but how do I get one?

[ipoy_47]

Mga bossing, alam nyo po ba kung merong nabibilhan ng SAP books dito sa pilipinas? Gusto ko po sana yung book ni Horst Keller na ABAP Objects na may kasamang miniSAP cds...Newbie palang po ako sa SAP and sa change and transport management ako nailinya.

[talunan08]

Career wise, what are the pros and cons of transferring from SAP Sales & Distribution Module to SAP Business Warehouse?

Thanks.

[chuboy]

BW is in demand right now i think, kasi sobrang onte ng mga BW peeps na nandito sa country natin.

[manong_bert]

Meron na po ba dito naka-take ng SAP FI Certification for 6.0?

[mb065]

talunan08, i think that's a good move because like chuboy said, konti lang bw consultants.

but if i may suggest, don't give up your sd when you go into bw.

or you may also want to go into something more closely related to sd like maybe crm or apo? i think sd + crm is a very good combo. but then again, bw + any module is also a good combo.

[cpetaling]

i have no experience in SAP, any good companies where they get you up and running there?

I am needing the experience...

[talunan08]

talunan08, i think that's a good move because like chuboy said, konti lang bw consultants.

but if i may suggest, don't give up your sd when you go into bw.

or you may also want to go into something more closely related to sd like maybe crm or apo? i think sd + crm is a very good combo. but then again, bw + any module is also a good combo.
Well, i'm actually just practicing SAP in our company for a mere 2 months. (just graduated last April) So i'm knowledgeable but not close to being an expert and the company doesn't do cross capability trainings unless it's needed in the project.

I heard that BWs tend to have a short lifespan in the project (probably changing project or rolling off after their main purpose is finished?) is this true? Are BWs needed for the whole project life cycle?

Thanks a lot :)

[mb065]

^ i think bw tends to be involved towards the end kasi. core sap has to be in place first and it may go through a stabilization period before bw is implemented.

in your current company, do you use sd or do your support it?

[talunan08]

^ i think bw tends to be involved towards the end kasi. core sap has to be in place first and it may go through a stabilization period before bw is implemented.

in your current company, do you use sd or do your support it?
What do you mean use? As and end user? Well, no.. we're the ones who configure/support.

Ah so bw is usually used towards the end. Is there a chance that if i transfer to BW i get to experience the whole.. start->go live-> support?

[mb065]

^ yeah, sorry, i meant use as in end user.

bw is mostly used for reporting kasi so you need to have core sap setup muna. and some nga wait a few years pa to have bw. not everyone prefer to implement it right away.

i would think a bw implem would have its own project life cycle, similar to any implem so you'd get to experience a full cycle pa din.

i am bw-trained and ewan ko ba if it's the lack of interest or maybe i'm just not cut out for it. hirap ako sa extraction rules so i stuck it out with pm/cs, which is my core competence. but if given a chance, i would like to be involved in a bw implem.

[talunan08]

^ yeah, sorry, i meant use as in end user.

bw is mostly used for reporting kasi so you need to have core sap setup muna. and some nga wait a few years pa to have bw. not everyone prefer to implement it right away.

i would think a bw implem would have its own project life cycle, similar to any implem so you'd get to experience a full cycle pa din.

i am bw-trained and ewan ko ba if it's the lack of interest or maybe i'm just not cut out for it. hirap ako sa extraction rules so i stuck it out with pm/cs, which is my core competence. but if given a chance, i would like to be involved in a bw implem.
Okay.. Thanks mb.

Anyway, anything i should know about BW? Honestly, i don't have any idea what it is. :D

[mb065]

^ bw or business (information) warehouse is pretty much data mining and reporting.

you create infocubes (though there are standard ones) and define extraction rules (to extract data from core sap to bw) and update rules. then you create reports/queries. that's bw in a nutshell. that's why it's implemented towards the end or a few years after core sap is implemented - core sap is the data source (though bw can be connected to any data source) and you need enough data for reports.

[talunan08]

^Thanks mb065 for your insights on this.

[sap_titan]

hi talunan. i used to be a sap bw practitioner. with my previous company and team, we do sap bw application management and support. basically, we take care of the tehnical stuff of bw like making sure that data is loaded on a regular basis for business reporting. aside from that, we also create and maintain process chains and extraction processes from other sources going to bw among others. like what the previous poster wrote, you deal with infocubes and infoobjects in bw. in terms of implementation opportunities, this sap module is just relatively new. the bulk of bw work that you get is in application support.
btw,are you working for the 'high performance delivered' company?

[talunan08]

I'll pm you the company i'm working for.

Anyway, I'm just trying to gather information about this since the idea was brought up to a few people. I'm reading this thread even if i didn't have any immediate concerns way back. Hope you guys continue to do this since people like me (those who are beginners in SAP) are a bit confused since SAP still isn't as well known as other skills like Java, C++. I do have a background on the two but not on SAP prior to my employment.

[japyness]

IS SAP BW Module a good module to train with?.. mgstart kc ako sa isang company with that... btw may abap programmer ako for more than 8 mos..

[jccon54]

hi japyness, pwede ba malaman kung san company ka mag-start? trainee position ba?

[chuboy]

@talunan08 - i suggest take up MM para medyo related sa SD. Magandang combo kasi yun. =)

[talunan08]

^Yup. May onting alam ako ng MM. Besides sa may friends ako na MM, minsan kasi pag nag coconfiguresandbox) (sa ako nakikita ko na hindi naka define sa plant or wala ng stock so nappwersa ako pag aralan onting MM. :D

[sapexpert]

Thanks bro!

On my first client exposure, which happened to be my first consulting experience (no shadowing), I've fully appreciated SAP. Because the first time I get to learn what "tcodes" are, I have no idea how I would be able to appreciate this system -- that is, considering that I am a civil engineer (totally no background in IT/programming) and it's definitely far from what I've learned in school.

But then in a way, I was able to apply Project Management principles I learned in school since I am holding Project System (PS) module and that our clients are in the Real Estate and Construction industries. It adds up to the consultant credibility the fact that the one implementing such module is an engineer, just like an accountant handles FI/CO.

Thankfully, the 7 months implem is over and I'm currently in our Development Team, developing our own SAP-based solution (A1 solution for RE/Construction).

I'm currently studying CO in E-Academy of our company as well and hopefully I'd be able to finish it in 2 months time.

Parang kilala kita? Kasama ka ba sa Company niyo ng A1 development for RE/Construction?

Best Regards.
SAPexpert
www.sap-knowledge.com

[clueless_lady]

im an accountant/financial analyst and thinking of taking up SAP. any advise? saan maganda kumuha ng training and how expensive is it?

[jccon54]

hi to all! i just want to ask especially the sap consultants about their life (work and life balance) being an sap consultant. Does this job requires everyday long hours of work and do you work during weekend?

[chuboy]

@clueless_lady

I'll suggest companies who do provide free (mas okay pag wala kang bond) in-house training, pero kung gusto mo mag-academy talaga - start saving now. :)

Try any of the ff.

I suggest mag-walk in ka.

Kaisa Consulting
BayanTrade
Accenture
HP
P&G
Headstrong
Arinso - not so sure though.

Good Luck!

[chuboy]

hi to all! i just want to ask especially the sap consultants about their life (work and life balance) being an sap consultant. Does this job requires everyday long hours of work and do you work during weekend?

Masaya na nakakapagod.

Madaming challenges, eventually workaholic ka na di mo napapansin. Gumagaling ka na maghanap ng resources and self-study mode ka pag may di ka maintindihan kasi minimum supervision ako nun.
Minsan puyatan kung puyatan, may weekends din minsan kapag kailangan.

Nakakagimik pa naman ako kahit paano, mga unplanned roadtrips, inuman pag weekends kahit weekdays. The past week, nakakapag-workout pa ako. So basically, it's still the same as long as you are exposed in the IT industry. :)

But at the end of the day, you still feel blessed that SAP is there.

[xtineg]

Hi, just a newbie here. I am also in SAP. 6 years to be exact.. :) 6 SAP FICO years with 3 one cycle. Natutuwa naman ako at merong thread for SAP. I have done my share of blueprinting, User training, GO Live, pati rollouts and support.

I'm also passionate with my job and blessed with all the perks attached to it.

[ubechoco2009]

Hello sap consultants. I wanted to have a career in SAP. I know companies who uses SAP, but I just wanted to know which companies do in-house trainings (Read: Mahal ang SAP), better if they are looking for fresh grads as of this moment, I mean now. Even if it's SAP user, I just wanted to have grasp with SAP. PM me otherwise. Thank you.

[xtineg]

hi to all! i just want to ask especially the sap consultants about their life (work and life balance) being an sap consultant. Does this job requires everyday long hours of work and do you work during weekend?
May I just answer your question. :) Yes. We do have to stay late and work for long hours mainly because of the deadlines. The Project Manager would initially plan the activities such as the data gathering, data analysis and what we call blueprinting and then state the date of which those activities should be met. Syempre, since may timeline, we have to exert extra effort just to proceed with the Go Live on time.

For example is the migration of the old data to SAP system. In order to proceed with the actual Go Live (activity where endusers are to already use SAP), old data must be transferred to SAP to ensure accuracy of the processes. So dapat naming habulin yung deadline ng pag mimigrate ng data bago yung actual GO Live, kasi one thing that we consultants do not want, is to be blamed for cause of delay.

[xtineg]

Hello sap consultants. I wanted to have a career in SAP. I know companies who uses SAP, but I just wanted to know which companies do in-house trainings (Read: Mahal ang SAP), better if they are looking for fresh grads as of this moment, I mean now. Even if it's SAP user, I just wanted to have grasp with SAP. PM me otherwise. Thank you.
You may want to try SMITS, KAISA or Accenture. Even HP offers training pero you will be under a contract for a number of years (swerte mo kung 1 year lang). Since SAP resources are "scarce" daw, companies invest on you to learn SAP to assist in their growth kaya expect that they would want you to be loyal to them for a number of years.

[ubechoco2009]

^ Thanks. I'll be looking forward.

[mb065]

hi to all! i just want to ask especially the sap consultants about their life (work and life balance) being an sap consultant. Does this job requires everyday long hours of work and do you work during weekend?

this depends on your timeline. some projects have very tight timelines so OT might be required. some naman prefer to go live on jan 1 so no christmas break. but i don't think the job calls for everyday OT.

i think this also depends on the project manager. it is ideal if your project manager is the type who works hard and plays harder. i've had a project manager like this and the team was constantly motivated. so kahit may mga OT and weekend work, i never felt i didn't have work-life balance.

i'm pretty OC and in all of my implem projects, i spent the most time working on my system design and baseline config. ito talaga ang ino-OT ko kasi pag maayos ang design, the rest will be relatively smoother.

after my first implem, i didn't like not having christmas break so in my next projects, i made sure my team was ready for go-live on dec 24 so we were relativelye relaxed during the christmas break. ayaw ko ng cramming.

it greatly depends on your plan and timeline talaga.

[talunan08]

I'm currently training in BW now. Ang hirap! :)


Just curious. One of my friend will try to get certified in SD. How much does this cost? How about other modules?

[jccon54]

may i ask, what exactly sap fi consultants do? thanks...

[xtineg]

The SAP FI (Financial Accounting) Module has the competence of meeting all the accounting and financial needs of an organization.. The SAP CO (Controlling) Module endow with supporting information to Management.. --> To put it simply.

from http://www.scribd.com/doc/8114659/SAP-FICO-Intro

[tophe_17]

I'm having problems in processing Results Analysis. :(

[starbuko_dude]

Hello guys, I'm doing SAP too, the consulting side. Been doing this for a little more than a year na din, technically less because I had to be trained first (OJT and academy). I have been involved in some project already but not in full capacity. I would say the money is good and you get to see the world! I am now sitting for my FI cert and hoping to get some tips from those who just recently took the exam.. Salamat!

[starbuko_dude]

Hello xtineg, are you doing the FICO module?

[tophe_17]

^ Good luck dude! *okay*

[Buss_Analyzer]

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[xtineg]

^starbuko_dude, if you meant as a consultant. Yes, i'm into FICO

[starbuko_dude]

^starbuko_dude, if you meant as a consultant. Yes, i'm into FICO

how is it being an FICO consultant? did you took the certification if I may ask? hopefully you can give me some feedback about the exam if you did.. thanks..

[tophe_17]

Balita ko freeze hiring na rin daw sa Logica ah?! "Batch 1" seats are filled.

[g shock]

may i ask if going into SAP BUSINESS ONE would be a good career move?

if possible, could anybody pls give the pro's and con's of SAP BUSINESS ONE.

thanks! and God bless to all

[xtineg]

To starbuko_dude, sadly I haven't taken the SAP certification yet due to one reason, I don't want to personally pay for the certification. :D Although there were times when I have been contemplating on getting certified, i know a lot of FICO peeps who were not certified and yet very successful. One of my colleagues who are into FICO for almost 10 years (who have already been an independent consultant in the US --> meaning on his own, not having to be under a consulting firm) was also not yet certified.

In my humble opinion, and most of my SAP colleagues of diff modules would agree, having a certification does not proportionate on being hired by top consulting firm and would be given a market based pay. Interviewers or clients will solely base on the projects that you have handled and the responsibilities that you have undertaken.

I know somebody who is SAP certified and doesn't have any projects handled, and sadly, our client was so disappointed due to wrong decisions and mismanagement of deliverables.

If you really want to get certified, here's a very helpful website:
http://www.sap.com/services/education/certification/certificationtest.epx?context=%5b%5bP_FINACC_60%5d%5d%7c

Now, if you want to see your FICO skills (just to check if you can "pass" the certification, i suggest that you visit http://www.daypo.net/sap-fico-questions.html

Good luck.

[starbuko_dude]

hi xtineg, i thanks for your inputs but that's not what i am asking actually. i have a fair share of stories to tell about SAP certified people who weren't successful on replicating their theory skills in the workplace. sorry for not being specific but i wish to hear feedback about the exam specifically, like which areas are the hot topics on the recent exams or perhaps materials in the web that are reliable and reflective of the actual exams. hey, thanks for the daypo.net link, i appreciate it.. :)

[xtineg]

may i ask if going into SAP BUSINESS ONE would be a good career move?

if possible, could anybody pls give the pro's and con's of SAP BUSINESS ONE.

thanks! and God bless to all

If you meant from SAP R/3 to SAP B1, then R/3 is more competitive based on my friend's kwento who was able to take up SAP B1 training.

I heard SMITS is reselling SAP B1 but I'm not sure if they were able to secure some clients. SAP R/3 support is one of the growing demands in IT today due to numerous R/3 implementations globally.

[tophe_17]

Good morning! :wave:

Fellow consultants, do you have experience on Geographic Information System (GIS) linked to SAP?

[FHER2007]

me ABAPer ba dito?

[japyness]

abaper po ako... ano meron?.. hehe

[Buss_AnaIyzer]

http://www.itaa.org/news/images/buildit.jpg

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[sapexpert]

Hi All,

You may want to share or exchange your SAP Knowledge. The SAP Knowledge Exchange Community is now active. Visit and register at http://www.sap-knowledge.com/forum.

[FHER2007]

hehehe... ayos me mapagtatanungan na ako sir japyness
:)

[japyness]

@fher2007

nde pa ako magaling.. mejo bagito pa rin hehe! baka mas magling ka pa sakin.. haha

[starbuko_dude]

I made it with my FI cert exam.. :) Never studied so hard since my college days.. The sad part is had to return to work asap. :(

[bliss15]

hi im a cpa with no IT background possible ba mag career shift to as a sap consultant?

[xtineg]

^Yes. Its very possible. We have SAP trainees some are newly grad and the others CPA. The thing was, bumaba ang sweldo talaga nila kasi trainee sila (this applies if you are already earning a lot as a CPA practioner). For me, mas prefer ko yung CPA, mas madali na iexplain ang SAP. Those FICO consultants who were CPA before, madali na silang nakaadjust as consultant and are already at par with those with those consultants with no accounting background.

[anino83]

^ may i ask what company po ito? may openings pa po kaya?

[xtineg]

^Kaisa offers training. They even provide SAP certification for free. The thing is, kahit na wala pang handle na implementations, nakakapasa yung mga trainees because they have in house training, i think.

[wacky_wacks]

Hiring pa rin ba sa Kaisa? Thanks!

[mmouse]

Sa QC lang ba ang work location ng Kaisa? Thanks.

[Pach09]

Ok pa po ba mag start mag ABAP nowadays? technical po background ko sa midrange. salamat

[emsthree]

may alam po ba kaung hiring for SAP trainee... ?

[msaber69]

sa mga sap consultants out there, san bang forums magandang pumunta to get answers syempre? :) baka mayroon may alam dyan tungkol sa SAP R/3 PS to mySAP SRM integration using RFC, bakit kaya nagkakaroon ng problems during the PR convertion to shopping cart? :D

[Pach09]

advise naman po sa mga experts kung san madali makakuhang work for tech freshies: ABAP, BASIS or SAP BW Thanks

[mb065]

msaber69, you may want to try www.sapfans.com.

[oahu]

advise naman po sa mga experts kung san madali makakuhang work for tech freshies: ABAP, BASIS or SAP BW Thanks
Wala na akong naririnig na kumukuha ng baguhan sa SAP. Kaka tanggal lang ng SAP ng headstrong. Company ko naman, hindi na naghihire ng SAP trainees. Yung mga alam ko rin na SAP firms, mas gusto na nila yung may SAP experience rather than trainees.

[tophe_17]

I want to leave my company. Saan kaya opening for SAP (PS) Consultants? Help guys. :mecry:

[kiweeelicious]

Uyy PS! Gusto ko nyan :)) Any SAP-HR peeps here?

[msaber69]

our team is handling MM/PS/SRM, but I'm not sure if they're still hiring, most of the consultants are from BT, SC, and MD. =)

[lord_chris]

microsoft dynamics ang expertise ko. mahihirapan ba ako mag shift sa sap?

[tophe_17]

Uyy PS! Gusto ko nyan :)) Any SAP-HR peeps here?

PS Consultant ka rin? So how's your PS experience so far?

[kiweeelicious]

PS Consultant ka rin? So how's your PS experience so far?

hi tophe.. nope HR po.. :) I just knew PS for Time Management solution for my client. :)

[tophe_17]

^ Nice. I haven't tried the HCM-PS integration. Interesting!

So you want to try PS?

[starbuko_dude]

Hi Tophe, ano nangyari bakit gusto mo na umalis? I've seen a few postings for PS Consultant when the economy was still OK here in Singapore. Nowadays, even experienced SAP consultants are having a hard time looking for work na din. May alam ako opening but for MDM.

[ejmalino]

Hi,

Please let me know if anyone here would like to join me for the SAP B1 Training - Beginner, Advance, and Bootcamp for Certification.

The training will be on May 2009 here in Makati City.

Here are my contact numbers: 09194095404 / 02 4096687

emalino@netsuite.com / ejmalinods2108se@aol.com

My YM: toto_malino2009

[oahu]

I have two friends who are into ABAP and the other is an MM consultant with enough SAP years of experience and was able to handle some projects already. Sadly, both are unemployed and having a hard time finding work. :(

[ThAHuStLa]

I agree. Daming walang projects ngayon na consultants. Tsk.

[Pakun]

Ganun? Gusto ko pa naman magshift ng career. From softwre programmer to SAP. Kaso d ko alam san magsisimula.

I thought maganda ang salary pag my SAP experience na.:hmm:

[oahu]

Ganun? Gusto ko pa naman magshift ng career. From softwre programmer to SAP. Kaso d ko alam san magsisimula.

I thought maganda ang salary pag my SAP experience na.:hmm:
That was before recession. Ngayon, SAP consultants are at the mercy of the employers. Kahit mag demand ng increase wa epek kasi recession, walang clients, that is if you are in a consulting firm like I am. I don't know with inhouse SAP consultants kung meron na rin tanggalan.

[tophe_17]

Hi Tophe, ano nangyari bakit gusto mo na umalis? I've seen a few postings for PS Consultant when the economy was still OK here in Singapore. Nowadays, even experienced SAP consultants are having a hard time looking for work na din. May alam ako opening but for MDM.


I'm no longer satisfied on what the company is doin' for me. :depressed:
Hirap lang kasi I'm working both on development and pre-sales - very stressful.
Mas okay talaga pag deployed kesa sa dev.

Yeah, hirap nga ang mga SAP partners (locally) to look for clients because of the crisis.

Sana makalipat ako soon. :)

[wacky_wacks]

Do you think ok na mag start ng SAP career ngayon?I know it's recession pero part talaga ng cycle un. So after 3-4 years, magbo-boom ulit ang ibat ibang industries. Kung magstart ako ngayon, by that time experienced na ko. Any tips?

[pinoypexer25]

can i take SAP trainings and certifications even if my college degree is not related to I.T.? I heard so much about SAP kung ganon ka rewarding yung career, is there any hope for aspirants like me shifting to this field of work?

[oahu]

If somebody is willing to take you as trainee, ok sya to start a new career in SAP. As long as you are willing to receive less than 20k as SAP trainee.

[wacky_wacks]

If somebody is willing to take you as trainee, ok sya to start a new career in SAP. As long as you are willing to receive less than 20k as SAP trainee.

less than 20 ba pag sap trainee? what about after the training? thanks:)

[taurus90210]

im already contented with my present work. Pero mga officemates ko, eager maka-transfer sa SAP atalaga.

Meron bang summarized list dito ng mga openings... sa jobstreet kase puro advertisers ang company, di mo malaman kung nanloloko lang ba sila...

[oahu]

After training you can work your way up by getting 25k, 30k, 35k etc. It all boils down on getting numerous projects on your belt. Kahit nagtraining ka kung wala ka naman nahandle na mga implementations, your market value will not be that competitive.

Same with those who had SAP certifications pero no implementation experience.

[pinoypexer25]

would you happen to know any companies accepting SAP trainees? i'm very much willing to take the job even if the pay is less than what i am getting right now. anyway, anyone can work their way up the ladder like what you said sir. thanks!

[wacky_wacks]

Check Kaisa and Bayantrade's website :)

[tophe_17]

less than 20 ba pag sap trainee? what about after the training? thanks:)

Not really.
It depends on your work experience, be it SAP or non-SAP.

If you had a working experience in SAP (e.g., you were a user in your previous company) and you apply as a (functional consultant) trainee, then chances are, you don't get a less than 20 salary. :)

[tophe_17]

can i take SAP trainings and certifications even if my college degree is not related to I.T.? I heard so much about SAP kung ganon ka rewarding yung career, is there any hope for aspirants like me shifting to this field of work?

Yes.
As long as you're open to learn SAP. ;)


After training you can work your way up by getting 25k, 30k, 35k etc. It all boils down on getting numerous projects on your belt. Kahit nagtraining ka kung wala ka naman nahandle na mga implementations, your market value will not be that competitive.

Same with those who had SAP certifications pero no implementation experience.


Right. Implementation experience is much more important. :)

As for being certified, I think the advantages of that are:
1. You easily get SAP jobs abroad; and
2. You get a higher salary. :D

[pinoypexer25]

alright. thanks for the info! i'll go ahead and inquire :)

[Hart2x]

May friend ako sa Kaisa. You can email them at academy@kaisa.com pag interested kayo in their SAP course offerings. :D

[tophe_17]

Received. Read. Thanks Hart. :)

[you101]

hwo different is implementation compared to project support?

[mb065]

^ depends on your role sa implementation.

but basically, in an implementation, you gather requirements and design the system from there. then you configure the system based on your design, perform integration/system tests, prepare and migrate data, prepare training material and conduct training. then provide go-live support for a few months after go-live.

if you follow the asap methodology:
- data prep
- business blueprint
- realization
- final prep
- go live and support

project support - do you mean application support? or support when the system is already live? if so, then it's end-user support - you provide day-to-day support.

[manong_bert]

Cost cutting na ata SAP. Di na nagbibigay ng cards para sa mga pumasa ng certification exam. Certificate na lang :lol:

[oahu]

^Hahaha. Talagang cost cutting na nga ang SAP.

[sundae_mcdip]

http://fasttrackph.com/education_schedule.php

just saw it sa newspaper yesterday

[ThAHuStLa]

Cost cutting na ata SAP. Di na nagbibigay ng cards para sa mga pumasa ng certification exam. Certificate na lang :lol:

Hahaha yup. Pati yung 2009 calendars napaka liit na. :(

[manong_bert]

Baka sa mcdo na lang tayo mag-SAP Summit nyan! Hehe

[ThAHuStLa]

Yup... Masyado na mahal pag Shang. SAP user ka ba manong bert or partner? :D

[manong_bert]

Partner po :)

[Tagi]

Any feedback regarding this training program? Is it a good one? :)

http://fasttrackph.com/education_schedule.php

just saw it sa newspaper yesterday

[sharedteam77]

Hi! How much is a certification exam for a module, let's say Financial Accounting? I've been going through the previous posts but I can't find a response to this question. Thanks!

[manong_bert]

^ 25,000 vat-ex

[sharedteam77]

^ 25,000 vat-ex

I see. Thanks!

Follow-up question hehe

I'm thinking of taking a SAP course. If your were to choose the SAP skill which is most marketable, which is it?

There are SAP courses for: ABAP, Order Fulfillment, Financial Acctg, Controlling, Manufacturing, Ent. Asset Mgt, Procurement, HCM

[oahu]

^Syempre Financial Accounting. I doubt merong company na hindi uunahin icomputerize ang kanilang accounting system.

[Herr_Starr]

I see. Thanks!

Follow-up question hehe

I'm thinking of taking a SAP course. If your were to choose the SAP skill which is most marketable, which is it?

There are SAP courses for: ABAP, Order Fulfillment, Financial Acctg, Controlling, Manufacturing, Ent. Asset Mgt, Procurement, HCM

While finance and controlling are the most commonly used modules, they are also the most commonly known modules. When thinking about the market, it isn't enough to know which modules are in demand, one must also estimate the competitive forces one must deal with. Nothing more than supply and demand.

The key is to start slow and build a solid foundation, then in time add on more advanced functionality.

However, instead of choosing a course in terms of functionality, it might help you if you choose a course you already have a background in. If you work in finance, you can pick up the concepts in FICO much more easily.

[sharedteam77]

Thanks oahu and Herr Starr for your helpful inputs!

[oahu]

Malapit na ang SAP summit. San na nga ba at kelan? Edsa Shang pa rin ba?

[april_f]

what if I only took SAP sa previous job role ko, am I eligible to become a SAP tester or ano implementer. lols i dont know kung ano tawag...

do I still need certification in order to become one? thanks.

[oahu]

Nope. You don't have to be certified to be an implementer or tester. Best way is to get a job in SAP is to apply as implementer - trainee in companies using SAP in a support role.

Applying as SAP trainee in consulting firms is overrated and does not guarantee that you get in.

[manong_bert]

Malapit na ang SAP summit. San na nga ba at kelan? Edsa Shang pa rin ba?

Wala atang SAP summit this year

[april_f]

thanks! can you cite a company that uses SAP in a supporting role? and do i need to be an IT grad in order to be part of that company? Thanks. By the way im not in a consulting firm but nevertheless, i still think my experience is not at par with other SAP users lol.

edit: i back read already sorry for asking the same thing. :)

[oahu]

I actually meant companies already using SAP and apply as SAP trainee or implementer for support (SAP support).

There are very limited opportunities for those who wanted SAP trainee for implementations due to recession.

Some company permits applicants that are not into IT. You have the edge especially if you are a SAP user already. May I ask your expertise in SAP? is it as Purchase Requisitioner or Accountant? or Audit?

[april_f]

^still confusing to me lol. probably because im not familiar with the terms. anyway, i saw in bayantrade's website that they are looking for sap trainees (for pooling) meaning they are freeze hiring?

is the job still in demand in singapore and other countries? thanks..

ah by the way, i used SAP as an HR tool hehe. :)

another pps: what do they mean when they said: Has at least 1 full cycle implementation?

[oahu]

^Then apply as SAP HR apprentice since you're equipped with HR practices. You won't be having a hard time exploring SAP HR module if you are already aware of the basic HR processes.

[april_f]

^yup that's my plan actually :) meron pa ba ibang companies other than kaisa and bayantrade? they are quite far in my place. :(

[oahu]

Has at least 1 full cycle implementation? - The SAP consultant must have handled at least one SAP implementation (installation of SAP) in a client / company completing what we call the ASAP methodology in the following sequence:
1. Project Preparation
2. Blueprint
3. Realization
4. Final Preparation
5. Go Live

If one has not completed any of the mentioned above, the SAP consultant cannot state that she / he was able to complete one cycle implementation. The consultant must be able to go through the ASAP methodology from start to finish during a project.

[oahu]

^yup that's my plan actually :) meron pa ba ibang companies other than kaisa and bayantrade? they are quite far in my place. :(

Kaisa and Bayantrade are both consulting firms. There are plenty of companies such as Coca Cola export, Smart, Globe, SM, etc who uses SAP and maintain SAP technical teams to provide support for their daily SAP activities. Those are what I meant.

Consulting firms are now in the dumps since it is quite difficult for them to attract projects due to the presence of recession in the Phils.

[april_f]

^i was part in one of those you have mentioned. ok im following you na somehow hehe. SAP din ba gamit ng mga BPO companies? i want to be a tester kasi not really use the program sa HR tasks.

[oahu]

^Then try accenture. My friend used to work there as SAP tester. Unfortunately, she got cut during the 2nd wave of retrenchment. I think they are currently freeze hiring.

[sharedteam77]

Hi! Would you know the cost of an online/e-Academy course/module? Thanks!