GreatManBee:


Great! I'm currently working with BI

kiwi992:
Hi All,


Talking about SAP, yes, the explanation given is correct.  I just need to elaborate on what's already been said.

I have a solid hands-on experience in using the SAP R/3 4.6C software, as well as implementing the SAP R/3 4.6C IDES software on my desktop (at home), whilst preparing for the SAP Financials Consultancy course, a few years ago, before I was involved in a serious motorbike accident. 

SAP is a German enterprise resource planning (ERP) product.  The company is based in Waldorf.  It is a world-class product, to say the least.  A great but very complex product with well over one thousand and twelve (1012) modules in it.  These modules span from BASIS, Financials, Logistics, APO, Business Warehouse, SAP Projects, Sales and Distribution (SD), Materials Management (MM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and so on, as as well as various industry solutions such as Gas, Oil, Chemicals to name but only a few.  You name it and SAP has got it.  Newer products are constantly being added whilst others have been dropped, due to the emergence of new technology.  

Back in 2004, I did a write-up about RFID at SAP's Discussion Forum, as the technology was new then (even though old in origin).  I would say that I was, at that time, considered to be the RFID guru (but not anymore), as the technology is getting mature.

As I said, I have solid hands-on experience in implementing SAP R/3 4.6C IDES on my PC, in preparation for the mySAP Financials Consultancy training. 

In my own opinion, the SAP Consultancy course as run by SAP Academy is far too short to enable the participant acquire the necessary skills to pass such a demanding examination.  You can definitely pass the exams if you take your time to train for it at home.  However, just remember that you would need to acquire the all-important hands-on skills before you can even dream of passing it.  So, here's what I suggest that you do.

You MUST:

1.  Acquire the necessary HANDS-ON SKILLS by using the IDES ECC 6. 

This is a training software as used by the SAP Academies worldwide, to enable course participants acquire the necessary hands-on skills.  It is an actual SAP software but already pre-loaded with live data.  Without this, you will NOT pass the exams!  Be warned that this is not a theoretical exam that you can blag your way through.  You need to have the practical experience of using the SAP R/3 software.  Take it from me because I know.  All the better, if you have access to SAP at your place of work.   The exams are very hard but you will pass if you adopt the right training methodology.

This is not a course (or exams) for the faint-hearted!!  The rewards are massive when you qualify.  I have a friend that comes to the UK from Malaysia and works as an SAP Consultant and makes mega bucks.  She's here every three months or so.

2.  Use the official SAP Academy training material.

You must beg, borrow or steal them (literally), if you really mean business about training for this certification.  It's always better to learn from the source.  The SAP academy training material are the official course manuals from SAP AG, Germany.

3.  Relevant background

Ensure that you only train on a module that is consistent with your professional or academic background, else you would be wasting your time.

4.  Strong computer skills

This is essential because you'll be customising the IMG - a core element of the SAP R/3 software.

5.  Understanding of business processes

Again, without a solid knowledge and understanding of business processes, you will definitely struggle with SAP R/3.   

Please take note of all what I've said here because I have a first-hand experience of this global product.  SAP Consultants are in high demand all over the world, albeit that the demand for such Consultants has somewhat peaked in view of the fact that many western countries are upgrading now, instead of a fresh implementation of the product.  That said, Nigeria would most definitely need SAP Certified Consultants to implement the product in those big industries.

I often used to wonder as to why no-one here ever showed an interest in SAP (or indeed, really mentioned it before now).  SAP Certified Consultants are the money men and women of this world.  It is really a worthwhile qualification - far better than any out there.

In the name of Nairaland.




kiwi992.


NB:

The name SAP is pronounced as 'es-ay-pee' (but not 'sap'), if you see what I mean.

elderbros:


My challenge is I pay for online access. I've not had the opportunity to work in a real environment. Where do you work

shawn123:
@kiwi 992
thanks for this "Go here: lxxt://aaa.eqehivjsvyq.gsq/jsvyqhmwtpec.tlt?j=132 "
you are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You make proud of being a Nigerian.

kiwi992:
Hi Raheem and Shawn,


You are most welcome.  Please never forget to help others with the info you've got at your disposal.  You must empower other Nigerians, not just yourselves, please.   

You guys are pretty smart ha? - like all Nigerians at home and abroad.  Good on you for having been able to decipher the code.  Well done fellas.  Really, really well done, mates.

I strongly believe that Nigerians MUST always look after each other, no matter what.  Our little squabbles must be set aside for the greater benefit of the country.  We can not afford to be left out in the onward march of technology, especially in the field of enterprise resource planning (ERP).  We must not let all those foreign SAP Consultants come to Nigeria and make horrendous amount of money in our country when Nigerians are more than capable of acquiring those skills and putting them into practise. 

NIGERIANS MUST TAKE ACTIVE STEPS TO QUALIFY AS SAP CERTIFIED CONSULTANTS.  I will help in any way that I can.  I'm also happy to help any budding Nigerian Pilot as well, because I am one, too.

Raheem, you said:



Well look, here's my advice to you.

Personally, I wouldn't just do Portal System Administration because admin is just that - administration.  You would be administering the SAP R/3 System which some BASIS Consultant has already implemented.  Are you happy doing just that?  By the way, BASIS is now called Enterprise Portal whilst ABAP is now NetWeaver.  You've got to come from a programming background to do NetWeaver. 

Left to me alone, I would rather implement the IDES ECC 6.0 on my computer and then learn the BASIS admin on my own.  The best part being that you have also learnt how to implement the SAP R/3 System, not just administering it.  You simply can not beat that experience.  Indeed, this would be your stepping stone to pursuing the functional module (SD, MM, APO, BIW, RFID, etc) that interests you the most, depending on your professional or academic background. 

Once you've implemented the SAP R/3 System, the admin part is easy.  The biggest challenge is implementing the R/3 System.  System administration is only 5% of the work, as compared with the implementation which takes 95% of the work, in my view.  Take it from me - you will become far more technically proficient if you can implement the SAP R/3 System.  You will also perform system admin tasks before go-live on your new system.  Bound to.

Failing that, I would rather do an SAP Academy course that also involves SAP R/3 implementation.  This is the complete BASIS (Enterprise Portal) course.  Even then, the course is far too short to learn anything useful except to give them your hard earned cash.  Please learn from my Indian experience.   

Please think most carefully about which route to follow before committing yourself.  Right now, you've got whatever you need to get you started.  Remember that you won't learn anything from a short course.

That said, the decision is entirely up to you.  There's nothing stopping you from enrolling on the official SAP Academy course if you honestly feel that you would benefit from a 25-day course, and become competent-enough to pass those extremely difficult Consultancy exams.  The standard courses last anything between 3-5 days.  

All the very best.




kiwi992.

NB:

Assuming that you were to go to an official SAP Academy for your training, please remember to ask the training provider as to whether or not they would be willing to send you to an SAP site to work as a Junior Consultant once you've passed the Consultancy exams.  This is extremely important to remember.  Some official SAP Academies do exactly that in India.  PLEASE DO NOT FORGET and never let anybody take you for a ride.


         



 

GreatManBee:

It's on of the FMCG manufacturing food and beverages in the country. I work in the supply chain stream.

kiwi992:
Hi,


Sorry about the late response.  I haven't been here for a while.

Actually, there is an industry solution for telecommunications by SAP.  It's called SAP for Telecommunications.  Maybe you ought to look into that module more than anything else, in view of your background. 

SAP NetWeaver is about programming the SAP R/3 software to meet an organisation's specific needs.  In order to pursue this module, you'll need to come from a programming background.  It used to be called ABAP.

SCM would suit someone from a business background.

As I've always maintained, it's always best to pursue the SAP module that best matches your academic or professional background.

Hope this helps.



kiwi992. 

elderbros:


Many thanks for this swift reply. Can I get a chance to work as an intern.

GreatManBee:

Sure you can. What's your education level? You might also be required to pass an internship exam also.

Briz:
Hi kiwi,

Since you said anything i need is in that link, u can send the link to me.

my mail id. is tosinadny@yahoo.com

I have the s/w but it requires a password to access it.

Lemme see if d link has the solution to my problem. Pl, do send it to my mailbox.

Yea. i think we nid a study group. who starts it up. Raheem, Shawn, are u there.


thanx.



---Tousen

elderbros:


Computer Science Graduate, presently doing my MSc.

kiwi992:
Hi All,



C1

Yeah, you're right, as an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), installing Oracle database on a Windows platform should never be a problem to you.

Indeed, I'm surprised that it's causing you problems.  Anyway, it's not such a big deal that you are stuck.  Not to worry - these things do happen and are here to test us.

Can I just say that installing the database is really the easiest part of the implementation.  It takes just a few minutes - maybe 20 minutes, if that.  The bugbear is the SAP R/3 implementation itself.

Please strategise as follows, towards the implementation:

   -  Planning
   -  Preparation
   -  Installation
   -  Post-Installation

You said that the problem could be with the IDES you are using.  Sorry, but I don't quite agree with you on that.  Please ensure that:

1.  You are using the right version of Oracle database that's specific to the IDES that you are trying to implement.  Not all versions of a database can be used with an IDES release.

Note:  NT_ORA -> i386 (as well as patches).

2.  Your machine - ensure you've prepared it to meet the MINIMUM requirements for:
   -  Hardware
   -  Software
   -  CPU
   -  RAM

On a Windows platform, SAP R/3 should be implemented on Windows 2003 Server (with the latest service packs) - English Language edition.  This is the official line by SAP AG.  However, some people have successfully implemented it on Windows XP Professional as well as XP with SP2.  I implemented mine on Windows 2000 Server and Windows NT.

3.  Registry:
   -  Ensure that you can safely edit the registry.
   -  Whatever you do, please do NOT render your computer useless as a result of changes made to the registry.  Please back it up first, before ever editing it, just in case anything goes wrong.  You've been warned!   

4.  Files - editing the hosts file for the:
    -  Transport host
    -  IP loopback address
    -  etc

5.  NT Services
    -  You'll be stopping and starting various services as well as priortising them, so, ensure you are comfortable doing that.

6.  Check the:
    -  Error logs (whenever there is a problem with the implementation).

This is a must!  It gives you pointers as to why the implementation has stopped. You can not move on with the implementation until the problem has been solved!  This could take many hours (or even days) to sort out.

Embrace the error log during this phase of the implementation.  Analyse it because it definitely pin-points the errors in amongst the long error report.

Do not get frightened because this is a good training ground for you.  Please make copious notes as you go along.  This would be essential for future reference.  I've still got mine up 'til this day.   

FINALLY:

If all else fails, buy the pre-installed ECC 6.0 and just press on with the training.  Don't waste too much time battling with the implementation.  It might not be the right course of action for you to follow.  If you can, set yourself timelines and adhere to it.

All the best to you.


MARKOS

Thanks for re-enforcing that view.  I hope our people would train because of a genuine interest in the technology and not simply for the money.


BRIZ

Sorry but I don't think that's possible.

A pre-installed ECC 6.0 is not there to teach you how to implement SAP R/3.  Rather, it makes it much easier for you to obtain the crucially important hands-on skills because the IDES comes already pre-installed on a hard drive, thereby saving you the hassle of having to implement it yourself.

The only way to pracise implementing it by yourself is to do exactly that, without having to resort to buying a pre-installed ECC 6.0.


SHAWN

You're alright man.  All the best with the training.  Just keep working hard.




kiwi992.
_{Nigerian jobs for Nigerians}

Bagehot:
LOL. Used to frequent here a lot a few years ago. Used this thread as my inspiration to self-study for and pass my SAP exams. Got certified, but in the end, it was a bloody waste of money and time. I think that unless you live outside Nigeria, SAP might just be a pipe-dream.

Bagehot:
LOL. Used to frequent here a lot a few years ago. Used this thread as my inspiration to self-study for and pass my SAP exams. Got certified, but in the end, it was a bloody waste of money and time. I think that unless you live outside Nigeria, SAP might just be a pipe-dream.

gistme24:
The Contacts I made on this thread helped me launch my SAP Career. Some came here to sell, while majority of the Gurus came to impart Knowledge and inspire people. I was one of those imparted .

I Did my Certification in ABAP back in 2012 through self study. And it took me 2 years to a day to have my breakthrough , a breakthrough I am enjoying to the fullest .

Advice to those seeking to have a career in SAP:

1. Networking, its very important .

2. You don't have to clear your bank account to get certified .

3. If you are certified, then it only gets your through the door most times. It rarely counts in the field . So know your module.

4. Don't always expect free materials from gurus, but take the hints and advice they may give seriously. I found out that some actually test
your level of seriousness when they say, for example, go to this URL and search for the material .

5. Above all, don't choose a module for the expected reward, choose it for the love and enthusiasm you have for it. It will make the tough days
and situations enjoyable .

A big thank you to the gurus on these threads. Too numerous to mention. One actually took me under his wings and gave me so many contacts.

Sorry If I sounded like an "OVER SABI", but hey, I am a Consultant

I hope we keep this thread alive .

hiscules:
Great. I really need a shot at being a junior consultant in SAP MM or GRC, I am not certified yet but will not mind quitting my current job to enable me learn. If you don't mind,please bring me on board

coolhayor:
Hi, I am a sales professional who is keen on learning SAP. I dont know which 1 to do? I need ur advice pls.

How do i start? Can i get certified in 1-2 months if i study hard.

depoty:
ERP Software Management is a SAP partner in South Africa.

We are base in South Africa with an affiliates company in Nigeria. We offer SAP Training ,Consulting, outsourcing and placement, corporate branding and more.

At ERP software management's we value our clients and treat them as our partners.

Our Consultants and Trainer are certified with years of experience as a trainer.

Are you also struggling to register for your SAP certification exam? Get In Touch With Us.

Email us: info@erpsm.co.za
website: www.erpsm.co.za
Phone: +27110225427No

Bagehot:
LOL. Used to frequent here a lot a few years ago. Used this thread as my inspiration to self-study for and pass my SAP exams. Got certified, but in the end, it was a bloody waste of money and time. I think that unless you live outside Nigeria, SAP might just be a pipe-dream.

elderbros:


My challenge is I pay for online access. I've not had the opportunity to work in a real environment. Where do you work