Between SD and MM may I know which has
-higher demand?
-difficulty?

Was told by one of my seniors who took the SD, the instructor from Genovate said, SD is one of the easiest.. -.O

In addition, I've scout around in jobstreet and jobsdb, I usually see more job positions for MM compared to SD. Which is why, I'm quite confused right now.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Oct 29 2008, 03:24 PM

Yeah, I'm currently deciding between MM and SD. I'm already SAP certified(BP-ERP), now just choosing which to specialize.

It's something like your * Undang * Driving test.. They basically have an exam bank with loads of questions(and answers) in the system, and the questions you'll be getting would be random (separated by the respective topics). So if you've taken the exam before, there's a likelihood you'll see the same question.

How does one know when the economy recover? -_O

I heard of SCAT.. not CATS .. O_o

The problem remains if you're fresh from no-where without the cert, there are very few companies who would bother to look at you.

One way to put it , the cert gives you an edge over those without and looking into entering the SAP market. However it's definitely a NO GUARANTEE of a job placement. So if you have money to burn and really keen into entering the SAP market, by all means go for it.

Another point to take into account, even if you have 1239128391 years of exp in that industry and if you're a first timer in the SAP field, be prepare to receive an entry-level pay. Probably around the figure of 2.4k-3.8k (depending on the company you apply for).


Luck and timing plays a huge factor here.

The one I took was sponsored by MDeC, it was an IQ Test. Too easy by my standards. Simple SPM level calculation, pattern recognition as well as a little touch of calculus. That was last year though. Free training but the exam fees(RM 1,800.00) is under you. The exam is optional, but I highly recommend it, if you want to enter the SAP Market. What's RM1,800 compared to RM33,000+ ??


There should be another coming up soon(as in 2-3 months), it's usually every 6 months. Look out for the one from HCL-Axon in JobStreet, they provide you with training as well as a confirm position right after completion.


Doubt it. But you can look on the first page on the list of companies to spam your resume. The SAP Market is pretty cruel to newbies/unexperienced people.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Mar 18 2010, 03:19 PM

Lol, no need to think. Definitely lower.

Around 6-8k after completion of 2 full life-cycle project implementation. (Do note the emphasis of full life cycle)
(Project Preparation -> Business Blueprint -> Realization -> Final Preparation -> Go Live & Support ) = This is 1 Life Cycle.
One full life cycle could be as short as 3 months to as long as 2 years.

Real-life example:
Friend of mine (Age 27) is getting 8K USD basic (with 4+ life cycles, certified in ABAP as well as HR module). His company is located in Malaysia, but he's usually in the overseas 80% of the time. He was lucky back then as SAP was highly in demand and some companies were willing to train them for free(even without bond). He started as an ABAPer, now he's in functional doing HR.

With regards to other exp like support, I'm afraid I do not know the answer.

Refer to the answer in question 1.


No difference. You will still get a freshie salary 2.5-3.5k(depending on the company scale.) Without actual experience, they look at you like a "trained newbie" but with better chances (to get an interview) considering you know "some" of the stuffs. Nothing beats actual project experience. You can start bargaining with the cert , when you have actual experience. (that's from my understanding based on my discussions with my trainer & seniors)


If you're strictly you going for the $$, I would have to tell you honestly it would be a gamble. This is because luck, timing and "your connections" plays an important role(as mentioned in earlier postings) in securing any "worthy" SAP position..

In a way, the difficulty of entering SAP is a blessing and a curse, in the sense that your salary won't be affected that much in the long run as there isn't much supply(hard to enter for newbies).. Anyway, my SAP trainer calls it the "SAP Eco-system" . Another example of this "Eco-system" is the certification, where SAP reduces the number further, by their crazy certification fees which indirectly reduces the amount of certified consultants. Thus, you won't see many certified SAPpers compared to people with Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, etc certification.... [ Which also explains the current "high" salary, and the main reason why YOU would like to enter. ]

Anyway..... good luck to you ..if you still want to enter.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Mar 20 2010, 02:25 AM

Don't want to burst your "business opportunity" but:

SAP Business One = 5-6 digit (Meant for SME - Small Medium Enterprises)
mySAP ERP = 7 digit+ (Large Corporations)

Prices depends on the module you take as well as the implementors which you've contracted/outsourced to.



OpenSourced ERP is not really on the "high side" as there aren't exactly many developers yet as it's quite new but I can fore-see potential in the long run for the SME market. With regards to support, I highly doubt it. The SAP community is much better compared to the OpenSourced for now.
Give it another 3-5 years, and we'll see how it goes.

It might overtake SAP & Oracle in the SME market, but for large enterprises..Definitely a big NO. Why??
Simply because of the tremendous customization and investment which has been done. (Applies to Oil&Gas, Production, Chemical & most of the Fortune 500 companies) . In addition, most managers/CEO follows this phrase..."If it's not broken, why fix it? "



It's hard to say. They have 2 tremendous task to overcome:-
1. Firstly they have to integrate their existing 3 ERPs (Peoplesoft (More towards CRM solution), JD Edwards (focuses on Financial), "their own, can't remember the last one"). And this isn't exactly simple considering the processes and customization of each of this ERP contradicts one another. Although there are contradictions, there are pros and cons for each of the contradictions . Hence it's a major headache to find the best process and customization to fit for all.

2. Secondly, they would have to convince the large players to migrate from SAP to Oracle. The cost of this migration will be a "bomb", and even the ROI (return on investment) is not even certain if you're able to switch. Unless you tell me large corporations like BAT, Shell, ExxonMobil, Samsung, Petronas, BP, BASF, KWSP(yes, they are currently using SAP) and etc has recently switched to a "full Oracle Product Suite", then NO.. Oracle still doesn't stand a chance at the moment. Give it another 10-20 years, then we'll talk about it again.



But as of now, as long as Oracle hasn't integrated the 3 ERP solutions, SAP > Oracle in terms of ERP that is.

And for all those confused ppl out there.. SAP can't compete with Oracle in terms of size...
The company direction for both is extremely different, but SAP is a competitor to Oracle in the ERP market.
SAP = Focuses on ERP solution
Oracle = Provides full solution (Database (Their bread and butter. And I have to admit, it's one of the fastest databases I've played with. Even DB2(Database from IBM) is only 70-80% of it's potential..(of course this is dependent on the configuration as well)), ERP (peoplesoft(crm), JD Edwards), etc(they've also recently purchase SUN Microsystems (there's where your MySQL, Java comes from))

This post has been edited by zalmerox: May 24 2010, 12:56 AM

Here you go..

Just register an account there..

http://sapcertifications.ol-edu.com/

Do note the actual difficulty = x2 of what you see there.. But it's a good brain teaser of what you left out...
In other words, if you can't get through that ... Delay your examination first.


Side Note:
1. You won't be able to get exactly 100% similar questions as SAP usually purge/remake 50% of their questions in a quarterly basis. Thus, assuming you fail ("touch wood"), you should be taking the exam again within 2-3 months before they(SAP) purge the existing one. (Quoted from my Trainer).
2. Please go through every section of the book at least 2-3 times. Eat/Digest the Solution Manager if possible. It's a free 10% marks (Only 3-5 questions there).

This post has been edited by zalmerox: May 30 2010, 06:50 PM

- It's the self-learning course (done online). The one with a trainer cost at least 25-38k ringgit depending on the module.
- Only covers "attendance cert". Not recognizable outside Malaysia. If you want to be SAP certified you have to sit for the exam in SAP Malaysia HQ which will cost another additional RM 1,800.00 (last i checked).
- KnowledgeCom is currently providing the self-learning course. (10k-18k). Duration: 1 month full-time , 6 months part time.
With trainer (under Genovate), 1 month full time, 3 months part time. There are other institutions and companies like (HCL Axon) which provides the training as well. The details on the other hand, well ..all I can say is ..."Google" is your friend.


Anyway..good luck.

Taken it before when I was in Taylors.

It's basically:-
mySAP Best-Practices for Medium Size Enterprise
- It covers all end-user parts for all modules (FI, CO, MM, SD, QM, LE, WM, HR, etc)
- The main focus in this course would be the different Organizational Units, Master Data, Business Processes Best Practices (Which is basically SAP suggested "process flow")..
- Outside is approximately 12-18k. Hence, if you have the additional $$$ and interested in entering SAP, it's a good bargain as it will give you an edge over "normal fresh graduates" who wishes to enter into SAP as well.
- Do note that, this certification is catered more to SAP B1 (SAP's answer for the SME(Small Medium Enterprise) Market) and is no means a "guaranteed opportunity" to secure a SAP position.
- And yes, it's recognized world-wide (provided you pass the certification) and not just "sitting on your ass" the entire 2 weeks (they still provide you with an attendance cert). But again, I have to emphasize, it's more towards the "Overview of SAP and catering more towards SAP B1 market". But whatever it is, it's a good opportunity if and only if you have the additional $$$ to spare.



Additional Notes:
> The price of the examination is RM 1,800 if I'm not mistaken(when I last took my MM certification on Jan 2010), I'm not sure if the 5K covers the exam as well, please check with Mr.Maha (I believe he's still instructing the class) with regards to this.
>
Yes. That I can assure you, as they literally just taken out 2 chapters of every module(HR,SD,FI,MM,QM,etc) and "slotted' it into the BP-ERP course.
> However, you will NOT be learning the main configurations (which is the bread of butter of any SAP functional consultants) but you will be exposed to the end-user side of all modules and it's business processes(which is still good, if you're into the ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) market).
> If you're interested in joining the SAP consulting firms, try to ensure that your CGPA is at least 3.0 as it's the minimum requirement for most of the these firms.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Jun 12 2010, 02:33 AM

+1

If I'm not mistaken, if the company is an MSC status(and some other bla bla(as long as they HIT the MDeC target), they are able to get free sponsorship on training and etc(expat intake permit perks, etc).

Hence, theoretically speaking MDeC(The government, your tax money) is sponsoring you for the exam and not the Company at all.


Whether it's worth taking or not, you have to ask yourself..Is this a risk worth taking... No one other than yourself, should be walking that door/cliff/window.

Go to their main site and register an account there. It's listed there periodically.
They use their own "recruitment site", it's quite rare for them to post in JobStreet unless, they really want a large pool.

As quoted by my previous trainer,

Having common sense for processes and $$ [ ((online)RM 12k or (trainer)RM 32k) + RM 1.8k(exam fees) ]..

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Aug 29 2010, 06:40 PM

PwC sold their SAP consulting arm to IBM and they signed a non-compete agreement. Probably expired recently, but there's no news of them entering the SAP consulting industry.

So to answer your question, NO you career will not revolve around SAP FICO if you were to enter under PwC.

On the other hand, for Deloitte SAP:
Yes, if you're under their SAP consulting division and IF AND ONLY IF they assigned you to a FICO role.

http://www.sap.com/malaysia/partners/direc...es/services.epx

That cert isn't sufficient in the sense you do not touch on customization but rather the general outline the best practices of business processes. Nevertheless, it's an "edge" compared to other non-certified freshies who wish to enter the SAP Market.

Perhaps you can try ObTech or Croseus IT as this BP-ERP cert caters more towards SAP B1 (smaller scale of SAP). Do note that the $$ of SAP is in the mySAP or for some old industries the R/3 market.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Oct 13 2010, 01:11 AM

No, it will not. BASIS is a totally different thing completely.

It's easier for an ABAPer to become functional, than a BASIS to become functional. This coming from a guy who did BASIS(User Authorization & Security) [ A super small section of BASIS, but a lot of work] for a year. Fortunately I manage to get into the MDeC job camp and obtain a functional cert (MM-Materials Management).


Remember: BASIS is basically a section/module by itself. The pay is not bad as well, but most of the BASIS jobs out there are on shift as you will be most likely supporting European countries.

P.S:
Axon Solutions/ HCL Axon is currently recruiting for newbies in functional module. Just do a search in the jenjobs/jobsdb/jobstreet. The pay isn't exactly the top of the line, but it's an extremely good starting point for any newbies.

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Oct 13 2010, 10:31 AM

Support/Call Center wise = ITIL .

Project wise = PMP & Prince2 would be better.

Not exactly relevant, but processes and methodology is still applicable.

P.S = Do note that, the main point of this is to make your resume "sparkle".

This post has been edited by zalmerox: Nov 25 2010, 05:26 AM