@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.

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:

The education resource person advocated NetWeaver (actuall EP 200) advising i go in first for Portal system administration to really learn the technology and hopeful have an experience in implemetations and thereafter pick any MM, SD, CRM, BI etc. What do yah think as someone who has 1st hand experience.

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.

jjay  & kiwi992,

Abeg, I know you guys preffer everything said on the board for the benefit of others but there are some very personal issues that one may need very strong advise on which one may not be very comfortable with posting in a forum board. Mine is a bit technical and I need seriuos guidance on certain steps at this point in my career. If you don't mind can you guys jsut send me an e-mail from your private box. If you do mind, no worries, I understand afterall, I don't pick numbers nopt saved on my phone (which some people may see as very harsh).

My e-mail is : cleric_lxg@yahoo.com

I have read all you said and I must confess that during my almost one week of browsing for advise on the net as regards SAP,I never saw any post as educative as yours. many thanks.
I am one of those that believe no mountain is insurmountable and to the glory of God, HE has always done it for me. I was in UK. to have a first hand accessment of of certain IT traing centres but was really scared at the length of time to complete such huge tasks. My problem was not with the time per say but rather with the quality of training that will be given. And as such I am forced to ask you guys being very experienced SAP consultants, ---- which are the training centres you will recoommend. I see a lot of cowboy centres and not being versatile in this field, I am scared to make a choice. In order of prefference, I was almost settling for :"
1.the london college of Information technology(LCIT), www.lcit.co.uk
2. www.idosap.com,
3.www.teksoftventures.com,
4.www.zoyatech.com,



Please which of the above will you suggest and if possible, which training centre would you advise me to attend in the UK.? I have no IT background at all.

Many thanks.

Hi Cleric,


As I've always maintained, I do NOT enter into any private communication with anybody because I prefer the information that I give out, to be of benefit to every Nigerian, not just one person.  Sorry about that - it's just a matter of principle.

You said that you had been to the UK for a first-hand assessment of the various SAP training organisations.  Perhaps that would have been your best opportunity to ask as many questions as possible, such as whether they are an official SAP Academy Training Partner or not, talking to other trainees, taking a good look at the training facilities, number of trainees to a PC, the version of the SAP training software that's being used for the hands-on skills, trainee pass rates, the trainers' SAP qualifications and most of all, their (i.e the trainers') SAP project experience (which must be verifiable), and so on.

Personally, I do not know any of those training organisations that you mentioned.  As you know, anybody could set up a website on the Internet, offering all sorts of services to members of the public and claiming all sorts of things.  It appears that you missed a golden opportunity to undertake a proper fact-finding mission whilst in the UK.

The best thing to do is simply train yourself at home in preparation for the Consultancy exams, using the training methodology that I advocate in my numerous postings on this thread.  Failing that, an attendance at an official SAP Academy in India or Vietnam where the cost of training is a lot cheaper as compared with the UK.

Never, ever go to any private training organisation for your SAP training.  Everyone one of them is rubbish.  They'll tell you all sorts of lies to take your money.  Worst still, the course duration is far too short to be of any benefit to anybody.  You can not learn anything about SAP R/3 in a matter of days.  It's impossible.  Indeed, you will not be able to do the job because your training was too short.  How disgraceful is that?

The only way to pass the SAP Consultancy exams (and perform in the workplace) is through a thorough and sustained training period of around nine to twelve months, using the official SAP Academy training material and IDES ECC 6.0, inorder to acquire the extremely important hands-on skills.

You simply won't pass the exams unless you acquire the necessary practical experience with the SAP R/3 erp software.  Take it from me.   

Good luck in your quest. 




kiwi992.

Oga Kiwi,
How you want me to know whether them be phoney or whether them get up to date Sap? Those things you mentioned are things I have seen only in course outlines, i can't differentiate my right from my left. The LCIT looked good and serious sha.  But can you recommend any SAP official training school in UK? Please note that I have gone to the sap site but unable to locate any listed U.K partner training centre. (I will preffer to do it in the UK. for some reasons.)


Secondly, do you think it is wise leaving a career that pays me $50,000 (u.s) annually but with a peg of $120,000 when I get to the peak (after about 15 years or more of service) ? Don't you agree that any career that has a peg is not the best? I am actually thinking of leaving my job 'cos it consumes my time and does not give me time for personal progress. I could not even pursue a long distance course because according to U.K. school, it will take me 8 years to complete it. I have been a member of ACCA for 2 years but unable to complete the 1st stage of the exam due to time.

As a nigerian without a work permit and without SAP experience, will I be able to get a job in the U.K as I would preffer to work in the uk or states for 2 years before moving to somewhere else.

God bless you.

@Kiwi992.


[b]The best thing to do is simply train yourself at home in preparation for the Consultancy exams, using the training methodology that I advocate in my numerous postings on this thread. Failing that, an attendance at an official SAP Academy in India or Vietnam where the cost of training is a lot cheaper as compared with the UK.

Never, ever go to any private training organisation for your SAP training. Everyone one of them is rubbish. They'll tell you all sorts of lies to take your money. Worst still, the course duration is far too short to be of any benefit to anybody. You can not learn anything about SAP R/3 in a matter of days. It's impossible. Worse still, you will not be able to do the job because your training was too short. How disgraceful is that?

The only way to pass the SAP Consultancy exams (and perform in the workplace) is through a thorough and sustained training period of around nine to twelve months, using the official SAP Academy training material and IDES ECC 6.0, inorder to acquire the extremely important hands-on skills.

You simply won't pass the exams unless you acquire the necessary practical experience with the SAP R/3 erp software. Take it from me. [/b]



Thank you very much, I have been following your posts.

I am not clear about something- You need to pass the exams before the Academy can send you to a company to acquire practical skills and then you need to acquire the practical skills to be able to pass the exams.

Is this not a dilemma or did I get it wrong? Please explain because I am relay interested in the best steps to take.

To:
Cleric and Shinatu



CLERIC:

You said

How you want me to know whether them be phoney or whether them get up to date Sap?

What kind of question is that?  I was only trying to help you - remember?

This is your problem and definitely not mine.  You said you had been to the UK for a first-hand assessment of the SAP training organisations.  Shouldn't you have done the leg work and found out for yourself?  I think you should have, without a doubt.

I believe I've done more than enough for fellow Nigerians who are interested in SAP Consultancy Certification by exposing the true facts as they are, and indeed, on how to go about training for the certification.  I simply can not go over the same ground again and again.  The rest is up to you.

But can you recommend any SAP official training school in UK? Please note that I have gone to the sap site but unable to locate any listed UK partner training centre. (I will preffer to do it in the UK. for some reasons.)

You need to go back to SAP's website.

Do a search for the training academies.  Do as others have done - ring up SAP in Abuja if you do live in Nigeria, or indeed, SAP in the UK or US.  Their telephone numbers are listed on their website.  Sorry but I am neither SAP nor here to spoon-feed anybody.  You'll have to take the initiative yourself, just like Raheem did.

In the UK, there's an SAP Academy at Heathrow Airport as well as Manchester, if that's any help.  Be aware that you will NOT get a student visa to come to the UK to train into SAP.  This is because the course is far too short to merit the granting of a student visa.  That said, if you are in the UK right now, you could ring up SAP and ask them to give you details of their Academies.       

Secondly, do you think it is wise leaving a career that pays me $50,000 (US) annually but with a peg of $120,000  when I get to the peak (after about 15 years or more of service) ? Don't you agree that any career that has a peg is not the best? I am actually thinking of leaving my job 'because it consumes my time and does not give me time for personal progress. I could not even pursue a long distance course because according to UK. school, it will take me 8 years to complete it.  I have been a member of ACCA for 2 years but unable to complete the 1st stage of the exam due to time.

Sorry pal, I don't know what to tell you because I am not a careers adviser.  Ask me about SAP, IT, Accountancy or Flying, and I'll be more than happy to help.  I'm sure that other Nigerians here would chip in and give you a sound advice on that one.

As a nigerian without a work permit and without SAP experience, will I be able to get a job in the UK as I would preffer to work in the uk or states for 2 years before moving to somewhere else.

I'm kind of getting a bit confused here by looking at the third quote given above.  Where are you living right now - USA, UK or Nigeria?

Just to let you know that it won't be easy to get a job as an SAP Consultant here in the UK because the government has recently tightened up on the employment of foreign workers.  They are now insisting that every prospective employer of a worker from outside the EU countries must apply for a permit before the organisation could bring in that foreign worker.  I'm sure that those employers would rather bring in an experienced SAP Consultant with at least five implementations under the one's belt as opposed to a newly-qualified.

Your best bet is to pass the Consultancy exams and go back to Nigeria as soon as possible, to work as a Junior SAP Consultant in your field of expertise.  Nigeria desperately needs SAP Certified Consultants because the new wave of SAP R/3 implementation is just about to start there.  In the UK, it started around 1996 which is a very long time ago.  In those days, if you could literally spell the name 'SAP' you were given the most lucrative contracts both here and overseas, so much so that you could easily make £1,500 per day, yes, per day! - believe it or not.  Sadly, those days are gone.  Right now, there aren't any fresh SAP implementations going, except upgrades.  Indeed, for a newly-qualified Consultant, it would be most difficult to get your first project here in the UK.

Knowing that they wouldn't stand a chance in the UK, all my Indian and Malaysian friends have gone back to their countries of origin, working as SAP Consultants.  It's their country, so, nobody would discriminate against them.  A very wise move indeed, if you ask me.

Sod the UK and USA!  You go home to Nigeria with such a hot and worthwhile qualification.  As an SAP Certified Consultant, you WILL make lots of money anywhere in the world, so, why bother to stay in a silly foreign country and face all the racial discrimination?  Why not go home to Nigeria?

A word is enough for the wise.


SHIN:


You said

I am not clear about something- You need to pass the exams before the Academy can send you to a company to acquire practical skills and then you need to acquire the practical skills to be able to pass the exams.

Is this not a dilemma or did I get it wrong? Please explain because I am relay interested in the best steps to take.

Yes, you misunderstood me there.  If you take a look at my posting again, you would see that I said 'Junior Consultant'. 

The fact is that in some official SAP Academies around the world (India to be precise and Pakistan to some extent), they do actually offer work to their students as Junior Consultants in organisations where SAP is deployed (SAP sites).  This is on the proviso that the student passes the SAP Consultancy Certification exam in their module of choice after the 25-day training period.  You sit for the exams as soon as the course is over.  If you pass, you get sent to work as a Junior Consultant.  If you fail, hard luck.     

The student, by enrolling on the official SAP Academy course, has access to the SAP training software (IDES ECC 6.0), to practise the hands-on skills, using the official academy training material.  In doing so, the student obviously acquires the necessary practical skills.  See what I mean now?

The alternative to enrolling on the official SAP Academy course is the training regimen that I have always advocated.  Indeed, this is the best course of action to take because that way, you are not rushing through the course, and instead, are spreading it over a long period of time, to get proficient at the SAP R/3 product as well as getting better prepared for the extremely hard Consultancy exams.

As a matter of fact, following this route would make the one far, far more technically and functionally competent, coupled with an ability to work in any SAP site with great confidence, simply because the one knows what the one is doing, instead of being out of the one's depth, like a fish in an ocean.

Hope this helps.




kiwi992.

@Kiwi992,

Yah! I get it now, thanks for taking the time to make it clearer.

While trying to break the code,can one get all the materials one needs for the 'recommended self study from the official SAP academy i.e
would they sell the materials to you without you registering as a student?

Hi Shin,


Break the coded link and you'll get whatever you need.  Nothing to buy - just be quick.



kiwi992.

Hi Guz,

i strongly believe the best way to go about this SAP stuff is to PERSONALLY get information, browse online and read for yourself
(browse about SAP, top skills, job placement and even salaries), you have to do something for yourself, NOTHING GOOD COMES CHEAP AT ALLLLLLLLLLLL.

Oga Kiwi i however have one tot to share, you would agree with me that in Nigeria we have a craze for foreign things, most organsisations would prefer to go for a foreign SAP Consultant that us their brothers oh.

That been said Nigeria is obviously the best place for us to get our break and proceed, SAP market is like every other market you would just have to hussle yourself. May I therefore suggest a kinda forum for Consultants and callout to all those Senior Nigerian Consultants to take one or two Consutants under them (remembering how they started too) and mentor them.

Thanks and double thanks Oga Kiwi (you d man).

L8r guyz

As anyone broken the code yet?

Yep Capuchi I have and you cant imagine the treasures therein.

So lets see how have you gone

I have not decoded the link, but i have access to ides ecc 6.0 online, but u will need to have sap 7.0 gui to access it.
I have learnt sap navigation, that is i can navigate the software, e.g log in, change password, print, do reporting, type in transaction codes, navigate the sap menu, search for transaction codes, etc.
i have made of mind that is sap mm i want to do,sap hr would have been good but there are low sap hr projects going on in nigeria and plenty mm projects going on in Nigeria.
I also intend to do self study, i have finished sap navigation 2005 ( sap125), remaining (erp001), SM001 Introduction to SAP Solution Manager Software, SAP210 Prcocure to Pay, TSCM50: Procurement I and TSCM52: Procurement II and then i will just pay for the exams and safe myself the money i should have used in training at a SAP Academy.
Raheemoho, let me know if we can work together, i added u on yahoo messenger

HELLO ALL,
I am very grateful to you all for your contributions and advise. Special thanks goes especially to those of you that wrote me by e-mail to give me private advise. I am very grateful for the guidance offered.
Kiwi992, Many thanks too. God bless you all.

Hi Raheem,


Glad to know that you are now taking active steps to accomplish something as worthwhile as SAP Consultancy Certification.  Good on you.  Remember, you do need to get hold of the ECC 6.0 as a special member.  PayPal is appropriate to use and it's only $5 to get that status.  Never give them your Debit or Credit card details.  Never - I don't trust those buggers.  As you know, the rest material are absolutely free.

IDES 4.71 is there but what you guys really need is ECC 6.0 because it's the most current one.  That said, the data in both ECC 6.0 and 4.71 are the same.

You said:

Oga Kiwi i however have one tot to share, you would agree with me that in Nigeria we have a craze for foreign things, most organsisations would prefer to go for a foreign SAP Consultant that us their brothers oh.

I'm sorry but I do not know what's happening in Nigeria.  I haven't been to Nigeria in a long time - I mean a very, very long time, if you see what I mean. 

That said, it is a shame if that's the case.  Why should such high-profile Nigerian jobs be given to foreigners?  If both candidates are fully qualified, with nearly the same level of experience, then of course, the Nigerian must be given the job.  Nigerian jobs for Nigerians is what I would say.  The employment of a Nigerian MUST take precedence over that of a foreigner at all times.  It happens here in the UK job market all the time.

The Nigerian government must bring in new laws to restrict the appointment of foreign workers, just like it is done over here in the UK.  Any organisation that wishes to employ foreigners must prove to a governement agency that there is a special case for the recruitment of that foreign worker.  That is to say that the one's skills are so rare that an exhaustive search for a Nigerian with similar skills has proved to be futile.  This claim must be backed up with newspaper ads (etc.), applications received, applicant profiles and so on, for the vacancy.  Failing that, the recruiting organisation must be heavily penalised for breaking the law.  This is the only way to promote fresh talent in Nigeria.  I'm sure you'll agree with me.

You also said:

May I therefore suggest a kind of forum for Consultants and callout to all those Senior Nigerian Consultants to take one or two Consutants under them (remembering how they started too) and mentor them.

Good idea but how many senior Consultants here are willing to do that?  Sorry, but I can't promise you that I'm willing to do it because it's too much responsibility.  Oh, and the time and commitment that it takes, considering that we've all got work to do.

Furthermore, this is not helped by the fact that in all the time that I had been posting about SAP on this thread, no-one had ever had the simple courtesy to say 'thanks', even though I had been addressing their questions for as long as I can remember.  Indeed, you were the first person to ever show gratitude, followed by Shawn and Cleric.  The others just couldn't be bothered, so, why should I go out of my way to help anybody, anymore than I am doing at the moment? 

Personally, I never had anybody to mentor me.  I just did it by myself, using all the resources at my disposal.

Luckily, some kind soul in Canada sent me the IDES 4.6C at no cost whatsoever, and for which I'm forever grateful.  I bought the SAP Academy training material from China, with the help of my Chinese woman who negotiated the deal for me, otherwise, the guy wasn't going to sell it to me.

As a matter of fact, some guy even asked me to pay his flight ticket from the USA (as well as hotel accommodation in the UK) so that he may come over and install the IDES on my PC.

Needless to say, I told him to sod off and instead, went through the painful (but highly worthwhile) experience of implementing it myself.  I must say that implementing SAP R/3 by yourself on your PC is what makes you the guru and sets you miles apart from every other SAP Consultant out there.  You learn so much from that experience, it makes you far more rounded.

A similar example to the above is flying your own aircraft and being able to routinely service the engine by yourself.  There's nothing more fulfilling than that, if you ask me.  Being able to trace a fault as soon as the engine begins to cough and splutter.  That, in my view, makes you a much better Pilot because you are not just able to fly the aircraft, you are also your own aircraft mechanic.  How great is that?

I hope you can see my point.




kiwi992.

Oga Kiwi,

I feel you jare, but then i feel we look out for others because of God, we all have one or two funny stories.


That said, on behalf of everyone, i say a very very big A VERY BIG SORRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY for not aving the courtesy to you and countless good hearted professionals that have dropped various info for us, we are in deed very very grateful.


Concerning the employement scenario in naija its dat bad oh, its sumtin that really baffles me. The latest craze now is as far as you can produced anything that you trained abroad (school, course etc) you get sumtin over us hia, that why some post hear are asking about the possibility of training abroad and working dia for some experience, bros no blame us we don see beta days.

As regards the site, I realized that a whole naija is not listed on the paypal area (or any of the payment options for that matter) on the site, so for now i cant even be a special member.

"IT WONT BE EASY BUT WE WLD DO IT, WE ARE NIGERIANS WE CAN DO ALL THINGS, "

Oga Kiwi thanks for the posts oh and apologies that we no dey say thank you.

Please i am getting so so confused oh,

I broke the code but cant find the IDES 6 you talked aboutdia, and like Raheem said how we fit pay for d tin sef.

i dont know how to start sef, the materials dia are too much.

I saw this, wat do you think

"ERP can be categorized into 2 main subsets. One is the domain knowledge of business that the functional teams use to configure business flows and processes. This requires prior experience in the business world

The second, and which does not require any prior domain knowledge is the technical configuration, which can be divided into programming services(ABAP), core system admin (Basis) and Security and role design (which does require domain knowledge for role design)."

So, its not only easier, but makes more sense to break into technical as a new person"

my tot on security is dat no onyinbo man go allow me do him security work, dats why u dropped d idea of going for CISSP or CISM

To:

Hi Raheem and Sum



RAHEEM:

You said

As regards the site, I realized that a whole naija is not listed on the paypal area (or any of the payment options for that matter) on the site, so for now i can't even be a special member.

I'm not surprised at all.

Nigerian scammers have given the country a very bad name around the world, so much so that nobody wishes to deal with Nigerians simply because their fingers had been burnt so many times.  How so sad. 

If you wanted, you could pose a question to the Moderators as to what they suggest that you do, inorder for you to donate the $5 so as to become a special member.

Personally, I wouldn't show my location on my profile (as you've done there), because a lot of people around the world get suspicious as soon as they see the name 'Nigeria'.  Hope you see what I mean.


SUM:


You said

I saw this, what do you think

Please be informed that in organisations where SAP R/3 is being freshly implemented, Consultants work in Project Teams comprising both Functional and Technical Consultants.

"ERP can be categorized into 2 main subsets. One is the domain knowledge of business that the functional teams use to configure business flows and processes. This requires prior experience in the business world

Basically what that means is that there are two key areas (functional and technical), comprising an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, in this case, SAP R/3.

The functional area requires a thorough knowledge of business processes (e.g. the accounting function, logistics function, production planning function, materials management function, sales and distribution function, and so on) to successfully configure the SAP R/3 software.

Functional consultants use their skills in the area of their expertise (e.g. FI/CO), to configure that specific module in the SAP R/3 System.  In order to do this, the Consultant is deemed to have a thorough knowledge of business process flows.

A simple example of the business process in Sales and Distribution (SD) is the receipt of a sales order from a new customer for a non-standard product.  It starts with the creation of a master record for the new customer in the sales department.  This is then followed by a materials requirement planning (since this order is not for a standard product), material purchases to meet the required production, production planning, issuance of the materials from the warehouse to the production department, manufacturing the product, the transfer of the finished goods from the production floor to the warehouse.  Finally, this is followed by the despatch of the goods from the warehouse to the customer (logistics), invoicing the customer, as well as the necessary accounting documentation and entries in the books of the vendor for sales, returns, discounts and so on.

The second, and which does not require any prior domain knowledge is the technical configuration, which can be divided into programming services(ABAP), core system admin (Basis) and Security and role design (which does require domain knowledge for role design)."

The other aspect of SAP R/3 is the technical area.  Such things as BASIS (Enterprise Portal), NetWeaver (ABAP) and so on.

Technical areas include the implementation of SAP R/3 on a landscape.  This is the work done by BASIS (Enterprise Portal) Consultants.  Programming the SAP R/3 software to meet a client's specific needs is done by ABAP (NetWeaver) Consultants.

You do definitely need a strong programming knowledge to train into ABAP (NetWeaver).  I certainly can not do it because I don't have a programming background. 

As regards the implementation of SAP R/3, I also strongly believe that you would need to have some technical background in IT.  This is so because you would be doing work that involves mainstream IT before implementing the product - such things as editing the hosts file, entering the IP loopback address, to name but only a few.

You would also need some technical knowledge of either SAPDB, Oracle, MS SQL or DB2.  This is so because these databases run at the back-end of SAP R/3.  You would definitely need to administer such a database.

Most of all, you would need to follow the implementation guides to the letter.  This is a must!  That said, nothing is insurmountable if you have the desire to succeed.  It just needs a lot of hard grafting and preparation.
 
The experience that you would gain from implementing SAP R/3 on your PC is second to none.  It makes you become very confident.  The IMG is where it's all happening.  Customising the IMG no longer frightens you simply because you implemented it. 

SAP Security would need a strong technical and functional knowledge of the SAP R/3 System.  The same argument goes with SAP Audits.  I can not see how anybody could implement a successful security policy (or indeed perform an audit of the SAP R/3 System) without having a thorough knowlege of BOTH the technical and functional areas.   

So, its not only easier, but makes more sense to break into technical as a new person"

I don't know about that because it very much depends on the one's academic or professional background more than anything else.  My advice is to train into the module (functional or technical) that maps to your background.  This is crucially important to remember.  Better still if you could implement the product on your PC.

my tot on security is that no onyinbo man go allow me do him security work, that is why u dropped d idea of going for CISSP or CISM

Did I?

I never advised anybody against the CISSP or CISM.  Indeed, my Indian friend passed the CISSP exams about four years ago and she is now one of the top Security Consultants with a global accounting firm. 

That said, though, I personally do not like theoretical qualifications because I believe in hands-on experience.  The CISSP is a theoretical qualification, hence I've got no time for it.  Instead, I trained to become a Cisco Security Expert, amongst others.     

Hope this helps to make things clearer.




kiwi992.

Oga Kiwi


You said

"I don't know about that because it very much depends on the ones academic or professional background more than anything else. My advice is to train into the module (functional or technical) that maps to your background. This is crucially important to remember. Better still if you could implement the product on your PC"

From the post i have been reading u and i now agree that its a hard thing for me to identify a background to train in, i did electrcal electronics engineering and i dont know what to say is my background! I want to do SAP because it sells and i wld be able to make a living on it so my concern is what is the selling modules in naija. MM and SD seems to be it so i wld concentrate on dat and see what i can do.

In this part of the world we need to careful make decisions for a better tomorrow!.

"my tot on security is that no onyinbo man go allow me do him security work, that is why u dropped d idea of going for CISSP or CISM"

Its a typo error, i meant

my tot on security is that no onyinbo man go allow me do him security work, that is why i dropped d idea of going for CISSP or CISM"

i agree with you on going for something technical!!
think its

Hello Guyz

Pls a quicko ne, what the difference between an

SAP Technology Consultant
SAP Solution Consultant

Thanks

Hi Sum,


You said

I want to do SAP because it sells and i would be able to make a living on it so my concern is what is the selling modules in naija.  MM and SD seems to be it so i would concentrate on that and see what i can do.

Coming from an Electronics/Electrical Engineering background, I would take a good look at

-  RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
-  Plant Maintenance (PM)
-  IS-Oil and Gas (perhaps)
-  IS-Retail (hoping to work for a big electronics company that uses SAP)
-  Materials Management (MM)

That said, you should carefully take a look at your background to see where any of the above fits as well as the job opportunities for that specific module.

As I've always said, I do NOT live in Nigeria so don't know what's happening there, let alone the SAP job market.  Maybe others could help here. 

You also asked

please a quicko ne, what the difference between an

SAP Technology Consultant
SAP Solution Consultant

Technology Consultant = Technical Consultant
Solution Consultant = Functional Consultant

The key differences are given in my previous post in answer to your question.



kiwi992.

Thanks awhole lot Kiwi

YOU D MAN

Oga Kiwi longtime, we miss u bad oh, anytin new for us


That link u gave us is down oh, i wasnt able to get dat IDES 6.0 thing from dia oh since i was not able to donate and the moderators did not reply my messages.

I have been looking for the IDES 6.0 and came across this

"http://cgi.ebay.com/8-DVD-SAP-R-3-IDES-Training-Package-PLUS-FREE-60CBT_W0QQitemZ220287598907QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220287598907&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177"

pls b4 i waste my hard earned naira (harder when u convert to dollars), could you please confirm if this is what you had in mind when u said we should check ebay.

Than you and have a nice day

with so many professinal certifications around, its kind of difficult to decide on
the exact one to go for.but with the info u guys have dropped in on SAP, i think
its better for one to be trained by ones employers.

Hi Sum,


Most sorry to hear that the link is down.

There must have been a run on it.  The IDES that you referred to, on e-Bay, is not ECC 6.0.  Rather, it is IDES 4.7.  Again, I simply do not trust those buggers because once you've given them your money, that's it.  Be careful.

The coded link was put up a very long time ago, and as you know, nothing remains permanent on the Internet.  It's a matter of grabbing it whilst it's there before it disappears.

That place was a treasure trove for SAP.  Surely, you must have got something from there, didn't you?  All of you had been very quiet so, naturally, I assumed that you were busy beevering away in that place, getting as much as you could but, it appears that I was wrong. 

Let me know if you or anyone wants the IDES 4.7 and I would code the link here.  By the way, there isn't much difference between ECC 6.0 and this one, in terms of the populated data. 




kiwi992.

Yeah Kiwi the site is gone and i tell you, i for one got quite somethings and i am really very appreciative of your effort, i do hope they get back on soon so one can still get much more, cos i was caught kinda unawares.

I am interested in the ECC6.0, cos with what i have gotten it just to practice shikenah!

Should we use ECC6.0 or IDES4.7,what do you advise, can we get anything from u (like the software u urself installed).

Enuff said, we wana start reading and practicing

Thanks again

Hi Raheem,


I implemented IDES 4.6C SR2 with the 4.7 kernel on my PC.  You do NOT need this.

You need to get the IDES for the version of the SAP certification exms that you are pursuing, namely IDES ECC 6.0.  Your exams would require knowledge of that specific version of the software.

I'm surprised that you guys lost the opportunity that was gazing at you.  I think it's been well-over two weeks since I gave the coded link.  Now the website is down and nobody knows for sure as to when it would come back up.  I doubt it very much, if it ever would. 

I did my very best for all of you so, can not do anymore.  If it's any use to you, check this out and grab it asap. 

lxxt://wemvmpsvihir.mfpsk.gsq/tswx/231857/493619

Good luck.




kiwi992.

@kiwi992
you have no idea what you have done for alot of us on this site. it amazes me how you set some valuable time aside to give advice and assist others. The world needs more people like you. The truth is i heard about SAP, 3 years ago after a freind went to India and did the abap course. He spent huge sums of money, although its paying off now. However, he seemed to be relunctant to give informations on it or probably wasnt very proficient to at that time. Since i couldnt get as much info as required and were talking millions of cash in naira, i wouldnt dare take the risk.
Right now i work as an infomations system analyst, an expert in microsoft infastructure, security, exchange servers, thin clients, sms, active directory administration. With your help, i finally made up my mind on SAP. I have decided to first go into the sap basis since it kinds of remind me of microsoft windows server\ active direcory more like administration. This i intend to study on my own. i would install SAP R/3 on my system myself. I do not have any materials apart from books right now. But like they say a journey of a thousand mile starts with one step. Today, i took my first step by buying a dedicated computer that would be meant for only SAP. like i said i dont know or have any materials but i am sooooo sure i will get them as i have in the past with my materials.
with all thanks to you kiwi, i will let you and all and everyone know how i get by, and i assure you i will get it installed. This is my way of inspiring myself . i intend to start with SAP basis on my own, get a myself familiar with the environment and then go into a module probably RFID, all am trying to say is thanks alot kiwi, also to everyone WE CAN DO THIS

Oga Kiwi i assure that as much people that got access to that site really did get enuff materials.  

Be mindful however that most choice information were locked in zones u had to pay to access, while we were ready to pay, the Nigerian factor stood against us.  Are u aware that you cant buy anytin from paypal with a Nigerian credit card, we could not register, donate or even make purchases.

Anywayz dat said, be comforted big brother thru our posts that we are trying, like little children learning to work, stumbling today and running tomorrow!

Later bro, thanks a zillion

NB: Shawn,am also looking at SAP BASIS and can assist you with some materials i got from the link Bros Kiwi gave us. wats yah email addy

Hey Shawn and Raheem,


You are most welcome.

I don't know who else I could help if I can not help my fellow-Nigerians.  I believe that help would come to you when you help others.  I don't believe in selfishness because one can not do everything by the one's self.  Moreover, I have got everything that I need in life - everything, so, have no need to be selfish. 

Hopefully, you managed to grab some of the material in that other coded link.  Try and grab what's in the latest one.

Just remember that you need to keep an eye open on the job openings for SAP Consultants in Nigeria (and within the African Continent).  This is what would help you decide on which module to train into, and of course, in conjuction with your academic or professional background.

Finally, you guys MUST co-operate with each other.  Please do.  I would like to see at least ten SAP Certified Consultants from this Forum within the next twelve months.  I know that it is possible, because we are Nigerians.   

All the best.




kiwi992.

@kiwi

lxxt://wemvmpsvihir.mfpsk.gsq/tswx/231857/493619

thanks for this link, however i keep getting directed to the home page when i hit the site instead of the particular page, am i doing something wrong?

@kiwi
The link worked, THaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkks a mil man. God bless you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!