What does an SAP consultant do?

Where and how to start a SAP consulting career?, What does an SAP consultant do? Well! In this article, you will find all the useful information about an SAP consultant’s job description, role, duties, education, training, qualities and skills required.

What is SAP?

SAP stands for Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing. It is also the name of the German software house that produces and sells SAP systems. SAP is the largest software company in Europe, founded in Germany in 1972. Today, more than 170 million users in more than 180 countries worldwide use SAP cloud services i.e. the most widespread and efficient Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) business information systems in the world.

SAP is a very complex business process management software, written with the ABAP programming language. A very important feature of SAP is the fact that it is fully customizable and modular: this means that it is built on modules, that is, on distinct but integrated macro-categories that can be “customized” by the SAP Consultant to function correctly within the different business systems.

What is SAP Consulting?

Companies that transition to the WORLD of SAP in business processes need help with integration because they do not have sufficient knowledge of SAP modules and solutions. That’s where SAP consultants come in. SAP consultants are split into 3 classes based on their knowledge level. The new recruits are junior consultants, people with knowledge who can provide counseling services on their own, medium consultants, and those who are experts in the subject matter they serve, who are able to manage the team to which they are affiliated, are called senior consultants.

What does an SAP consultant do?

The SAP consultant (or SAP functional consultant) is an expert in the implementation, customization and roll out of SAP technology-based ERP solutions. He advises companies looking to adopt this technology and follows customers in installing, integrating and modifying SAP systems according to different business needs.

He is a specialist who works in companies to install the SAP tool. This management tool allows companies to manage databases while allowing teams to work on the same medium.

What is the role of SAP consultant?

SAP consultant’s main job is to functionally analyze and customize SAP to meet the needs of the company.

Among the many modules of the software, the most important and used by companies are for example:

SAP FI/CO (for finance and business management control areas)
SAP SD (Sales Distribution, sales and distribution management)
SAP HR/HCM (the human resources management module)
SAP MM (Material Management, for materials and purchasing management)
SAP PP (Production Planning or Production Planning)
SAP PS (Project System, for project management)
SAP QM (Quality Management for Quality Management and Control)

In order to intervene effectively, the SAP functional consultant collects data on customer requirements and analyzes business processes.

Based on this analysis, he sets technical specifications and defines how to modify and adapt the software according to customer requests. The SAP Consultant identifies the benefits and risks of the proposed solutions for system design and their impact on integration with other systems and modules. He works with the IT team to plan for the release of functional modules and other programs as needed.

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The actual configuration of the modules is usually carried out by the development team, composed of ABAP programmers who intervene on the code for the customization of the system according to the indications provided by the consultant.

The SAP functional consultant then performs several tests on the implemented software to verify that the modules are working properly (integration tests, regression tests, etc.) and assists in the training of end users – i.e. the company staff who will have to use SAP to perform their daily tasks.

In addition, he draws up technical documents and prepares reports and presentations of the work done.

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Usually, SAP Consultants specialize in a module (such as SAP WM, dedicated to Warehouse Management) or on a pair or group of modules: for example, the SAP FI-CO consultant is an expert in FI and CO modules for the management of economic data, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, etc. Instead, the SAP MM – SD consultant specializes in logistics and sales management modules (supplier management, purchasing, orders, invoicing, customer personal data).

However, the SAP consultant’s work also includes other aspects besides sap configuration: aspects that have to do with the relationship with customers.

Attend meetings with IT analysts, Project Managers, and managers in business areas affected by SAP implementation (e.g. production director, finance and control director, sales manager, supply chain manager, etc.) to define project details and together identify the most suitable solution to achieve the desired business goal.

He works with the company’s technical and IT staff and IT manager to organize the migration of data from the previous system to the new SAP ERP, it is the link between SAP ABAP users and programmers.

What are the job opportunities for SAP consultants?

The SAP consultant works for IT consulting firms that specialize in implementing SAP solutions for businesses or as a freelance consultant.

The work takes place mostly at the client company that wants to implement or update the software. The profession therefore requires many trips and flexible hours to meet the development needs of the project and the requests of the client.

Companies that use SAP are multinationals, medium and large companies in any industry (from industry to finance, transportation to commerce), but there are also public bodies that choose SAP to manage aspects such as finance, logistics, customer support, human resources. SAP is in fact a leader in the world market for ERP systems.

Other names for this profession: SAP Functional Consultant

Tasks of the SAP Consultant

The main tasks of the SAP consultant are:

Make a functional analysis of user requirements
Analyze business processes
Verify the feasibility of migrating to SAP and/or integrating new modules
Propose customized solutions based on SAP technology (customizing)
Define implementation project goals and times
Draw up the technical-functional specifications
Configure SAP, in collaboration with the team of programmers
Prepare and test your software
Instructing company staff on the use of forms in day-to-day work
Manage the relationship with the customer
Provide support for every issue during the SAP project
Implement new SAP features
Deal with the evolutionary maintenance of the software

How to become an SAP Consultant? Training and Requirements

The most suitable degrees to become an SAP functional consultant are Management Engineering, Economics, Computer Science or Computer Engineering.

An SAP certification is considered a preferential title, because it allows you to attest to the degree of qualification and competence in the SAP environment.

The SAP company itself promotes a training and updating program (SAP Education) that allows students and professionals to obtain internationally recognized certifications, but there are also training bodies and institutions that organize SAP courses.

The training of the SAP consultant, however, is completed only on the job, working directly on the various projects for example as an intern. In this way, you can learn the profession directly from the experts: you learn the characteristics and operation of the main SAP modules, the specific terms and you gain experience in managing the various phases of an SAP project.

Skills of an SAP Consultant

The knowledge and skills required for the position of SAP consultant are:

In-depth knowledge of SAP
Sap Functional Analysis Expertise
Transversal skills in information technology, economics and business management
Communication and relational skills
Organizational and planning skills
Dynamism, proactivity and problem solving skills
Result orientation
Ability to work in teams
Flexibility and a spirit of adaptation
Availability for frequent trips, even abroad

Companies also require a good knowledge of English, both written and spoken, as the SAP Consultant often has to work on international projects, in teams made up of people of different nationalities.

SAP Consultant’s Career Opportunities

Entry into the world of work for the SAP consultant usually begins in junior positions, for example as a junior functional analyst, alongside experienced consultants.

The SAP consultant’s career path can then develop in several ways. First, you can specialize in one or more SAP modules: among the most requested by companies are, for example, SAP CRM (customer relationship management), SAP SRM (supply chain management), SAP BI (Business intelligence), MM, PP, FI, CO etc..

Very useful from a career point of view is to quickly acquire skills in the latest modules, such as SAP HANA.

An experienced SAP consultant can get to senior roles relatively quickly and become, for example, SAP Project Manager or Senior SAP Consultant.

Those with a more technical background can grow professionally by deepening their skills in ABAP programming and networking, to find work as an SAP programmer or SAP system engineer. These are very much in demand positions, able to take care of the installation, configuration and maintenance of SAP ERP systems.

Finally, you can use your knowledge to become a teacher of SAP courses or to work as a freelance SAP consultant.

Is SAP consulting a good career?

Becoming a SAP Consultant is the right choice for people who have an interest in business process innovation and are passionate about IT.

Working as an SAP consultant means participating in complex and challenging projects and helping companies become more competitive, designing and implementing cutting-edge solutions based on SAP technology.

The profession of SAP consultant is highly specialized and in great demand by corporates: sap skills allow you to find work and make a career quickly, even abroad, and guarantee a high salary.

FAQ

What are the qualities and skills required to be hired as an SAP Consultant?

Able to make a diagnosis of needs, he is perfectly able to understand the problems of maintenance management, logistics and accounting. The complexity of the projects that are to be carried out requires a great rigor and the appropriate implementation of the SAP software. A technical and functional mastery of the SAP tool is imperative to be able to satisfy customers. His interpersonal skills and his sense of listening allow him to develop the necessary solutions according to the needs expressed by management. His organization allows to plan the various aspects of the business suite that will be installed and present them to the staff.

What is the career path of SAP Consultant?

As integration missions become more complex, the SAP consultant will have gained significant experience and can become responsible to lead a team himself.

Which department does an SAP Consultant work?

The consultant works in different areas of the company because the tool he puts in place greatly facilitates exchanges between departments. He is therefore called upon to intervene in large companies that need to know the state of stocks, logistics and accounting.

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