A SAP Tutorial - The First Steps

Currently I'm working in a SAP Project. I'm a lucky guy because i have started in a great project into my organization - it's a internal implementation project and as you will see I'm a self taught person. So when I perceived an opportunity knock in the door I tried beforehand to start looking some tutorial to learn a little the first steps in SAP World.

If you don't know SAP has been a leader global for many years in the ERP scene. The quality of your products become this germany's Enterprise a top ten between the biggers suppliers of the ERP in the World.

You can read a little SAP history here.

Returning to our subject, first I looked for tutorials in Google and later used Emule but I experienced great difficulties in get good materials. The major materials that I have encountered are aimed to a public that already has some skills in the SAP tool. Some tutorials or EBooks are much theoricals others are much technicals serving only like reference.

Believe i encountered a book named SAP For Dummies and i must to recognize it's a good start, but the autor lay emphasis to the architectural aspect of the SAP R3. (what isn't a miss). But like a Business Consultant (and old System Analyst) i hoped something that explain the questions relateds to interoperability between enterprise process . After all we are talkin' in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Ok, let me told you what i found ?

Today I know to be impossible to collect everything about SAP R3 in a only book. SAP has been aimed for almost all segments of the business (from Utilities for Aeronautic Industries).


You can be asking: - Why a person that was inserted in a SAP implementation project needs some tutorials ?

Ok, i need to say a little about this experience.

Before started in this project i worked with implementation of the ERP IFS in this same organization, you can read more about it in this [link], after tree months the organization has decided to change to SAP ERP. If you want to know more about my organization [click here].

SAP always was considered a "almost" unachievable tool in IT mean. It because only great organizational adopt it. The professional courses are very expensives and the market is "closed". Even working with it today I think that still there is a "mistery" in turn of it.
I have perceive that it's caused in part for the self professionals working in around and in part for the self SAP Corporation.

It send me at past, when the Mainframe was a black box - it doesn't changed completelly yet. You can confirm it searching employes available in this area. There's no qualified professionals to fullfill every demands.

IBM on demands !? ;-)

IBM closed the doors to keep the Mainframe development restrict to your clients, in other words the courses like CSP, COBOL, VSAM and other utilities associated was packaged in the sell. There wasn't nothing to impede you of the take class in a room on the one of various IBM filials, but it was almost impossible considering the expensives values to reach a certificate. Even those that had some dollars to waste still need of the a Mainframe to test your knowledgment after.
Today the firms to pay a high price for it.

If you want to enter in Mainframe world you need of the QI (No quocient intelligence. Who's indicate!), take a class in a IBM or enter like a trainee in any IBM client wishing work in development area. Oh, i need to remember you that IBM haven't more these courses as it was obselete (no sense). ;-(

SAP seems goes to same way. but

There's some areas that you can to choose in SAP World. I would talk only two principals that i have some knowlegment.

. Development (Programmer, Technical Support)
. Functional ( Business )

Let's take a ideia that you want do become a SAP Developer. You will need learn ABAP language -

So, said it what i intend to do with it article ? Well, i want to desmitificate a little more SAP R3 (or ECC 6.0) demonstrating some basics elements (screens, tools etc).

continues... (as soon)