I am just after a snippet of advice here. I have been given the opportunity to be trained in SAP R/3 Basis support. At the moment i carry out daily checks and transports but beyond that my knowledge is limited. This is carried out alongside my main work which is server support for our region (AD, SQL Server, VMWare, TSM, development are some of the main areas).
The SAP position would be full-time and would encompass support for our organisation worldwide.
What i want to know if this would be a worthwhile career move? Is SAP R/3 basis a worthwhile job (plenty of scope for development, improvements to the syatem etc or is it just checking up that systems are working ok?) Is the money good in this line of work? and is it in demand?
My concerns are that i would be giving up what i have been trained to do over the past 5 years ( regarding the server side of the business) and taking on something completely new. I am all for grabbing new opportunities when they come along so would just like some advice from folk in the know!!
SAP basis is a backend function for SAP therefore there would not be much ion the way of development unless you managed to push into ABAP or configuration of some of the modules, depending on where you live you would be looking at about 35k for a basis administrator you would be likeley to stay involved in the DB side of things. SAP is a global leader in ERP so not a bad move, i have managed to move from network / server admin to some basis and sd mm work to fully SD, MM and logistics work but it depends on the job you will be doing to whether you get a look into that side of things. i hope this helps
Having done basis work for oh... the last two of decades, I can safely say that it IS possible to make SAP a carrer. If it's a smart move depends largely on your expectations and carrer desires. Basis is a nice entry point, albeit a lot more difficult entry point than say, PP or SD. Basis is also much less likely to lead you to a managing position if that's your desire. Getting good at basis is tough, because it's about the system core, which is in constant development. Even when the actual application isn't changing, the underlaying core is changing every two weeks. It's close to the hardware, the DB and the OS, which means as admin, you're pretty much on your own, no users to mess up your installation. Downside is... Noone to blame if there's problems (!) And there's a LOT to learn all the time. Particularly if you're consulting, costumers expect you to know pretty much everything, so just keeping up with the trends is a full-time job. Having (creating) a decent support network is essential. Join the local SAP groups, get active on a couple of forums, and learn to use the OSS system to your advantage, and you'll be just fine.
Assuming from your timezone that you're UK based, salaries varies, but starting at around £25-40k, usually depending on the type of business, and the location of your place of work. Maxing out at around £120k anualy in the UK for a specialist (or freelancer), though you'll need about 10-15 years of experience to be able to command that kind of salary.
Also note that if you're expected to support "world-wide", that may mean some terrible hours, as the asian and US based developers might need support/help at odd hours.
Some good advice there. The SAP basis leader/manager is coming over from the states next month and we are going to sit down and discuss the position. Training will be provided as long as i sign the 'if you leave in the next 2 years i pay' deal. I have been given SAP marketplace logon details so going to take a look there.
This position has come up as they want to have round the clock support so i would be in charge of Europe and Africa. There would be support in Asia pacific and in the States so in theory there should always be someone available!
Are there any questions you think i should raise in our meeting regarding SAP basis? what future developments are there? Netweaver? etc.
Looking at SAP basis on the ol' world wide web it is obvious it is a vast subject and i do not know where to start! Any areas which are due to be 'hot' in the future?
Sorry if i am being a bit vague but i think i may be on the start of a new career in the world of SAP and want to make the most of it!
You should definately ask about the future of the system landscape. Not that it would be a problem for you as you in reality need only learn the stuff your company has. But it's good to know which way your company is moving so that you have to option to listen more closely whenever someone mentions something that your company might be intrested in. This will also help you to understand the path of getting from one point to the next.
The future "hot" subjects are usually discussed at Sapphire. Make sure that you get to attend at least every other year. It's mainly the business end of things (application), but knowing where the application is moving will allow you to attend the right speeches and discusions on SAP teched (which you should attempt to attend EVERY year. This is the technical variant of Sapphire, where the "how's" are discussed, not the "if's" I'm a bit out of touch as my compnay has not allowed me to attend either of these for the last 5 years, so I only know what my customers tell me. CRM is stepping down, java might also be in the process of being outphased again (I hope to god this is true, the java components really suck when compared to the ABAP ones), on the application side solution manager is still reasonably hot, portals not. Netweaver is really just the continuation of the basic SAP package, so it's hard to say that it's "hot", I'd like to consider it mandatory for a modern installation.
with regard to the training aspect signing a two year deal seems fine it is a little price to pay for structured SAP training (which costs a fortune well it does where I am) questions you need to be aware of where the application is being hosted is it at your location on servers local to you, who will be responsible for patches etc with a global implementation you need to ask about SLA's (service level agreements) you have to meet. Good luck
