After reading Otto’s “Want to switch to SAP consultancy” I decided to expand on the Basis side of it…

So what are the basic skills you need before you consider a career as a SAP Technical Consultant or as so called “Basis guy”…?

As SAP runs on almost anything (Check PAM) you can assume that basic knowledge of MS Windows, UNIX, Linux, AIX, etc… is expected, add to that the fact that you can use the DB of your choice (or the Customer choice), the minimum knowledge of Oracle, MSSQL, MaxDB, DB2/DB6 is important. Also take into account Clustered Environments, Virtualization, Cloud Computing and any other variation/mutation coming in the future. As Forrest Gump used to say “Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”, so you better be prepared!

Also you need to know all about the different systems ECC, BI, PI, SRM, CRM, EP, Content Repositories, Middleware, Java Engines, Web Dispatchers, SAP Routers, you name it… their history, the way they interact with each other and their integration procedures.

Of course, you will also need a bit of networking, routing and security. This takes you into authorizations which is a grey area – big corporations employ people especially for it but in small companies it is usually a basis task (sometimes with mixed results but this is material for another blog).

Preventive maintenance is also a big part of the job, planning and implementations of Support Package Stacks, Enhancement Packages, System and Database upgrades, migrations, conversions, etc…

So you think that’s it?

Nope! …normal day to day jobs also include monitoring daily checks, availability, performance tuning, troubleshooting, OS/DB checks, interaction with 3rd party software, etc…

I’m pretty sure there are lots of other things I’m leaving out but the point is that even though your task as a ‘basis guy’ can be expansive, you don’t need to know everything from the very beginning. That said, good technical background is an advantage and probably the most common stumbling block for “freshers.”

Good candidates are usually those that come with an IT background along with previous experience as an IT/DB Admin and a bit of ‘geek’ flowing through their veins! Anyone involved in basis will also need to be able to adapt to the keep up with the fast pace at which technology evolves.

Another thing that evolves quickly is the way that companies engage with technical consultants. Not so long ago most SAP customers would have a full in-house team to implement, maintain and develop their systems. These days the trend is to have a strong technical lead/architect in-house to maintain ownership of the landscape and outsource some of the tasks to big support companies to streamline resources. Same with implementations, they get a dream team to deploy the solutions and then outsource the maintenance. I must admit I miss the old days… don’t you?

So, what’s out there for you?

Lots… but you have to work for it! Some are lucky enough to work their way to a “fresher” basis position, they get the right training and sit beside an experienced colleague who will help them get up to speed. After reading so many threads it seems like not everybody faces the same learning curve however, some consulting companies (I like to believe it’s only a minority) seem to throw people without proper training/experience directly into customer sites and leave them to fend for themselves, which I think is unfair, both to the consultant and the customer. In any case, the best tool you have is your ability to read, research and take advantage of the resources around you, believe me; no one will do it for you! And this is the key to success…

I hope this gives you a quick overview of the tasks related to the job and helps you decide if this is the right path for you.

Like to hear your comments…