SAP training courses

[kempc23]

Hi all

I am wanting to learn some new SAP skills. The courses that SAP themselves provide are ridiculously expensive, so I am looking for alternatives. In particular, im looking at the CO certification training. Not to get the certification itself, but to learn the actual content. I know quite a bit of it already, but its just a case of consolidating what I already know and learning a bit more.

1) There are a number of companies that provide SAP training. However, I cant seem to find much information on whether they are any good. Has anyone heard of or used Wizcore, SUPAG or LSA Studies? The cost for courses with them is about 50% less than SAPs courses

2) Option 2 is to get stuck and learn it myself! I have access to a Sandbox, I have the materials I need, but it can be tough going at times, if I get stuck.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help
Christian

[northernladuk]

From what I have seen from SAP courses they are very pedantic about monitoring the companies that deliver them and the people that attend the courses hence keeping the prices high. The certified training companies I have worked with are very strict and as you say expensive.

I would question whether someone offering half price courses are officially certified and above the radar. If they are not I would question the deicision to use them.

SAP is a very complicated area to get in to due to the costs and complexity. Most of it is not just a matter of reading a book and getting work I am afrad. When I was trying to add this to my CV a few years ago I found it almost to be a closed shop situation unless you fall lucky and get moved on to SAP work. In this field particularly I don't think a certificate would help much, particularly compared to the cost of the course. Your ability to create a home project like you could with coding is also very difficult.

I don't know what the answer is though, I fell lucking in to a contract that had some SAP work and I angled myself in.

[Brussels Slumdog]

Difficult without experience

The market is full of Offshore hopefuls with SAP Certification but no experience
I have never worked with a Certified SAP consultant without experience
I have worked with cross trained SAP consultants

If you already have SAP experience and want to move to a new area
then buy the relevant material at €70 from SAP Press and as you have the sandbox you can teach yourself

[Support Monkey]

Surely with the money SAP pays don't be so tight, if it gives you the skills you need just pay your money and get on with it, in the time your looking around for a course for nothing you could have done the proper one and be out there earning

[Pondlife]

My $0.02 on this...

Since you already have a reasonable SAP knowledge on the FI side (correct?) and access to a sandbox you can have a fiddle about and read the help files to understand a bit about the CO area (it's not my area TBH). The key is being able to find the solutions to the problems that everyday businesses have so I'd have a look at the SAP forums where people ask numpty questions and try to solve them yourself.

I'm sure you can google enough info to get a grounding in your chosen area but that only tells you the basic structure and how it should work. Being able to get it to do what businesses need is another thing altogether.

[NotAllThere]

...I'd have a look at the SAP forums where people ask numpty questions and try to solve them yourself....

As one of the moderators there, we are trying to cut down on the repeated asking of numpty questions!

Even with SAP experience it is difficult to break into a new area. But you can increase your chances by getting certified. So when you're on client site doing what you've been doing for ten years, and you hear they're needing some CO skills, you can pipe up "Well, I'm CO certified". So long as your new skill isn't too far from the current one, it can be worthwhile.

I moved from R/3 to BI development, then to BI modelling. Though I've no certifications.

[Pondlife]

As one of the moderators there, we are trying to cut down on the repeated asking of numpty questions!

I wasn't suggesting he asked them, I was suggesting he solved em.

[kempc23]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far.

I already have six years experience in SAP, so im really looking to just remind myself of some stuff, and to learn some new areas close to what I already know. I have found messing round in the sandbox invaluable in terms of refreshing some of my skills and learning some new bits of configuration.

Im just looking at making the best use of my bench time. Pondlife- Yes, you are right, I am much stronger in FI than in CO. I have implemented CO before, but im trying to beef up my knowledge in that area. Also, im looking at getting a good overview and understanding of other areas, such as CO-PA and Project Systems.

In my opinion any investment in my own knowledge is worth spending. I have seen roles such as the below over the past six months-

"FICO consultant required. Should also have broad understanding of CO-PA, not configuration"
"FICO consultant required. Must also have knowledge of the integration points with Project Systems"

As I already have a good core set of skills, both those additional pieces of knowledge are easily achievable with a good book/training material and access to a sandbox. Anything I can do to increase my chances of landing a role, I will try and do.

OK, so my original question was really around if anyone had heard of or used any of those training companies. It seems the answer is no- So I dont think I will bother.

[NotAllThere]

Last time I looked at SAP training, it was cost effective to go to Singapore or South Africa. And the weather's better than London.