[4337] in sapr3-soft
Re: SAP Job Opportunity
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Matt Bronowski)
Sat Oct 30 15:10:08 1999
To: sapr3-soft@MIT.EDU
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 15:03:13 -0400
From: "Matt Bronowski" <brono@coastalnet.com>
Message-Id: <6mHS3.22586$YB4.245468@typ12.nn.bcandid.com>
I'm working with SAP for more than 4 years now. I'm 25 now and was promoted
SAP Sales & Distribution project manager for US and Canada last year. I
have led one sucessfull implementation and participated in another one and
one system upgrade.
I know Access and VBA from school and I have written quite some code in VB
as well.
Let me tell you: don't even try to compare SAP and Access. SAP R/3 normally
has a relational DB in the backend (with some 10000 tables or so) but thats
about it. You are talking about a huge application with tons of interfaces
(ALE, IDOC, BAPI etc), its own programming language (ABAP/4 - its comparable
to SQL), modules for each business area and a shitload of features.
If they want you to do interfaces with Access, don't be fooled: trying to
re-create SAP data in Access will end up in a bloody nightmare (same applies
to uploading data from Access into SAP unless we are talking some boring
static data like master records). Different thing the other way around: If
you take data out of SAP and bring it into a more user-friendly environment
you will have a good chance to do some good and powerful apps. But SAP is
trying to provide more and more tools to keep people on SAP itself. SAP is
world-market leader in ERP and they just launched a huge marketing effort to
bring small and mid-size businesses on the internet (using their SW of
course) - something else to consider.
If you join their team as the access guru it will probably benefit you and
them, they will get to know the capabilites and limits of Access and you
will slowly step into the SAP field.
I like SAP as a powerful business application with lots of tricks in it. If
a company cannot provide and retain the know-how necessary to run it (I mean
at least an experienced expert for each module, at least one person in
charge of admin and DB and a few programmers to support changes) you should
never step into it. Then you are really better of with some off-the-shelf SW
package.
SAP is a big thing. It is not a piece of cake.
So for you SAP would probably be a big step. If you like challenges, if you
don't mind being out of control for some time, if you like Parties (SAPers
party a lot!) then SAP is for you. Figure there are some bucks in the
business still.
regards,
Matt
Brad H. McCollum wrote in message <38152618.487014@news-server>...
>I would appreciate any input/opinions which could be offered to me
>with respect to a job offer made to me today.
>
>I was recently a casualty in a massive layoff campaign at a large
>hospital corporation. I had been doing Access/VBA development work
>for them for the past 4.5-5 years.
>
>I interviewed earlier today with another large company here in town
>for an SAP programming position.
>
......
