SAP Basis Career Path –      

(Source from SAP Training and modified by James Yen)

Level 1: SAP Basis Support - Help Desk Support

A member of the Help Desk, providing the initial point of contact for the business department for all issues requiring the attention of the Solution Support Organization

Tasks:

Managing the entire message life-cycle:

• Receiving messages
• Recording
• Initial assessment
• Search in internal solution database
• Search for SAP Notes
• Resolution
• Referring messages
• Tracking progress
• Confirmation and closure
• Keeping customer informed through out

Skills:

• Very good communication and inter-personal skills, especially when communicating directly with the End User.
• Thorough knowledge of local and country-specific requirements as well as the ability to explain these, if necessary, to the Support Organization that will be dealing with the problem message
• High degree of adaptability (if a problem is escalated, for example). Ability to maintain a good relationship with the business department and to understand the business impact; ability to communicate all relevant information to the appropriate contact in the Support Organization
• Basic knowledge of the products the users are using (First Level support staff needs to know which questions to ask when entering or supplementing a problem message). It can, for example, be useful to have:
  • Basic desktop skills
  • Knowledge of mySAP.com in overview
  • General understanding of networking concept
• Basic IT aptitude and "first-level" knowledge of the product(s) or applications being supported, where possible
• Knowledge of the company business terminology
• Take appropriate training on an ongoing basis to build on existing skills and keep constantly up-to-date with advancements in products and tools
• Ability to speak a second language, if appropriate to the business
• Ability to use internal communications tools (e-mail, for example)

Level 2: SAP Basis Administrator - System Administrator  

In contrast to the Technology Expert, who is responsible for defining, planning, implementing and supporting an SAP centric solution from a technical point of view, the system administrator is mainly responsible for the administration and operation of an SAP centric solution. Nevertheless, he/she will also be a team member in implementation projects to support the Technology expert and to ensure a smooth transition from implementation to production. The tasks of a Technology Expert are very similar, but with a different focus.

Tasks:

• Setup of the technical infrastructure
• Installation and configuration (HW and SW)
• HW capacity planning
• Implementation and testing of Backup and recovery concept
• Implementation and testing of High Availability solutions
• Implementation and testing of Network configuration
• Implementation and testing of Network, Database and OS configuration
• Setup of SAP Basis, Middleware (bc, mqseries), Output devices (printer, fax, scanner, etc.)
• Technical customizing for SAP solutions
• Technical customizing and support of interfaces
• Maintenance of technical system information in service tools (e.g. SAPNet R/3 Frontend)
• Operation and Administration
• System Management
• Performance Management
• Change Management
• Verification and implementation of recommendations in service reports
• Providing remote access for SAP

Skills:

• Knowledge of the technical infrastructure
• Knowledge of installation and configuration (HW and SW)
• Knowledge of HW capacity planning
• Knowledge of Backup and recovery
• Knowledge of High Availability solutions
• Knowledge of Network configuration
• Knowledge of Network, Database and OS configuration
• Knowledge of SAP Basis, Middleware (bc, mqseries), Output devices (printer, fax, scanner, etc.)
• Detailed knowledge of solution operation and administration
• Detailed knowledge of system management
• Detailed knowledge of performance management
• Knowledge of Change Management
• Knowledge of internal support and escalation procedures
• Knowledge of SAP’s support and escalation procedures