SAP from the perspective of a new McCoy talent

Can you remember the first time you heard about the ERP package SAP? How about the first time you opened up the SAP logon and saw the GUI? (If that was available at that time) Do you remember why you wanted to work with SAP in the first place? Was it the money (€)? Or was it to be a part of the select few people who call themselves SAP experts?

For me the answers to those questions are still freshly engrained in my brain (mainly due to the fact that most of it happened not too long ago). As the son of a business man who was part of an SAP implementation back in 1999, I was spoon fed about the benefits and endless possibilities of the tool. Fast forward 17 years later and I found myself doing a traineeship in this all-encompassing, all knowing software package.

How disappointed I was then, when during the end user training in the SD module I came to realize that the process of creating a sales order, took approximately 12 clicks! How disappointed I was then, to see what seemed like the same GUI my father had to deal with in 1999. Is this the almost prophetic package my father spoke so highly of I asked myself?

Fortunately, as with many things in life the answer was to be patient. As luck would have it the software, modules, and processes I was confronted with, were all just the basics. And trust me when I say the basics! The reasoning behind that was to establish a firm foothold within the basics of the package where after I could expand my knowledge in more sophisticated aspects when I was ready to choose a specialization.

The light at the end of the tunnel came in the form of a new version, named SAP S/4HANA. The clean sleek look and feel, the major performance boost, the cross platform integration; these were the elements I had hoped to work with and see on a daily basis. As soon as I became aware of its existence I immediately became fascinated by the possibilities; Big Data, the Internet of Things, predictive analytics, all the buzzwords I had heard about during my master’s in Business Information Management in one fantastic package.

Even though I have just barely scratched the surface of the almost infinite sea of knowledge that can be acquired about SAP and HANA specifically, this is an exciting time to jump in the fray to say the least. With companies at the start of adopting this new technology it seems like a great moment in time to dive in feet first, learn, and grow alongside the companies and the software alike.

Ergo, I am ready to rumble and within McCoy there are lots of exciting projects and assignments to start soaking up the knowledge and experience. With all the senior colleagues around me, I am really looking forward to the next couple of years!