Often, when someone first hears about SAP, they have no clue just how expansive the software company’s suite of products is.
SAP is involved in pretty much any industry you can think of thanks to a portfolio that includes solutions used for financial and management accounting, supply chain operations, human resources, customer relationship management, data warehousing, and more. And where there isn’t an out-of-the-box option, it’s likely that a customized solution is possible using SAP’s robust technical stack of platforms such as SAP HANA and SAP Business Technology Platform (formerly SAP Cloud Platform), and programming languages such as ABAP.
With such a vast array of SAP-related things to learn about, it can be overwhelming to know where to start or how to get SAP experience. No matter what your learning style is, however, rest assured that there are ways to learn SAP that fit your needs. (For example, if you’re looking for books, we publish many titles every year.) In this post, we will explore the many different options available, listed alphabetically. We wish we could fit them all, but then this post would never end!
SAP puts a lot of effort into written and audiovisual learning materials to help clients make the most of their system and gain SAP experience. Below highlights some of the most popular.
The SAP Community is a repository of thousands of documents that can be searched by the keyword of your choice, including blog posts, Q&As, event details, and more. If you know specifically what you’d like to learn more about, you can skip the search functionality by selecting one of over 140 different topic categories ranging from ABAP Connectivity and Development to Web Dynpro.
A similar resource, the SAP Developer Center, is also available for developers looking for more customized content.
SAP Help is a portal to all SAP product documentation, including technical specifications, SAP Notes, and more. You can search by keyword or drill down through the product hierarchy page; or, if you’re just starting to learn about a topic, you can view a handful of Learning Journeys that introduce you to the topic at hand.
SAP Inside Tracks are community events held by local organizers all over the world. At these events, SAP Community members get together to talk about various SAP topics and brainstorm, troubleshoot, and even practice SAP skills.
SAP Jam is the equivalent of a social network for SAP users. It includes different spaces focused on various topics, and shares product information and tutorials, as well as links to the other types of content mentioned above.
SAP Learning is a website that includes links to all sorts of free SAP learning courses. These include learning journeys, certification study materials, and links to other official SAP training materials.
SAP Learning Hub is a paid, self-serve training module that provides subscribers with e-learning courses, live learning sessions, and virtual social rooms to connect with peers and talk shop. There are four editions of SAP Learning Hub available depending on your needs—from solution-specific to cross-portfolio information.
SAP Training is a catalog of different paid classes that one can take to learn more about the topic of their choice. Whether you’re a beginner at SAP or looking for advanced instruction, there is something for you to learn here.
There are numerous publishing houses that write books that focus on SAP, written by everyone from business users to SAP product owners and developers. Below are some of the most popular:
Since we wrote the post, we have to plug ourselves. SAP PRESS publishes over 50 books and E-Bites (shorter, e-only publications) a year on all sorts of SAP topics with the goal of helping you reach your professional goals. Our books are even listed more than 50 times on Book Authority’s 100 Best SAP Books of All Time. To gain SAP experience, you can check out our entire list of products here—nearly all of them have a free reading sample available to check out.
You can also take paid trainings from organizations other than SAP. These companies create their own curricula on different SAP topics. Below are a couple to know.
ERP Prep creates courses that focus on topics such as SAP ERP, SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Fiori, SAP Solution Manager, and more. Its goal is to help customers prepare for SAP certification exams.
Michael Management creates content for those looking to take courses to improve their SAP skills. It also does one-day, live, “Jumpstart” classes for those looking to ask questions as they learn.
There are scores of SAP-focused blogs and websites out there. Below is a list of some of the most popular.
ASUG, America’s SAP User Group, puts out web articles that explore different avenues where SAP solutions are being used and how readers can utilize the solutions to do the same things in their organizations.
Diginomica is a media group focused on providing insight on different topics such as the digital enterprise, cloud apps, and technology disruption. It covers many different vendors, including SAP, Oracle, and Workday.
The consulting firm ERPCorp publishes blog posts and videos on things related to the Controlling subcomponent of SAP ERP, as well as its SAP S/4HANA sibling.
E-3 Magazine is a German-based web publisher of SAP content that prides itself on its independent stance.
Guru99 provides email-based SAP training on topics including SAP HANA, SAPUI5, SAP SuccessFactors, security, and more. They also sell e-books covering topics like FICO, materials management, production planning, and more.
Inside SAP is an Australian-based web publisher that focuses on keeping the region up to date on the latest SAP happenings. Their website includes information on SAP technology as well as case studies.
SAPinsider publishes multiple content formats, including a magazine, research papers, and whitepapers. It also hosts annual industry- or solution-specific events and produces webinar and video content.
The SAP PRESS Blog includes more than 200 posts on everything from ABAP and SAP Fiori development to SAP Customer Experience. A Learning Center also includes links to topic overviews and Q&As with our authors.
Run by the technology firm TechTarget, SearchSAP publishes case studies, news, and other information such as overviews of SAP technology like SAP HANA and ABAP.
Formerly known as SAP Insight, SUNSource (SUN standing for Super User Network) focuses on information tailored for super users of not only SAP solutions, but also Oracle, Workday, and more.
Author and SAP Mentor Dallas Marks has a blog dedicated to different business intelligence topics, notably SAP BusinessObjects. His blog also includes SAP book reviews and information on Tableau.
SAP innovation evangelist Timo Elliott has his own blog which focuses on both SAP and non-SAP topics. He includes posts that focus on presentations he gives, information gleaned from various SAP conferences and events, and more.
Author and SAP BI consultant Xavier Hacking has a blog focused on different business intelligence and data management tools such as SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, SAP Analytics Cloud, and more.
ZAP Yard (formerly SAP Yard) is a website dedicated to providing technical documentation to those working with ABAP, SAP HANA, SAP Fiori, OData, SAP S/4HANA, and more.
In addition to written documentation, there are numerous podcasts and YouTube channels that focus on SAP topics. Below lists some of the top options to explore to gain SAP experience.
Hosted by an SAP developer advocate, the Bluebeard’s Tech Talk podcast provides insight to what is going on at SAP. Topics covered include SAP Business Technology Platform, AWS, ABAP, and more.
The unofficial SAP Community podcast, SAP Coffee Corner Radio is run by three SAP employees and explores the current state of SAP, conference happenings, and more.
The SAP PRESS YouTube channel includes over 100 videos on different topics, including author interviews and how-to videos.
SAP has a whole host of YouTube channels, each focused on different topics including industries, technology, UX engineering, sports and entertainment, and the SAP Community.
The SAP HCM Insights Podcast is hosted by a group of human resources experts and talks about both SAP HCM in general and specifically dives into the SAP SuccessFactors solution.
The SAP Online Track YouTube channel hosts content that was presented during the online SAP Inside Track event held during the summer of 2020. Sessions include SAP S/4HANA integration, SAPUI5 extensions, code refactoring and adaptation, SAP Internet of Things, and more.
Created by SAP, the SAP TV Video Podcast explores the company, its workforce, products, and more.
ZAP Yard’s official YouTube channel provides in-depth information on topics such as SAP Fiori deployment, ABAP Development Tools, CDS, and more.
There are numerous SAP-focused conferences and events held throughout the year. For a full list of upcoming events hosted by SAP, check out this page. Popular, recurring major events are listed below.
The America’s user group hosts many events throughout the year. These include events on BI and analytics, SAP Business One, oil & gas, and more.
Held in Australia as well as South Africa, the Mastering SAP events cover a collection of different SAP topics, including SAP technologies, finance, HR, business and analytics, security, and more.
Organized by ERPCorp, the annual Controlling Conference is held every year in San Diego, California. Attendees spend the majority of a week attending sessions relating to FICO, networking with peers, and exploring exhibitor booths.
SAPinsider hosts numerous events during the year, each with a focus on different areas of SAP. These include SAP HANA, analytics, administration, FICO, GRC, cybersecurity, and more.
SAPPHIRE NOW, held every year in Orlando, Florida, is SAP’s trade show that includes keynote speeches by SAP leadership, celebrities, business partners, and more. Attendees have the option to attend scores of sessions on all types of SAP topics. Major new solutions or product functionality are typically announced at SAPPHIRE.
The ASUG Annual Conference is held in conjunction with SAPPHIRE NOW and is put on to help ASUG members as well as the public work toward overcoming their SAP challenges.
Another conference hosted by SAP, SAP TechEd focuses on the technical side of SAP. Like SAPPHIRE NOW, attendees have the option to attend scores of sessions on all types of SAP topics. Unlike SAPPHIRE NOW, however, SAP TechEd is held in three locations during the end of the year: Austin, TX; Barcelona, Spain; and Bangalore, India.
Many regions have created their own groups that focus on SAP users. Below are some of the most popular:
Many SAP employees, users, etc. are on social media. We suggest searching for keywords relevant to you and following those accounts that appear. To get you started, here are a few popular experts to follow on Twitter and LinkedIn:
There are also plenty of official SAP Twitter accounts to follow, such as the company itself (@SAP), SAP HANA (@SAPInMemory), SAP Intelligent Technologies (@SAPInTech), SAP SuccessFactors (@successfactors), and SAP Application Development & Integration (@SAPCP).
In addition to these LinkedIn accounts, there are numerous LinkedIn groups that you can join to meet peers. Here are a few of our favorites:
As you can tell, there are so many ways to learn SAP and gain SAP experience—while we’ve named some, there are always plenty more to explore on your own through a Google search. The best part is that once you’ve learned things from the resources above, you can turn around and create content of your own—like an SAP PRESS book, perhaps?—to give back to the community as well. Best of luck with your SAP training!