A common saying in IT is that it pays to work with the right people. Ok, but who? Who are the right people in IT? Many factors contribute to person’s “rightness” for a particular job, but certifications are an important proof point in an individual’s qualifications. Being certified in a competency attests to the person’s level of knowledge, experience and personal commitment to professionalism. In the SAP world, for example, we recommend working with people who have attained the SAP S/4HANA Certification on any project that involves the S/4HANA platform.  Most of our team members have S/4HANA certifications. We wouldn’t want it any other way, nor should you.

SAP S/4HANA certification (s)

SAP S/4HANA certified professionals have the training to design and implement S/4HANA solutions. They are tested to verify that they know how to handle all the stages of S/4HANA execution. These include hosting, licensing, migrations, implementations, ongoing maintenance and admin. The certification training and test focus on best practices, rather than prescriptive instruction because each business uses S/4HANA in its own special way.

The SAP Certification Hub

SAP offers more than 150 certifications across a variety of solutions and specialties. To help SAP professionals keep track, the company maintains an impressive Certification Hub. A limited sampling of S/4HANA certifications on the Hub includes the following “SAP Certified Application Associate” certifications under the SAP S/4HANA Cloud category:

  • Enterprise Asset Management Implementation (C_S4CAM_1902)
  • Finance Implementation (C_S4CFI_1902)
  • Manufacturing Implementation (C_S4CMA_1902)
  • Procurement Implementation (C_S4CPR_1902)
  • Professional Services Implementation (C_S4CPS_1902)
  • Sales Implementation (C_S4CS_1902)
  • Central Finance in SAP S/4HANA (C_S4FCF_1809)

SAP Cloud platform certification

Given the importance of the cloud in the evolution of the SAP landscape, it’s not surprising that SAP now offers a certification known as the “SAP Certified Development Associate – SAP Cloud Platform.” The exam for this certification is intended to ascertain a candidate’s core knowledge of the SAP Cloud Platform. The exam is exhaustive. It covers such topics as frontend application development, SAP Cloud Platform integration services, SAP Cloud architecture, Java application development on the SAP Cloud Platform, SAP HANA XSC application development, SAP Mobile Services, SAP API management, cloud data and storage, cloud platform security concepts, Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud Foundry Services.

SAP S/4HANA certification for version 1908

Certifications are currently available for SAP S/4HANA version 1809. There are 1809 certifications for Business Process Integration, Production Planning and Manufacturing, Sourcing and Procurement and Sales Upskilling. The Business Process Integration certification covers knowledge about business processes and their integration into SAP S/4HANA v. 1809. The SAP S/4HANA Certification is suggested as an entry level qualification. It allows consultants and SAP users to become acquainted with end-to-end business process fundamentals on SAP S/4HANA. Given the prevalence of business processes in SAP landscapes, we view this certification as a useful credential for work involving S/4HANA.

The Production Planning and Manufacturing certification for 1809 addresses the knowledge needed to become an SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing consultant. The certification for Sourcing and Procurement verifies that a candidate knows the fundamentals of sourcing and procurement that are required for this consultant profile. For example, the exam covers procurement processes in S/4HANA, valuation and account determination, purchasing optimization, inventory management, logistics processes, master data and enterprise structure configuration.

Certification costs and resources

It can be difficult to keep up with SAP certifications. Not every business has the money or time to get employees prepared for certification. Each SAP S/4HANA certification, for example, requires hours of effort. At the same time, companies that allow employees to pursue careers focused on S/4HANA support usually require some type of certification for all job applicants. This makes sense. Professionals who become certified report that they feel more effective at work with the skills they have acquired.

A number of companies provide training courses for aspiring SAP S/4HANA certified professionals. These courses range in cost and duration. One, for example, involves 50 hours of online training over a 5-week period. The training is live and instructor-led. In general, the applicant is not expected to shoulder the burden of course or exam fees by him or herself. The employer often sponsors the tuition and fees in whole or in part.

In our experience, the investment of time and money pays off. This usually happens a lot faster than the exam taker would expect. Getting an SAP certification makes a statement. It says, “I’m serious about SAP and I know my stuff.” This posture is invariably rewarded in terms of employability, career progression, and trust with the individual’s employer.

S/4HANA experience is in high demand. As more organisations move their main ERP off of older versions of SAP, and onto the SAP HANA in-memory database platform, they need qualified consultants to help with the process. Migrating and making S/4HANA work, especially in the cloud, takes expertise. That’s why S/4HANA certifications are such a compelling credential for SAP professionals. With SAP’s 2025 end-of-life legacy maintenance deadline looming, there will be no shortage of work for people with the certification.

Learn more about how G3G and our partners can bring holistic solutions to drive your SAP digital transformation program.

Amanda Brown, Principal Consultant, G3G Limited

I joined the G3G team early in 2013 and am always exploring and working on the latest versions and innovations associated with the S/4HANA solutions from SAP. With 25+ years of proven success with SAP solutions across multiple verticals, I have been instrumental in the continuing development of G3G’s strategy for rapid SAP system implementations and S/4HANA migrations.