Knowledge Management

Question:
Apologies in advance if this topic has already been touched...
I am starting to study for ABAP certification and am confused....
I have found the current course content and weighting information on the US site for the ABAP Workbench Certification 2000
http://www.sap.com/usa/education/certification/curriculum.asp?rid=113&vid=5

and my confusion is about the content and curriculum - BC401 (ABAP Objects) is a required course but does not appear on the exam content topics.
Does anyone know if the Objects part is relevant for the current certification exam and if it it where is it detailed in the exam content.
If I knew that I could leave out the objects section it would reduce the amount to be studied !
Regards,
Drew
Answer:
Hello Drew,
I was very much confused myself when i was preparing for the ABAP/4 Certification exam about the ABAP Object Issue, well, to my knowledge that i tried to get from my resources, ABAP Object (OO) is not included in the certification, so dont worry about that, it is very much confirmed, I dont know why SAP hasn'y included it yet but i think it may become an essential part in the certification for the next SAP release,
regards,
Mola Jutt.
Answer:
It's all part of a big rip off that SAP has been running for years. In order to be SAP certified you must attend (pay for) a certain number of courses. Being certified makes absolutely no difference to your ability as a programmer, apart from the fact the either you or your company will be thousands of pounds worse off.
Avoid certification at all costs, it's not worth the paper it's written on.
Answer:
Thanks Macphisto & Mola
Mola - I think you're right about the future direction of the certification, I talked to a SAP education partner and they said that Objects will become a big part of the course content when SAP revise the exam content (which is happening currently)
How much effort did you have to put in before certification ? I've spent the last week revising my ABAP to try and get an idea of how much time I need for exam preparation and would appreciate anyone elses experience.
Macphisto - I am aware of the SAP trick to get people to attend reams of courses as the 'only' way to get certified. It is one way but in the real world no emplyer is going to pay for you to attend all the courses - if there are any employers like this out there I am available to attend as many courses as they would like .
I gathered together the existing manuals in our organisation and matched them against the course curriculum. I posted the question here because Objects was a hole in my range of manuals. At the moment we are not busy so I'm filling my time revising and studying for certification as a means to keep myself active and to direct the time towards a goal.
Answer:
When I started this chain I emailed SAP Education in the UK re. the course content. They have replied and ABAP objects are now on the course (with data migration being removed).
Following is the 2003 course topics etc.
SAP Consultant Certification
Development Consultant mySAP Technology – ABAP Workbench (2003)
Software components: SAP Web Application Server 6.20
Certification duration: 3 hours
Number of certification questions: 80 multiple choice questions
Required certificates for participation in this certification test: None
Please note that you are not allowed to use any reference materials during the certification test (no access to online documentation or to any SAP system).
The certification test Development Consultant mySAP Technology – ABAP Workbench (2003) verifies the knowledge in the area of mySAP Technology for the consultant profile ABAP Workbench. This certificate proves that the candidate has a basic understanding within this consultant profile, and can implement this knowledge practically in projects.
The certification test consists of questions from the areas specified below:
Topic Areas
1. mySAP.com Technologies (+)
- mySAP.com
- Navigation (system handling)
- Technical setup of an SAP system
- System-wide concepts
2. ABAP Workbench Basics (++)
- Data types and data objects
- Internal tables
-Data retrieval (authorization check)
-Subroutines
- The ABAP Runtime System
- Function groups and function modules
-Program calls and data transfer
3. ABAP Objects (++)
-Classes and objects
-Inheritance
-Casting
-Interfaces
-Events
-Global classes and interfaces
-Exception handling
-Dynamic programming
4. ABAP Dictionary (++)
-Database tables
-Performance for table access
-Consistency through input check
(foreigh key dependency)
-Dependency of ABAP Dictionary
objects
-Views
-Search help
5. Techniqes for List Generation (++)
-Data output to lists
-Selection screen
-Logical database
-Program-specific data retrieval
-Data formatting and control level
processing
-Storage of lists and background
processing
- Interactive lists
6. Dialog Programming (++)
-Screen (basics)
-User interface (GUI title, GUI
status)
-Screen elements for output (text
fields, status icons, and group
boxes)
-Screen elements for input/output
-Subscreen and tabstrip control
-Table control
-Context menu
-Dialog programming lists
7. Database Changes (+)
-Database updates with Open SQL
-LUWs and Client/Server
Architecture
-SAP locking concept
-Organizing database changes
-Complex LUW processing
-Number assignment
-Change-document creation
8. Enhancements and Modifications (+)
-Changes in SAP Standards
-Personalization
-Enhancements to Dictionary
elements
-Enhancements using customer
exits
-Business Transaction Events
-Business Add-Ins
-Modifications
Weighting Key in the Test:
+ = 1 - 10%
++ = 11 - 20%
+++ = over 20%
HTH,
AnDrew