| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Information Technology |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | ERP Manager |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 3 to 7 years of ABAP development, including S/4HANA exposure |
SAP ABAP Consultant job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: SAP ABAP Consultant
Department: Information Technology
Reports to: ERP Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An SAP ABAP Consultant is the developer behind custom SAP functionality. They build reports, interfaces, conversions, enhancements, forms and workflows in ABAP from functional specifications written by SAP functional consultants, and on S/4HANA they also write CDS views, AMDP and OData services for Fiori apps. The role reports to the SAP technical lead or ERP manager in Indian IT services firms, SAP partners and large enterprises. A good ABAP Consultant writes code that performs well, respects SAP standards and survives upgrades.
Key responsibilities
- Read functional specifications, clarify the logic with functional consultants and write a technical specification for each object.
- Develop classical and ALV reports, and module pool programs where custom screens are needed.
- Build interfaces with IDocs, BAPIs, RFCs, proxies and OData services to connect SAP with other systems.
- Write data migration programs using LSMW, BDC or BAPI-based uploads.
- Implement enhancements through user exits, BAdIs and enhancement spots without modifying standard SAP code.
- Design invoices, delivery notes and purchase orders in SmartForms or Adobe Forms, including GST fields.
- Develop CDS views, AMDP and OData services for S/4HANA and Fiori applications.
- Tune slow programs using SQL trace, runtime analysis and code inspector findings.
- Unit test each object, move transports through the landscape and fix SIT and UAT defects.
- Fix production issues in custom code and keep documentation for every object.
Requirements
- B.E., B.Tech, MCA or B.Sc Computer Science
- SAP Certified Development Associate for ABAP is an advantage
- 3 to 7 years of ABAP development, including S/4HANA exposure
KRAs and KPIs for a SAP ABAP Consultant
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Development delivery | At least 90 percent of development objects delivered within estimate |
| Code quality | Zero priority 1 ATC or code inspector errors in transported objects |
| UAT defects | UAT defects per developed object below the agreed count |
| Runtime performance | No custom program flagged in production for runtime above the agreed limit |
| Upgrade readiness | Custom code remediation for S/4HANA or upgrades finished on schedule |
| Documentation | Technical specification and unit test results filed for every object before its production transport |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: SAP GUI and ABAP Workbench, ABAP Development Tools in Eclipse, SAP Gateway service builder, SQL trace and runtime analysis, Code Inspector and ATC, Transport management system.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Technical Lead, Technical Architect, ERP Manager
Interview questions for a SAP ABAP Consultant
- When would you use a BAdI instead of a user exit?
- How would you debug an inbound IDoc that failed with status 51?
- A custom report takes 20 minutes to run. How do you find and fix the slow part?
- What changes in custom code when a company moves from ECC to S/4HANA?
- How do you expose a CDS view as an OData service for a Fiori app?
- How do you add GST details to an invoice SmartForm without breaking existing output?
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does an SAP ABAP consultant do?
An SAP ABAP consultant develops custom programs in SAP. They build reports, interfaces, data migration programs, enhancements, print forms and workflows from functional specifications, and on S/4HANA they also write CDS views, AMDP and OData services for Fiori apps. They test, transport and document every object they build.
Is ABAP still in demand with S/4HANA?
Yes. S/4HANA migrations need custom code to be analysed and rewritten, and new development uses ABAP on HANA, CDS views and the RAP programming model. ABAP developers who add these newer techniques, along with Fiori and OData, find steady demand in Indian SAP practices.
What is the difference between an SAP ABAP consultant and an SAP functional consultant?
A functional consultant, such as FICO, MM or SD, works with business users and configures SAP to fit their processes. When configuration is not enough, they write a functional specification, and the ABAP consultant turns it into code. The two work closely on every custom object.