SAP Study Notes
Foundational concepts and certification guides for anyone learning SAP.
Explaining the parts beginners find confusing, from a practitioner’s point of view.
SAP certification types, costs, and how to take the exam: reading the certification menu
SAP certification types, exam costs, exam format, and annual Stay Certified renewal as of 2026, with links to my own SAP MM certification exam review.
SAP work centers: the kitchen station where an operation actually happens
What a work center is as SAP PP master data, and why capacity, cost center, and person-in-charge information matter.
SAP routing: the process sequence sheet you cook a recipe by
What routing is as SAP PP master data, and why operation numbers, work centers, and standard times matter, explained through a restaurant analogy.
SAP batch management: the kitchen's secret ledger for tracing ingredients
Explains what an SAP batch is, how it differs from an MES lot, and why it matters for traceability, regulatory compliance, and inventory differentiation, using a restaurant ingredient-tracking analogy.
SAP production strategies: MTS vs. MTO, or buffet vs. steakhouse
The difference between MTS (make-to-stock) and MTO (make-to-order) — the core of SAP production strategy codes — explained through the buffet and steakhouse analogy, along with how each strategy affects lead time and inventory management.
SAP Activity and CNF: reporting the kitchen log back to the head chef
Explains SAP PP's Activity and CNF/PCNF concepts through the flow of reporting kitchen results in a restaurant. Understand how execution results from MES get confirmed in SAP.
SAP PP: how a kitchen's production plan comes together
What SAP PP (Production Planning) is, and how the flow from BOM and routing through MRP to production orders works, explained through a restaurant analogy.
SAP MES interfaces: the waiter's craft of connecting floor and kitchen
The interface is the channel SAP and MES use to exchange data. This post breaks down the structural difference between RFC and PI/PO, and how to choose between synchronous and asynchronous, from a hands-on practitioner's view.