SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification – A Complete Guide

Why is SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification Required?

SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification is an authentication of your knowledge of the S4 HANA Finance module. It gives an edge over the non-certified people, who may have the knowledge but don’t have the certificate.

Thus, it is wise to go for certification if you have a long term career plan in the SAP sector.

SAP Implementation is crucial

Expertise in SAP ERP is crucial for businesses and companies with SAP ERP software configured. Therefore they intend to prefer certified SAP professionals over non-certified candidates. Also, this is one of the reasons why SAP-certified professionals earn more than anyone else in the IT sector.

Work Simplified with COPA

With SAP Finance, the work of SAP users is simplified with Account-based COPA which provides detailed information on the cost of goods sold, production variance and invoice quantities. Further, the costing based COPA avoids reconciliation issues between COPA and General Ledger in SAP.

With the easy deployment of cloud both public and private, on-premise, and Hybrid options, maximum organizations have moved to the cloud for their future transactions.

What is SAP S/4 HANA Finance?

SAP S/4 HANA Finance is a combination of financial solutions like Financial Planning, Accounting, and Financial Closing. Additionally, it has Treasury, Financial Risk Management, enterprise risk and compliance management powered by the SAP HANA in-memory database. Thus, by using this new technology SAP HANA users can create a common view of all financial and operational data and deliver flexible and easy reporting.

Benefits of SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification to Consultants

There are already a good number of reasons behind choosing a career in SAP. However, there are also some clear cut factors behind the popularity and demand for SAP S4HANA Finance Certification and several reasons why people choose a career in SAP.

Here is a list of factors why you should go for a certification:

S4 HANA Finance Certification helps in Better Job

The primary reason that you should go for SAP FI HANA certification is the chance to get a decent job. There are many incidents, where numerous people have achieved a decent career in SAP based on their SAP certification. In other words, many of the people have achieved professional success and served top Global companies. Certainly, the SAP certification has helped them to move from remote areas to one of the world’s topmost cities.

Certified Consultant offered Better Salary

Many people who enrol for SAP certification believe that it is a good way to pursue a long-term career path. They hope that SAP certification can fetch them a reasonably good return in the form of Salary.

Reputed Profession

Certified SAP S/4 Finance consultants gain an incredible reputation among their employers. Consequently, they are assigned good SAP projects and onsite offers being SAP-certified consultants.

The SAP Certification has Global Recognition

SAP-certified consultants enjoy special recognition. Many employers publish their jobs by stating that “SAP Certification is mandatory or would be an added advantage“. You can also check there are several such jobs in the market with this kind of statement.

Let us understand this from an employer’s perspective.

When a reputed company like SAP certifies a person that he has adequate knowledge in a particular domain, it gives good recognition. This is to say, it puts a great impact on employers. Certainly, employers do trust the certification from SAP and consider it as proof of the candidate’s quality and knowledge. In addition, SAP also serves its Logo to the individuals who clear the SAP certification. In general, people still have the craze for SAP Logos to put on their resumes so that it will draw the attention of employers during a job interview.

Moreover, many companies match their FICO consultant roles and responsibilities as per the SAP syllabus and guidelines.

Related: Top 20 SAP FICO Interview Questions

Promotion to Certified Candidates

In history, many employers have promoted those consultants in their organizations who were certified. This was particularly in the initial booming days of SAP. Likewise even today, also the person who is SAP-certified gains many benefits from their employers and uses SAP certification as a ladder to reach the top hierarchies at a faster rate.

Visit: SAP S4 HANA Finance Training 2020

How to Prepare for SAP S/4HANA Finance Certification?

To do the SAP S4 HANA Simple Finance Certification, you need to appear for the exam that only SAP conducts at its authorised training centres. Subsequently, after clearing, you get a badge/certificate from SAP that you can use in your portfolio.

Below I am providing the details with respective links that would help you to know more about the subjects.

Please note, that only SAP AG is authorised to conduct certification exams at its authorised training partners. Apart from this, no other certificate issued by any unauthorised institute is not valid.

(Please see our disclaimer at the end of this page).

1)P_S4FIN_2020 SAP Certified Application Professional Financials

This is in SAP S/4HANA for SAP ERP Finance Experts (SAP S/4HANA 2020).

The “SAP Certified Application Professional Financials in SAP S/4HANA for SAP ERP Finance Experts (SAP S/4HANA 2020)” certification exam validates a candidate’s ability to independently prepare, set up and lead an implementation project of Financials in SAP S/4HANA.

Building on the candidate’s sound project experience in SAP ERP Financials (Financial Accounting FI or Management Accounting- SAP CO) of at least 5 years. This certificate proves that the candidate has the overall understanding and skills required to be a qualified supervisor of the team performing the implementation of Financials in SAP S/4HANA. The candidate also has all the required capabilities to act as an application consultant and team member himself/herself.

Focus Points for SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification

1. Architectural Functional Differences – This SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification focuses on a deep understanding of the architectural and functional differences between SAP ERP Financials and SAP S/4HANA Finance: E.g. explaining the architecture of the SAP S/4HANA Financials component.
2. New Functionalities in S/4HANA – It also helps Configuring and use the new functionalities in Financial and Management Accounting in SAP S/4HANA.
3. Fiori App – SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification further involves using the SAP Fiori applications designed for SAP S/4HANA.
4. Migration Project – It Guides the team through a migration project of SAP S/4HANA by understanding the prerequisites for migration. Also with the configuration of the system in preparation for migration, and performing the required migration steps.
5. Hands-on – To ensure success, SAP recommends combining education courses and hands-on experience to prepare for your certification exam as questions will test your ability to apply the knowledge you have gained in training.

Learn Top SAP FICO Interview Questions

Topic Areas for SAP S4 HANA Finance Certification

Here are the top subjects or courses that you need to focus on to certify the SAP S4 HANA Finance subject. Also, find the links attached with each course to read the detailed course description.

1. Architecture Overview of Financials in SAP S/4HANA and the Central Finance Solution > 12%

• Describes the technical components and architecture of financials in SAP S/4HANA.
• Clarifies the Universal Journal Architecture, and analyzes the Universal Journal Entry.
• Outlines the Simple Finance Solution.
• Finally, analyze the Universal Journal Entry and outlines the Simple Finance Solution.

S4F01 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

—– OR —–

S4F02 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

Related: SAP S/4HANA Finance Architecture – Detailed Analysis

Also Read: SAP Central Finance System Architecture

2. Financial Accounting Configuration in SAP Accounting Powered by SAP HANA > 12%

• Describes the new master data maintenance model and explain the changes to authorizations.
• Next, describes the enhancement to Ledgers with the Universal Journal.
• Further, customizes and uses the Extension Ledger functionality.
• Next, configures and Uses Document Splitting; post documents to Financial Accounting
• Finally, performs closing operations, and explains Financial Accounting integration.

S4F01 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

3. Management Accounting Configuration in SAP Accounting Powered by SAP HANA > 12%

• Performs customizing for Management Accounting integration
• Configures and uses the Material Ledger in SAP S4 HANA
• Explains the integration of CO with materials management and integration of CO with sales and distribution
• Further configures and use Profitability Analysis
• Performs planning and budgeting for Management Accounting
• Lastly Period-end closing for Management Accounting.

S4F02 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

4. System Preparation and Configuration for Conversion of Financials in SAP S/4HANA > 12%

• Runs pre-conversion tests
• Secondly, performs customer-vendor integration
• Finally, customizes FI (including asset accounting) and CO for conversion

S4F03 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

5. Asset Accounting Configuration in SAP Accounting Powered by SAP HANA – 8% – 12%

• Outlines the features of New Asset Accounting
• Compares the types of Asset Accounting (new, classic)
• Also configures new Asset Accounting
• Explains the new Asset Accounting posting logic
• Perform day to day activities in new Asset Accounting
• Finally Period-end closing in new Asset Accounting.

S4F01 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

Related:- Migration to New Asset Accounting

6. Conversion and Post-conversion Activities for Financials in SAP S/4HANA – 8% – 12%

• Prepare views and master data for conversion
• Conversion of transactions, the conversion of balances
• Lastly, Post-conversion activities.

S4F03 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

7. Basics of SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA and SAP Fiori < 8%

• Explains the SAP HANA Architecture
• Further explains SAP S/4HANA solution and deployment
• Clarifies Fiori and the SAP UI strategy.

S4F03 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

8. Basics of Cash Management Powered by SAP HANA and SAP BPC for SAP S/4HANA < 8%

• Describe the SAP Cash Management functions powered by the SAP HANA solution
• Manages Banks with SAP Cash Management
• Nextly explain the functions of SAP BPC for SAP S/4HANA, and
• Lastly, perform planning for overhead management accounting.

S4F01 (SAP S/4HANA 2020)

———Or———

S4F02 (SAP S/4HANA 2020).

Conclusion

I always advise all my students to certainly go for the SAP FICO HANA certification. So, in case you aspire to go a long way in the SAP sector, you should do it. It would open many doors of opportunities for a career in SAP Finance and Controlling.

You have various modules of SAP available in the SAP Education Hub. Consequently, you can become an expert in the respective domain by learning and doing Hands-on SAP HANA in the specific module. Likewise, I advise you the same for SAP S4 HANA Finance certification too.

Also Read: Useful Tips for SAP Certification Exam

Disclaimer: Skillstek is Not an SAP Partner

Skillstek is not an authorized SAP Partner. Hence, any course, training, or any services provided at Skillstek or by Pradeep Hota are not associated, affiliated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any ways officially connected with SAP organization. SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG in Germany and in many other countries. Skillstek and Pradeep Hota are NOT associated with the SAP organization. We do not conduct any SAP Certification training programs.