HANASUP certification experience

[Former Member]

C_HANASUP_1 hana hana_support

Few days ago I passed certification C_HANASUP_1, so I decided to contribute to all those that are preparing to do the same. Similar blogs helped me.

I won't add materials and usual links. Others before me did that perfectly, so just google it.

One great guide is by Denys Kempen:

http://scn.sap.com/community/hana-in-memory/blog/2014/10/13/sap-certified-support-associate-sap-hana...

I will focus on my approach, not to repeat already known or easily googled knowledge.

Initial Intent and background

( :goto xx10  --if not interested in that part)

Since I am Abap programmer with heavy background in MS SQL (10+ years), I am very interested in Hana. Finally something worth investing my scarce free time into. Last year and this year I attended everything I could on Sap Hana on open.sap, and that was a good basis.

8 months ago my colleague Danko Rupcic installed Business Suite on Hana to play around with.

I was using it as developer and I was fighting then with Hana Security concept and Eclipse GUI options that were back then limited compared to MS SQL SMS. To give myself appropriate permissions to develop, I had to browse thru Security Guide and Master Guide. That experience was helpful.

4 months ago I decided to get certification in Hana Native programming (HANAIMP), and my company, which is serious in investing into knowledge of their consultants, agreed to finance it.

Perfect timing inline with last  hana2 course at open.sap.

Sap official 1 day training led by Tomasz Sawczuk held in SAP Croatia was helpful.

3 months ago time came to  start preparing seriously.

Procrastination phase

Since 3 months is enough time (seemed so) I decided to change my approach to studying. I usually cramm just before test.

Two years ago when I got certificated in Abap, it was different, cause I had a lot of experience in Abap development.

I read  TAWs one year before that, (BC40x years back), and cramming for 2 weeks was good enough. Day to day Abap development  was more then helpful.

My working memory is perfect, but long time retention is not as good.

January 2014 I read (not all of it unfortunately) a book by Art M.Semorie „Super Memory“. If you can't find that book, You can use if You like Dominic O'Briens Books or similar.

Reinventing learning strategy (xx10)

I watched a bunch of material on learning:

Series Think101  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrOJ2qTAnI7EFPwMGNInvCeltlsD7Vl04

Stephen Chew (Samford University)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH95h36NChI&index=3&list=PLKsCvinW0T7myG3DFmln4tjX_VURkeuPu

Forgetting as a friend of learning by Daniel Kahneman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPL68uxiNaU&index=2&list=PLKsCvinW0T7myG3DFmln4tjX_VURkeuPu

Especially helpful was LBCC series by Scott Bruckner

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKsCvinW0T7mM5LoiNPvTmHx9dCYY8wSg

For notes I used Cornell Note taking system.

Study Method was SQ4R (succesor to SQ3R).

http://www.fastol.com/~renkwitz/sq4r_study_method.htm

Although "wRite" phase and mind mapping was not exploited as much as I wished.

Great thing is that SAP books are perfect for that technique. Each beginning of a Unit/Lesson you have an Overview and Objectives and that is similar to Survey Phase and at the end „Key Concepts-ideas" (perfect for Key questions making  in Cornell notes).

To force myself to have limited slots of time to learn and rest (not to Cramm non stop)  I used Pomodoro technique (http://tomato-timer.com/ ).

Learning slots were 45-60 minutes before recollection of learned.

I planned my learning schedule carefully and finnally started 2 months ago.

I used these techniques to go thru HA100 and started HA350...when decision was made to get certificate for Hana Support (C_HANASUP_1) instead of C_HANAIMP_142.

C_HANASUP _1  twist

IMP cert would have been much easier for me, concepts are familiar, experience in development on Hana existing....in support not as much.  So first time in my life I was happy because of all preparations I did. These study methods enabled me to prepare myself to pass a test that was not inherently as familiar.

Motivation

As a developer, there's no bigger nightmare then when you have to debug/data-mine/troubleshoot something on server side and you don't know how or you don't have permissions to do so.  DB Admin has permissions, but (s)he's no developer (and does not care about dev problems), and (cold) war is On !

Perfect combo is developer that knows his way around Administration and security in depth.

Method Applied

Material to go thru is known.  https://training.sap.com/shop/certification/c_hanasup_1-sap-certified-support-associate---sap-hana-g...

Although HA100 is not mentioned on that page, in going thru HA200 prereq is HA100. ( "note this !" cause I was glad that I went thru HA100 before when I was preparing for HANAIMP).

First thing I went thru was Administration Guide.

Browsed thru Security guide again. Execution of Models and Modelling components was just a refresher (I went thru Developer Guide a year before).

After that HA200.

Installation Guide last few days before certification.

In retrospective,  better strategy would have been to first do HA200 (to go thru key concepts and ideas) and then Admin guide to refresh the same and going into details.

Note: Key thing is to work in the system cause words mean nothing if not applied.

Helpful technique to remember were things are in Eclipse GUI was Memory Palace technique. (Where tabs are ? - is changed alot from SPS to SPS).

First letter mnemonics is helpful.

For instance :  OLAP VC SyDF VC    (Overview, Landscape, Alerts ...)

This is just a good example (thx Sap guys  for fiting OLAP into this :smile: ).

Although if you don't have a picture of Admin Console in your  head from using it, better not to take an exam yet).

Subtabs of Landscape tab is another example.

SerHiO RedSy Rep (Services, Hosts, Redistribution and System Replication)

(Picture Serhio Aguero playing for Liverpool  representation team)

SerHio and not Sergio because of Croatian pronunciation of that name. Use something that means something to You.

Grammar Nazis are not welcome in your brain :razz: .

What do you do for resting ?   Go thru Hana Youtube channels, for instance :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzo92owKnVyhAGmDP4OsoPIj15-FEHtH

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzo92owKnVxWXSL-fZpYOSU1Z2m28Efm

Test

Classic 180 min, 80 q test. Bit nervous.

Few questions puzzled me.  For C_HANATEC and C_HANAIMP  you know  for which SPS test questions were bulit. (C_HANAIMP_142 -> SPS8 etc).  There's only one C_HANASUP_1 so I assumed that question were not version biased or were for the latest SPS.   WRONG !

Data Provisioning questions are not mentioned in HANASUP topics, but there was a question about it. (emerging from HA100 as prereq to HA200).

Thanks God for initial IMP preparations.

Another thing is that there were few questions regarding  "Configuration subtab" in "Landscape Tab".

There's no Configuration subtab in Landscape Tab for some time !

There was,   http://goo.gl/AUxIoj  ,   but no more.

So what to answer ? To assume that those are old questions and answer as it was an old versions question or to leave it blank  ?

That was no trick answer. Only meaningful answer was that offering "Configuration Subtab" of old version.

What would You answer ?

I answered in assumption that that was old question from old test in one question, and another one had alternative answer so I Chose that one.

I lost there probably some points.

Test taking method :

You read a question, don't look at answers and try to remember answer from your head, and move to another question if You are not sure.

Then in another cycle when you are at that question again answer is more clear.

Its like first time reading releases a Job in your subconscious to search for answer – takes time => give it time.

Next time around answer just pops out.  It was really difficult not to look at answers, so more often then not I glanced at them anyway.

Am I satisfied ?

Well although I passed the exam, I felt a little bit disappointed. I felt unsure in about 10-12 questions that I knew that I know but anyway I doubted.

I hope those are the ones that I got wrong. :smile:

What would I do differently ?

Although cramming is bad idea if used by itself, I should have crammed few days before.

There was just to much of time difference between going thru Admin guide and test to feel confident about details.

Retrospective

I'm glad I learned all things I did to get certificated.  It will make my life as a developer a lot easier.

Next steps

Best way to test this studying method and long time remembering is to take a HANATEC exam (cca 80% of material is the same as for HANASUP).

I'll see will there be a time to experience that.

Final goal is to develop „the one“  standalone („Z“) App using native Hana (one Idea I have in my mind for some time),  and after that take C_HANAIMP certificate maybe.

But thats another story.

Hope this helps.

Added 20.04.2014 :  4 months later, knowledge retention was tested :  HANATEC certification experience