The core focus of an SAP Architect is to oversee all aspects of SAP ecosystem solutions implementation and to be able to create and execute architectural blueprints to achieve complex business objectives.
Main responsibilities - are to lead the design, development, and implementation of SAP solutions; have a good understanding of how the SAP enterprise technology framework can lead to desired business goals; have working knowledge of how the applications (Ariba, SuccessFactors, Concur, Fieldglass, etc.) in the SAP ecosystem integrate and be familiar with the migration to S/4HANA.
Some hard skills: should have experience in SAP technical sizing & design, installation, upgrade, S/4HANA migration, and day-to-day administration. Should also have knowledge and good understanding of ABAP development and of SAP modules such as Finance, MM, WM, SD, HCM. Should be able to manage technical architecture analysis, research, design, and development of new functionality and integration with key applications and services under the SAP ecosystem.
Some technical skills:
Should have good understanding of integration technologies, i.e., REST and OData APIs, IDOCs, WebServices, Business Events, pre-built connectors with other SAP applications and partners, and end-to-end process integration with Cloud Integration, etc.,
Should have good understanding of integration patterns and methodologies like Advanced Event Mesh, Pub/Sub message consumption patterns, File integration, B2B (EDI, IDOC, SOAP API, EDIFACT/X12), standard integrations using SAP Certified connectors, etc.,
Should have deep knowledge of SAP BTP role and services (integration, connectivity, monitoring and error handling, extensibility, etc.) in the overall SAP landscape. How it enables the integration among multiple components and services across the SAP ecosystem to accomplish a loosely coupled but tightly integrated architecture,
Should have good understanding of the concept of Clean Core, its implications, how to enforce it, and the role BTP plays as an enabler,
Should have deep knowledge of the SAP S/4 extensibility concept: Key User, In-Stack and Side-by-Side extensibility,
Should have good understanding of the Virtual Data Model and CDS-Core Data Services (basic, composite, transactional, consumption, etc.),
Should have good understanding of the ABAP RESTful application programming model,
Should understand the UX concept of SAP S/4HANA and the SAP Fiori role, along with the integrated search architecture,
Should understand the concept of SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics.
Some soft skills: In this role, strategic and analytical thinking is just as important as people skills and the ability to translate complex solutions into clear and concise strategies which can be easily adopted in an organization.