During SAP TechEd Phoenix, I shot a couple of live flipcam videos with Sue Martin, Global Director of SAP Certification. Actually it was supposed to be one video, but YouTube choked on it so I had to wait to get home to post them in a two part series. Now we're ready to go, and both of them are embedded in this blog post.

Sue (or as the Mentors sometimes call her, the "Certification Queen,") was graciously willing to shoot an adhoc video with me on the convention floor, right outside the Community Clubhouse, where we talked informally about the changes underway within SAP Education. We discussed the perception of SAP certification as largely unchanged through the years and why that is no longer true.

Most importantly, we talked about the impact of community collaboration on SAP certification. Many of you may know that the SAP Mentors have been engaged in a significant and fruitful dialogue with SAP Education about SAP certification, where we have expressed our concerns and specific recommendations for improvements. We have done our utmost to represent community views during this dialogue.

As you will see from these videos, this "Mentors-to-SAP" conversation we are having is a fascinating chance to incorporate collaborative community projects into SAP's own formalized certification plans. There is also some information in the second video on the Master level certification and how input from stakeholders is being incorporated from the get go. Finally, you can hear about how SAP certification will be integrated more closely into SCN, including with the Career Center.

I should note that prior to this low tech video shoot, Sue Martin and I were on SAP TechEd Live on the big video stage, hosted by SAP Mentor "Chief Herder" Mark Finnern. You can see that video on the SAP TechEd live replays (choose the Wednesday the 14th option). As for my videos, there is some background noise, but I hope that the quality of the conversation is worth the viewing.

So here's the first video, which focused primarily on the changes in SAP Certification the last few years and the new three tiered Certification levels:

 

And here's the second video, where I ask Sue about the adventurous dialogue she is having with the SAP Mentors and the plans for the Master level certification, as well as a few comments on integrating SAP certification more closely with SCN:

During TechEd, Sue showed herself willing to go the extra mile to meet individually with many Mentors and other certification stakeholders. So if you leave your comments with these videos I'm sure she will read them and I'll do my best to respond as well.