Index IntroductionInternship Company DescriptionSummary of my summer internshipSummary of knowledge gained during my internshipTechnical knowledgeSoft skills learnedReflection on my training in an internshipReferencesIntroductionSo, first, let me give you a summary Of the job description provided to me by SAP, in my opinion, the first half of the job description provided by SAP is slightly vague and there are a lot of buzzwords in the description, obviously used to attract the reader's attention. The main responsibility of the SAP CoE (Center of Competence) is to provide customers with the necessary support and assistance to help them manage their businesses better, this would involve assisting them with any issues regarding the software purchased from SAP, e.g. with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC). During my summer internship experience, I will play a role in supporting and taking part in the success of the team. Since I work here, I will be able to take advantage of the various employees here who would be considered expert/most knowledgeable in the fields that interest me. Also, unlike other internships, this one offers a stipend as well as a free lunch/dinner every day. Depending on the team I would be placed on, I would have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in multiple areas, including: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on the topic "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay S/4HANA - Enables businesses to implement digitally using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Internet of Things: Using SAP software, I will be able to learn how SAP approaches the digital world and how it connects sensors, devices and businesses. SAP HANA: An in-memory platform that helps customers organize their information in time real. Above I have summarized/paraphrased the job description given to me by SAP now, I will give you my description of what my internship entailed. First, my official job title is CoE Support Engineer as part of the Analytics team. As part of the Analytics team, I am expected to use various software including SAP Analytics Cloud and S/4HANA, as well as attend any mandatory/optional training/workshops that can deepen my knowledge of SAP software. In addition to this, I attended meetings of various kinds, most focused on SAP Analytics Cloud. Any questions or concerns I had, I should report to my mentor (who changed during the internship) or my manager. The focus of my internship as part of the Analytics team was outlined by my manager, he wanted me and another intern, to be as close to SAP Analytics Cloud experts as possible within six months. He wanted us to be the people you could turn to if you needed help of any level with SAP Analytics Cloud, and reflecting on the internship, that was the whole point. Internship Company Description What is SAP? SAP (Systems, Applications and Products), is a multinational company based in Germany whose focus is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software. Simply put, SAP helps other companies run their business more efficiently, smoothly and easily, which means companies will save money. To give you an idea of ​​what SAP is all about, I'll describe some of the awards SAP won in 2018. Awards won include: "BCG listed SAP as one of the most innovative companies of 2018!"'SAP has been recognized by CV Magazine as as the best enterprise software company for the year 2018" "SAP was named one of the most renowned companies in the world in 2018 by Forbes!" Quoted above, it is a glimpse of the numerous awards won by SAP in 2018. Before my internship, this gave me the impression that SAP would be aexciting, dynamic and friendly place to work and I certainly wasn't wrong. Who is SAP? “In 1972, five IBM engineers from the AI ​​department in Germany had a vision of the commercial potential of the technology. Starting with one customer and a handful of employees, SAP embarked on a journey that would not only transform the world of information technology, but also forever change the way companies do business.” These five entrepreneurs were: Dietmar Hopp, Klaus Tschira, Hans-Werner Hector, Hasso Plattner and Claus Wellenreuther. SAP had a simple vision, which was to provide “standard application software for real-time data” and this vision must have come true because already at the end of the first year, “SAP employs nine people and generates 620,000 DM (Deutsche Marks) in revenue ”. Having generated a turnover of 620,000 between 14 employees in total is truly impressive. Currently, SAP is stronger than ever and still growing. From introducing new products like S/4HANA in 2015 and SAP Leonardo in 2017 to using its status and resources to make the world a better place, examples: In 2016, “SAP was the first multinational technology company to receive global economic dividends for Certificate of Gender Equality" and in 2017 "SAP has committed to becoming carbon neutral in its operations by 2025", it is inspiring to see a company like SAP trying to make a difference in society and trying to address climate change.Where and why is LINFA? SAP has over “218 office locations around the world”, including Germany, Ireland, the United States, China and India I have explained what ERPs are and what they do before, but I want to give a specific example, SAC (SAP Analytic Cloud) the main software I have worked with is “a simple cloud solution…. integrated AI helps you uncover insights, simplify access to critical information, and empower informed decision-making.” SAP Analytic Cloud consists of three main pillars: Business Intelligence, Augmented Analytics and Planning. In the next section I will talk more about my work with SAC and the other various software I used during my internship. Summary of my summer internship Overall, I feel like I accomplished quite a bit during my internship. The way I'm going to show you is to first lay out the various tasks I was assigned and then the secondary tasks I was assigned, which I'll talk about later. The first official assignment I was given was SAC based and the title was to design/write a document demonstrating to any employee interested in the topic at hand, how to import a live connection from SAP BW (Business Warehouse) to SAC . This was a group project given to me and Sean (Sean is the other intern who joined the team), by our mentor Michelle. Since I worked on a few group projects in college and worked as part of a team in my part-time job I had in 2018, I was confident that I could work well with him. So, this task involved dividing the work between us and, of course, completing the tasks we both had assigned to each other. I researched and experimented with SAC by watching videos about data connections in SAC or simply playing with the software myself. Eventually, I found several tutorials created by SAP that show step by step how to set up a live or import connection. So, we finally managed to complete the task and later had to write a document demonstrating step by step how to create a live connection, we included screenshots to make it moreeasy to follow. The second official assignment was given to Sean and me, once again, by our mentor Michelle. The assignment was to design a PowerPoint presentation based on administration in SAC. For a time during my internship, my team held enablement sessions every Friday, where one team member would take an aspect of SAC and create a presentation about it to show to the rest of the team. We decided to split the work and so I had to create slides on: Content Library, SAC Mobile App, Performance Best Practices and General Administration in SAC. So, most of this assignment was spent on research and very little experimentation. For the Content Library and General Administration I was able to access it on the SAC platform. The content library contains end-to-end business scenarios for use by customers and employees while the General Administration tab contained general settings about the software that could be changed, for example: System Configuration, Notifications and Appearance were all tabs in the General Administration section. Once we both completed our assigned work, we had to collaborate in creating a complete PowerPoint presentation that contained both of our slides. Later that week, we both gave the presentation in front of the whole team and overall, it was a great success. The third official assignment was given to Sean and me by the Analytics team manager and involved us researching and experimenting with time series forecasting. Time Series Forecasting is a predictive scenario in which you predict future data values ​​based on previous values. So to begin with, I mainly researched what a time series forecast was. I wanted to understand the topic before experimenting with it. There is a feature on SAC that allows you to create time series forecasts and that's where I did most of my research. To begin with, you need to create an input data set on which to base all your predictions. Once created, you need to decide which variable you want to make predictions about, there are also other additional features you can change. Once this is done, you need to train the model which acts as a practice to see if you are happy with the values ​​and then you can generate the result as a new dataset. I found this particularly interesting because I find Machine Learning to be challenging and I see it as something that will be huge in the future. The fourth official assignment was assigned to me by the manager of all CoE interns, David. He wanted groups of interns to demonstrate everything they had learned by giving a small presentation to himself, another member of management, and the other interns in the group. So, this may seem simple, but I found a lot of pressure as I was the only one from that group representing the Analytics team and their product, SAC. So, in preparation for this, I went over everything I had learned about SAC up to that point, such as models, stories, data connections, administration in SAC, and time series forecasting. I was able to give the presentation successfully, but I made some mistakes with the software, and in the meantime, I gave the presentation, but I learned from these mistakes. Overall, David was satisfied with my presentation. So, most of the time, I had to go find my own work to do and the following is an example of one of those times. The fifth official assignment was given to me by my mentor Michelle. He was currently creating a PowerPoint demonstration to offer to customers who are having difficulty with some SAC features. He wanted me to research and playwith the functionality of analytical applications and with the Smart Predict functionality that can be found on SAC. Analytics Applications is a feature that lets you create and display your data as charts and tables, but it also lets you add additional functionality, like adding a button to a chart that brings up a popup of the chart in detail, all in one place . Smart Predict can predict future values, events or trends, not just numerical values ​​like in Time Series Forecasting. The sixth and my favorite task was something I applied for voluntarily. The CoE Intern Manager, David, emailed each intern about opportunities to take part in a project (one of many) that required certain members. The one I applied for needed: two business analysts, a SCRUM Master, four developers and a lead developer. I applied and got the job as one of the business analysts. So overall, the project involved a lot of meetings, whether they were team meetings or, for me, business analyst meetings. One of the most important tasks that the other business analyst and I had to do was figure out the core functionality that was a priority, i.e. the functionality that needed to be included. Since we were given the main features upfront, it was quite easy to do. With these core capabilities, we had to translate them from words to use case diagrams. The module I took in college was extremely helpful in this regard as I had learned this method as part of the module. We initially made these use case diagrams on a whiteboard, but after discussion with the developers, we translated them into wireframes. To create the wireframe prototypes, we used a publicly available web application called “Build.” We continued to repeat the process of meeting with developers to get feedback not only on our prototypes but also on any updates or changes they wanted to make to the project design. At the end of the project, we presented it in front of David and Paul (Head of CoE Ireland) and they were both very impressed with our efforts. Now I will discuss the subtasks that I completed during my internship. First, I have completed several mandatory and optional online training courses such as “How to Handle Conflict in the Workplace.” I attended classroom training courses like SAPTEC and HANA, which taught me general knowledge about SAP and some details about their products. I attended events organized by the Intern Committee, such as going to the Conrad Hotel to attend an all-day national intern meeting that included games, a panel of high-ranking SAP members, various talks on interesting topics, and a dinner. Another event that particularly interested me was the 3D printing workshop, as I have always wanted to see a 3D printer and the 3D printing process. I attended several presentations given by people who were part of my team on some features of SAC which deepened my knowledge of SAC. Some topics from these sessions included discussing the Digital Boardroom functionality available on SAC as well as general tips and tricks when working with SAC or even just getting started with the software. Looking back, I feel like I achieved a lot during my internship. If I were to repeat the whole experience again, I feel that I would do my best to acquire more practical work and less work that revolved around theory. Since doing the internship, I have discovered an interest in software testing, so I would have liked more work focused on this and perhaps more projects basedon that at the beginning of the internship.Summary of the knowledge acquired during my internship I will divide it into two sections: Technical knowledge learned and “Soft skills” learned. Technical knowledge I wasn't sure what kind of technology I would be able to use. I had imagined myself sitting at my desk, writing code from nine to five, but that wasn't the case. Instead, most of the knowledge gained came from experimenting and performing assignments for various SAP products (mainly SAC), participating in the various mandatory and optional training courses such as SAPTEC and HANA, and taking on the role of Business Analyst in the important project I participated. I want to start by talking about the knowledge I gained from the work I did as a business analyst. First, I learned the true meaning of what a business analyst is and the tasks that would be involved in the role. A business analyst acts as a mediator between the company and the software. Their job is to provide quality assurance, testing, user interface design, and use cases. It's their job to tell developers what they should build and what they should prioritize. The first task we did was create use case diagrams. I had made these in college, but seeing them used for their intended purpose in the workplace was fascinating to see. The other business analyst was also familiar with the Use Case Diagrams, but his icon for each use case was slightly different, which was strange to see. The first piece of technology we used to create prototype versions of the use case diagrams was “Build.” Building was something up until that point, I had never gotten used to everything that was being done, it was a completely new experience. The software reminded me a lot of the wireframing tool I had used in second year called “Balsamiq Mockups 3. However, in Build, since SAP had some form of relationship with Build, we were given access to wireframe mockups based on software used by SAP and so creating use case diagrams was much easier for us and allowed us to visualize our idea in a more recognizable way. The main thing I learned from this was how the use case diagram I have learned in college was translated into a real world situation. The whole process was really eye opening and I really enjoyed it and it made me think about becoming a business analyst as a possible future career. I want to talk about the knowledge I have acquired from the work I did on the SAC platform. This was the main software I used during the internship. I first want to talk about Stories and Models in SAC. A story allows you to visualize your data in the form of tables, graphs, diagrams and other elements to demonstrate the purpose of your business. A template can be based on multiple things: a previously created story, a file from your computer, or it can simply be a completely blank template. A template is like a story but allows you to add additional features (it's more flexible than a story). The predictive scenarios on the SAC platform were probably the feature that interested me the most. Predictive scenarios will take some data about a system or object and with the data about it (historical and current data), create some hypotheses surrounding it. There are three types available on the SAC platform: time series forecasting, classification, and regression. I have already explained time series forecasting. Classification involves predicting category membership, while regression involves predicting numerical values ​​based on fluctuations in related variables. Next, there is planning in SAC. Planning in SAC provides a model that you canmodify as you like, adding or modifying percentages or figures in the cells, the software will automatically adapt/update everything that is affected by those figures. Finally, there is Analytic Applications which is very similar to "Build" and Balsamiq Mockups 3 but gives you a blank canvas on the SAC platform where you can import stories and templates and add additional functionality to them. For example, you can drag and drop objects like buttons and text fields and add them to your story. Besides the two topics I talked about above, I have gained a lot of knowledge through many other minor things. The classroom training courses at the beginning where I learned HANA (In-memory, relational database), SAPTEC (Fundamentals of some SAP products) and ABAP (Programming language created by SAP), were full of knowledge and information to learn . Another important source of knowledge was the Power Hour sessions. Power Hour sessions were usually global virtual presentations that anyone from SAP could attend. The sessions would be hosted by one person who would spend the next hour explaining a particular topic. For example, some topics included: computer psychology, technical interview workshops, sessions on new companies joining SAP. My favorite was the Machine Learning Power Hour for multiple reasons: it was relatable, it's something I have a personal interest in, and it would prepare me for fourth year as there is a module on Machine Learning. I have to say that the technical aspect of the knowledge I learned was very specific to SAP. I have mainly used SAP software, which means that to take full advantage of the experience and knowledge I have gained, it would be ideal for me to work at SAP, as many companies may not use SAP software at all. However, I feel that some aspects of the technical knowledge gained can be transferable such as the work I did as a business analyst which included a lot of experience in testing and creating use case diagrams, in addition to this, I now have good experience in creating charts, graphs and other visual aids, as well as light experience in predictive technologies. I hope that all these experiences combined will help me in some way for fourth year and beyond. Soft Skills Learned The first big soft skill I learned and improved was my teamwork skills. Throughout most of the internship, I worked as part of a team, whether that was working on an assignment with my fellow intern on my team, working with a group of interns from different teams on a project, or perhaps working on full time employees. Looking back on the internship, I only had one solo assignment which gave me an excellent opportunity to improve and hone my teamwork skills. Teamwork skills include several other skills such as: communication skills, cooperation skills and patience. I will be able to go through each one and provide examples of how I have used these skills and improved them. Communication in the workplace is incredibly important. I used it every single day during my internship. I feel that communication was so important during my internship as it allowed me to work well with others and be productive with others. Cooperation in the workplace is equally important. During my internship, I observed and experienced many benefits of collaborating with colleagues. Since everyone works together towards the same goal, the task at hand is completed more quickly. Furthermore, since it usually involves working together with more than one person, tasks are diverted within the group, so employees (including managers) havemore time to work on their tasks and spend less time managing conflicts due to unclear communication. I feel like patience is a quality that I probably wouldn't have thought about before the internship. I think this is one of the most important qualities you should have if you work as part of a team. Patience allows you to think before acting especially in intense situations. Patience also creates a more helpful and kind work environment. Instead of lashing out at someone for something they did wrong, thus generating hostility among employees, patience allows you to step back and address the situation and perhaps, instead of lashing out, give constructive criticism. This is something I witnessed often in the workplace, especially regarding the patience full-time employees had towards interns. There have been several occasions where I would have constant trouble trying to complete a task assigned to me by my manager and each time he would be more than happy to give me help and point me to online resources, as well as point out my mistakes and reinforce, what I should do instead . Overall, I am very passionate about being patient when working with others, and working at SAP has reinforced this thought. One important thing I learned related to teamwork skills is that not everyone is a team player, so not everyone wants to communicate and cooperate with each other and be patient with each other. Some members of my team would try to make you think that they want to collaborate with you on a project, but you would soon realize that it was on their mind. What I'm talking about now is something I didn't experience during last semester's group project, but something I've experienced since I got here, just with specific people and I feel like it's something vital I've learned about people in general and it had made me realize that I am too welcoming and forgiving. It's the reality of the workplace, you are bound to come across people who try to manipulate the team or some employees into believing that they are the reason the work gets done or that they know everything. I have seen that these people also tend to get very jealous of other people, especially if they are not involved in the work you are doing. I think overall this is an important aspect to highlight when it comes to working in a team because I feel like you aren't informed enough, which is why these people tend to get away with their actions. The second great soft skill I learned and improved was my general sense of responsibility. Honestly, before I started the internship, I never thought that responsibility would be one of the things I would learn. I have had responsibilities in the past, with my small part-time job and being part of the group project last semester but, during this internship, I feel like I have understood the true meaning of responsibility. Throughout the entire internship I was given various responsibilities in the form of projects ranging from slightly challenging to difficult. Examples of this include: My very first assignment, looking back, was a very small and minor assignment but still contained an incredible amount of responsibility. The paper I would write would have to be one hundred percent correct for it to be useful. The document was a step-by-step guide to setting up a live connection on SAC that would be used by employees and customers using SAC and therefore involved a lot of pressure. The way I handled responsibility during the internship changed early on. At first, I was incredibly nervous and anxious about colleagues giving me assignments because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to complete them./