SAP Basis - Better questions you should be asking your SAP Basis candidates

On my last few jobs I was asked to help screen candidates for open Basis positions. The unfortunate side of the business is there are quite a few candidates that appear to be qualified who are really just book smart and not necessarily tech smart.


I developed the questions below to help identify candidates who had the requisite skills needed to be a Basis Administrator in a high volume environment. One of the services I provide is candidate reviews. Please call me at 720-335-5727 if you would like to discuss how I can play a key role in identifying the best candidates for your company.

I. General Questions

• What do you know about the company?
• How do you manage a high volume of tasks?
• What would you do in a case where there are more than one or two severity one issues?
• What type of environment do you excel in?
• How do your managers get the best out of you?
• When working remotely, how do you stay connected to others on your team?
• What tools can be used to find out more about an issue with which you are not familiar?
• How to you handle frustrating circumstances?

II. Technical Questions

• What are the first things to check when a SAP system is reported as being down?
• What transaction is used to tell if database backups are failing?
• Users report that data from a remote system is missing. What are the first things you would check?
• What transactions are used to check the flow of messages in PI?
• You attempt to RDP into a Unix system and the connection fails. Why?
• What files should be reviewed in the case where a Java instance is no longer starting?
• Users are reporting that the system is slow. What transactions would you use to identify the source of the performance issue?

In general, the best Basis candidates are well rounded individuals who can think laterally, know how to research an issue, and enjoy taking on technical challenges.