--- title: How Aico Achieved Official SAP Certification description: Learn how Aico built SAP-compliant ABAP code, tackled certification hurdles, and joined the exclusive list of officially certified SAP partners. image: https://blog.aico.ai/hubfs/Transaction%20Matching%20email%20header%20banner.png --- # How Aico Achieved SAP Certification: The Journey and the Benefits [Aico](https://aico.ai/)   /  [Blog](https://blog.aico.ai/blog)   /   How Aico Achieved SAP Certification: The Journey and the Benefits Publish Date: 13.10.2022 It is always nice to get certified. Especially, when you need to work hard to achieve that certification. In this blog post, Sampo Laakkonen tells you the story of how and why Aico acquired the SAP certification. ![SAP cerfitication](https://blog.aico.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/certification-600x435.jpg?width=389&height=282&name=certification-600x435.jpg) ## The Beginnings: Building the Foundation The story starts back in 2017, when Aico was still a part of Attido, before the spinoff in 2019. We already had a working SAP Journal integration, which used [SAP](https://www.sap.com/) standard BAPIs. But we noticed that our customers were struggling with their [reconciliation](https://aico.ai/account-reconciliations)[ processes](https://aico.ai/account-reconciliations).   ### Developing New Solutions If you're familiar with SAP, you know that it features an **open/cleared item concept**, but it doesn't include reconciliation out of the box. We also had a **closing automation tool**, primarily used by our customers as a **centralised list of manual tasks**. Additionally, customers asked if Aico could: - Run SAP reports - Attach those reports to our closing tool templates Based on Aico's technical background, we concluded: - Aico is built using **.NET** and runs on **Windows servers**. - To meet our customers' needs, we developed **ABAP solutions** to address specific challenges. - Our first ABAP function modules followed the naming convention **Z_AICO_**, clearly indicating that they were created and used by Aico. ### Addressing the Challenges In the beginning, the **Z_AICO_ naming convention** worked well, and many customers still use these functions today. However, a few challenges emerged: 1. **Potential Code Modifications:** Although it never happened, there was a risk that someone from the customer side could update our code in their environment. 2. **Code Development Standards:** Customers often have their own SAP Z-development standards. Even though we followed SAP’s ABAP guidelines, some customers wanted tailored changes that weren't suitable for others. To address these challenges, we registered our own **/AICO/ namespace**, which remains in use today. This namespace offers a significant advantage — the ABAP code can only be changed if the **namespace license details** are added to the SAP system. **How We Distribute ABAP Packages:** 1. **Package Creation:** We create a transport in our own SAP environment. 2. **File Preparation:** Two different transport files are downloaded to our laptop. 3. **File Compression:** We zip these files into a single archive. 4. **File Delivery:** The zip file is sent to the customer. 5. **Customer Import:** The customer’s BASIS team imports the files into SAP and performs a few importing tasks. ### Deciding to Pursue Certification When we started using the **/AICO/ namespace** for new customers, I realised we should apply for **SAP certification**. However, we had many other priorities at the time. One major project was certifying our company for **ISAE3402**, which demanded company-wide attention. With a small team, it was essential to **prioritise projects** to prevent heavy workloads and long hours. Eventually, our patience paid off — we secured the **budget and time** to kick off the SAP certification process. The certification process is well-documented in SAP’s official materials, but we encountered a few noteworthy points: 1. **High-Quality ABAP Code:** - Our ABAP code was technically sound and in great shape. - The **S/4HANA 2021 version** introduced a few new requirements, but they were easy to address. 2. **SAP JAM Environment:** - SAP is actively promoting their **JAM environment**, a secure social collaboration platform. 3. **System Resource Demands:** - Even an empty **S/4HANA 2021 system** consumes a significant amount of memory. - The **HANA database** requires either a **SUSE** or **Red Hat Linux** SAP server. ## Aico's Benefits of SAP Certification Finally, you might want to know what the certification benefits are to SAP, the customer and Aico.   The primary benefit of SAP certification is that it ensures the system continues to work correctly, even when third-party solutions are integrated. This approach mirrors how **Microsoft tightened policies** to reduce the **blue screen of death (BSOD)** issues caused by faulty vendor code. Similarly, by controlling vendor code quality, SAP adds real value to its ecosystem and protects customers from potential disruptions. ### Why SAP Certification Matters for Aico With official SAP certification, Aico can confidently demonstrate that: 1. **Development Principles Are Met:** - Aico strictly follows **SAP’s development guidelines**. - All SAP technical tests have been passed with **flying colours**. 2. **Installation and Uninstallation Are Easier:** - If your **SAP SPAM level** is over 0058, you can easily install the Aico package through the **SAINT tool** with just a few clicks. - Uninstallation is also streamlined — previously, removing Aico required creating custom transports to remove packages. Now, it’s much simpler, although only a handful of customers have ever needed to uninstall Aico. ### Strategic Advantages for Aico Achieving SAP certification wasn’t just about compliance; it was an opportunity to: - **Strengthen Customer Trust:** The certification serves as a solid **selling point**, reassuring customers that Aico’s solutions meet SAP’s rigorous standards. - **Enhance Skills and Processes:** The certification process encouraged us to improve our **documentation capabilities** and **testing procedures**. ## Aico's Joining to an Elite Group Personally, I think that it is always cool to do something a bit exclusive. At the time of writing this blog, only two other Finnish SAP-related products are certified. Even globally, there are only around one thousand products on the certified product list. That is quite a small amount when you think that there are hundreds of millions of people who use SAP regularly. There are over 245 million Cloud base [users](https://assets.cdn.sap.com/sapcom/docs/2017/04/4666ecdd-b67c-0010-82c7-eda71af511fa.pdf), so this is a real achievement for Aico and something that will be of great benefit to our customers.  [![Book a live demo with Aico experts](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/9489670/6b60a950-6165-4c9c-8634-cf7101706637.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/9489670/6b60a950-6165-4c9c-8634-cf7101706637) ### GLOSSARY ABAP – Programming Language of SAP.  BAPI – Business Application Programming interface. This means SAP standard function modules can be called outside of SAP with remote function calls (RFC) or other methods.   BASIS – Business Application Software Integrated Solution. It is the technical component of SAP administration.  ISAE3402 – International Standard on Assurance Engagement 3402. Quality certificate.   Reconciliation Financial process – where you need to explain on a monthly/quarterly/yearly basis why certain line items are still open, or why an account balance is not zero.  SAINT – Tool SAP Add-on Installation Tool. T-code SAINT in SAP.  SAP – This acronym comes from the original German name of Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung. Nowadays, the company name is just SAP SE.  S/4HANA Suite for HANA – modern SAP ERP based on an in-memory database.  ## Read more [ More Aico insights ](https://aico.ai/resources) [ Blog ##### What tasks can AI automate during month-end close? ](https://blog.aico.ai/blog/what-tasks-can-ai-automate-during-month-end-close) [ Blog Automation Financial Closing Artificial Intelligence ##### Is AI accurate enough for financial close? ](https://blog.aico.ai/blog/is-ai-accurate-enough-for-financial-close) [ Blog Automation Artificial Intelligence ##### What is intelligent process automation? ](https://blog.aico.ai/blog/what-is-intelligent-process-automation) ## Take 5 minutes to learn more about the most advanced financial close platform. [ Watch demo ](https://aico.ai/aico-book-a-live-demo) [ Contact us ](https://aico.ai/contact-aico-sales) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=540188&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sampo Laakkonen", "url" : "https://blog.aico.ai/blog/author/sampo-laakkonen" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-01T08:17:57.434Z", "datePublished" : "2022-10-13T11:43:00.000Z", "headline" : "How Aico Achieved Official SAP Certification", "image" : [ "https://blog.aico.ai/hubfs/Transaction%20Matching%20email%20header%20banner.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.aico.ai/blog/aico-sap-certificate-journey", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.aico.ai/hubfs/pacera_logo-PRIMARY_CMYK.ai.jpg" }, "name" : "Pacera" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://aico.ai/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Finland" }, "addressLocality" : "Espoo", "postalCode" : "02150", "streetAddress" : "Tekniikantie 14" }, "alternateName" : [ "Aico", "Aico Ai" ], "areaServed" : [ { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Finland" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Sweden" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Norway" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Denmark" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Iceland" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United Kingdom" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Ireland" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Germany" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Austria" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Switzerland" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Belgium" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Netherlands" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United States" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Luxembourg" } ], "description" : "Aico is an intelligent financial close automation platform. 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