A functional SAP consultant needs working business-process knowledge deep enough to understand actors, documents, decisions, controls, exceptions and downstream effects in the area being configured. Beginners do not need decades of operational experience, but software knowledge alone is not enough.
What “business knowledge” actually means
It means understanding why a process exists and what the business is trying to control. In finance that may mean period close, reconciliation and accountability. In procurement it includes demand, sourcing, ordering, receipt and invoice matching. In quality it includes inspection decisions and disposition.
How deep should a fresher go?
Start with one end-to-end process and learn its vocabulary, documents, handoffs and common exceptions. Then connect each step to SAP. This is more useful than memorizing hundreds of transactions without understanding the business event behind them. The same principle complements the broader skills described in skills employers expect from SAP freshers.
Where expert knowledge comes from
Depth grows through workshops, testing, defects, data migration, user questions and production support. Consultants should also know when to involve a business subject-matter expert rather than pretending to know an operational rule they have not validated.