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The differences between sap/abap developers and applications programmers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a sap/abap developer and an applications programmer. Additionally, a sap/abap developer has an average salary of $104,432, which is higher than the $85,133 average annual salary of an applications programmer.
The top three skills for a sap/abap developer include java, sap abap and sap hana. The most important skills for an applications programmer are java, C++, and database.
| Sap/Abap Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,432 | $85,133 |
| Hourly rate | $50.21 | $40.93 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 92,478 | 215,240 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
An SAP/ABAP developer is responsible for designing and creating software programs and applications through the SAP and ABAP programming codes. They conduct multiple diagnostic tests for newly-created and existing applications to ensure adherence to quality standards and requirements. They also provide technical resolution to end-users for their system issues and upgrade infrastructure to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and system failures. An SAP/ABAP developer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in evaluating features for smooth navigation and operations.
An application programmer is responsible for creating and designing computer systems and applications according to client specifications and business requirements. Application programmers run quality checks on the draft outputs to ensure its stability and efficiency for high-level performance. They also evaluate existing applications and recommend technical solutions to improve scalability. An application programmer must have excellent technical skills with a strong command of programming languages and system codes to determine the feasibility of applications and adjust features as needed.
Sap/abap developers and applications programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sap/Abap Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average salary | $104,432 | $85,133 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $137,000 | Between $64,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Zulily | Dropbox |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a sap/abap developer and an applications programmer in terms of educational background:
| Sap/Abap Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between sap/abap developers' and applications programmers' demographics:
| Sap/Abap Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 25.3% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 16.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |