Datev is a company that specialises in tax consultancy and auditing and offers a comprehensive range of software and services for tax consultants, auditors and companies.
It is a registered co-operative.
Only members of the tax advisory, auditing and legal advisory professions may become members. The cooperative therefore primarily represents the interests of its members.
The original name was DATEV Datenverarbeitungszentrale der steuerberatenden Berufe Nürnberg eingetragene Genossenschaft mit beschränkter Haftpflicht.
Hence the name :).
Datev stands for data processing and data exchange in the Association of Tax Service Providers.
It was founded on 14 February 1966 by 65 tax agents in Nuremberg to handle their clients' accounting with the help of IT.
The computer centre is also located there.
In recent years, it has developed considerably and has now become one of the largest IT service providers for tax consultants and SMEs in Germany.
Datev offers a wide range of professional solutions for accounting, human resources and the entire tax sector, for example.
In the cloud solution DATEV Unternehmen online, companies can process their bookkeeping and payroll accounting online in a secure environment.
Datev plays an important role in the German economy and is THE competent partner for many companies and tax consultants.
This is just the umbrella term for a large number of individual sub-programmes/apps that are tailored to the specific needs of different user groups - similar to Microsoft Office with its components MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
The correct question must therefore relate to the desired sub-programme: for example, with Kanzlei-Rechnungswesen buchen (financial accounting), Lohn & Gehalt Comfort or Lodas (payroll accounting).
In addition, there are many, many other sub-components and supplementary modules, such as asset accounting, cost-performance accounting, income tax, trade tax and VAT modules, dozens of components for all other tax topics or DATEV employees online.
This allows employees to access their pay slips, which leads to greater transparency and satisfaction.
Overview of the different modules (exemplary status 2022)
Overall, this system offers comprehensive digital support in the areas of tax, accounting and HR management with a wide range of modules and has an estimated market share of 25-30 %.
This means that Datev knowledge is required on every 4th computer in the accounting/tax department of a company!
Datev and SAP are two different systems that can be used for a company's business and accounting processes.
One has been developed specifically for tax consultants and auditors and, in recent years, also for their clients. It specialises in the needs of the German tax and auditing sector and its clients and has thus acquired a high level of expertise and reputation in this field.
The systems are customised to the various industry-specific requirements.
The other - SAP is software for larger and globally networked companies and is aimed at a completely different target group.
Since, as described above, it is not possible to speak of Datev in general terms, it is the relevant knowledge of individual components that future personnel must master.
These are networked in a superstructure. At first glance, the software appears very complex and not very intuitive to learn. This is why advice and training from certified training partners are essential.
There are various ways to learn this qualification.
One option is to take part in training courses organised by the Datev Academy. They offer both face-to-face seminars and online training courses for their members' employees.
There are training courses for beginners and advanced users, depending on your needs and level of knowledge.
Another option is self-study with the help of modern teaching materials that are provided.
These include books, online tutorials or newsletters to impart the necessary expertise.
Datev also offers special certifications that certify in-depth knowledge in certain areas and are recognised by companies as proof of qualification.
In any case, it is important to continuously work on your own further training. Applicants must always be up to date with changes in the industry.
In addition to the direct training courses at DATEV, there are numerous training partners who provide in-depth knowledge for everyday work as part of a so-called "training partnership" according to a standard curriculum explicitly defined by Datev.
There are numerous training courses as part of higher education, technical and vocational training or at private educational institutions (often subsidised by the Federal Employment Agency).
However, adult education centres also offer qualifications in which you can learn basic computer skills in this area.
The knowledge transfer is often more cost-effective and trains the required basics and advanced knowledge in a short time and concludes with a graded certificate.
Training courses are organised directly by Datev for its members, usually in 1-2 day seminars, to impart the basic knowledge.
The other training partners mentioned above provide training in face-to-face or online seminars, some of which last several weeks and comprise 40-80 teaching units, depending on the sub-module.
Most of the knowledge providers listed above conclude their courses with a graded qualification. In addition, for a few years now there have been additional certification options for bookkeeping and payroll accounting.
Below you will find the links with information on content and procedure.
You can find a comparison of different degrees in the following video:
As already mentioned above, the complex programme interface takes some getting used to. Once understood, it is consistent throughout all modules.
Under this link you can get an overview of the DATEV programme user interface.
Datev knowledge is required in all these activities / professions.
At the Treptow-Köpenick Adult Education Centre in Berlin, we offer training that follows the standard curriculum.
You will learn all the programme functions and IT skills required for the Kanzlei-Rechnungswesen programme.
It is an online course that offers the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming activity independent of time and place.
The programme is aimed at career changers in accounting as well as experienced employees, most of whom are looking to enter this programme on a part-time basis.
Even if you do not work with one of the Datev modules, you should save the following page for later knowledge research.
The highlight is Lexinform - a free knowledge database.
In addition to help functions for the programmes, extensive technical information is available here - always up to date.
Lexinform is part of all programme modules. However, you can also access the content free of charge and without registration (albeit to a limited extent).
https://www.datev.de/dnlexom/client/app/index.html#/start
When you talk about Datev knowledge, you don't always mean the same thing.
It is important to ask questions in order to avoid misunderstandings and expectations on the part of employers and employees.
This article was intended to provide a little more clarity on this topic.
