Service Overview of the SAP Business Technology Platform
As part of our InnovateSAP initiative, we provide a detailed overview of the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) and its diverse services. SAP BTP unifies data management, application development, integration, artificial intelligence (AI), and more in a unified environment to help organizations with their digital transformation.
SAP BTP Services by Function
Application Development & Automation
- Low-code and pro-code development: Core services include SAP Build (for no-code/low-code developments) and SAP Business Application Studio (for professional developers). Among other things, these tools enable the rapid creation of applications that extend SAP S/4HANA by developing custom UI applications. Another core service is SAP CAP including SAP CDS for creating oData and JSON Rest Services with data from the HANA Cloud.
- Workflow management and task automation: SAP Build Process Automation makes it easy to automate workflows and tasks. As part of the HO2 Innovative SAP initiative, we have implemented various projects with customers. These include, for example, automating the processing of business documents by extracting or classifying information using AI and robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities. This allows companies to increase their document processing efficiency by reducing manual tasks and improving data quality. Another customer example of the use of RPA was a POC project in which role collections were automatically assigned to any SAP BTP subaccount based on an Excel file.
Data Management & Analytics
- Scalable in-memory database: The SAP HANA Cloud offers powerful data processing and storage, which serves as a data source for analysis, among other things.
- Data integration and analytics: Services such as SAP Data Intelligence, SAP Datasphere (formerly SAP Data Warehouse Cloud), and SAP Analytics Cloud enable the integration and analysis of data from multiple sources. A specific use case is predicting consumer market share to improve the accuracy and visibility of forecasts
Integration & Automation
- End-to-end business process integration: The SAP Integration Suite provides a comprehensive solution for integrating SAP and non-SAP applications. One possible use case would be to extend SAP Intelligent Asset Management to manage the entire asset lifecycle with custom workflows.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- AI and machine learning models: SAP AI Core and SAP AI Services support the development and management of AI and ML models. They enable the development of intelligent applications that make use of more traditional but also generative AI. A possible use case for data extraction from documents is described here: From Paper to Pixel: Automation through AI
Security & Identity Management
- Secure user management and access control: The SAP Identity Service helps companies securely manage user identities and access rights, which is particularly important for the management of digital workplaces and secure access to applications. As part of our InnovateSAP initiative, we are always interested in identifying gaps and showing solutions. An example from our experience from customer projects and POCs is that SAP Cloud Identity Management does not offer a large range of services and will probably only address SAP landscapes in the future. As a result, migration from SAP Identity Management (IDM) to the cloud is only possible to a limited extent.
Extension and personalization of SAP applications
- Personalization of SAP applications: With services such as SAP Extension Suite , companies can extend and personalize SAP applications from S/4HANA to meet specific business needs. Unlike in-app extensions, side-by-side extensions are more powerful in the cloud. In-app extensions are rather simpler customizations of the applications. Side-by-side extensions allow you to follow the motto “Keep the core clean” and develop and maintain your innovative application based on oData services or the table data separately.
Kubernetes integration
- SAP BTP Service Operator: This service makes it possible to consume SAP BTP services from within a Kubernetes cluster that is not managed by SAP and provides seamless integration with the Kubernetes architecture.
Centralized access
- SAP Work Zone Services: Enable users to access business applications centrally and improve the user experience through personalization. It is possible to create launchpads through which you can jump to the apps. It is possible to create graphical web pages here.
Use Cases and Business Value
SAP BTP supports a wide range of use cases, from optimizing and automating business processes to data-driven decision-making, to extending and personalizing SAP solutions. Companies can use these services to accelerate their digital strategies, simplify their IT landscapes, and develop innovative solutions that create sustainable business value.
Result
SAP BTP provides a powerful and flexible platform that helps companies drive their digital transformation. SAP BTP’s comprehensive services enable companies to make their processes more efficient, improve the user experience, and gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Our InnovateSAP initiative is here to help you fully exploit the potential of SAP BTP and make your company fit for the future. We look forward to exchanging ideas with you.
