BTP From Hana, to AI to Clean Core

The SAP BTP universe

The name should say it all, but SAP BTP is more of a framework for artificial intelligence, ERP enhancement, data management, security, and clean core. Business Technology Platform represents a comprehensive universe in which SAP's ERP will evolve in the coming years. The question of technical leadership and hierarchy is completely open: is S/4 with Hana, clean core and BTP the ERP paradigm of the future, or will SAP BTP position itself as a universal platform for artificial intelligence, Hana, and other ERP S versions?

Are Hana and BTP here to stay? Yes, they are, is what many SAP experts think, despite the fact that may soon be an S/4 successor. In a technology blog on community.sap.com, SAP manager Raja Gupta explains how "Hello World" can be programmed in Java and Node.js, Abap RAP, CAP, SAP Build, Node, Python, SAP UI5, Kyma, and using the BTP SDK for iOS. An impressive IT achievement, but not yet a consolidated ERP platform for SAP customers due to the lack of a unified usage and licensing model.

SAP BTP is technology versus business management

A traditional SAP customer has at least two challenges: the technical operation of the ERP system and the business and organizational orchestration. The added value of an ERP platform results from the increase in productivity in the structural and process organization.

The jury is still out on whether and how SAP BTP will pay off for SAP customers. However, the need for a comprehensive platform for successful ERP evolution is beyond doubt. Monolithic ERP constructs such as SAP R/3 and ECC 6.0 are no longer able to cope with an agile and Internet-based economy. The move to hybrid ERP systems and IT platforms is irreversible. A future SAP ERP universe will require a platform for AI, security, and customization.

The first step is SAP clean core

SAP is not only moving to the cloud, but also undergoing a comprehensive consolidation process, known as clean core. The goal is to reincarnate classic ERP as a compatible IT building block. SAP's ERP (both R/3 and ECC 6.0) has been sustainably individualized through numerous modifications. This development has now reached its limits. Individual solutions are difficult to orchestrate in a hybrid environment consisting of on-premises, private and public clouds. SAP wants to protect S/4 from manipulation with a newly standardized ERP and well-defined APIs. This return to standards and encapsulation of S/4 is known at SAP as "clean core.”

SAP partners can become certified in this rigorous program. One of the first partners in the clean core program will be giving a keynote at the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2025. Register now here on March 5 in Heidelberg, Germany— register now.

Artificial Intelligence as an SAP ERP function

An exciting debate is currently underway in the SAP community, regarding the use and positioning of AI. There are essentially two lines of development: AI as a component of existing ERP algorithms (the path SAP is currently taking) or AI as a framework on the BTP for free use by SAP customers and partners.

ERP and AI are inextricably linked. The SAP community is currently engaged in a lively debate about how to implement AI capabilities. The fact is that the Business Technology Platform and appropriate AI capabilities can be used to create highly customized, yet release-ready, programs. One SAP partner calls it "The SAP Business Technology Platform as an AI hub”. The SAP BTP with the Generative AI Hub can be a mediation center for artificial intelligence and thus provide an opportunity to enrich applications with the capabilities of generative AI. A presentation on the GenAI Hub of SAP BTP has been planned for the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2025. Register now here 2025 in Heidelberg, Germany—you can see the program here. to the program.