I was honored to participate in SAP’s Devtoberfest this year.
Below you see how I am busting the myth that SAP app development has to take a long time or that Cloud is making things more complicated.
Enjoy!
Cloud Application Programming Model: Reaching New Talent in SAP Technology Environment
With SAP’s move to the Cloud, along with shifts in paradigms and some anticipated SAP technology resource issues, the SAP community will likely face some challenges in the near future. Going forward, the community needs access to a larger resource and talent pool in order to extend and enhance SAP applications and functionalities. This might seem like a tall order, but SAP has consistently developed the kind of resources that attract top talent. More than anything, they have continually shown that they are dedicated to advancing its many offerings to provide the solutions its customers need to succeed.
Perhaps the best example of SAP’s dedication to support is ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming), the company’s proprietary programming language. 20 years ago, SAP followed a simple, single development stack, relying primarily on the ABAP language for any development that needed to be done. Over time though, ABAP has been greatly expanded, now supporting Object Oriented approaches and web-based protocols. It also recently evolved to run independently in SAP’s Business Technology Platform. With roughly 70,000 developers around the world, the ABAP community is a proud one, and with the introduction of an ABAP stack in the cloud, it is clear that ABAP is here to stay.
Yet while ABAP remains the most popular programming language among SAP developers, it doesn’t rank among the more popular programming languages in general. Thankfully though, alternatives are emerging. SAP recently developed a non-ABAP paradigm based on its Cloud Application Programming Model, which has been steadily growing in popularity. It allows SAP extension development with other, more open and popular languages, such as Java (the most commonly used programming language) and Node.js (one of the two most commonly used web technologies). This gives a wider range of developers access to a much larger resource pool.
The value of this non-ABAP option is already apparent. At Rizing, those who’ve adopted the Cloud Application Programming Model have seen 20-30% efficiency gains compared to other SAP extension paradigms. Additionally, we have customers in areas such as the Hawaiian Islands, where getting access to local ABAP developers is often challenging. Using a cloud-based extension paradigm based on more popular programming languages helps them overcome their resource shortages and more easily connect with other like-minded developers.
None of this is to suggest that ABAP doesn’t still have an important role to play in SAP development. ABAP is still the most popular choice among existing SAP developers and it remains the only language possible for certain enhancements, even in SAP’s S/4 HANA. However, a growing community needs to attract new talent and SAP’s Cloud Application Programming Model is a great alternative to bring in developers that use more common programming languages. Couple that with SAP’s long-standing penchant for resource development and I am confident that they can bring in and support this new influx of talent.
Recommendations On the BTP Pillars – Artificial Intelligence
Excited to share the fifth and final installment of our deep-dive series – “Recommendations On the BTP Pillars.” Today, we’ll be unraveling the complexities of the fifth pillar of SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) – Artificial Intelligence (AI).
SAP’s AI solutions are empowering organizations to infuse intelligence into their operations and run with confidence on a trusted, enterprise-grade platform. Harnessing the capabilities of SAP AI Business Services (such as business entity recognition, data attribute recommendation, document information extraction and personalized recommendation), organizations can enhance their decision-making and operational efficiency.
Adding to this, SAP AI Core and SAP AI Launchpad provide a robust foundation for machine learning, integrating pre-built business AI models, MLOps, and responsible AI. The purpose-built services that come with pre-trained models offer a versatile foundation, while the AI Core enables a generic machine learning foundation, making the entire system customizable and adaptable.
At Rizing, we advise utilizing the existing, API wrapped models sold as SAP AI Business Services and AI Core for inference of custom built models. This enables your business to harness the power of AI effectively, augmenting human capabilities and improving operational efficiency.
As we often say, “SAP Business Technology Platform is the Business Operating System.” It’s designed to support enterprises in their digital transformation journey by providing a solid foundation that infuses intelligence across business operations. How is your organization leveraging the power of SAP’s AI capabilities to enhance its decision-making and operational efficiency?
Share your thoughts and experiences!
#SAP #AI #BTP #DigitalTransformation #Rizing
Recommendations On the BTP Pillars – Data and Analytics
As the fourth part of our deep-dive series – “Recommendations On the BTP Pillars,” we are delving into SAP’s Business Technology Platform’s (BTP) fourth pillar – Data and Analytics. This pillar is foundational to giving data purpose and building agility to meet change.
In the age of digital transformation, the ability to understand and leverage data has become critical for business success. SAP’s suite, including SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), SAP Datasphere, SAP Data Intelligence Cloud, SAP Master Data Governance, and SAP HANA Cloud, provide comprehensive data management solutions.
SAC combines business intelligence, augmented analytics, and enterprise planning to provide insights for better decision-making. SAP Datasphere facilitates data orchestration across the enterprise landscape, while SAP Data Intelligence Cloud simplifies data conversion and intelligence. SAP Master Data Governance ensures data consistency across various transactional and analytical systems, and SAP HANA Cloud acts as a high-performance in-memory database to handle both transactions and analytics.
In the face of evolving BI solutions and data services, our firm, Rizing, recommends real-time data federation and context creation for data lakes as these tools promote agility and real-time insights. The shift from traditional systems like BW to these innovative solutions forms the core of SAP’s Data and Analytics pillar.
Let us harness the power of SAP’s Data and Analytics tools to realize the full potential of your data and drive business agility. #SAP#DataAnalytics#BTP#Rizing
Recommendations on the BTP Pillars – Automation
In today’s digital age, companies are constantly looking for ways to streamline their operations and increase agility. As we venture into the third installment of “Recommendations on the BTP Pillars,” our deep dive series on SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP), we examine the vital role of automation and its transformational impact on businesses worldwide.
The cornerstone of this exploration is SAP Build Process Automation. This suite is a powerful aggregation of decisions and rules, RPA bots, and process visibility. Its application in businesses enhances efficiency, simplifies complex processes, and, most importantly, drives innovation. SAP’s automation capabilities promote an environment of continuous improvement and adaptive change, ultimately pushing companies to their strategic goals faster and more effectively.
Complementing this suite is the SAP Task Center, a robust platform enabling visual workflow management, robotic process automation, process monitoring & analytics, and automated document processing. This powerful fusion of workflow management, business rules engine, and robotics process automation sets the stage for businesses to develop intelligent workflow processes. It equips organizations with the tools they need to navigate complex business terrain with finesse and precision.
At Rizing, we understand the importance of automation in today’s business outlook. That’s why we recommend considering automation for future intelligent workflow processes. SAP BTP, with its automation capabilities, allows companies to meet change with agility, build faster, and infuse each task with business context.
We view the SAP Business Technology Platform as more than just a technical solution. It is a Business Operating System, ready to power your business with intelligence and agility. As we continue our exploration into SAP BTP, join us on this journey to discover how technology can revolutionize your business operations. Stay tuned for the next installment of this series. The world of SAP BTP still has a lot to offer.
Recommendations on the BTP Pillars – Integration
As we continue to unpack SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) in our series “Recommendations on the BTP Pillars,” let us delve into the second pillar – Integration. This facet of the platform embodies the integration of business partners or networks, business applications and public entities into a tight value chain .
At the heart of this pillar is SAP’s Integration Suite. Integration Suite itself is collection of applications that facilitate data, process and event integration. One application called Cloud Integration is at the center of the solution and provides connectivity and mapping functions. Other services such as API Management, Event Mesh and an Adapter Collection complete the offering and make it a leader in Gartner’s magic quadrant.
Three reason why you should start your SAP BTP Integration journey now:
1. API Management functionality can easily and securely make SAP Business Application API’s available to outside parties. In concert with the Cloud Connector it enables access to biz apps that took weeks and months to enable in the past.
2. SAP released an automatic PI/PO migration tool. This tool can dramatically reduce the manual effort involved in moving your existing integration logic to the Cloud.
3. A plethora of content packages and an AI supported mapping engine is in my humble opinion the real reason every SAP customer should evaluate the BTP Integration pillar. The possible savings in development effort can be substantial.
Through the Integration pillar, businesses can seamlessly manage their APIs, facilitating frictionless interactions with legacy applications and external services. In the dynamic digital landscape, this capacity for integration is an invaluable asset. It’s one more way SAP BTP helps businesses stay ahead of the curve and embrace the digital future’s potential.
And that’s just the beginning. There is more to learn about the Integration pillar and the rest of the SAP BTP. So, as we continue to dive deeper into the platform in this series, remember – “SAP Business Technology Platform is the Business Operating System.” Stay tuned for further insights in the coming weeks.
#SAP#BTP#Integration#APIManagement#SAPBTP#Rizing#MartinStenzigBTPRecs
Recommendations on the BTP Pillars – App Dev
Welcome to the first installment of my deep dive series, “Recommendations on the BTP Pillars.” Today, we’ll be exploring the first pillar of SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) – Application Development, and how it empowers businesses to create personalized and innovative applications.
SAP BTP Application Development enables businesses to build and innovate applications using a range of advanced tools and technologies. One of the core offerings of SAP BTP is the low-code/no-code approach, which allows users to build and deploy apps rapidly with minimal coding knowledge, using tools like Build Apps and Build Work Zone. This visual development approach uses pre-built templates, components, and services to accelerate development cycles while ensuring consistency and quality.
For more experienced developers, SAP BTP offers the Business Application Studio and the ABAP Environment, which provide extensive support for pro-code development. With these tools, developers can create microservices, APIs, and custom logic, integrating them seamlessly with existing SAP applications and external systems.
SAP BTP also embraces the concept of side-by-side extensibility, allowing businesses to enhance and extend their applications without modifying the core code. This approach reduces technical debt and maintenance overhead while enabling a flexible, modular architecture.
The platform’s support for developers allows them to leverage in-app extensions and integration services such as SAP Cloud Platform Integration Suite to create a unified and cohesive user experience. At Rizing, efficiency gains of 10%-20% have been experienced in application development using SAP BTP. Thus, we recommend evaluating Cloud Native approaches and specifically the use of SAP’s CAP and RAP frameworks to maximize the platform’s benefits.
In summary, SAP BTP’s Application Development pillar offers a powerful combination of low-code, no-code, and pro-code tools that allow businesses to develop, extend, and maintain applications more efficiently. Stay tuned for the next installments in this deep dive series as we explore the remaining pillars of BTP and provide more technical insights into harnessing this versatile platform.
#BTP#SAP#ApplicationDevelopment#DeepDive#BTPPillars#TechStrategy#Rizing#CloudNative#LowCode#NoCode#ABAPEnvironment#SAPCAP#SAPRAP