From its humble beginnings as the SAP Cloud Platform in 2013 to its remarkable transformation into the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) in January 2021, SAP has consistently been at the forefront of innovation in the tech industry.
Originally known as the SAP Cloud Platform, it was designed to empower businesses with the agility, scalability and innovation needed to tackle modern-day challenges head-on. As the years passed, technology continued to evolve at an exponential rate, and SAP was determined to stay at the forefront of this revolution.
In January 2021, the platform underwent a significant rebranding and emerged as the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). This renaming was more than just a cosmetic change; it was a testament to SAP’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of what their platform could achieve.
SAP BTP, with its extraordinary features and capabilities, promises to revolutionize how businesses approach their digital transformation journey.
In this blog, experts at VC ERP Consulting aim to delve into the key milestones that shaped the platform’s evolution, understand the driving forces behind the rebranding and explore the exciting array of features that the SAP Business Technology Platform brings to the table.
Evolution of SAP Cloud Platform to Business Technology Platform
The SAP Cloud Platform was an impressive platform that offered a wide array of services, tools, APIs and cool features that allowed users to easily integrate and extend their applications.
One such example was the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), which provided valuable insights and powerful analytics capabilities. Users could seamlessly integrate SAC with their on premise systems, making data analysis a breeze.
However, SAP didn’t stop there! They wanted to take things to the next level and create a unified technology base for all their applications. That’s where the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) comes into play. With BTP, SAP aims to turn their customers into “intelligent enterprises” by offering a comprehensive solution to meet all their needs.
To avoid any confusion and streamline their offerings, SAP made a smart move by integrating all the features from the SAP Cloud Platform into BTP. This ensures a smooth transition and allows users to experience the best of both worlds under one umbrella.
Get ready to explore the power of BTP in SAP and unlock a whole new level of intelligence and efficiency for your business!
What is SAP BTP?
Imagine a magical cloud-based toolbox that lets you build, extend, and supercharge your SAP applications with ease. Well, that’s exactly what SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) is all about! SAP BTP is a collection of tools, services and solutions all packed under one roof.
You might be wondering, how is BTP different from regular software? Well, it’s not just a single system; it’s a whole portfolio of products and services that work together seamlessly. This means you have the freedom to choose what you need and only pay for what you use – talk about flexibility!- Quickly build and extend your SAP Applications
- Expand your business processes, integrate with other systems and develop new applications – whether you are working in the cloud or on your own premises
- Trust BTP to communicate smoothly with SAP ERP through approved APIs
What Components are included in SAP BTP?
SAP BTP is a comprehensive suite of on premise and cloud-based solutions grouped under four primary technology pillars:- Database and Data Management
- Analytics
- Application Development and Integration
- Intelligent Technologies
Database and Data Management
Databases
SAP HANA: A columnar in-memory database technology enabling real-time analytics and can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud.SAP HANA Cloud: Offers SAP HANA database as a service on the cloud, providing flexibility and integration options.
SAP IQ: Optimized for Big Data analytics, featuring data compression to reduce storage costs, deployable on-premise or in the cloud.
SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise: A high-performance, row-based RDBMS suitable for data-intensive transactional use cases, available on-premise or in the cloud.
SAP SQL Anywhere: A traditional RDBMS that can be embedded in applications and run on smaller devices, deployable on-premise or in the cloud.
Data Management
Master Data Governance: Consolidates and governs enterprise master data, managing creation, change, and distribution.SAP Data Intelligence: Combines AI and ML to utilize siloed data effectively, available on-premise or in the cloud.
SAP Information Steward: Discovers, assesses, and improves data quality, enhancing operational and analytical initiatives.
SAP Data Quality Management, Micro services for Location Data (DQM): Ensures accurate contact information with cloud-based micro services for address cleansing and geocoding.
SAP Power Designer: Provides data modeling and metadata management capabilities for understanding enterprise architecture, deployed on-premise.
SAP Information Lifecycle Management (SAP ILM): Manages data lifecycle, including data deletion and archiving in an automated and compliant manner.
SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server: Supports real-time replication of data loads and scheduling data loads to SAP HANA for rapid applications and analysis.
SAP Data Services: Integrates with SAP and non-SAP systems for data integration, quality, cleansing, and transformation, deployed on-premise.
SAP Partner Extensions: Various partner solutions that can be utilized within SAP BTP, including SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management, SAP Advanced Data Migration and Management and more.Analytics
The Analytics pillar in SAP BTP enables organizations to make faster, intelligent decisions and become insight-driven.Business Intelligence (BI) tools
SAP Analytics Cloud for business intelligence: A SaaS solution with planning, predictive and BI functionalities.SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence: On-premise data reporting, visualization and sharing application. SAP Crystal Solutions: On-premise application for data visualization, analysis, reporting and distribution.
Data Warehousing
SAP Data Warehouse Cloud: Provides database, data modeling, management, and connectivity for analytics and planning.SAP HANA and SAP HANA Cloud: In-memory offerings for real-time access, storage, and processing of enterprise data. SAP BW/4HANA: SAP Business Warehouse optimized for SAP HANA in-memory capabilities (on-premise).
Enterprise Planning
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning: Cloud-based solution combining analytics and planning.SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (SAP BPC): Allows financial planning, budgeting, and consolidation (on-premise or in the cloud).
Application Development and Integration
This pillar facilitates agile business process innovation through customization accelerators. Customers can rapidly extend their current applications by building customizations more efficiently and seamlessly integrating them with diverse systems.SAP Extension Suite
- Provides modern and maintainable business applications
- Rapidly builds and enhances enterprise processes, applications and experiences
SAP Integration Suite
- Connect customer, product, employee and brand experiences with business operations in real-time
- Integrate on-premise and cloud-based applications and processes with SAP-hosted tools
- Offer an integration platform (iPaaS) service with thousands of prebuilt integrations and connectors
- Cloud-native process integration for quick extension of business processes with new cloud applications
- Support ground-to-ground, ground-to-cloud, and cloud-to-cloud application connections
Intelligent Technologies
The pillar of Intelligent Technologies empowers customers to elevate their operations by introducing cutting-edge innovations. The products within this pillar are centered on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling businesses to embrace advanced technical solutions and unlock new possibilities for growth and efficiency.Artificial Intelligence
The Following SAP products are available in AI:SAP Intelligent RPA
- Automates enterprise processes with a single integrated solution
- Structured process automation, business rule-based decision-making and task automation using bots
- Offers intelligent document processing using AI
SAP Conversational AI
- Low-code chatbot platform for enterprises
- Creates world-class chatbots in any language using NLP technology
- Enables building, training, testing, connecting and monitoring AI-powered chatbots in a single interface
- Streamlines user experiences across SAP and third-party solutions
- Allows quick, secure, and efficient chatbot deployment
SAP AI Business Services
- Provides strategic machine learning capabilities for automating and optimizing business processes
- Enhances the customer experience by automating short-term, time-consuming tasks
- Offers pre-trained, reusable AI services on business-relevant data
- Enables AI usage across the entire organization
Internet of Things (IoT)
SAP Internet of Things
- Connects billions of physical devices to share and collect data over the Internet
- Integrates sensor data into business object contexts for near real-time use in analytical and transactional applications
- Utilizes query models, rules, events and actions for data analysis
SAP Edge Services
- Enables local execution of business processes during intermittent connectivity or offline core processing
- Improves customer experience and reduces data transmission costs through data throttling and optimization
- Allows real-time decision-making by processing and analyzing data without latency
What are the Advantages of SAP Business Technology Platform?
The SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) offers a wide range of products and capabilities, providing businesses with numerous advantages to enhance their operations:
Real-Time Insights: Gain real-time insights and make data-driven decisions by accessing a unified data view across various systems and platforms.
Seamless Data Exchange: Facilitate smooth data exchange between SAP, non-SAP, and third-party solutions, promoting seamless collaboration and integration.
Flexible Customization: Tailor your applications to fit your specific business requirements. SAP BTP allows you to customize existing applications or build solutions from scratch, ensuring a perfect match to your needs.
Secure Connectivity: Establish secure connections between your systems and enable information sharing throughout your organization using open technology standards, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
Operational Agility and Cost Reduction: Benefit from real-time analytics that predict changes in demand, optimize inventory management, and ultimately reduce operational costs, leading to increased agility and competitiveness.
Data-Driven Product Development: Leverage data effectively from all corners of your organization to accelerate the development of new products, empowering innovation and growth.
Embracing SAP BTP empowers businesses with advanced technological capabilities, fostering efficiency, adaptability, and strategic decision-making.
Unlock the Potential of SAP BTP with VC ERP Consulting Today!
SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) offers a diverse array of products and capabilities that can revolutionize the way businesses operate. However, for SAP customers to truly unlock the potential of BTP and make the most of its components, they must understand which specific elements align with their unique operations and initiatives.
As businesses embark on their journey towards digital transformation and seek to integrate SAP BTP into their existing systems, partnering with the right partner becomes crucial. That’s where VC ERP comes in as the perfect implementation partner.
VC ERP has a proven track record of delivering successful SAP implementations and providing tailored solutions to meet the specific needs of each client.
SAP BTP service providers at VC ERP can guide businesses in choosing the most relevant tools and technologies to maximize value and drive growth with their deep expertise in both SAP solutions and the various components of SAP BTP.
Harness the power of SAP BTP with VC ERP Consulting and confidently embrace digital innovation, stay ahead of the competition and pave the way towards a prosperous future.
Are you ready to take the leap of faith with VC ERP today? Get in touch with our experts today! Whatsapp +254 111229970 (Kenya), Call +91 7948998911 (India), Call +1 469 915 6026 (North America) , +974 31239246 (MENA) or drop an E-mail at sayhello@vc-erp.com
