In an era where companies are under increasing pressure to innovate while qualified developer resources are scarce, efficiency and quality in application development are gaining strategic importance. SAP Build Code addresses these challenges with a modern, AI-driven development approach on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) – specifically designed for professional developers.
Strategic Vision: Rethinking Development
SAP Build Code is more than just a development environment – it is a core element of a comprehensive platform strategy. Optimized for Java and JavaScript, it integrates a generative AI copilot (Joule) that substantially accelerates the development of business applications while ensuring quality. The platform aims to bring innovations to market faster while enabling clean, maintainable extensions of existing SAP systems.
Growth and Market Response
Today, over 17,000 customers worldwide already use the SAP Build portfolio – and the number is growing. This strong growth is fueled in no small part by continuous enhancements in artificial intelligence. In 2025, SAP Build Code will become the innovation engine for development on the BTP – playing a key role in the transformation towards modular, cloud-based system architectures.
Addressing Key Challenges
The combined pressure of skills shortages, technological complexity, and the demand for accelerated digitalization requires new approaches to software development. SAP Build Code provides concrete answers:
- Acceleration of development cycles
- Reduction of manual effort through AI-based automation
- Seamless integration into existing SAP system landscapes
- Support for the Clean Core strategy
Joule: The AI Copilot for SAP Development
Joule, the generative AI copilot, is deeply integrated into the SAP context and understands both business and technical requirements. Key features include:
- Natural language as input: Joule automatically generates executable code – from data models (CDS) to CAP services, UI5 views, and unit tests.
- SAP-context awareness: Access to OData services, BAPIs, and the central service center enables robust, reusable code.
- Guided Development: Joule guides developers through complex processes, offering contextual assistance and recommendations for architecture, performance, and Clean Core compliance.
Technological Highlights (2025)
- January: Introduction of guided development, CAP refactoring, and automated unit test creation
- March: 1-click mobile apps with full offline functionality via MDK
- June: HANA Application Migration Assistant (Preview) for GenAI-assisted transformation of legacy XS artifacts into CAP services on HANA Cloud
End-to-End Development on the BTP
SAP Build Code supports the entire development process in one place, offering comprehensive capabilities for modern cloud architecture:
- Fusion Development: Prototypes from SAP Build Apps or SAP Build Process Automation can be seamlessly adopted and professionally developed – in a central repository with unified governance.
- Standardized development building blocks: Templates for the Cloud Application Programming Model (CAP), SAP Fiori/UI5, and serverless functions on Kyma.
- DevOps-ready: Native CI/CD pipeline integration via GitHub Actions or SAP Cloud Identity Services.
- Scalable integration: Access to over 2,000 APIs and business events from the service center.
- Generative AI applications: The new Vector Engine (Beta) enables AI scenarios based on Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
Business Value: Productivity, Quality, Scalability
Many pilot customers report significant efficiency gains:
- +58% shorter time-to-value thanks to accelerated development and deployment processes
- Support for the Clean Core strategy through clean, cloud-native extensions on the BTP
- Cost reduction and resource savings by automating repetitive tasks and reducing manual effort in lifecycle management
Conclusion: SAP Build Code as an Enabler of Modern Development Strategies
SAP Build Code lays the foundation for future-proof, agile, and AI-assisted development in the SAP ecosystem. The solution brings business and IT closer together, lowers the entry barriers for new developers, and at the same time maximizes control and governance for enterprise architectures.
With SAP Build Code, companies can accelerate their capacity for innovation – without compromising on quality or maintainability. The future of development on SAP BTP has begun.
Reach out now
Contact us for an individual analysis and consultation to find out where you stand with your BTP strategy today – and how you can actively shape the future of application development with SAP Build Code!