The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is the key buzzword when it comes to digital transformation in the SAP environment. But what exactly is behind this platform, and what added value does it offer your company?
In this article, we shed light on the basics of BTP and explain why it is the key to an agile and future-proof IT landscape.
SAP BTP: The modular building block system for your intelligent enterprise
Think of SAP BTP as a comprehensive building block system of cloud services that is specifically tailored to SAP environments.
Many companies struggle with classic challenges: distributed systems, data silos, and an ERP core that can only be customized at great expense. BTP addresses precisely these problems by providing an open, highly modular cloud platform.
BTP forms the technological foundation of SAP's strategy for the “Intelligent Enterprise,” SAP's vision of a data-driven, AI-powered enterprise. The platform is open and multicloud-enabled: It runs on all major hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud), allowing you to flexibly connect third-party systems and even choose hyperscalers and regions to meet compliance requirements.
Important components of BTP include:
- Data management services: For example, SAP S4HANA Cloud and HANA data lakes.
- Analytics services: Such as SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC).
- Integration and development tools: Such as SAP Integration Suite and SAP Build (low-code/no-code).
- Artificial intelligence (AI): Services related to AI and machine learning.
The role of BTP: More than just a platform in the SAP ecosystem
Within the overall SAP context, BTP positions itself as the key to digital transformation. It is firmly integrated into the “RISE with SAP” cloud transformation program and acts as an innovation layer above your digital core (such as S/4HANA or SAP ECC).
The platform bridges the gap between your existing SAP systems and new cloud technologies. You can use it to integrate SAP and non-SAP solutions and consolidate data from various sources.
Clean Core: Why BTP makes your updates cheaper
One of the biggest strategic advantages of BTP is that it is perfectly aligned with the SAP Clean Core strategy. The principle is simple: your digital core (S/4HANA or ECC) should remain as standardized as possible.
The reason: every customer-specific modification made directly in the ERP core makes the system more difficult to upgrade. Updates become more expensive, complex, and risky. Technical debt grows with every adjustment.
Side-by-Side Instead of Custom Code
BTP solves this dilemma with the side-by-side extension environment. Instead of making individual adjustments directly in the ERP, you develop new functions or custom UIs outside the core system and connect them seamlessly to S/4HANA via APIs or OData services.
The result: Your S/4HANA remains untouched and updatable. At the same time, you have the flexibility to expand your business processes in a customized way. Clean Core does not mean “no customization” – it means “intelligent customization in the right place.”
Five concrete benefits that SAP BTP offers your company
Why should you, as an SAP customer, use BTP? Here are the most compelling arguments:
- Seamless integration: BTP enables real-time integration of heterogeneous IT landscapes – from SAP systems to third-party applications and cloud services. With the SAP Integration Suite, data flows can be monitored centrally, creating end-to-end business processes and avoiding media breaks.
- Agile extensibility: Develop new functions side-by-side outside the ERP core. Changes and enhancements are implemented faster, while critical ERP updates remain predictable and low-risk.
- Accelerated pace of innovation: Use ready-made services for AI scenarios and low-code tools such as SAP Build. Implement mobile apps or analytics functions in weeks instead of months without having to build a complete infrastructure from scratch.
- Simplification and standardization: The centralized platform approach covers many requirements. Instead of building separate isolated solutions (which can incur immense licensing costs), consolidate technologies and create uniform standards for security, operation, and user experience (UX).
- Future-proofing and scaling: SAP is investing heavily in BTP (AI, automation). By using BTP, you can stay ahead of the curve without having to build every innovation yourself. You also benefit from the scalability and high availability of hyperscalers, with payment based on usage (subscription or credit model).
Where BTP is already creating added value today: Three practical examples
The Business Technology Platform is used across industries for innovation, integration, and expansion. Specific use cases demonstrate the direct added value:
- Integration: A customer integrates their S/4HANA backend with an external CRM system (e.g., Salesforce) via the SAP Integration Suite. This ensures an automatic, traceable data flow from quotation to billing.
- Extensions: A machine manufacturer develops a customized, mobile maintenance app on the BTP. This app accesses ERP data via API and adds specific sensor data to enable technicians to perform predictive maintenance.
- Data analysis and AI: A retailer consolidates sales data from store systems and inventory in BTP. An AI service (e.g., Gen AI Hub) is used to generate forecasts for reorders, the results of which flow back into the ERP for automatic inventory optimization.
Your starting point for BTP: Governance and iterative steps
To ensure a successful BTP implementation, we recommend setting clear guidelines from the outset:
- Governance first: Define a sensible account and organization model (global account and subaccounts, e.g., by project phase or department). Define naming conventions, roles, and permissions clearly to avoid chaos and increase security.
- Start small, grow iteratively: SAP BTP offers countless possibilities. It is advisable to start with a focused pilot case that can be implemented in a few weeks and delivers real added value. This allows your teams to get to know the platform and scale based on this experience.
- Get business and IT on board together: BTP projects are not purely IT projects. The best results are achieved when interdisciplinary teams (for example, under the umbrella of a center of excellence) bring together expertise from different areas.
Your next step into BTP
SAP BTP is the technological layer above the infrastructure that provides you with all the building blocks you need to implement innovative ideas in the cloud.
Discover the SAP Integration Suite
, how to set up your integration scenarios with clean architecture, and how to get the most out of this powerful service.
We look forward to accompanying you on your individual BTP journey. The best first step: our BTP assessment questionnaire. Our questionnaire will give you an initial assessment of your individual potential for BTP. Uncover optimization opportunities and lay the foundation for your individual roadmap toward an innovative SAP strategy.