SAP launched SAP Build Code development tools that leverage generative AI and court Java and JavaScript developers as well as connect to data stores across the enterprise.
At SAP's TechEd 2023 conference, SAP outlined a series of tools that aim to enable developers to build applications and connect them to the SAP Business Technology Platform. These pro code tools, which build on last year's low code/no code rollout, feature the following:
- Generative AI productivity tools to connect heterogenous systems.
- Vector embedding capability in SAP HANA Cloud to handle unstructured data and provide context to models.
- SAP AI Foundation, a developer repository to build AI-driven business apps.
- Development tools that are optimized for Java and JavaScript and interoperate with ABAP Cloud development.
- Code generation via SAP's generative AI assistant Joule.
- Unification of design and run-time services to build interfaces using Java and Node.js.
- The ability to work in Visual Studio cloud hosted environments.
- Simplified API management so developers can connect to third party systems, link processes and keep business context.
SAP Build Code will be generally available in the first quarter.
The ERP giant's other big play was to connect its SAP Build Code developer base to its process optimization tools including SAP Build Process Automation, SAP Signavio, which will get a large language model specific to business processes or large process model, and SAP Integration Suite. By connecting development and process optimization, SAP is looking to keep data on its platform while extending into other third-party systems. To that end, SAP also said that models built in DataRobot can be hosted inside SAP AI Core and used in SAP Build applications and extensions.
More:
- SAP's 2023 outlook steady, S/4HANA revenue nears €4 billion annual run rate
- SAP launches Joule generative AI copilot, goes to 2-year S/4HANA Cloud major release cycle
- SAP buys LeanIX, aims to couple it with Signavio, system transformation
- SAP's AI ambitions depend on migrating customers to cloud, S/4HANA
- SAP user group DSAG rips S/4HANA innovation plans, maintenance increases
- SAP aims to infuse generative AI throughout its applications: Here's everything from SAP Sapphire 2023
In addition, SAP Datasphere will get updates to import business context from SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business Warehouse and SAP BW/4HANA for data integration. Datasphere will also have simplified data sharing as well as prebuilt business content with a release planned for the fourth quarter.
Constellation Research's take
Holger Mueller, Constellation Research analyst, handicapped SAP's announcements. He said:
"SAP is doing right by its developer community with the launch of Build Code – which took a temporary back seat with all the attention the low code/no code offering had in the last 12 months. It is of strategic importance for both SAP customers and SAP alike that existing customers can move their ECC based customizations and extensions to the cloud future, where they need to upgrade to S/4HANA by 2027.
Given that most custom SAP code is in ABAP though, the SAP developer community wonders why the focus was Java/JavaScript. Certainly, a more en vogue platform today, but it is easier to move alike code / programming language – than re-writing. It would have been a big win if SAP could have delivered all pro-code tooling in 2023.
On the HANA side it is important that HANA gets the now 'standard' AI vector feature – what it will mean for in memory usage will have to be seen – but a key step to keep HANA and HANA data (where all of S/4 HANA data is) relevant in the AI age. What needs to be clarified is the basic working of SAP’s AI platform – that would have been a prime-time topic for TechEd. We may now have to wait till Sapphire."
