The SAP Cloud Platform will soon be offering a free tier model in 2021 to provide users access to learn, develop, and implement integrations and extensions in one account. SAP has extended its current SAP Cloud Platform trial offering from three-12 months to help users transition to the upcoming free tier model.
In the recently concluded SAP TechEd in 2020, a 48-hour, non-stop virtual conference by SAP, the software giant announced its new initiatives to boost the advancement of all developers across the SAP ecosystem, regardless of their skill level. These include low-code/no-code tools, a free tier model for SAP Cloud Platform, and further updates to SAP Business Technology Platform.
SAP Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Juergen Mueller delivered the keynote entitled “How SAP’s Business Technology Platform Empowers Developers”. Sharing about SAP’s inspirational journey during the time of COVID-19, he highlighted the pivotal role of developers in supporting customers and in building an even stronger future. Moreover, Mueller explained to the developers in the audience that the company’s intelligent enterprise vision and technology strategy is underpinned by SAP Business Technology Platform.
“This is why we get up every morning. The goal of SAP Business Technology Platform is to empower you in your development role so that you can accelerate your company’s move to the cloud. This year has been an exceptional journey, impacting each and every one of us, and we have to go through it together as a shared journey,” the SAP CTO stressed.
SAP Cloud Platform and SAP Business Technology Platform Enhancements
Below are the latest tools and enhancements announced in the SAP TechEd in 2020 that developers could leverage as their organisations transition to the cloud.
SAP Cloud Platform Extension Suite Enhancements
The SAP Cloud Platform Extension Suite now offers three complementary and integrated process automation tools, which address different skill levels and automation scenarios.
For developers and business experts, the SAP Cloud Platform Workflow Management now includes new predefined content packages and integration with Experience Management solutions from SAP and Qualtrics, combining operational and experience data. For business users with no coding skills, the SAP Ruum solution helps create departmental processes efficiently. For developers looking to automate repetitive, manual tasks with software bots, SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) 2.0 technology includes prebuilt bot templates to drive efficiencies with SAP S/4HANA and 12 lines of business. It is in the SAP’s pipeline to include a limited edition of SAP Intelligent RPA in every SAP S/4HANA Cloud subscription beginning January 2021.
Free tier model for SAP Cloud Platform
Also scheduled next year, SAP intends to offer a free tier model for SAP Cloud Platform, the integration and extension solution for SAP Business Technology Platform. The free tier model removes current time restrictions and allows users to transfer projects to production without the need to rebuild content.
SAP One-Domain Model
SAP One-Domain Model, a common data model for business objects in the SAP Business Technology Platform, now supports its first business objects for the end-to-end recruit-to-retire business process. Developers can access these through the SAP Graph software beta offering or SAP API Business Hub, which now has a redesigned user experience to help architects and experts easily identify relevant integration content, such as APIs and events, integration packs, and user documentation. The update will be available as a beta shipment by the end of 2020.
SAP HANA Cloud Integrations
SAP HANA can now be extended with SAP HANA Cloud as a hybrid data solution, allowing developers to connect data between SAP HANA on-premise and SAP S/4HANA systems as well as third-party sources. By using a single access point to data across SAP and non-SAP sources, customers can simplify their data environment, reduce replication or inaccuracies, and increase security and compliance.
The SAP Data Warehouse Cloud solution, which unites the data management capabilities of SAP HANA with the analytics features of the SAP Analytics Cloud solution, now has a new, easy-to-use data flow builder. This allows users to integrate and combine structured and semi-structured data from SAP and non-SAP sources.
Mueller said that the developers are the true enablers for every business during these extraordinary times when a new level of digitalisation is critical.
“ We want to help you be successful personally, and we want to help you help your company. This is the whole purpose of SAP Business Technology Platform. This is your time to shine by developing new applications, extending applications, creating new integrations quickly, helping your teams make confident decisions, and making it easier for your colleagues to work in your company,” he emphasised.
