SAP has announced the development of the SAP business suite, including extensions to AI assistant Joule, the launch of SAP Business Data Cloud Connect, and new AI native applications for core business processes.
Addressing fragmented enterprise stacks
The company outlined an approach to tackling the problem of fragmented technology stacks within an enterprise by unifying AI, data and applications within a single suite. The SAP Executive emphasized that combining these factors will allow organizations to make smarter decisions and speed up execution.
“When volatility is a new normal, companies need more than a patchwork of different best bleed applications,” said Muhammad Alam, a member of the executive committee of SAP Product & Engineering. “Today's announcement demonstrates the power of the SAP business suite. AI, data and applications experience to drive smarter decisions, faster execution and scalable transformations.”
AI development
SAP has introduced further capabilities to its AI assistant Joule, and placed it at the heart of value creation within SAP Business Suite. Joule's new role-based assistant suite is designed to utilize applications and data across the business suite to partner with employees in specific roles and provide relevant assistance. Assistants configure, coordinate and manage a variety of tasks, allowing employees to focus on insight and productivity.
Supporting these assistants is a specialized Joule Agents' expanded library aimed at facilitating complex workflows within individual functions. The company described manager assistants for people who, for example, have gathered specialized agents, including intelligence agents for new people, to help managers deal with issues such as compensation anomalies. Similarly, the newly introduced Financial Planning Assistant utilizes expert agents such as cash management agents to focus on optimizing financial expert cash flows and improving interest rates.
“This new roster of role-aware AI assistants not only partners with people to improve the performance of their business lines, but also works across business functions to solve complex enterprise-wide problems.”
Connect data between platforms
SAP has also launched SAP Business Data Cloud Connect, which aims to remove barriers caused by data silos. The new solution links SAP Business Data Cloud with partner platforms, including Databricks and Google Cloud, enabling two-way zero-copy data sharing. According to SAP, this deployment means that data remains secure within the SAP system, but it can be accessed instantly from the customer's existing platform and maintain context without replication.
SAP BDC Connect allows businesses to access data more efficiently across organizational and technology boundaries. The initiative is set up to reduce data silos, streamline the data management pipeline, and provide reliable data for analytics and AI when needed.
Databricks and Google Cloud were attracting attention as early partners, and it was expected that more partners would continue. SAP has confirmed that its partnership with Databricks remains a data service within the SAP Business Data Cloud, with BDC Connect aiming to extend access and benefits to the broader ecosystem. These integrations aim to promote rapid access to business data products and to drive the transition from raw data to real-time insights.
AI-Native Enterprise Applications
Among the new business applications, SAP Supply Chain Orchestration stands out as an AI native solution that integrates Joule with live knowledge graphs, detecting and responding to supply chain disruptions in real time. SAP said this will help customers manage costs more effectively and maintain efficient supply chain operations.
Another newly launched solution, SAP Engagement Cloud, is designed to utilize business contexts to personalize interactions with customers, suppliers and other business stakeholders. The suite also includes the next generation of SAP Ariba procurement solutions. This embeds AI at every stage of spending management, from sourcing to supplier engagement.
SAP described these deployments as the start of a new era of business applications, combining AI, data and applications with a self-enhancing approach to drive greater intelligence, speed, and organizational resilience.
