What is SAP BTP for Beginners?

In this blog, let’s take a look at what is BTP from a beginners lens.

We will also discuss the difference between on-premises, infrastructure as a service, software as a service and platform as a service. Tools available within BTP, BTP free trial and how to learn SAP BTP for free.

Firstly, SAP BTP stands for Business Technology Platform, and it is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) model.

What is Platform-as-a-Service?

If I have to explain Platform-as-a-Service, then I must also explain the other models such as On-Premises, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to clearly show the difference between them and Platform-as-a-Service.

In the On-Premises world, the servers and associated infrastructure are kept within the premises of the customer or in a data centre. In simple words, it’s like you owning a car. You are responsible for driving, servicing, paying insurance, refuelling, and repairs—everything to do with the car falls under your responsibility.

Whereas Infrastructure-as-a-Service is like leasing a car long-term. You are still responsible for driving it, parking it, and filling the fuel, but the leasing company will take care of servicing, provide you with a fuel card, manage financing, etc.

Software-as-a-Service is like riding a taxi or an Uber. You don’t have to worry about anything. All you need to do is book one and travel to your destination when the car arrives and the rest of it is taken care of by the taxi company.

Platform-as-a-Service is like hiring a car from a rental company at the airport for example. When you go to hire the car, it’s ready to go—fuelled, serviced, and cleaned. You’re still responsible for driving and refuelling it along the way, but everything else is taken care of by the rental company.

Now let’s look at the same from a software development perspective.

If I have to develop software using On-Premises, then I have to purchase servers, manage networks, storage, security—everything. I also need to install the required development kits, databases, and any other tools needed to develop the software. I will have to manage these on an ongoing basis as well.

In the Infrastructure-as-a-Service model, I don’t have to purchase servers or manage networks and security—these are all taken care of by cloud serviece providers like Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud. All I need to do is install the required software on the server and start developing.

If it is the Software-as-a-Service model, I can’t develop the software—I just consume it. For example, Gmail. I can’t develop or change any functionalities, but I can use the software to manage my emails and make small changes like changing the theme or font.

With Platform-as-a-Service, the servers, network, software development kits, integration API’s and databases are already installed and managed by the service provider. All I need to do is use those tools to code and develop the software. That’s exactly what SAP BTP does. It provides you with all the foundational tools for you to develop software, integrate SAP applications and create data analytics. You can make use of those tools and develop the software application as per your organisation’s requirement. You don’t have worry about the underlying infrastructure, database administration or API’s. They all are already available within BTP and you just have yo make use of it.

I hope now you have a clear understanding of what Platform-as-a-Service is and how it differs from other models.

Now, let’s talk about SAP BTP.

The functionalities offered by BTP are mainly divided into four categories:

Application Development & Automation
Data & Analytics
Integration
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Application Development & Automation

SAP Build is a low-code/no-code tool. It allows you to develop simple apps without writing code—just use drag-and-drop functionality and create apps with simple workflows.
For more complex, enterprise-grade apps, you have Cloud Foundry and Cloud Application Programmingoptions. Using these, you can build high-complexity applications with programming languages such as Java, Python, ABAP, Node.js, etc.
You also have the option to use Kyma Runtime, a Kubernetes-based platform that focuses on extending applications with serverless functions and containerized microservices.
This category also includes Business Process Automation tools, which help you automate complex business processes like financial account reconciliation, accounts payable, invoice matching, etc.

Data & Analytics

SAP BTP offers powerful analytics solutions like the Business Data Cloud, HANA Cloud, and SAP Master Data Governance.

Business Data Cloud combines solutions like SAP Analytics Cloud, Datasphere, Databricks, and Business Warehouse to offer an enterprise-level, powerful analytical solution.
HANA Cloud brings the power of the HANA database to the cloud. If you’re building apps on BTP, you can use the services of the HANA Cloud database.
SAP Master Data Governance helps you store and manage your organisation’s master data in one place, serving as the source of truth for all your SAP enterprise applications.

Integration

SAP BTP has a powerful integration tool called the Integration Suite. It offers pre-built APIs, connectors, and integration flows that help you connect various SAP and non-SAP applications to exchange data seamlessly.

Artificial Intelligence

SAP’s AI is called Joule. It’s available within BTP and is tightly integrated with all its functionalities—application development, data & analytics, and integration.

For example, Joule for developers helps build applications with the aid of AI. You can provide a prompt, and Joule will generate code for you, with which you can continue interacting to build your application.
You can also ask analytical questions to Joule regarding your organisation’s data. For example, you can ask about the number of sales in a particular month and country, and Joule will provide the answer—assuming your organisation is using Business Data Cloud and the relevant data is available there.

Next Topic – Are there any free trials available?

SAP offers a BTP free trial for 90 days. There are some limitations on which functionalities you can try in the trial version. Those details are available on the SAP website.

Finally, how can you learn about SAP BTP?

The best way to learn—not just about BTP but about any SAP product—is through SAP Learning Hub. Some courses may cost money, but there are plenty of free learning journeys to get you started. Once you’re ready, you can pay to sit for certification exams.

I hope this short blog has given you enough knowledge to kick-start your BTP journey.

Please share this video with your friends who might also benefit.

Thanks!

ERP is Easy