It’s a time of significant transformation across the SAP ecosystem. As SAP works to support its customers in implementing SAP S/4HANA and migrating to the cloud, generative AI has quickly emerged as a game-changing innovation for the SAP solution portfolio, underscoring the need for SAP customers to focus on data governance, cleansing, and quality within their organizations.
SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is particularly critical to setting the stage for digital transformation projects that involve cloud migration and generative-AI applications, enabling critical functions including (but not limited to) integration, analytics, application development, and automation.
For the fourth year, ASUG conducted research aimed at evaluating our members’ adoption, usage, and attitudes around SAP BTP. The newest research, conducted in partnership with Microsoft, shows that BTP adoption is accelerating in the ASUG community and provides clear visibility of which functions ASUG members are leveraging the most.
Here are three key insights from the research, which you can explore in greater detail here.
SAP BTP Usage
Among the most significant shifts reflected in the research: SAP users are leveraging SAP BTP in increasing numbers, and usage has markedly increased since research conducted in 2023. Over half (55%) of respondents indicated they are currently using SAP BTP, compared to 40% in 2023; furthermore, 73% of organizations currently leveraging SAP BTP are using the platform specifically for their SAP S/4HANA digital transformation projects.
ASUG also measured the adoption of specific functions within SAP BTP, to understand where members are finding the most valuable within the platform. The top five most leveraged functions were:
- Integration capabilities – 69%
- Analytics – 61%
- Process automation (including robotic process automation) – 55%
- Application development – 49%
- AI – 34%
Specific to AI, nearly half (44%) of respondents who reported they are currently using SAP BTP are already planning to leverage AI services via the platform, while four percent are already leveraging those solutions.
SAP BTP Benefits
The research also evaluated which specific benefits respondents reported from leveraging SAP BTP.
Connecting business applications and data across enterprises was the most popular response, as noted by 48% of respondents; that’s fewer than the 61% who reported this benefit in 2023. Automating and optimizing business processes was the second most realized benefit, with 42% of respondents indicated they realized this benefit—an increase from 25% in 2023.
Over one-third (35%) of respondents used SAP BTP to customize or extend SAP applications while keeping the core application “clean,” an increase from 27% in 2023. Finally, 18% of respondents reported using SAP BTP to infuse AI into core SAP applications, an increase from 10% in 2023.
Optimizing Success with SAP BTP
In previous years’ SAP BTP research, ASUG found that respondents reported difficulty taking full advantage of all the components of the platform. Recent research shows a dramatic growth—23%—in the volume of SAP BTP users who felt they were able to fully use the platform, with 46% indicating they were able to completely leverage the platform as desired. One-third of respondents (33%) reported they are still unable to fully leverage the platform, a decrease of 13% compared to the 2023 data.
ASUG also asked respondents how exactly their enterprises overcame barriers to leverage SAP BTP solutions. Popular responses included: developing knowledge and skills across all components of the platform, dedicating enough time and resources early in migration projects to optimize SAP BTP, consolidating and managing data, embracing automation of business processes, and possessing a continuous change management focus.
The full research report dives further into our latest findings regarding SAP BTP, including respondents’ overall awareness of and experiences with the platform. Gain access here.