Top 20 Ranked Global Analyst by ARInsights | VP & Principal Analyst for ERP/SCM and Enterprise Data Technology | Forbes Contributor | Professor of Business & Marketing at D1 University
SAP’s first Connect event in Las Vegas this week highlights how the company is moving from talking about AI to building it into the core of its systems. The new SAP Connect Business Suite brings data, applications, and intelligence together, focusing on automation that works inside existing workflows rather than on top of them. Joule has evolved from a chatbot into the engine behind role-aware assistants that operate directly across finance, HR, supply chain, and customer functions. These agents tackle practical tasks—automating sourcing in sourcing in SAP Ariba, spotting fraud in SAP Concur, matching skills in SAP Fieldglass, and identifying supply chain risks—making AI a built-in part of daily business operations instead of an optional tool. SAP’s Business Data Cloud Connect focuses on addressing one of its long-standing challenges: data silos. It allows secure, zero-copy data sharing with platforms like Databricks today and Google Cloud next year, enabling live collaboration across ecosystems without duplicating sensitive data. This aligns SAP’s data layer with the open data architectures customers use. Meanwhile, Business Network’s move to BTP and using Accenture’s conversion tools make modernization and integration more practical for customers. This feature lets you make updates that fit what we’re doing now. This can be especially important for operational teams, solving persistent workflow headaches and improving reliability rather than chasing AI hype. A big part of this is data. The value will depend on its quality and readiness. Companies with clean, governed data pipelines will see results faster; those still managing fragmented systems will struggle to unlock AI’s potential. As we know, the market is full of AI promises. I like SAP’s approach as it is a positive sign of how AI improves work, which may be what its enterprise customers are looking for. Moor Insights & Strategy https://lnkd.in/eqrw3qjY
