SAP Business Technology Platform
SAP Business Technology Platform is a platform that allows users to integrate data analytics, custom app development and AI with SAP applications that are existing in the cloud.
What is SAP BTP?
AI in SAP BTP - https://www.sap.com/products/artificial-intelligence/business-technology-platform.html
What is SAP doing in Generative AI?
Generative AI hub - https://community.sap.com/t5/technology-blogs-by-sap/how-sap-s-generative-ai-hub-facilitates-embedded-trustworthy-and-reliable/ba-p/13596153
A part of the SAP AI Launchpad
SAP's own tools using Generative AI
Document Information Extraction - https://developers.sap.com/tutorials/cp-aibus-dox-ui-gen-ai.html
Two more tools were present - Personalized Recommendation and Data Attribute Recommendation
SAP Account requirement for using SAP BTP AI features
https://help.sap.com/docs/sap-ai-core/sap-ai-core-service-guide/service-plans
SAP BTP - free tier account required (not trial, note the difference)
Standard plan for SAP AI Launchpad (when creating instance)
Extended plan for SAP AI Core (when creating instance)
SAP AI Services - Out of the box services built using AI by SAP. Tried out the Document Information Extraction service - gives basic information from a receipt like key-value pairs of Name, Price, etc.
SAP BTP Cockpit - Dashboard where we create and hold all the instances of:
SAP AI Core
SAP AI Launchpad
Runtime Environment
SAP AI Launchpad - A UI that helps manage your 'SAP Core' instance and gives us a Generative AI Hub that gives access to different LLMs for prompt creation for different use-cases. Also provides interface for SAP AI core management (Selecting which models to use for which use-case).
Documentation - https://help.sap.com/docs/ai-launchpad/sap-ai-launchpad/using-sap-ai-launchpad
Guide for using GenAI hub - https://developers.sap.com/tutorials/ai-core-generative-ai.html?source=Developer_Community-Upskill-Video-Educate%2FEnable-Global-AI&campaigncode=CRM-XB23-MKT-DGEALL&sprinklrid=12380180750
SAP AI Core -
SAP services to handle all AI/ML operations.
Gives access to LLMs from different providers, such as GPT-4 by Azure OpenAI or Open-Source Falcon-40b. With this access, we can orchestrate multiple models, whether programmatically via SAP AI Core or via the playground within SAP AI Launchpad.
A starter kit at https://github.com/SAP-samples/btp-genai-starter-kit helps with setup of some sample programs and how to build custom GenAI applications via code. An SDK is provided for querying their HANACloud DB with vector capabilities.
Using the Services
To use the SAP AI Core or SAP AI Launchpad use something called "Boosters". Boosters help to create an instance for let's say 'SAP AI Core' and do the entire set up for us. We do not have to make the links or create any environment for running the same, this is set up automatically using a booster.
Boosters are available in SAP BTP Cockpit.
Creating Integration between SAP BTP and SAP Generative AI Applications
Taking SAP S4/HANA Cloud (A cloud ERP solution) as the target application testing this integration
Connecting to SAP S4/HANA Cloud - https://developers.sap.com/mission.abap-env-connect-s4hana.html
Tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niIDyAwfdKg
Creating communication system - https://community.sap.com/t5/enterprise-resource-planning-blogs-by-members/s-4hana-cloud-communication-arrangement-configuration/ba-p/13550711
Secure communication for inbound integration - https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_CLOUD/55a7cb346519450cb9e6d21c1ecd6ec1/36ea4658c0c51f60e10000000a44147b.html?locale=en-US
Partner Program
To connect with an SAP application and test the integration, we need to enroll for the Partner Program at SAP - https://www.sap.com/partners/partner-program.html
We cannot access the full versions of SAP applications on trial which include the tools to test this integration.