Munich, June 06, 2024: The growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications is stimulating interest in the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). This is one of the findings of a recent survey of SAP users in the DACH region conducted by the digital consulting, solutions, and software house valantic. The survey also revealed that many companies are currently assessing specific potential uses for AI technologies and that integrating such applications into companies’ business processes remains the exception rather than the rule. The preliminary survey, focusing on BTP and AI, is part of the annual SAP S/4HANA study, which valantic has conducted since 2018. Anyone interested in participating in the survey can still do so until the end of June. The full insights are scheduled for publishing in Summer 2024.
For the seventh consecutive year, valantic is asking the SAP community about its views on S/4HANA migration, investment plans, preferred technologies, and business opportunities. This annual survey helps identify long-term trends and forecast future developments. The initial phase of the study concentrated on the impact of the current AI trend within the SAP ecosystem.
One thing is clear: The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) has meanwhile established itself in the corporate world and is seen as an essential integration tool, especially for incorporating AI technologies into the SAP environment. Many user companies are currently assessing how AI can be gainfully integrated into SAP modules and business workflows.
First the facts: 56% of the survey’s participants (SAP user companies) are already using BTP – up sharply from 34% the previous year – and a further, almost 21%, are currently planning to introduce it. This indicates that SAP’s long-term initiative has been a success and that most SAP user companies are now beginning to leverage the practical benefits of BTP.
The reasons why some companies are still hesitating to adopt BTP within their organizations are revealing. Around half the survey participants (55%) not yet using BTP cited a complete lack of, or insufficient, information as a key factor. However, this information shortfall has dropped sharply since 2023, when 64.3% viewed BTP as a black box. Other reasons for the reticence include 15% opting for alternative PaaS solutions, and 10% deterred by the cost of using BTP. 20% stated other factors, such as data privacy concerns or skepticism towards cloud environments.
An additional focal point of valantic’s 2024 SAP Survey is artificial intelligence. Last September, the Walldorf-based company made a significant move with the launch of Joule, its AI assistant designed to understand business contexts and integrate seamlessly into mission-critical business processes. As a result, it comes as no surprise that Joule tops the list of AI applications that respondents find particularly intriguing (42.9%).
Beyond the AI assistant, Joule, the SAP community views artificial intelligence overall as a key transformative force. While 70% of the survey’s participants cite AI technology as relevant or highly relevant to their business, only a pioneering 6.6% use it as an integral part of their business processes. 26.4% are running their first AI applications and services, and nearly half of the polled SAP user companies are actively developing an AI strategy for their business.
Many of the surveyed companies consider BTP a promising tool for seamlessly integrating AI solutions into the SAP environment, with around a third planning to implement AI services on BTP. However, only 2.2% already have such services in operation, suggesting significant potential for improvement here.
Since 2018, valantic has annually surveyed SAP experts’ views on topics such as S/4HANA migration, investment planning, preferred technologies, and business opportunities. This year, nearly 100 SAP experts and IT managers from the DACH region participated in the first phase of the survey. The final phase of the online survey is not yet over, so anyone interested in participating can still do so until the end of June.
