Introducing SAP Business Data Cloud

SAP Business Data Cloud (SAP BDC) is a fully managed Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that unifies and governs data from SAP and non-SAP applications to power advanced analytics and AI.

SAP BDC provides a data platform to manage all SAP and non-SAP data and is used to build advanced analytical applications and AI.

The SAP Business AI Platform is the foundation layer that supports the SAP Autonomous Suite. The SAP Autonomous Suite comprises AI-infused business applications that brings AI agents and humans together for optimal business process outcomes.

The SAP Business AI Platform provides many technology services that are required by SAP Business Data Cloud including:

1. Unified Customer Landscape (UCL) to securely connect the SAP BDC components, such as SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud.
2. SAP HANA Cloud provides the data lake storage and compute layer.
3. Security and Compliance to manage data access and permissions and regulatory compliance.
4. SAP Build to provide developers with tools to build custom applications on top of SAP BDC data.

This means IT teams will already have the skills needed to work with the infrastructure, tooling, and underlying technology of SAP BDC that underpins many other SAP solutions.

SAP Business Data Cloud components that work together as the Business Data Fabric. A data fabric is a combination of data architecture and dedicated software solutions that centralize, connect, manage, and govern data across different systems and applications.

The SAP BDC business data fabric extends basic data fabric by ensuring that the business logic is kept intact and stays close to the business data at all times. The basic principle is that whenever data is shared, the meaning of the data must also be provided.

SAP HANA Cloud

SAP HANA Cloud serves as the connection layer between the pro-code analytical applications developed with SAP Build and the data products in SAP BDC. SAP HANA Cloud consumes data products as data sources for developing multi-model analytical applications, which includes spatial, graph, vector, and dimensional modeling.

SAP HANA Cloud connects directly to data sources to access live operational data, and combines this data with the curated data products in SAP BDC to provide a dual-sourced data set that can be used to power custom AI agents. SAP HANA Cloud provides the high-speed, in-memory compute for custom applications.

SAP Datasphere

SAP Datasphere provides the data modeling layer on top of the data products. Data models are provided by SAP to support the predelivered Intelligent Applications, but custom data models can also be developed. Non-SAP applications can be connected to SAP Datasphere to combine SAP data with non-SAP data.

SAP Datasphere also serves as a central tool for managing analytical roles and data access control, helping you to determine which business users can view specific data.

SAP Analytics Cloud

SAP Analytics Cloud is the dashboard/visualization component of SAP Business Data Cloud. It is as a central tool for gaining business insights and executing planning functions. You can run ad-hoc analysis, explore the provided data with a built-in AI-driven natural language capability, and act on the insights with AI-driven suggestions.

SAP Analytics Cloud stories are used to provide the dashboards in the out-of-the-box reporting scenarios with SAP BDC Intelligent Applications.

SAP Business Warehouse

If you run SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), then you can bring it into the landscape of SAP BDC.

Integrating SAP BW in SAP BDC provides you with a path to modernization of your SAP BW. You can onboard your SAP BW data into SAP BDC and generate data products from it. The SAP BW-generated data products can then be combined with other data products from SAP and non-SAP sources and used in intelligent packages and AI projects.

SAP Databricks

SAP Databricks is a tool to enrich your SAP data using AI and machine learning. SAP Databricks provides data scientists with a comprehensive set of tools for data engineering projects. SAP Databricks is the embedded version of Enterprise Databricks and has been specially developed through the partnership with SAP and Databricks to bring data science tooling to SAP customers.

AI Foundation

AI Foundation is SAP's AI operating system and toolkit that supports developers who want to build custom AI agents and models at scale. Using Joule Studio, developers can create agents to carry out specific business tasks. SAP BDC provides the essential data to the agents using data products.

SAP Snowflake

SAP Snowflake is also a tool for the data scientist who would like to use the data products of SAP BDC in AI and machine learning projects.

SAP have partnered with Snowflake to provide the full feature set of the enterprise version of Snowflake to SAP customers. SAP provide customers with the choice of data science tooling and continues to add more tools to the SAP BDC platform to expand the choices through partnerships.

The components of SAP Business Data Cloud can be organized into four conceptual layers:

1. Lake Storage
2. Intelligent Compute
3. Knowledge Core
4. AI Agents and Intelligent Applications

1. Lake Storage

The Lake Storage layer is the physical data storage layer built on SAP HANA Cloud, data lake where data from all sources, SAP and non-SAP, is managed using data products in a modern lakehouse architecture. Data sources include:

• SAP Applications such as SAP S/4HANA and SAP SuccessFactors.
• SAP Business Warehouse which can be used to generate data products from SAP Business Warehouse data.
• Non-SAP Applications includes data from an organization's enterprise landscape.

2. Intelligent Compute

Intelligent Compute is the layer is where data is processed.

• SAP HANA Cloud contains multi model in-memory engines to provide fast processing.
• SAP Databricks handles machine learning and AI workloads.
• SAP Snowflake is an alternative to SAP Databricks and also handles machine learning and AI workloads.

3. Knowledge Core

Knowledge Core is the layer where data meets business context to power analytical applications and AI. It includes:

• SAP Datasphere is used to combine data products to develop context-rich data models consumed by intelligent applications.
• SAP Analytics Cloud is the presentation tool to develop advanced dashboards combining analytics and planning.

4. AI Agents and Intelligent Applications

AI Agents and Intelligent Applications is the consumption layer of SAP Business Data Cloud and includes:

• Joule is SAP's AI-powered co-pilot. Joule uses context-rich data to provide answers to business users' questions and to provide additional insights.
• Intelligent applications are delivered by SAP in Intelligent Packages. They are AI-powered, data-rich dashboards that provide insights on real-time data and make recommendations to the business user. You can extend them to suit your own business requirements.

Master Data Governance can also be included in an SAP Business Data Cloud formation. It provides data cleansing and the enrichment of master data from any data source. It ensures that data products that carry master data are complete, de-duplicated, and ready to consume as trusted sources.

A key part of SAP's data fabric strategy is to allow you to mix your preferred tooling to create your own data management landscape. You can include certified partner solutions in your SAP BDC landscape using the SAP BDC Connect.

SAP BDC Connect is the component of SAP BDC that enables customers who already run third-party data platforms to share their SAP BDC data products. It is important to emphasize that data is shared and not copied. The shared data products are still managed and governed by SAP BDC.

Data from third-party platforms can also be shared with SAP BDC using SAP BDC Connect. SAP BDC Connect supports bi-directional data sharing.

In today’s fast-moving workplace, employees face increasing demands - more complexity, tighter timelines, and higher expectations. Switching between systems and searching for data often slows things down. Joule was created to change that.

Joule is SAP’s generative AI copilot that helps people work smarter. It brings intelligence, automation, and contextual insights directly into business processes, reducing friction and freeing up time for higher-value work.

Joule is built into all major SAP applications and available wherever you work. With a single click, or a simple prompt, you can ask Joule to handle everyday tasks, find data, or explain insights. Joule currently supports over 1,800 capabilities across SAP systems, covering around 80% of the most common business transactions.

Joule in action for business users. Joule can perform thousands of everyday tasks - such as entering time off, reviewing invoices, or managing deliveries - through simple natural language. Most users see productivity gains of around 30%. And with Joule Studio in SAP Build, organizations can even create custom skills tailored to their workflows and industries.

Explore More: To see Joule in action and learn how to get started, explore the Joule End-User Enablement Guide. This interactive handbook provides an end-user overview, practical examples, and sample prompts to help you make the most of SAP’s AI copilot across applications.

Joule for consultants and developers. For consultants and developers, Joule is more than an assistant, it’s a partner. It provides on-demand guidance during design, implementation, and customization, and can even generate or optimize code snippets. This helps teams deliver solutions faster, with fewer manual steps and greater accuracy.

Intelligence that Scales. Beyond individual tasks, Joule coordinates intelligent agents that work together across departments. From automating workflows, sharing data, and optimizing decisions in real time. This means HR, finance, supply chain, and IT no longer work in silos but as one connected ecosystem.

Joule adapts to the needs of every user, offering the right support, in the right context:

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• Consultants: Access instant insights and documentation, cutting research and project delivery time.