Supporting Business AI

SAP BDC is the backbone of AI by providing a single source of trusted data from across the entire enterprise.

SAP BDC plays a key role in the flywheel effect. The flywheel builds momentum from continuous rotation across three layers: applications + data + AI to drive innovation, boost productivity and ensure sustainable growth. SAP BDC provides the data layer in the flywheel.

The cycle begins when source applications provide the data that is used to generate data products in SAP BDC. The data products are then used to train AI agents and to support SAP's co-pilot, Joule. The insights generated by AI are then re-consumed by the source applications to optimize business processes and outcomes. This cycle does not stop, and with each rotation, higher value is generated.

Joule is the co-pilot that supports the business user by returning answers to questions that have been asked using natural language. Joule uses data products from SAP BDC plus it refers to the SAP Knowledge Graph to ground the results.

Joule is a key interface for the business user as they increasingly move towards conversational interactions to complete their tasks. Joule can be used in a variety of ways such as:

• Informational - help me to do something
• Navigation - help me to find locate data or apps
• Transactional - help to to create something
• Analytical - help me to understand something

Joule also plays a key role in orchestrating AI agents. For example, a business user's request through Joule can trigger multiple AI agents to begin working performing various tasks in the system. Joule ensures that the AI agents work together to provide the optimal outcome.

In many of these interactions with Joule, access to high-quality, trusted, enterprise-wide data is needed. That is where SAP BDC plays an important role by providing data products that include business data and associated semantics.

AI agents carry out tasks in the system either triggered by human interaction using Joule, or triggered by other agents.

When agents work together the power of AI is exponentially increased.

There are many different types of AI agents that work autonomously to achieve a desired outcome.

But regardless of their task, most AI agents need access to high quality business data to support their actions. SAP BDC provides the data from across the enterprise that the AI agents require to make the best decisions.

SAP BDC provides the data the powers agentic AI.

Analytical applications embed AI to provide insights so that the business user can work more effectively.

For example, AI can summarize complex dashboards and highlight key insights that might otherwise be missed.

SAP BDC provides embedded AI with the essential business data and meta data it needs to generate these insights.

A knowledge graph captures business data and its meta data to build intelligence that is used to ground results generated from AI.

A knowledge graph connects the business entities to form relationships and generate facts. A knowledge graph learns from the data it is provided with. Joule and AI agents can check facts in the knowledge graph as they generate results, to ensure they are grounded in reality and avoid hallucinations.

SAP BDC data products support the development of knowledge graphs to provide context-rich, factual data.

SAP BDC plays a key role in AI engineering.

AI engineering is the development of machine learning and AI models by a data scientist.

SAP BDC provides tooling and run-times for the data scientist. They can choose to use tools and run-times from SAP Databricks, SAP Snowflake or SAP Foundation AI to develop models. The tooling includes a pro-code development environment and ready to use algorithms and models.

SAP BDC data products can be shared with SAP Databricks, SAP Snowflake and SAP AI Foundation for the development of AI/ML models. New data products can be generated from the results of machine learning and AI.