Setting Up A Unified Joule Instance

A unified Joule setup refers to:

• A Joule instance running on SAP BTP, having a dev, prod, and test instance. If custom Joule Agents are not required, only test and production instances may be necessary
• Shared across multiple SAP cloud applications
• Backed by consistent SAP Cloud Identity Services configuration

Unified Joule setups are different from application specific deployments, and the unified approach represents a true Joule experience. A Unified Joule instance ensures seamless interactions and insights across these systems, improving productivity and decision-making at scale. The Key references section at the end of the lesson provides in-depth links for setting up unified Joule.

Before onboarding Joule, ensure that:

• You have a licensed SAP product that supports Joule integration (for example, SAP SuccessFactors or SAP S/4HANA Cloud)
• The product is running in a SAP data center
• The product is already integrated with SAP Cloud Identity Services – IAS, because Joule reuses the product’s IAS setup for user login.

Joule is an SAP BTP–based application, which requires:

• An enterprise SAP BTP global account
• Appropriate entitlements for Joule and SAP Build Work Zone in the same global account.

SAP Discovery Center missions explicitly position SAP BTP as the control plane where Joule is provisioned and integrated across systems.

All SAP applications participating in a unified Joule setup must use the same SAP Cloud Identity Services tenant for authentication. Users must be represented consistently by the same Global User ID across all integrated applications.

In addition, production systems must share one IAS production tenant, and non-production systems must share one non-production IAS tenant.

The following figure shows how Joule is provisioned centrally on SAP BTP and integrated end-to-end with SAP solutions through shared identity, navigation, and secure connectivity.

• Users access SAP applications through mobile or desktop clients, without logging into Joule separately.
• SAP Cloud Identity Services provide a shared identity foundation, handling authentication and user lifecycle across the landscape.
• SAP BTP hosts the central Joule instance within a subaccount.
• SAP Build Work Zone supports navigation and content resolution for Joule across SAP solutions.
• Destinations and connectivity allow Joule to securely interact with SAP backend systems.
• SAP Solutions remain in the systems of record; Joule consumes exposed content and services without bypassing existing authorizations.

Here is the common activation sequence that applies to all Line of Business (LoB).

Organize SAP BTP using:

• A global account
• Optional directories for separation
• One or more sub-accounts where Joule will be provisioned

Before running Joule onboarding, verify that:

• SAP applications are already integrated with SAP Cloud Identity Services – IAS
• Identity Provisioning (IPS) is available to manage identity lifecycle where required
• The Global User ID (user_uuid) is consistently mapped across applications

Onboard Joule through SAP BTP, where:

• Joule is provisioned once
• A central Joule instance is created
• Integration systems are associated with that instance

This is a Unified Joule Instance and is a prerequisite before enabling Joule in individual SAP solutions.

After the unified Joule instance exists:

• Lob specific enablement steps are performed (for example, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP S/4HANA Cloud)
• These steps build on the same Joule instance not a new one

It is good to follow the common setup first, then proceed with LOB specific guides.

No. A unified Joule experience requires a single IAS tenant per landscape tier (prod / non‑prod). Using different IAS tenants results in separate Joule instances.

You may proceed by enabling Joule, per application, if their identity landscape is not yet unified. However, note that this does not follow the unified Joule model.

The core Joule activation steps are common across all LoBs, additional steps may be required per LoB, documented in separate guides.

SAP promotes a unified Joule setup to enable one Joule instance across multiple SAP applications.

• Unified Joule requires consistent SAP Cloud Identity Services usage, including a shared IAS tenant and consistent Global User ID.
• The end-to-end setup flow is executed centrally on SAP BTP and documented through SAP Community blogs and SAP Discovery Center missions.
• Lob specific steps extend—but do not replace—the unified onboarding process.

• SAP Discovery Center – Establish a Unified Joule Instance- Provides guided enablement for setting up a single, centralized Joule instance that can be shared across multiple SAP solutions.
• Joule – Unified Setup: Bridging Simplicity and Performance - Explains SAP’s unified approach to Joule setup and how SAP BTP, SAP Cloud Identity Services, and SAP Build Work Zone work together across lines of business.
• Joule – End‑to‑End Setup Guide (Unified Approach) - Describes the common setup activities required to activate Joule across SAP solutions, forming the foundation for all line‑of‑business‑specific integrations
• SAP Help Portal – Prerequisites for Integrating Joule with SAP - Lists to the required system, identity, and entitlement of prerequisites that must be met before onboarding Joule.
• Setting Up a Unified Joule Instance: Key Considerations and Common Questions - Highlights SAP’s recommended domain and configuration guidelines to ensure Joule works as expected. Addresses common architectural and identity related questions when designing a unified Joule setup across production and non-production landscapes