Taking advantage SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) and SAP Fiori, companies can extend their systems SAP S/4HANA Cloud in a powerful and sustainable way, without compromising the stability or upgradability of the ERP core.
SAP BTP provides the platform services and technologies needed to implement extensions for SAP S/4HANA through SAP Build, part of SAP BTP. How? Basically, SAP BTP applications and extensions can interact with SAP S/4HANA through APIs and released events, without the need to modify the core.
To keep it simple, let's focus on how this can benefit your SAP ecosystem and, of course, bring value to your business.
(You may be interested in: What is SAP Clean Core?)
Integrations in SAP Clean Core
The Strategy SAP Clean Core introduces two great extensibility paradigms that complement each other, bringing together the best of both worlds. A clear example is the capacity for hybrid deployments, where some components remain on-premise while others work in the cloud.
“In short, both the technologies on-stack like side-by-side (and those available in both environments) effectively complement each other in the transformation to SAP S/4HANA. Together, they allow organizations to efficiently extend and customize SAP S/4HANA, adopting modern working methods and responding to changing business needs, thus driving digital innovation. ” — source: SAP
On-Stack Extensibility
Extensibility on-stack consists of building extensions directly within the SAP S/4HANA system using approved frameworks (this applies to all modalities: Public Cloud, Private Cloud and on-premise).
The most advanced method with the greatest future projection is ABAP Cloud, which allows the development of custom logic and applications in a standardized and secure manner against updates. When done following SAP best practices, these on-stack extensions are classified as Class A, which means that they fully comply with the Clean Core principles.
Side-by-Side Extensibility - integrating SAP BTP and Clean Core
Extensibility side-by-side takes advantage of SAP BTP to create, run and manage applications that interact with the central ERP, but operate independently.
This approach uses modern technologies such as SAP Fiori for the user experience and allows you to innovate quickly without jeopardizing the core of the ERP.
Some examples of extensions side-by-side They are:
- Custom full-stack applications
- Mobile apps
- Process Automation Solutions
- Applications for external users
(You may be interested in: What is SAP Fiori and what is it for?)
Full-Stack Solutions in SAP: Combining On-Stack and Side-by-Side
A modern extensibility strategy often combines both paradigms to create applications Full-stack:
- On-Stack (ABAP Cloud): Business logic and APIs are securely implemented within SAP S/4HANA Cloud with ABAP Cloud. Following the Clean Core guidelines, these extensions achieve the status of Class A for maximum upgradeability and compliance.
- Side-by-Side (SAP BTP & Fiori): Custom interfaces, workflows and integrations are developed in SAP BTP using SAP Fiori and other services, interacting with the ERP through stable APIs.
This hybrid approach ensures that your company can differentiate and innovate in the periphery, while the core of the ERP remains solid and easy to manage.
Benefits of SAP BTP in the Clean Core strategy
✅ Smooth transition to Clean Core: SAP BTP offers a complete set of services (integration, analytics, workflows, AI, and more) that allow for rapid and secure innovation.
✅ Cost reduction: As they are decoupled from the SAP S/4HANA core, extensions are not affected by updates, reducing effort in maintenance and upgrades.
✅ Preparing for the future: SAP BTP supports multiple programming models and cloud-native capabilities, ensuring that your extensions remain relevant as technology evolves. With SAP Build, both developers and key users can create extensions in a more agile way, accelerating ERP modernization, encouraging innovation and automating processes, all within a unified suite of tools.
Choose Brait to clean the Core of your SAP system
An Extensibility Strategy Clean Core, driven by SAP BTP and SAP Fiori, allows companies to innovate rapidly while maintaining a stable, sustainable, and compliant SAP environment.
When combining extensions on-stack (ABAP Cloud) and side-by-side (BTP), your organization will be able to build full-stack applications that are at the same time robust, secure and business-oriented.
In Brait, our SAP specialists are ready to help you design and implement this modern extensibility architecture to unlock the full potential of your investment in SAP.
👉Contact us now to explore your system’s status through a free, commitment-free evaluation.
