Introduction: Why SAP BTP Is No Longer Optional For Consultants

The modern SAP ecosystem is defined by rapid cloud adoption and the strategic vision of the Intelligent Sustainable Enterprise. Understanding SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) for SAP consultants of any discipline (functional, technical, integration, or business-focused) has become not just “nice to have”, but core competence.

SAP BTP (Business Transformation Platform) provides the technological foundation for connecting processes, data, people, and innovations across SAP and non-SAP landscapes. Consultants with in-depth BTP knowledge are better able to lead customers through complex transformations, build future-ready architectures, and deliver tangible business value.

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SAP’s Strategic Roadmap: From Legacy Systems to Intelligent Enterprises

SAP’s long-term strategy is to help organizations transform into Intelligent Sustainable Enterprises—businesses that adapt by embedding intelligence into end-to-end processes and operating on cloud-based, integrated platforms.

This vision rests upon four pillars:

Intelligence-Driven Business Processes: Business processes are continuously analyzed, automated, and optimized using real-time insights and embedded intelligence.

Comprehensive Business Applications: SAP S/4HANA offers an expansive application ecosystem that addresses sustainability, scalability, and innovation.

Robust Technology Foundation: SAP BTP enables developers to build, integrate, and extend applications across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Sustainability Management: Sustainability must become part of a company’s core metrics—alongside growth and operational efficiency—rather than an afterthought.

Together, these pillars enable organizations to break down silos, identify risks and opportunities early, and respond more quickly to changing business conditions.

Scenarios for Implementing S/4HANA in Greenfield or Brownfield Environments

Real-world consulting engagements typically present one or two transformation scenarios for customers.

Scenario A: Greenfield Implementation (New Customers).

These organizations may be new to SAP or just starting with S/4HANA Cloud, so, as a step in their journey, they have turned to this software solution for support. No legacy data is being migrated in this process. Processes were modified in line with SAP best practices to optimize operations.

BTP has been used since day one for integrations and extensions, using BTP as the integration and expansion framework. This approach ensures maximum standardization and flexibility for innovation.

Scenario B: Brownfield Conversion (Existing SAP Customers).

Established SAP customers who run SAP ECC or Business Suite may switch to S/4HANA Cloud in order to meet maintenance deadlines more quickly. Existing data and configurations are preserved. Custom developments are constantly reviewed and modernized. Rebuilt extensions on SAP BTP replace core modifications. RISE with SAP serves as the ideal transformation framework in both cases.

RISE with SAP: Business Transformation as a Service

RISE with SAP makes transitioning to the cloud simpler by consolidating all essential components into one contract:

SAP S/4HANA Cloud serves as its digital core.

Hyperscalers provide infrastructure.
Built-in migration and process discovery tools
SAP BTP consumption credits.

BTP for consultants means more than an add-on feature; it provides the framework for innovation, extensibility, and integration to occur naturally within their practice.

SAP BTP: the Basis for Intelligent Enterprise

SAP Business Technology Platform is an open platform-as-a-service (PaaS) designed to facilitate the development, integration, and extension of intelligent applications.

BTP runs on SAP-managed infrastructure or hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Alibaba Cloud, and employs both SAP- and open-source technologies to support hybrid/multicloud strategies. From a consulting perspective, SAP BTP prioritizes three critical end-to-end scenarios.

Consulting Firms Should Focus on SAP BTP for Consultants

1. Integration Across Complex Landscapes

Modern IT landscapes encompass on-premise systems, SAP cloud solutions, and third-party SaaS applications. SAP Integration Suite enables seamless connectivity across the value chain by supporting both SAP-to-SAP and non-SAP integrations.

2. Data-to-Value Convergence Capabilities

Organizations often struggle to manage fragmented data across disparate systems. SAP BTP helps organizations consolidate, model, and analyze data in real time using SAP HANA Cloud and SAP Analytics Cloud, leading to faster, better decision-making.

3. Increase Clean Core Extensibility

SAP BTP allows consultants to build side-by-side extensions while keeping the S/4HANA core clean and upgrade-safe, providing agility while protecting upgrades.

SAP BTP’s Four Functional Pillars of Success

1. Integration Capabilities

SAP Integration Suite supports various integration styles:

Cloud Integration services for process and data integration
Open Connectors provide prebuilt connections to over 170 non-SAP apps.
API Management to design, secure, and monitor APIs
Reduce integration complexity and accelerate implementation timelines

2. Application Development and Extensibility Evaluation (ADIE)

SAP BTP supports an inclusive development continuum that accommodates developers at different skill levels.

Citizen developers use low-code/no-code tools to quickly build apps and automations without writing code.
Professional developers use Node.js/Java, along with CAP (Communication Application Programming Interfaces) and ABAP RAP, to deliver enterprise-grade applications.
SAP Business Application Studio (BAS) provides a cloud-based IDE with dedicated development spaces.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment pipelines automate build, test, and deployment cycles for software products.

This approach accelerates development without undermining governance.

3. Data and Analytics (Data-to-Value)

SAP HANA Cloud offers in-memory DBaaS capabilities and supports multi-model data processing.
SAP Data Warehouse Cloud facilitates enterprise-wide data modeling and governance capabilities.
SAP Analytics Cloud integrates business intelligence (BI), planning, predictive, and augmented analytics.

These tools work hand in hand to transform raw data into actionable insights.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Automation

SAP incorporates AI capabilities directly into BTP services:

SAP Intelligent RPA automates repetitive business processes.
SAP Conversational AI enables bot-driven employee and customer engagement.
AI provides businesses with increased efficiency, accuracy, and user satisfaction across business functions.

Operating SAP BTP: Architecture, Security, and Commercial Models

BTP Account Architecture

Global Account: Represents commercial contract entitlements
Subaccounts: Used to structure projects and deploy applications.
Regions and Environments: Cloud Foundry, ABAP or Kyma runtimes

This flexible structure facilitates enterprise-scale governance.

Commercial Consumption Models

Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Model for Lower Entry Barriers
Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement (CPEA) for credit-based usage.
The subscription model provides predictable budgeting.

Free-tier services enable consultants to develop expertise at minimal costs.

Security and Identity Administration Services.

SAP BTP distinguishes between:

Platform Users (administrators and operators)
Business Users (application end-users).

Authorization is accomplished using roles and role collections. For central identity management, SAP Cloud Identity Services provide SSO, authentication and automated user provisioning features.

SAP Strategy Highlights the Green Line as its goal for sustainability

Sustainable business practices have now become an integral component of SAP’s vision for enterprise.
SAP integrates sustainability in their operations
Top Line: Evolution and adaptation are hallmarks of success for success in any endeavour.
Bottom line: Operational efficiency
Green Line: Environmental and social responsibility

Solutions such as SAP Product Footprint Management and SAP Sustainability Control Tower provide visibility over financial, operational, and environmental metrics.

Conclusion: Why SAP BTP Determines the Future of SAP Consulting

SAP Business Technology Platform is more than a technical infrastructure – it forms the backbone of SAP’s intelligent and sustainable enterprise vision. Consulting firms with knowledge of BTP can design cleaner architectures, implement innovations without disrupting business operations, and help customers realize long-term value for themselves.

Mastery of SAP BTP is one of the key skills required of modern SAP consultants and one that keeps them relevant, future-ready, and strategically aligned with SAP’s roadmap.

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