SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced SAP Business Data Cloud, an innovative solution that unifies all SAP and third-party data across the organization, providing a trusted data foundation for making more effective decisions and building robust artificial intelligence. The solution harmonizes data from key organizational applications with data design and business analytics functions, paving the way for next-level innovation and analytics.
This landmark partnership between SAP and Databricks marks a new era in enterprise data management, combining the efforts of two industry leaders to reimagine the principles of application and data platform interaction. The new solution natively integrates Databricks technologies for data engineering, machine learning, and artificial intelligence tasks.
“SAP Business Data Cloud unlocks the full potential of enterprise data for business AI,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein. “SAP Business Data Cloud combines SAP’s unique expertise in critical business processes and semantically rich data with Databricks’ global engineering standards, creating a revolutionary solution that helps organizations extract more value from their data than ever before.”
“Every company on the planet is striving to make the most of their data and ensure a high return on investment in artificial intelligence,” said Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and CEO of Databricks. “By joining forces with SAP, we are helping organizations integrate all their data, regardless of its format and location, for effective management, in-depth analysis, and the creation of specialized AI applications based on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.”
Introduction to the Data Economy
SAP Business Data Cloud also contributes to the development of the data economy by providing fully managed SAP data across all business processes – from finance, expenses, and supply chains in SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba to training and HR data in SAP SuccessFactors. These data products retain their original business context and semantics, providing instant access to high-quality data without costly extraction processes. For example, if a CFO needs to assess the impact of rising inflation on profitability, SAP Business Data Cloud integrates real-time external data, such as the consumer price index, with financial data, such as general ledger accounts or cost centers, to create a comprehensive financial picture.
SAP Business Data Cloud will also offer new capabilities called analytics applications that leverage data products and AI models connected to real-time data to provide enhanced analytics and planning across all areas of the business, including core enterprise analytics, finance, and human resources management.
“SAP Business Data Cloud will help us unlock the potential of our data and drive innovation in our business,” said Markus Hartmann, Vice President Corporate Solutions and Head of Business Technologies and Regions Europe, APAC and IMEA, at Henkel, an international chemical and consumer goods company. “Semantically rich data and deep integration with Databricks will expand our current capabilities and allow us to model scenarios and use AI-powered analytics, shaping a sustainable future for our data ecosystems.”
Realizing the Full Potential of AI Agents
SAP Business Data Cloud will enhance the ability of Joule, SAP’s generative AI assistant, to accelerate cross-functional workflows and optimize business solutions using AI agents. Thanks to the industry’s highest quality enterprise database and the SAP Knowledge Graph solution, which provides a business-friendly data model, Joule agents deeply understand end-to-end processes and can interact with various functions to solve complex business problems that no other out-of-the-box agent-building solution can do.
Highlighting the importance of the announcement and its significance for innovation in artificial intelligence, SAP also introduced a series of ready-to-use Joule agents for finance, services, sales, and other areas within the SAP Business Suite. For example, in finance, Joule agents will collaborate on various tasks, enabling accelerated claims processing and optimized cash flow. Joule agents for sales, in turn, will accelerate multi-stage business processes, contributing to faster dispute resolution and customer request processing.
SAP also introduced a new agent creation feature that allows customers to develop and deploy their own AI agents alongside SAP’s library of ready-to-deploy Joule agents. Decades of SAP’s business process experience are built into the instructable workflow so users can create their agents based on the most relevant data and business context.
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SAP is a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI. For more than 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to manage their key business processes in finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer engagement. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
Photo: SAP
