Shaping the future with SAP®: Clean Core, BTP, and the Intelligent Enterprise

02 June 2025

Strengthening the foundation together: How a clean core, SAP® BTP and AI make your system landscape future-ready

Imagine your ERP system as a house: over the years, extensions have been added, structures rebuilt and quick fixes implemented – until the original layout is barely recognizable. Lines run criss-cross, new technologies no longer fit the old structure, and every renovation turns into a major challenge.

This is exactly where the current SAP® strategy comes in. With the clean core approach, SAP® S/4HANA and the SAP® Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP® aims to stabilize, modernize and future-proof IT landscapes.

As an implementation partner, it is our role at SRCP to make these concepts tangible, explain the strategy, and show concrete paths into practice.

With the clean core concept, the Business Technology Platform (BTP) and AI-based tools such as Joule, SAP® has defined a clear architectural blueprint. Our mission at SRCP: we help you understand this blueprint, translate it into your specific reality – and jointly evolve your digital house to be robust, flexible and intelligent.

The foundation: SAP® S/4HANA as a stable core

According to SAP, the cornerstone of any modern system landscape is a stable, low-maintenance core – in this case SAP® S/4HANA. This is where all central business processes converge: standardized, efficient and transparent. In practice, however, many companies have heavily modified this core over the years – comparable to adding new windows into load-bearing walls. This makes later renovations difficult, upgrades risky – and often prevents new technologies from being used effectively.

The solution: Clean core – lean, maintainable, future-ready

SAP® is therefore consistently pursuing the clean core approach. The principle is straightforward: the digital core remains untouched – no deep modifications, no custom extensions at the heart of the system. Instead, new capabilities are added modularly via clearly defined interfaces – loosely coupled, flexible and independent.

According to SAP®, this results in numerous benefits:

Stability: The core remains robust and upgradeable.
Faster upgrades: New SAP® releases can be adopted more easily.
Flexibility: Extensions can be adapted or replaced independently.
Cost efficiency: Reduced maintenance effort and lower risk of errors.
Scalability: The system grows with your business requirements – not against them.

The toolbox: SAP® BTP for custom extensions

A solid house needs not only a strong foundation, but also the right toolbox. This is where the SAP® Business Technology Platform (BTP) comes into play. SAP® positions BTP as the central platform to:

Develop extensions outside the core (for example with low-code/no-code)
Integrate SAP® and third-party systems
Process data intelligently
Leverage new technologies such as AI, IoT, analytics and automation

All of this works without damaging the basic structure of your ERP house. SAP® BTP is not a risky intervention, but a flexible extension based on a clear architectural plan.

Das smarte Haus: KI und SAP® Joule AI Agents

Was wäre ein modernes Haus ohne intelligente Steuerung? Mit Joule bringt SAP® jetzt KI direkt in die Unternehmensprozesse. SAP® Joule AI Agents analysieren Daten in Echtzeit, machen Vorschläge, erkennen Muster – und helfen, Prozesse zu automatisieren. Laut SAP® sind sie in der Lage:

Entscheidungen zu unterstützen (z. B. im Einkauf, HR, Kundenservice)
Routineaufgaben zu automatisieren
Risiken frühzeitig zu identifizieren
Mitarbeitende durch intelligente Vorschläge zu entlasten

Die KI arbeitet außerhalb des Kerns, auf der BTP – also genau dort, wo sie in ein Clean-Core-Szenario passt. Kein Umbau nötig, aber ein echter Mehrwert.

The smart house: AI and SAP® Joule AI Agents

What would a modern house be without intelligent control? With Joule, SAP® brings AI directly into business processes. SAP® Joule AI Agents analyze data in real time, provide recommendations, detect patterns, and help automate processes. According to SAP®, they are able to:

Support decision-making (for example in procurement, HR, customer service)
Automate routine tasks
Identify risks at an early stage
Relieve employees through intelligent suggestions

The AI operates outside the core, on SAP® BTP – exactly where it fits into a clean core scenario. No rebuild required, but a tangible added value.

Planning, building and growing together – our role

SAP provides the strategic framework. Our role is to work with you to fill this framework in a way that is practical, technically sound and tailored to your organization. What we bring to the table:

A deep understanding of your processes and challenges
Technological expertise around SAP® S/4HANA, SAP® BTP and SAP® Joule
Experience in change management and enablement
Training, architecture consulting and implementation from a single source

We support you from initial assessment through to productive operations – and ensure that your system landscape not only stands on a solid foundation, but grows with your business.

Conclusion: Moving into the future with a clear structure

Clean core, BTP and AI are not buzzwords, but tools that help you shape your system landscape to be stable, flexible and innovative in the long term. We stand by your side to help you understand SAP®’s strategy, apply it to your specific reality and translate it into practice step by step.

Start your transformation now – we will build with you. Whether analysis, training, architecture or implementation: we help you turn an organically grown system into an intelligent enterprise – structured, scalable and future-proof.