SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is used by SAP customers and partners to deliver integrated applications that support end-to-end business processes. These solutions can consist of SAP and third-party applications and may include functionality specifically developed to meet individual customer requirements.
In almost every instance, the applications developed and delivered on the SAP BTP, to extend SAP’s standard solutions, will be used by people. These end users must understand the overarching business processes and must have the skills necessary to use the systems deployed to support those processes. This is fundamental to the successful execution of every organization’s business operations.
SAP Enable Now is SAP’s core solution for providing training and support content for SAP end users, including users using applications built and deployed through SAP BTP. SAP Enable Now can be used to build user knowledge of end-to-end business processes and it can be used to teach users how to use new system functionality. SAP Enable Now also includes a component called SAP Companion, which is SAP’s solution for providing real-time, in-application learning opportunities for SAP system users. SAP Companion is already integrated into many of SAP’s browser-based applications, and it can now also be used to deliver on-the-job, continuous learning opportunities for SAP BTP users, to ensure that they can utilise the applications deployed in their environment.
The remainder of this post discusses the core value proposition of SAP BTP and how SAP Enable Now, including SAP Companion, can be used to help customers drive their understanding and adoption of the applications delivered from the SAP BTP.
What is SAP BTP?
SAP BTP is SAP’s open cloud platform for integrating and extending SAP’s standard applications, such as S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, and Ariba. The SAP BTP contains functionality that allows SAP customers and partners to develop and deploy application extensions that enhance or extend the standard solutions, to meet their specific requirements.
There are many reasons why SAP customers and partners choose to enhance or extend standard SAP solutions, including:
- Customers may wish to enhance standard business processes to provide them with a competitive edge in their industry
- Customers may have to modify standard business process to meet country-specific regulatory or compliance requirements
- Partners may wish to extend standard SAP solutions to provide them with a more comprehensive solution for a specific industry.
No matter the reason for enhancing or extending standard SAP solutions, SAP now recommends that the new application functionality be developed on and run from the SAP BTP. There is significant benefit for organizations to separate their application enhancements from the core SAP functionality. This concept is known as ‘clean core’ because the new enhancement functionality is not directly embedded in the standard, core code, which allows the standard SAP solutions to be upgraded easily and cheaply so that customers can access new capability, as it is released by SAP.
Traditional and 'clean core' approach to delivering SAP application enhancements and extensions
Given that significant benefit results from retaining a ‘clean core’, it is expected that a significant number of SAP customers and partners will adopt the use of SAP BTP for their SAP application enhancements and extensions. In the end, this means one thing, a significant number of users using application functionality on the SAP BTP.
For more information about the ‘clean core’ concept, and use of SAP BTP to deliver that concept, take a look at this
short video.
What is SAP Enable Now
SAP Enable Now is SAP’s core solution for providing training and support content for all SAP and non-SAP business applications. SAP Enable Now is the perfect solution for increasing the adoption of SAP applications because it allows our customers to educate their workforce on the new business processes and SAP applications that are typically deployed through SAP business transformations. SAP Enable Now can be used to build the understanding of and skills in browser-based applications like S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, and Ariba, and it can also be used to educate business users on desktop applications, such as SAP ECC.
Using SAP Enable Now, it is possible to build highly interactive learning content, including Simulations to teach system functionality and quizzes to assess and reinforce key topics, and then distribute that content to end users. Users can access SAP Enable Now content directly from SAP Enable Now, including through searchable content libraries, and content can also be published as SCORM to include in an organizations Learning Management System (LMS). SAP Enable Now content can also be embedded directly into SAP applications, using a component of SAP Enable Now called SAP Companion, so that end users can access relevant content without leaving their current application.
SAP Enable Now capabilities and resulting impacts
What is SAP Companion
SAP Companion is the component of SAP Enable Now that provides real-time, continuous learning opportunities for SAP system users. SAP Companion allows system end users to learn, while they work, in their production applications. Using SAP Companion, end users of SAP applications like S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, and Ariba can obtain support information for the application that they are currently using, while they work. SAP Companion provides the capability for SAP customers and partners to attach custom messages to screen objects, such as fields, and also to deploy online coaches that show end users, step-by-step, how to complete system transactions, in the live system. SAP Companion can distribute content in multiple languages, to support global workforces, and can be used to proactively inform users of changes to the functionality that they use.
SAP Companion is already integrated into many of SAP’s browser-based applications, including S/4HANA, Ariba, Fieldglass, and Concur. It is currently used by many SAP customers to support the use of their SAP systems and to ensure that their workforce retains the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively use those applications.
SAP Companion is SAP's core solution for delivering in-application training and support for SAP end users
For more information about the capability of SAP Companion, refer to this
video.
Using SAP Enable Now to support users of SAP BTP applications
SAP customers and partners developing and deploying SAP applications through the Neo or Cloud Foundry environments of SAP BTP can use SAP Enable Now to develop the knowledge and skills of the workforce using those applications. Using SAP Enable Now, it is possible to develop and deploy content to train end users of SAP BTP-related business processes and applications to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in their changing work environment. SAP Enable Now provides the mechanisms to train end users prior to the introduction of new business processes and systems and also to provide continuous learning opportunities for users, as they work in their SAP applications.
SAP Companion is the component of SAP Enable Now that allows users to learn as they work in the applications running on the SAP BTP. The same great capability, already available in portals such as S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, and Ariba, can now be used to support and train SAP BTP users, while they work in the corresponding applications.
Using SAP Companion, SAP BTP customers and partners can:
- Provide SAP BTP users with direct access to the information developed using SAP Enable Now, about business processes and system functionality, from within the application
- Guide SAP BTP users through the steps necessary to complete transactions, in the live system
- Provide SAP BTP users with information to clarify key screen objects, such as fields or buttons
- Proactively, inform SAP BTP users or changes to the application functionality that they use
- Provide SAP BTP users with direct access to a searchable library of content about the corresponding application.
Ultimately, the goal of SAP customers and partners must be to drive the adoption of all implemented SAP solutions, including the solutions running on SAP BTP. This is the only way to deliver the business benefits and organizational improvements associated with the corresponding applications.
An important component of driving solution understanding and adoption is developing a knowledgeable, skilled workforce; knowledgeable users are happy users and happy users adopt new business processes and the underlying applications that support those processes. Eva Zauke, Global Head of SAP Enterprise Adoption, says:
Enabled users make digital transformations a success. As a part of SAP Enable Now, SAP Companion helps users drive their own enablement to make them more satisfied and productive. SAP Enable Now is a key adoption and productivity driver for our SAP customers and their users and is a critical part of every SAP offering.
As Eva states, SAP Enable Now, including SAP Companion, is a critical component of developing a knowledgeable SAP workforce, including users of applications running on SAP BTP, which is essential to the overall success of SAP business transformations.
What’s necessary to use SAP Enable Now with SAP BTP
SAP customers and partners considering the use of SAP Enable Now to develop the knowledge and skills of their workforce and SAP Companion to support continuous, in-application learning for SAP applications, including Fiori applications running on SAP BTP, should contact their SAP representative for information about licensing SAP Enable Now. SAP customers and partners licensed to use SAP Enable Now, can use SAP Companion with all supported SAP solutions, including applications running on SAP BTP, at no additional charge.
SAP customers and partners licensed to use SAP Enable Now, which includes SAP Companion, can speak to their SAP representative about obtaining support to deploy and use SAP Enable Now and SAP Companion or they can access a substantial amount of self-paced learning material, to get started, from the
SAP Enable Now Getting Started Guide.
Summary
SAP BTP is a critical component of a modern SAP system architecture, which prioritises a clean core and runs application enhancements and extensions outside the core functionality. SAP BTP is SAP’s recommended open, cloud platform for delivering enhancements and extensions of the corresponding core solutions.
SAP Enable Now is SAP’s core solution for developing the knowledge and skills of SAP application users, including providing real-time, in-application support for SAP’s browser-based applications, through SAP Companion. SAP Companion can now be used to deliver in-application support for Fiori apps running on the SAP BTP. The use of SAP Enable Now and SAP Companion will enhance user understanding and skills and help SAP customers and partners to deliver increased user adoption of their end-to-end business processes and the applications that support those processes.
If your organization is interested in improving the user experience and adoption of your SAP systems, including the applications running on SAP BTP, talk to your SAP representative about using SAP Enable Now and SAP Companion or use the link above to access self-paced information and get started. Your SAP BTP users will thank you for it!