SAP BDC and the Future of All-in-One Data Platforms

?? Hi Everyone!

February was a busy month. Our team has been hard at work on some exciting projects, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI, data platforms, and automation. On top of that, we’re in the middle of proposal season, which means we’ve had a front-row seat to how customers are thinking about AI and data modernization.

This time last year, the emphasis was on AI exploration and finding some quick wins with solid ROI. Now, the theme has shifted towards mobilization and finding practical ways to use AI technology to tackle some incredibly complex problems.

Naturally, this shift toward AI mobilization has put data management front and center into the conversation. Businesses are also starting to rethink how they bring all their data assets together to solve these kinds of problems. We've been talking about these concepts for a while now on our Switched On blog and we have more to say this month with SAP's big SAP Business Data Cloud reveal.

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Last month, SAP introduced their new SAP Business Data Cloud solution, a (mostly) all-in-one data platform that builds on SAP Datasphere and other cloud data products to make it easier for customers to work with SAP, non-SAP, and unstructured data together. James Wood broke it all down in his latest blog SAP BDC and the Future of All-in-One Data Platforms. Here, you'll learn what SAP BDC is (and isn't), what kinds of problems it solves for SAP customers, and how it compares to other data platforms in the marketplace.

On a semi-related note, we also concluded our 5-part series on Microsoft Fabric and SAP. If you're curious to learn about the future of all-in-one data platforms and how they fit into the SAP technology landscape, this in-depth series is for you.

• Unlocking the Power of SAP Data with Microsoft Fabric — Part 1: Kicking off the series, this article explores how Microsoft Fabric unlocks unparalleled capabilities for harnessing the full potential of your SAP data. From seamless integration to advanced analytics, this series will show you how to transform SAP data into actionable insights like never before.
• Unlocking the Power of SAP Data with Microsoft Fabric — Part 2: In Part 2, we delve into the core capabilities of Microsoft Fabric, highlighting its unique features and advantages. Additionally, we provide a comparison with SAP data products like Datasphere and BW, offering valuable insights into how Fabric stands out.
• Unlocking the Power of SAP Data with Microsoft Fabric — Part 3: In Part 3, we dive into SAP integration options for Microsoft Fabric including Microsoft’s standard connectors, SAP data products, and partner solutions that help you build seamless data pipelines and maximize the value of your SAP data.
• Unlocking the Power of SAP Data with Microsoft Fabric — Part 4: In Part 4, we review the data engineering tools and capabilities of the platform - showing you how to build powerful data models with your SAP data. From data warehouses and data lakehouses to data integration with Data Factory and Apache Spark, we cover it all.
• Unlocking the Power of SAP Data with Microsoft Fabric — Part 5: In Part 5, we explore some of the powerful tools that enable you to take your SAP data to the next level - Power BI, Fabric Data Science, and Real-Time Intelligence.

In the News

• Last month, SAP hosted their SAP Business Unleased event. Lots of newsworthy items in this. Check out the video below for an overview from Christian Klein , CEO at SAP.

• At the SAP Business Unleashed event, Muhammad Alam also provided a demo for SAP Business Data Cloud.

• Microsoft recently announced the public preview of the ERP Data Connector for Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance. This new feature allows users to access and update SAP data, including customers, contacts, and financial records, directly from Copilot - reducing context switching and streamlining financial workflows. Check out the video link below to see how this works.

• Earlier this year, Microsoft released the o3-mini model on the Azure OpenAI service. This new AI model brings next-level reasoning capabilities that can be used to perform anomaly detection in new and exciting ways. Check out the video below to see a practical demonstration of this model with fraud detection.