What Is SAP Build?

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, you need to give your business experts the tools they need to drive innovation and deliver solutions quickly.

With SAP Build's low-code tools, anyone, regardless of their skill set, can participate in the development and automation process. SAP Build offers a suite of tools, including SAP Build Apps, SAP Build Process Automation, and SAP Build Work Zone, that are designed to enable your business experts to easily create, enhance, and streamline enterprise apps, automate processes, and design business sites. The drag-and-drop functionality of these tools ensures that your business experts can leverage their unique domain knowledge and skills to build tailored solutions that meet your organization's specific needs.

Using SAP Build, you can transform your organization's development approach. Instead of relying solely on a small team of developers, you can tap into the collective skills and insights of your business experts. This approach not only accelerates the development process but also fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Your business experts become active contributors to the solution-building process, ensuring that the final product aligns with your business goals.

SAP Build offers a visual development environment that allows users to build applications and solutions by simply dragging and dropping prebuilt components. This low-code approach eliminates the need for manual coding, significantly reducing development time and effort.

Collaboration between business and development teams is essential for successful application development. SAP Build recognizes this need and provides built-in governance and lifecycle management features. These features enable secure collaboration, ensuring that all stakeholders can contribute to the development process while adhering to established guidelines and standards.

In addition to its visual development capabilities, SAP Build provides seamless integration with a wide range of SAP and non-SAP systems. The platform offers prebuilt connectors and business content, enabling users to accelerate development by leveraging existing integrations.

SAP Build Apps

SAP Build Apps is a low-code platform designed to empower users at all skill levels to create custom applications without the need for extensive coding knowledge. With SAP Build Apps, you develop user interfaces with drag-and-drop functionality, without the need for complex coding and lengthy development cycles. Now you can compose enterprise-grade custom apps, utilizing a visual interface that allows you to easily arrange components and design engaging user experiences.

One of the most remarkable features of SAP Build Apps is its ability to create data models and business logic visually, without the need to write a single line of code. This enables users to build robust cloud services and backend functionalities that perfectly align with their business requirements. SAP Build Apps also provides seamless integration, enabling you to securely connect with both SAP and non-SAP solutions. With prebuilt components, connectors, and integrations, you can bring together different systems, leveraging existing assets and accelerating development. This means you can integrate your custom apps with other enterprise systems, ensuring smooth data flow and a cohesive user experience. SAP Build Apps removes the traditional barriers of application development, enabling professionals from various roles and skill levels to contribute to the app-creation process. SAP Build Apps is designed to scale: whether you're building a small application or developing an extensive enterprise solution, the platform offers the flexibility and power to support your growing needs.

In the world of application development, the ability to create robust solutions without writing a single line of code is a game-changer. With a powerful set of features designed to empower users at every skill level, full stack, no-code development has become a reality. Ahead, we’ll explore the key features that make this possible, including a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, visual app logic, visual cloud functions, seamless connection to SAP and non-SAP solutions, integration with APIs, and multiplatform native performance. Let's dive in and discover how these features revolutionize the way applications are built:

• Drag-and-drop interface: SAP Build Apps contains an extensive array of reusable components to design engaging and uniform user interfaces with ease. The platform allows for rapid prototyping, with the capability to instantly preview changes, speeding up the design process. You can utilize the intuitive tools provided to improve your productivity and refine your UI development workflow. SAP Build Apps offers a practical solution for crafting visually appealing applications efficiently. The visual drag-and-drop editor is shown in this figure. 

• Visual app logic: SAP Build Apps facilitates the creation of app logic through a visual interface, even for applications with complex functionalities. It provides a straightforward approach to development, allowing you to handle user interactions, app lifecycle events, native device capabilities, data operations, and error management effectively. The platform offers a library of over 400 formula functions, enabling you to conduct calculations, text formatting, list and object manipulation, dynamic styling, and more. These functions are applied to your app's data in real time, ensuring timely and accurate outcomes. SAP Build Apps simplifies the development process, allowing for the easy integration of advanced features. This figure shows an example of the visual logic editor.

• Visual cloud functions: SAP Build Apps streamlines serverless application development for developers by providing a visual interface for crafting business logic and data models. It simplifies the development process by abstracting away the complexities of server provisioning and maintenance. Developers can utilize this platform to focus on creating robust applications, leveraging the cloud's scalability and flexibility. This approach reduces the overhead of infrastructure management, allowing developers to concentrate on delivering high-quality, scalable solutions quickly. SAP Build Apps supports an agile development workflow, enabling developers to efficiently bring their cloud-based applications to market. The next figure shows an example of the visual cloud functions in SAP Build Apps. 

• Connections to SAP and non-SAP solutions: You can integrate SAP Build Apps with SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) for secure access to SAP solutions. You can use the SAP Destination service to establish secure connections and seamlessly access SAP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA. With SAP Build Apps, you can expose one or more OData services, leveraging the content from these solutions in your applications. Extend the capabilities of your apps further by integrating with SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud, enabling you to incorporate data and functionality from this cloud-based solution. In addition, SAP Integration Suite provides connectivity to non-SAP enterprise solutions. In short, with SAP Build Apps and SAP BTP, you can bridge the gap between SAP and non-SAP systems, ensuring a holistic and integrated approach to your application ecosystem.
• Integration with APIs: Using the REST Integration Wizard of SAP Build Apps, you can incorporate modern APIs, including external APIs, into your applications. SAP Build Apps lets you effortlessly compose APIs using the same no-code paradigm employed for frontend development, revolutionizing the way you integrate data and functionality from various sources. With the REST Integration Wizard, you can rapidly establish connections, retrieve data, and orchestrate interactions with external systems, all without the need for complex coding. This figure shows what an API integration looks like for an SAP SuccessFactors API.

Multiplatform native performance: You can develop applications with SAP Build Apps and run them across multiple platforms. Whether it's on the web, iOS, or Android, your apps will work out of the box, delivering a native runtime optimized specifically for each platform. This optimization ensures a smooth and immersive user experience, allowing your applications to leverage the full capabilities of each platform. With SAP Build Apps, you can eliminate the hassle of building separate applications for different platforms and instead focus on creating a unified and consistent user experience across devices.

SAP Build Work Zone

In today's complex enterprise landscapes, organizations face the challenge of managing a heterogeneous and fragmented ecosystem comprising various content types, user interfaces, IT systems, content repositories, applications, and channels. This fragmented landscape often leads to difficulties for business users in finding relevant information and navigating between different applications, resulting in a disjointed employee experience.

Employees frequently express frustration when they struggle to locate the appropriate application to complete a given task, leading to a sense of being lost in the multitude of tools and systems. Decision-making and actions often take place without a comprehensive view, making it difficult to derive meaningful insights or provide accurate recommendations based on the complete context. What employees truly desire is a unified and intelligent work experience that enhances their productivity, engagement, and efficiency. SAP Build Work Zone is SAP’s solution that addresses these challenges by consolidating and simplifying the enterprise landscape. By bringing together all the disparate elements into a cohesive platform, SAP Build Work Zone enables companies, IT departments, and employees to improve their overall work experience. It offers consistent and engaging user experiences across all channels, business processes, and applications, ensuring that employees have easy access to the tools and information they need to perform their tasks effectively. SAP Build Work Zone combines the capabilities of two earlier SAP BTP services—namely, the SAP Launchpad service and SAP Work Zone—into a unified solution that enables the rapid creation of captivating and personalized business sites. SAP Build Work Zone is available in two distinct editions, each tailored to meet specific needs:

• SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition (previously known as the SAP Launchpad service)
• SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition (previously known as SAP Work Zone)

With SAP Build Work Zone, organizations can eliminate the frustration of navigating multiple applications and provide employees with a unified and intuitive interface. This unified experience not only increases productivity but also enhances engagement and efficiency, enabling employees to focus on their core responsibilities without the distraction of fragmented workflows. Organizations can create an environment where employees have a seamless and integrated experience across the entire enterprise landscape. With a centralized platform that harmonizes various systems and channels, employees can access relevant information, collaborate effectively, and make informed decisions based on a holistic view of the organization.

SAP Build Work Zone, Standard Edition

This edition provides a centralized access point, offering personalized and role-based access to both SAP and non-SAP applications. It simplifies the user experience by providing a central entry point for users to access the applications relevant to their roles and responsibilities. At a high level, the standard edition of SAP Build Work Zone is designed for individual users working independently within the system. In this edition, the primary emphasis is on enabling users to perform their tasks without being aware of or interacting with other users on the platform.

SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition offers a comprehensive set of features that empower organizations to enhance their digital workplace experience. Let's delve into the major capabilities that form the pillars of this edition:

• Secure and centralized access point: With SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition, users gain a secure and centralized access point to SAP and non-SAP applications, tasks, and processes. This includes seamless access to a wide range of applications such as SAP S/4HANA apps, SAP BTP apps, and third-party apps, all from a single unified launchpad. By consolidating access in one place, users can simplify their workflows and navigate effortlessly across various systems, increasing productivity and efficiency.
• Personalization and role-based setup: SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition offers a personalized and role-based setup that empowers users to tailor their experience according to their unique needs. Whether it's customizing their homepage, organizing their apps, or selecting preferred themes, users have the flexibility to personalize their work environment, enabling them to work more efficiently and effectively.
• Customization and extension capabilities: Administrators can leverage the flexibility of the platform in SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition to customize and extend its functionality. This includes adapting the user interface to match corporate design guidelines, incorporating custom logos, and tailoring the platform to align with specific business requirements. With these customization options, organizations can create a branded and cohesive digital workplace experience that reflects their unique identity.
• Seamless integration with SAP and third-party applications: SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition offers robust integration capabilities, enabling seamless connectivity to integration content from SAP as well as third-party business applications. This ensures smooth data exchange and process orchestration across different systems, fostering collaboration and enabling users to access relevant information and functionality within their work environment.

SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition empowers organizations to create a unified and efficient digital workplace. With secure access, personalized experiences, customization options, and seamless integration, businesses can enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and drive user satisfaction. 

SAP Build Workzone, Advanced Edition

This edition encompasses all the capabilities of the standard edition and goes beyond, incorporating additional functionalities. It empowers business users to manage unstructured content, create and publish content, and further personalize the user experience. SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition takes user engagement to a new level by facilitating structured interactions and collaboration among users directly within the platform. This edition recognizes the importance of seamless collaboration and encourages users to engage, share insights, and work together to achieve common goals. By fostering interactive collaboration, the advanced edition promotes teamwork, knowledge sharing, and efficient decision-making within the platform.

SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition introduces a range of powerful capabilities that empower organizations to create immersive digital experiences. Let's explore the key features that set this edition apart:

• Powerful page building and content authoring: SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition equips business users with an exceptional page-building experience and robust content-authoring tools. This empowers them to share information, create engaging content, and enable seamless knowledge sharing across the organization. With intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces and versatile content creation capabilities, users can effortlessly craft visually appealing pages and deliver impactful content.
• Engaging workspaces and decentralized collaboration: Workspaces within SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition provide decentralized topic ownership, enabling users to create interactive, one-stop-shop experiences. These engaging workspaces foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members, promoting decentralized ownership and allowing users to contribute their expertise in a structured and cohesive manner.
• Blending of business data with structured and unstructured information: SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition enables the blending of business data with structured and unstructured information across different formats and channels. Users can seamlessly integrate data from various sources, enriching their content with real-time insights and providing a holistic view of information. This fusion of data types enhances decision-making, improves user experiences, and drives organizational agility.
• Extensibility framework for customized user experiences: SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition offers a powerful extensibility framework that enables the creation of fully customized user experiences. Through content widgets, context-aware UI integration cards, and other flexible tools, organizations can integrate business data and tailor the user interface to align with specific requirements. This extensibility framework empowers businesses to deliver personalized experiences that cater to the unique needs of their users.

With SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition, organizations can transform their digital experiences, foster collaboration, and unlock the full potential of their workforce. SAP Build Work Zone, advanced edition empowers users to create captivating and customized digital environments that enhance productivity, enable knowledge sharing, and drive meaningful outcomes.

SAP Build Process Automation

In the fast-paced world of business, automating workflow processes is crucial for efficiency, productivity, and staying ahead of the competition. With SAP Build Process Automation, you can unlock the power of automation without the need for coding expertise. This solution empowers business users to automate complex workflow processes and tasks, revolutionizing the way work gets done.

IDC: IDC reports that organizations adopting low-code and intelligent process automation solutions have seen an ROI of 509% over five years, with every enterprise reporting positive outcomes. This demonstrates the measurable benefits and efficiency gains from low-code platforms, which facilitate faster application development and process optimization.

By harnessing the power of workflow management, robotic process automation (RPA), and embedded AI capabilities, SAP Build Process Automation enables you to scale process automation to meet evolving business needs. With intuitive low-code and no-code tools, business users can automate workflows and processes using a simple drag-and-drop approach. Professional developers, on the other hand, can leverage visual tooling and prebuilt content to deliver results more efficiently and respond swiftly to new requirements with enhanced agility. They can create comprehensive workflows and automations that can be easily packaged for business users to adopt in their projects. SAP Build Process Automation seamlessly integrates with other SAP offerings, providing native integration and prebuilt process content that includes RPA bots specifically designed for SAP applications. In addition, AI-assisted intelligent document processing further enhances the capabilities of this solution. Built on a robust enterprise-grade platform, SAP Build Process Automation empowers organizations to innovate with speed, simplicity, and confidence. With SAP Build Process Automation, businesses can unlock the potential for process optimization, efficiency gains, and improved customer experiences. Embrace the power of this solution to embark on a journey of transformative automation, where innovation becomes a reality with greater speed, simplicity, and confidence.

SAP Build Process Automation offers a range of key features that empower businesses to boost efficiency, streamline workflows, and leverage the value of AI in their automation initiatives. Let's explore these features in detail:

• Boost the efficiency and agility of business processes: With SAP Build Process Automation, businesses can optimize and accelerate their processes, driving efficiency gains and improving overall agility. By automating manual and repetitive tasks, organizations can free up valuable time and resources, enabling employees to focus on higher-value activities. This figure shows a process with a simple one-step approval.

• Support automation and extensions with workflows: The solution provides robust workflow capabilities, allowing users to design, implement, and manage complex automation processes seamlessly. Whether it's simple task automation or comprehensive end-to-end workflows, SAP Build Process Automation offers the flexibility and scalability needed to support diverse business requirements.
• Improve process efficiency by automating repetitive work: SAP Build Process Automation enables businesses to automate repetitive work, reducing errors, improving accuracy, and increasing productivity. By leveraging low-code and no-code tools, users can easily automate tasks and processes, eliminating time-consuming manual efforts and enhancing overall process efficiency.
• Add AI to business process automation: SAP Build Process Automation integrates the power of AI, enabling businesses to leverage intelligent capabilities for enhanced automation. By incorporating AI-driven features such as intelligent document processing, organizations can extract valuable insights, streamline decision-making, and improve the overall effectiveness of their business processes.

Editor’s note: This post has been adapted from a section of the book SAP Build: No-Code Development, Centralized Access, and Process Automation by Rene Glavanovits, Gernot Haider, Martin Koch, and Daniel Krancz.