What is SAP Platform and Technology?

SAP Platform and Technology history started with mainframe-based applications, with the first official release being the SAP R/2 solution. This was eventually replaced by SAP R/3 which was the first application running a 3-tier client/server architecture. A client/server architecture continues to be the model for on-premise applications sold by SAP, even when those applications are often running on some form of cloud infrastructure. The newest SAP applications use a purely cloud-based infrastructure and are often software-as-a-service solutions.

What is SAP Platform and Technology?

SAP Platform and Technology history started with mainframe-based applications, with the first official release being the SAP R/2 solution. This was eventually replaced by SAP R/3 which was the first application running a 3-tier client/server architecture. A client/server architecture continues to be the model for on-premise applications sold by SAP, even when those applications are often running on some form of cloud infrastructure. The newest SAP applications use a purely cloud-based infrastructure and are often software-as-a-service solutions.

While these represented the infrastructure on which SAP solutions were built, SAP customers also needed platforms on which to build and develop applications. The first solution that SAP released was the SAP NetWeaver platform which was a software stack for many of SAP’s applications. First released in 2004, SAP NetWeaver consisted of an ABAP software stack as well as a Java development stack. This allowed organizations to build and deploy applications using business APIs and integration capabilities to other SAP solutions.

Building on the success of SAP NetWeaver, SAP released the SAP Cloud Platform as a similar resource for organizations looking to build cloud-based applications. More recently, SAP brought the SAP Cloud Platform together with other services and technologies to release the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Key capabilities of SAP BTP include database and data management, analytics, application development and integration, and intelligent technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.

One of the most important capabilities of SAP solutions has been the ability to enhance them by creating customizations and extensions. Implementations of SAP ERP systems like SAP ECC frequently involved thousands or even hundreds of thousands of lines of customized code based on SAP ABAP and written using platforms like SAP NetWeaver. New solutions like SAP S/4HANA focus on extensions which provide additional functionality without requiring underlying code changes using SAP BTP as the means for achieving these extensions.

SAP BTP is also the technology solution that SAP organizations are looking to use to leverage to build on their investments in SAP S/4HANA.

From a technology and infrastructure perspective, nearly nine in ten SAP customers are now running at least some SAP workloads in the cloud. Underlying data repositories are also more likely to be moving to cloud-based infrastructure.

SAP has many implementation partners that will either provide a technology platform on which SAP solutions can run or will assist with the development of applications that leverage technologies like SAP BTP. Examples of partners providing infrastructure include Dell Technologies, HPE, and Intel. Cloud providers for SAP services include AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft. Implementation partners also assist organizations with building on this SAP Platform and Technology.

1494 results

  1. Capture Critical Business Information About Your Indirect Channel

    Published: 15/January/2008

    Reading time: 13 mins

    Many companies use channel partners to ensure their products reach the end consumer. Find out how brand owners can model channel partners in SAP CRM, which provides them with the basis to make business decisions about these partners. Key Concept Brand owners are companies that manufacture and market particular products and product lines. To sell...…

  2. Customer experience

    Obzervr’s Workorder Management Solution Transforms Field Data into Actionable AI Insights

    Published: 11/December/2024

    Reading time: 3 mins

    Obzervr enhances SAP’s field mobility with a cloud-based work order management solution that streamlines asset maintenance for mining and other industries by automating administrative tasks, improving safety, and utilizing AI for predictive maintenance and real-time data integration.

  3. Select the Right SAP Mobile Data Capture Method

    Published: 01/June/2006

    Reading time: 23 mins

    How nimble is your supply chain? The answer depends more on one factor than any other — data. Learn how to best apprehend the mobile data you need at its sources to make the best use of it in your operations. Key Concept Radio frequency (RF) devices allow you to capture or create data quickly...…

  4. Running SAP on the IBM BlueMix Infrastructure Platform: Live Q&A on IaaS Deployment Options

    Published: 01/April/2017

    Reading time: 29 mins

    IBM offers SAP certified cloud infrastructure available in multiple locations globally with a choice for clients to choose a self service / IaaS model or fully managed by IBM on the BlueMix platform. IBM’s bare metal servers on BlueMix provide the best performance for SAP and HANA applications while allowing the capability to leverage Watson…

  5. RISE with SAP

    AIS Drives Efficiency with RISE with SAP Implementation

    Reading time: 2 mins

    SAP announced that Thailand’s AIS has successfully implemented RISE with SAP, enhancing its digital transformation through an AI-powered cloud ERP solution, which streamlines processes, improves operational efficiency, and lays a scalable foundation for innovation.

  6. Enter the AI Workhorse: More Clydesdale Than Unicorn

    Published: 20/August/2026

    Reading time: 7 mins

    Artificial Intelligence’s (AI’s) arrival in the enterprise came with the promise of a leap: a step-change moment where systems transform and decisions get faster almost overnight. Two years on, SAPinsider’s own benchmark research puts just 3% of organisations at a unified, governed data layer, the foundation most agentic AI work depends on. Seven accounts from…

  7. Advanced Demand Planning with S&OP and SAP HANA

    Published: 16/December/2014

    Reading time: 20 mins

    Learn how to meet the challenges of integrating SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) statistical forecasting with SAP Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) and SAP HANA. Key Concept SAP Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is a solution powered by SAP HANA that supports an organization’s end-to-end sales and operations planning business process. In SAP S&OP,...…

  8. Demand Sensing Improves Short-Term Demand Forecasting at Arla Foods

    Published: 19/November/2019

    Reading time: 5 mins

    Most organizations today are somewhere along the journey toward becoming a digital business, with meeting high expectations for the customer experience a central driver. One of the keys to creating an exceptional experience is the ability to access data in back-end systems in real time, which means that robust integration is critical. This article introduces…

  9. Modernize Army ERP Systems with a Secure Low-Code Agility Layer

    Reading time: 2 mins

    Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are integral to streamlining operations and centralizing data. But their rigid architecture can make them difficult to adapt to modern technologies or tailor to unique or evolving mission requirements. And upgrading ERP systems can be a lengthy, disruptive, and costly process. The Appian Platform is designed to develop large-scale, complex,...…

  10. The Fabulous Fourteen – SAP Announces Best Run Winners in ANZ

    Published: 05/September/2024

    Reading time: 2 mins

    In it’s sixth year, SAP announced ANZ’s Best Run Award winners across 14 categories this week. New this year was the Best Run SAP Artificial Intelligence (Business AI) category that resulted in joint winners – CITIC Mining & DalRae Solutions and Winc. The CITIC In-Field Assessment Application was developed using the SAP Business Technology Platform’s…