1. SAP HANA Cloud’s Vector Engine
SAP announced SAP HANA Cloud’s Vector Engine (GA 01/2024).
SAP is embracing concepts and practices of Generative AI (GenAI) and introducing vector capabilities to the SAP HANA Cloud Database. What this means – you can now be able to add vector dimensions to your critical data available in your HANA cloud instances. Essentially, adding a dimension in space to each transaction in a HANA DB and leverage concepts of large language models (LLMs) on your HANA based systems.
LLMs significantly utilize vector data types to do the mathematics behind the generation of the next best predicted word… aka Generating Text, as in GenAI.
What HANA Clouds’ Vector Engine brings is the powerful capabilities of LLMs closer to all the relevant data of your organization. This will happen via an approach termed Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG).
SAP HANA Cloud Vector Engine
2. Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
LLMs do know a lot about text generation, based on their training data, but they don’t have a clue of what resides in SAP Systems.
SAP HANA Cloud’s new Vector Engine will soon know a lot about the context (location in space) of each data that such a Vector attribute has been added to in a HANA DB.
Augmenting the answer from an LLM through knowledge available from restricted sources, is termed Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). This is especially powerful when the new vector engine in HANA DB matures, bringing unparalleled power to the end user from Gen AI and proprietary SAP context in HANA DB for enterprise customers.
Here is an example blog from https://people.sap.com/louenas.hamdi on how this works. https://blogs.sap.com/2023/09/19/a-journey-into-retrieval-augmented-generation-rag-on-sap-btp/
3. Joule, SAP Business AI and SAP Business AI Foundation
Joule is the Brand name of SAP’s New Generative AI Assistant, SAP’s co-pilot for the enterprise. Joule will be embedded throughout SAP’s cloud portfolio and will be the brand representing SAP Business AI.
Business AI requires a certain threshold of security, governance, and trust at its core, and meets the enterprise-grade standards you expect from SAP. SAP Business AI is that approach that SAP is taking with careful consideration to be relevant, reliable, and responsible as an AI for the enterprise market.
While Business AI foundation, is a technical component of SAP Business AI. It is your toolkit for building AI-infused applications. It provides everything needed to run business-ready AI applications on SAP BTP, from pre-built AI services to AI runtimes and lifecycle management.
Joule, SAP Business AI and SAP Business AI Foundation
4. Generative AI Hub
The world is ripe with several large language models (LLMs). With SAP Generative AI hub, SAP is enabling developers’ instant access to these. With the Generative AI Hub, developers can compare outcomes from different models to select the best fit for their tasks. They can also use these models to drive critical processes with control and transparency, thanks to features like prompt history, all delivered with SAP’s enterprise-grade security and privacy.
Generative AI Hub
5. SAP Build Code
SAP Build Code brings low-code (aka Dev. for citizen developers, the experience and know-how from SAP AppGyver) and pro-code (for professional developers) in a unified platform. In addition, GenAI capabilities come embedded. You can now prompt and get GenAI to assist you in your coding tasks. There is also a new SAP BTP Developers Guide to help you on this and all matters SAP Build Code.
SAP Build Code
6. Enterprise Process Automation: Signavio, Integration Suite and SAP Build Code
With the latest update to Signavio, users can utilize the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) to link up with both SAP and third-party systems for advanced process mining capabilities. Process mining events captured by Signavio can be directly published to SAP Integration Suite’s Event Mesh. This functionality is essential for instantaneous responses to any irregularities detected in processes.
Responding to these process anomalies and automating workflows is most efficiently achieved through SAP Build Code. The synergy between SAP Signavio and SAP Build Code, along with the SAP Integration Suite, creates a comprehensive solution for enterprise automation.
Enterprise Process Automation
7. SAP Edge Integration Cell
SAP Edge integration Cell is now GA and part of the SAP Integration Suite. SAP Edge Integration Cell is a hybrid runtime allowing you to design your integration processes in the cloud and then run them wherever you choose, including in private landscapes like remote factories or warehouses. This new feature addresses a vital need for on-premises Process Integration and Process Orchestration customers, facilitating their transition to the SAP Integration Suite.
SAP Edge Integration Cell
8. SAP Datasphere and…
A relatively new service, but quite a critical solution from SAP that was launched in March this year. SAP Datasphere is built on SAP HANA Cloud and establishes a business data fabric to streamline the management of your essential data. It unifies all your data into a single semantic model. This means your SAP data is exposed and governed through SAP Datasphere, and then can be connected to any other data sources you have. To realize this vision, SAP announced strategic bidirectional integrations with open data partners such as Collibra, Confluent, Databricks, and DataRobot. Coverage extends to SAP data centers across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
SAP Datasphere
9. … and SAP Datasphere Semantic Onboarding
SAP Datasphere Semantic Onboarding feature allows you to integrate SAP application data and data products with full context and meaning into your business data fabric. There’s no need to rebuild the semantics, logic, or context that already exists in systems like SAP S/4HANA or SAP SuccessFactors. This new approach also empowers business users to develop data models without needing to understand the underlying technical data structures of SAP applications. It facilitates self-service and the secure distribution of data, both within and outside your organization, which is further supported by the SAP Datasphere Marketplace.
The SAP Datasphere Semantic Layer enables quick initiation of new analytics and planning projects and allows for the rapid creation of intelligent data applications.
SAP Datasphere Semantic Onboarding
10. SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
Browser based apps (aka, Cloud Apps), are prone to slow response, especially when there are powerful systems behind them churning data. SAP announced ‘Lightweight Viewer’ for SAC that offers up to 63% faster rendering than the classical stack (currently in preview and will be GA in Q1, 2024).
New for SAC, ‘Just Ask’ complementing the SAP AI Business Chat. With ‘Just Ask,’ you can simply type in your business queries and get immediate answers. This feature has been tested by select customers, and by Q1 of 2024, it will be available to most enterprise customers. ‘Just Ask’ will soon integrate with HANA’s vector engine to expand its knowledge base, combining vector and relational data from SAP.
Additionally, 240 content packages ready for SAP Analytics Cloud and Planning, enabling you to kick-start your projects immediately with best practices in hand.
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
For more, please have a look at..
https://blogs.sap.com/2023/11/02/sap-teched-2023-executive-keynote-highlights/