Joule - the game changer for SAP users?

Everyone is talking about SAP Joule at the moment, Norbert, and SAP likes to present it at all kinds of events. Can you start by explaining to us what SAP Joule actually is and how it works?

Norbert Koelbl: That's right, it's really hard to ignore the topic at the moment. At its core, SAP Joule is an AI assistant and chatbot, perhaps comparable to ChatGPT. However, Joule is deeply integrated into the SAP ecosystem and is familiar with all SAP applications and business data. It can therefore link the “world knowledge” of so-called “large language models” such as GPT with concrete and current business data. Joule is available at any time and in every supported SAP cloud solution, currently in SuccessFactors, S/4HANA Private and Public Cloud, among others. The user experience always remains consistent, no matter which application you are in, and even cross-application conversations are possible.

What questions can I ask Joule, how can the assistant help me as a user?

Norbert Koelbl: Joule currently supports three main interaction patterns: transactional, navigational and informational. Joule can call up all SAP documentation, navigate the user through various applications and execute specific postings or data queries directly. A fourth pattern, which enables analytical interactions, will soon be added through the integration of “Just Ask” from the SAP Analytics Cloud.

Can I also “teach” Joule further knowledge that goes beyond SAP documents and data?

Norbert Koelbl: Currently this is not yet possible, but it will be very soon. A remarkable upcoming innovation is the so-called “grounding”. Joule can be linked to company-specific documents and data sources, such as company-specific travel policies, which are then taken into account when booking business trips. At the beginning of next year, it will also be possible to add your own skills to Joule and integrate third-party applications in this way. To this end, SAP plans to publish the “Joule Skill Builder”, which will be based on the low-code/no-code platform SAP Build.

Will Joule also be available on mobile devices?

Norbert Koelbl: Yes, Joule will also be available for mobile use via the Mobile Start app in the near future. In the long term, the assistant will also be integrated into other mobile SAP apps. I also think this is very important, because voice-based interfaces naturally promise great added value, especially for mobile “casual” use cases.

Other software providers are also releasing similar assistants, such as Microsoft's Copilot. Will users have to “talk” to many different assistants in future in order to complete their tasks?

Norbert Koelbl: You could certainly see the danger, and of course it would contradict the simpler operation that you are aiming for with the assistants to a certain extent. SAP would like to counteract this with a planned feature that I personally consider to be one of the most exciting: an integration of Joule with Microsoft Copilot. In fact, most companies use solutions from both providers and a well-designed seamless integration, with the ability to start requests to the other in each assistant and even map overarching conversations and thus processes, can bring huge added value. And this is independent of voice-based interaction - the integration of these two “worlds” has never been so easy!

Can Joule support not only users, but also SAP administrators and developers, for example?

Norbert Koelbl: Yes, Joule will also be helpful in administration - e.g. of BTP accounts - as well as in software development. Be it in SAP Build Code and the CAP programming model, or even in classic ABAP development.

Finally, can Joule really be a game changer for SAP users?

Norbert Koelbl: To be completely honest, the range of functions that Joule offers as of today (i.e. July 2024) is not yet the “really big hit” in my opinion. However, SAP has laid the right foundations and is consistently addressing important open issues that we discussed previously. You can see this in the roadmap and also notice it in small-scale demos with features “fresh from development”. I think that in 2025, SAP users will get to know a Joule that can really be a game changer in the SAP world and will finally make them forget the classic complex GUI transactions.

We at T.CON are very close to this development and will continue to follow it closely. If you would like to find out more or experience Joule “live”, please get in touch with your T.CON contact person, a sales colleague or me personally at any time: norbert.koelbl@team-con.de