At SAP Sapphire 2026, Rudi Hois (SVP CPO Cloud ERP Private) and I had the opportunity to share what we believe is a true inflection point for enterprise transformation: the path to the Autonomous Enterprise . The Autonomous Enterprise is being built today, through SAP Cloud ERP Private and RISE with SAP.

2026 and beyond: Discover the latest innovations in SAP Cloud ERP Private | ERP1178V

In this session, we walked through our 2026 innovation roadmap: how Agentic AI is becoming embedded across core business processes, how SAP-Managed Integrations are eliminating complexity, and how customers can start extracting real value from their current state. The cost-to-value equation has fundamentally changed. Here’s what that means for you.

Three Pillars of the 2026 Strategy

• Connected Domain Intelligence – AI agents embedded across finance, procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, service, and R&D

• Extensible Customization – Customization on both ERP and the Agentic AI layer to meet unique business needs
• Trusted Foundation – Operations, compatibility, governance, and SAP-Managed Integrations to enable innovation absorption

Key Metrics

The Path to the Autonomous Enterprise

The central thesis of this session is clear: enterprises need a new type of intelligence, and the key to unlocking it lies within your ERP systems. AI alone is insufficient; it must be combined with deep understanding of business processes, governance, and security that Cloud ERP Private has always provided.

Since 2020, SAP has maintained a pace of 500+ innovations per year in S/4HANA. The speed of AI development and technology advancement now requires customers to stay current to absorb these innovations. This is the foundation of SAP's push for regular upgrade cadence and Clean Core strategy.

Knowledge Graph Enrichment

The SAP Knowledge Graph confirms SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition (LPR943) as a formally registered product with deep AI feature integration. Key related entities:

• SAP Cloud ERP Private 
• RISE with SAP 
• SAP Cloud ALM 
• Clean Core 
• SAP Business Data Cloud 
• Agentic AI 
• SAP Intelligent Enterprise

• Accounts Receivable Assistant – Automates dispute management, payment matching, collections insights, and case preparation across the full AR lifecycle
• Accounting Accruals Agent – Automates accrual management processes
• Financial Consistency Agent – Validates and ensures data integrity across financial records
• Cash Management Agent – Optimizes cash positioning and forecasting

Procurement

• Material Spend Advisor Agent – Identifies unconsumed materials and recommends contract optimization
• Material Supplier Recommendation Agent – Suggests optimal suppliers based on historical data
• Material Returns and Invoice Reminder Agent – Automates returns processing and payment follow-ups
• Operational Purchaser – End-to-end procurement process automation

Supply Chain and Manufacturing

• Logistics Agents – Automates warehouse and transportation management processes
• Advanced Shipping and Receiving – Deep integration of EWM with TM
• PP/DS AI Planning Assistant – Multi-constraint planning with capacity overload resolution and reasoning
• Production Planning and Operations Agent – Intelligent manufacturing operations

Quality Management

• Defect Recording Agent – Converts unstructured data (PDFs, images) into defect records via LLM analysis, eliminating 10-minute manual recording tasks

Sales

• Sales Operations Assistant – Orchestrates multiple agents to resolve blocked sales orders (delivery issues, credit holds, supply shortfalls)
• Service Recommendation Agent – Predicts spare parts and materials needed for field service based on historical data

Research and Development

• Product Design Assistant – Integrates external product design systems with SAP execution
• Intelligent Project Completion Agent – Identifies unclosed projects and recommends closure actions
• PLMSI Integration Module – Multi-partner integration for product lifecycle management

Asset Management and Service

• Master Data Quality Agent – Automated data correction and validation
• Maintenance Planner Agent – Plans maintenance based on historical analysis
• Shop Debrief Agent – Summarizes maintenance execution outcomes

Knowledge Graph: Verified AI Features for S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition

The Knowledge Graph confirms 84+ registered AI features including:

 SAP-Managed Integrations

This is the highest-impact operational enhancement for customer ROI. SAP is fundamentally changing how integrations between business suite components are delivered.

Why This Matters for ROI

Integration projects have historically been one of the largest cost drivers and timeline risks in ERP implementations. By converting integration from a “project” to a “switch-on” capability, SAP is:

• Eliminating 40-60% of typical implementation project scope for integrations
• Removing the need for specialized middleware expertise on customer teams
• Enabling faster adoption of Joule and AI capabilities that depend on integrated data flows
• Reducing ongoing maintenance costs for integration monitoring and troubleshooting

Knowledge Graph: Integration Roadmap Items

The KG confirms active roadmap items for solution integration:

• Solution Integration: SAP Business Data Cloud 
• Integrating with SAP Business Data Cloud 
• Cloud Data Integration 
• SAP Cloud ALM for Operations

Operations Improvements

Upgrade Experience

 

The Case for Frequent Upgrades

Customer evidence demonstrates that frequent upgraders complete upgrades in one-third the time of infrequent upgraders. Simpress, highlighted as a reference customer, now upgrades annually and is down to a 10-week cycle.

One customer reduced from 18,000 custom code objects requiring conversion to just 19 objects through their Clean Core journey. This dramatically reduces both upgrade effort and testing burden.

2026 Upgrade Investments

• Automated upgrade planning – AI-powered analysis leveraging cloud data platform
• Automated readiness checks – Integration with SAP Cloud ALM and Maintenance Planner
• AI-enabled Clean Core transformation – 45-release dependent change is currently ABAP-led; output for upgrade impact analysis
• AI-based test management in SAP Cloud ALM supporting test cases and automation
• Upgraded regression test scope based on risk assessment using usage data
• Release Upgrade Management app for streamlined maintenance processes
• Integration of SAP Learning and Joule for better information availability
• Downtime optimization through improved release technology

RISE with SAP Evolution

RISE with SAP is evolving from an infrastructure migration program to an AI-powered continuous transformation offering.

Hybrid AI for On-Premise Customers

A significant announcement: SAP is enabling a subset of agents and assistants to run on S/4HANA and ECC for customers already past the midpoint of their migration journey. This recognizes the value of existing on-premise investments and allows customers to start leveraging AI before completing their full cloud migration.

Agent-Led Toolchain for Migration

Seven New AI Assistants (Available Q3 2026)

• System Analysis Assistant – Comprehensive analysis of current on-premise systems, identifying bottlenecks and correction plans
• Data Management Assistant – Data mapping, KPI reframing, and data quality optimization
• Custom Code Assistant – AI-powered Clean Core transformation (powered by Joule for Developer)
• Configuration Assistant – System configuration optimization and validation
• Task Management Assistant – Project task orchestration and tracking
• Rollout Assistant – Multi-system and multi-geography deployment coordination
• Project Management Assistant – End-to-end project lifecycle management

These assistants require only SAP Cloud ALM as a prerequisite and operate through the Joule engagement layer. They are designed to reduce both initial migration effort and ongoing optimization cost.

Enhanced AI Activation Services

ROI Analysis: SAP-Managed Integrations and Operations Improvements

The combination of SAP-Managed Integrations and operational enhancements creates a compelling ROI case for accelerating cloud ERP adoption, Joule activation, and agent implementation.

Cumulative ROI Impact

For a typical large enterprise customer, the combined effect of SAP-Managed Integrations, AI Operations, and the agent-led toolchain is expected to:

• Reduce initial implementation timeline by 30-50% through pre-configured integrations
• Lower ongoing maintenance costs through SAP-managed operations and self-healing integrations
• Accelerate time-to-value for Joule and agentic AI by removing integration bottlenecks
• Enable continuous innovation absorption rather than costly periodic upgrades

Recommended Next Steps

Immediate Actions (Q2-Q3 2026)

• Activate your 3 free Joule assistants – All RISE customers are entitled to SAP expert support for activating 3 assistants at no additional cost. Engage your SAP account team now.
• Assess Clean Core readiness – Use the Custom Code Assistant (available Q3) to baseline your custom code landscape and plan remediation.
• Evaluate SAP-Managed Integrations eligibility – Contact your SAP representative to understand the rollout timeline for managed integrations relevant to your landscape.

Short-Term Strategic (Q3-Q4 2026)

• Adopt the Agent-Led Toolchain – Leverage the 7 new migration assistants to fast-track your modernization. Requires only SAP Cloud ALM.
• Establish an upgrade cadence – Commit to annual or semi-annual upgrades. Evidence shows each subsequent upgrade takes one-third less effort.
• Identify high-value agent use cases – Prioritize agents in areas with high manual effort: accounts receivable, procurement, and quality management offer the fastest returns.
• Engage SAP Max Success Plans – If your AI ambitions extend beyond the 3 included assistants, Max Success Plans provide unlimited support for agent enablement.

Medium-Term Vision (2027)

• Scale agent orchestration – Move from individual agents to orchestrated assistants for end-to-end process automation.
• Integrate with SAP Business Data Cloud – Leverage data products to expose S/4HANA data to BDC for cross-system analytics.
• Plan for autonomous operations – As AI Operations matures, refocus teams on innovation rather than maintenance.
• Explore hybrid AI capabilities – For on-premise portions, engage SAP services once past the midpoint of migration to start running agents.

Ready to start your journey to the Autonomous Enterprise? Watch the full session replay and connect with us to explore what’s possible for your business today.

Watch the replay

 Maura Hameroff,  Chief Marketing Officer,  SAP Cloud ERP Private and RISE with SAP

Rudolf Hois,  SVP CPO Cloud ERP Private