In the digital era of today where digital transformation is every organization’s need, SAP Clean Core Principle is more than just a word, it’s a among the foundational principle for enterprises looking to future-proof their SAP landscape. As per the SAP clean core approach, where technology is moving towards API first Approach, modular architectures, the organizations must decouple their custom logic instead of the application server to external API’s outside the application server layer to ensure agility, scalability, and reducing the upgrade complexity.
One of the most powerful enablers of this Clean Core approach is the event driven architecture through SAP Advanced Event Mesh (AEM), an enterprise-grade event brokering solution that supports real-time, event-driven architectures across hybrid landscapes.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to achieve Clean Core by adopting AEM as the first principle, laying the groundwork for a decoupled, scalable, and intelligent enterprise.
The Clean Core Strategy — What and Why?
Avoid Extensions where not requiredUpgrades should not interfere with the extensions and extensions should not interfere with the upgradesDecouple the extensions from the StandardKeep the custom code separate from the S4 Core
A Clean Code
The Clean Core strategy focuses on:
Keeping custom code, extensions, and integrations outside the SAP S/4HANA digital core.Leveraging side-by-side extensibility using SAP BTP.Using stable APIs and events to communicate between systems and layers.
This approach ensures that your core ERP remains clean, lean, and easily upgradeable—an essential factor for reducing TCO and accelerating innovation cycles.
In short, minimize extensions, decouple them from the standard, build side-by-side extensions on the BTP layer without touching the S4 HANA Core.
Why AEM as the First Principle?
To achieve the clean core strategy, event driven architecture plays an important role by decoupling the processes through individual events, following the loosely couple framework and avoiding tightly coupled integrations.
SAP Advanced Event Mesh enables event-driven architecture (EDA) that decouples the source of truth (S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, C4C, etc.) from consumers (external apps, extensions, APIs). Here’s why it’s foundational to Clean Core:
Asynchronous Communication: No tight coupling between systems.Loose Integration: Replace point-to-point interfaces with publish-subscribe models.Extensibility: Let consumers build side-by-side extensions without modifying the core.Scalability: Support multiple consumers with minimal configuration overhead.
Clean Core in Action — Event-Driven Architecture with AEM
Let’s take a simple example: BP Onboarding in SAP S/4.
Without Clean Core (Tightly Coupled):
Custom ABAP enhancements in S/4HANA to trigger BP Creation/ Change Events.Direct API calls or IDoc triggers to downstream applications like ARIBA/ C4C/ Hybris/ External Applications from S/4.Every new consumer or change = new code or regression testing.
With Clean Core (Using AEM):
S/4 HANA triggers the BP Creation Event via Event Enablement Cockpit.AEM captures the events and routes it to all the subscribers.Subscribers (CPI, CAP apps, external systems) performs the required logic without modifying the core system.
No enhancement. No code in the core. Just events and clean extensions.
Common Use Cases Where AEM Drives Clean Core
Customer/Vendor Create in S/4HANA → Event to AEM → Update CRM/External apps.Purchase Order Created → Event routed via AEM → Notify suppliers via external systems.Material Master Update → Trigger downstream analytics apps or warehouse systems.
Building Blocks of a Clean Core Event Strategy
1. Enable Eventing in Source System
Use Event Enablement Cockpit in S/4HANA (Cloud or Private Edition).
Within the SAP Application layer, where various types of event triggers are captured, these triggers can originate from the standard SAP mechanisms/ processes like Business Objects Repository(BOR) Event, Change Documents (CDHDR/ CDPOS), BTE(Business Transaction Event), IDOC Creation, Output Determination routines, and RAP based Event Triggers.
2. Route Event to AEM
Configure the required events in SAP S/4 to Publish Events to SAP Event Mesh/ AEMDo the proper topic configurations and ensure secure connectivity.
3. Integrate with AEM
Use AMQP 1.0 protocol or SAP Event Mesh/ Advance Event Mesh Adapter in Integration Suite.
Design Reusable Consumers
Keep business logic in SAP BTP (CAP, CPI, etc.).Use topic naming standards (e.g., sap/s4/customer/created).
Govern EventsMaintain versioning, documentation, and routing rules in AEM.
Combine AEM with SAP Integration Suite or APIM
AEM becomes even more powerful when used alongside SAP Integration Suite:
Route events from AEM to CPI flows for orchestrations or APIM for Just Routing.Use Process Integration for sync calls only where truly needed.
Practical Use Case:
Connect the S/4 or ERP to Advance Event Mesh (Either via Enterprise Event Enablement or ASAPIO Add-on) and setup the corresponding business events and topic hierarchies in AEM,
Go to the Broker Manager of the of the AEM,
Setup the Event Configuration via SAP Enterprise Event Enablement in the S/4
1. Create Queue
2. Subscribe to the Topic
3. Advance Event Mesh Subscriber Configuration:
4. Depending on the Design, Processing Configuration Can be Altered
or
or
Summary
In SAP S/4 HANA, achieving Clean Core is no longer an optional choice, it’s a foundational strategy for designing scalable, maintainable, and future ready enterprise landscapes. This blogs explored how the SAP AEM empowers the organizations to adopt event driven architecture(EDA) that supports the Clean Core Principle by:
Decoupling the Core: Separating the custom logic, integrations, and extensions from the S/4HANA core using publish-subscribe event models.Enabling Side-by-Side Extensibility: Leveraging SAP BTP and AEM to develop external applications and microservices without modifying the digital core.Ensuring Upgrade Agility: Keeping the S/4 core untouched allows smooth upgrades with minimal regression testing.Scaling Across Hybrid Landscapes: Distributing business events asynchronously to multiple consumers (on-premises and cloud) with minimal configuration overhead.
Conclusion
Embracing SAP Advanced Event Mesh as the foundation of your integration and extension strategy ensures that you’re not only building for the present, but also for the future. With AEM, you unlock a Clean Core architecture that is:
✅Upgradable
✅Extensible
✅Decoupled
✅Scalable
The Clean Core is no longer a destination, it’s a design principle. And AEM is your first step on that journey.
Reference:
Creating SM59 Destination for AEM Service Instance | SAP Help Portal
Get Started with SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh
Connect Advanced Event Mesh | SAP Help Portal
Event Processing in an SAP S/4HANA on-premise syst… – SAP Community
Configure SAP Event Mesh for SAP S/4HANA On-Premis… – SAP Community
The E in Event-Driven Architecture: Introducing SA… – SAP Community
In the digital era of today where digital transformation is every organization’s need, SAP Clean Core Principle is more than just a word, it’s a among the foundational principle for enterprises looking to future-proof their SAP landscape. As per the SAP clean core approach, where technology is moving towards API first Approach, modular architectures, the organizations must decouple their custom logic instead of the application server to external API’s outside the application server layer to ensure agility, scalability, and reducing the upgrade complexity.One of the most powerful enablers of this Clean Core approach is the event driven architecture through SAP Advanced Event Mesh (AEM), an enterprise-grade event brokering solution that supports real-time, event-driven architectures across hybrid landscapes.In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to achieve Clean Core by adopting AEM as the first principle, laying the groundwork for a decoupled, scalable, and intelligent enterprise. The Clean Core Strategy — What and Why?Avoid Extensions where not requiredUpgrades should not interfere with the extensions and extensions should not interfere with the upgradesDecouple the extensions from the StandardKeep the custom code separate from the S4 CoreA Clean CodeThe Clean Core strategy focuses on:Keeping custom code, extensions, and integrations outside the SAP S/4HANA digital core.Leveraging side-by-side extensibility using SAP BTP.Using stable APIs and events to communicate between systems and layers.This approach ensures that your core ERP remains clean, lean, and easily upgradeable—an essential factor for reducing TCO and accelerating innovation cycles.In short, minimize extensions, decouple them from the standard, build side-by-side extensions on the BTP layer without touching the S4 HANA Core. Why AEM as the First Principle?To achieve the clean core strategy, event driven architecture plays an important role by decoupling the processes through individual events, following the loosely couple framework and avoiding tightly coupled integrations.SAP Advanced Event Mesh enables event-driven architecture (EDA) that decouples the source of truth (S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, C4C, etc.) from consumers (external apps, extensions, APIs). Here’s why it’s foundational to Clean Core:Asynchronous Communication: No tight coupling between systems.Loose Integration: Replace point-to-point interfaces with publish-subscribe models.Extensibility: Let consumers build side-by-side extensions without modifying the core.Scalability: Support multiple consumers with minimal configuration overhead. Clean Core in Action — Event-Driven Architecture with AEMLet’s take a simple example: BP Onboarding in SAP S/4. Without Clean Core (Tightly Coupled):Custom ABAP enhancements in S/4HANA to trigger BP Creation/ Change Events.Direct API calls or IDoc triggers to downstream applications like ARIBA/ C4C/ Hybris/ External Applications from S/4.Every new consumer or change = new code or regression testing. With Clean Core (Using AEM):S/4 HANA triggers the BP Creation Event via Event Enablement Cockpit.AEM captures the events and routes it to all the subscribers.Subscribers (CPI, CAP apps, external systems) performs the required logic without modifying the core system.No enhancement. No code in the core. Just events and clean extensions.Common Use Cases Where AEM Drives Clean CoreCustomer/Vendor Create in S/4HANA → Event to AEM → Update CRM/External apps.Purchase Order Created → Event routed via AEM → Notify suppliers via external systems.Material Master Update → Trigger downstream analytics apps or warehouse systems. Building Blocks of a Clean Core Event Strategy1. Enable Eventing in Source SystemUse Event Enablement Cockpit in S/4HANA (Cloud or Private Edition).Within the SAP Application layer, where various types of event triggers are captured, these triggers can originate from the standard SAP mechanisms/ processes like Business Objects Repository(BOR) Event, Change Documents (CDHDR/ CDPOS), BTE(Business Transaction Event), IDOC Creation, Output Determination routines, and RAP based Event Triggers. 2. Route Event to AEMConfigure the required events in SAP S/4 to Publish Events to SAP Event Mesh/ AEMDo the proper topic configurations and ensure secure connectivity.3. Integrate with AEMUse AMQP 1.0 protocol or SAP Event Mesh/ Advance Event Mesh Adapter in Integration Suite.Design Reusable ConsumersKeep business logic in SAP BTP (CAP, CPI, etc.).Use topic naming standards (e.g., sap/s4/customer/created).Govern EventsMaintain versioning, documentation, and routing rules in AEM. Combine AEM with SAP Integration Suite or APIMAEM becomes even more powerful when used alongside SAP Integration Suite:Route events from AEM to CPI flows for orchestrations or APIM for Just Routing.Use Process Integration for sync calls only where truly needed.Practical Use Case:Connect the S/4 or ERP to Advance Event Mesh (Either via Enterprise Event Enablement or ASAPIO Add-on) and setup the corresponding business events and topic hierarchies in AEM,Go to the Broker Manager of the of the AEM,Setup the Event Configuration via SAP Enterprise Event Enablement in the S/41. Create Queue 2. Subscribe to the Topic 3. Advance Event Mesh Subscriber Configuration:4. Depending on the Design, Processing Configuration Can be Alteredoror SummaryIn SAP S/4 HANA, achieving Clean Core is no longer an optional choice, it’s a foundational strategy for designing scalable, maintainable, and future ready enterprise landscapes. This blogs explored how the SAP AEM empowers the organizations to adopt event driven architecture(EDA) that supports the Clean Core Principle by:Decoupling the Core: Separating the custom logic, integrations, and extensions from the S/4HANA core using publish-subscribe event models.Enabling Side-by-Side Extensibility: Leveraging SAP BTP and AEM to develop external applications and microservices without modifying the digital core.Ensuring Upgrade Agility: Keeping the S/4 core untouched allows smooth upgrades with minimal regression testing.Scaling Across Hybrid Landscapes: Distributing business events asynchronously to multiple consumers (on-premises and cloud) with minimal configuration overhead. ConclusionEmbracing SAP Advanced Event Mesh as the foundation of your integration and extension strategy ensures that you’re not only building for the present, but also for the future. With AEM, you unlock a Clean Core architecture that is:✅Upgradable✅Extensible✅Decoupled✅ScalableThe Clean Core is no longer a destination, it’s a design principle. And AEM is your first step on that journey.Reference:Creating SM59 Destination for AEM Service Instance | SAP Help PortalGet Started with SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event MeshConnect Advanced Event Mesh | SAP Help PortalEvent Processing in an SAP S/4HANA on-premise syst… – SAP CommunityConfigure SAP Event Mesh for SAP S/4HANA On-Premis… – SAP CommunityThe E in Event-Driven Architecture: Introducing SA… – SAP Community Read More Technology Blog Posts by Members articles
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