From Insights to Foresight: Elevating Analytics with SAP Analytics Cloud, Joule, BTP and Perplexity

From Insights to Foresight: Elevating Analytics with SAP Analytics Cloud, Joule, BTP and Perplexity
Estimated read time 10 min read

From Insights to Foresight: Elevating Analytics with
SAP Analytics Cloud, Joule, BTP and Perplexity

Introduction

We’ve all been there: you have the internal sales figures, but you’re missing the “why” from the outside world. Is a raw material shortage in Asia spiking your costs? Is a competitor’s new product launch affecting your pipeline?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, having data isn’t enough; you need the right data at the right time, regardless of where it lives. Whether it’s a row in a database, a paragraph in a PDF, or a trending market report on the web, the goal is to provide a unified experience.

This post explores how we are extending the standard capabilities of SAP Business Data Cloud using the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and AI Foundation to create massive value. We will make use of a demo scenario in which our famous BestRunBikes company is facing significant declines in the racing bike segment.

 

1. The Core: Master Your Structured Data with Analytical Insights

The journey begins with making structured data accessible to everyone, not just analysts. With Analytical Insights in Joule (released in Q2 2025), users can interact with their business data using natural language. With Joule in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) we bring this analytical power to the fingertips of our SAC users (planned GA see below).

Example: At the Homescreen of SAC I recognize that my order value faces a significant decrease. We jump into the Metrics list to dive deeper. The Smart Insights (as built-in embedded ai capability) indicates that the racing product type is causing the issue. I want to understand which products belong to that type, so i ask Joule to “show me the product sales for racing” which results in an immediate visual chart generated by SAC.

 

Value:

Democratized Access: Analytics are available directly from line-of-business applications, saving time and training costs.Powered by “Just Ask”: This feature is enabled by SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and its “just ask” functionality.Deep Integration: It supports both SAC acquired models and SAP Datasphere models, ensuring data-access controls and authorizations remain intact.

Note: The demo scenario shows Joule in SAC, which is a feature that is not yet general available. As of date of the post, the current plan is for Controlled Release with SAC QRC2 2026 & a planned GA with QRC3 2026. The timelines are subject to change as per the usual disclaimers. The experience of Joule itself though can already be achieved with Joule being deployed somewhere else like e.g. Successfactors, S4, Workzone,…

 

2. The Context: Grounding AI in Your Company’s Wisdom

The first step in extending Joule is giving it access to your “dark data”—the unstructured information living in PDFs, images & more. Using the SAP BTP Document Grounding service, we can link Joule to internal sources like SharePoint or Workzone.

Example: In our demo we want to understand if there are certain reasons for the decline in racing bikes. We know that we repeatedly buy market research that lives as pdf in our sharepoint. We understand that there is reduced consumer spending and increased safety concerns from the customers. We could now reach out to the product manager for racing bikes to discuss this.

 

Value:

Unstructured Data Integration: Access internal information stored in documents on platforms like SharePoint or Workzone.Internal Knowledge Base: Users can query for internal guidelines, KPI definitions, or existing market research documents.Reliable Foundation: This is an official BTP service, designed to provide “grounding” for AI, ensuring responses are based on your actual business documents.

Have a look at our AI Discovery Center to learn more about this service.

 

3. The Vision: Global Intelligence with Perplexity Integration

The final frontier is connecting your internal world with the external one. By building a custom Joule Skill in Joule Studio, we can tap into the power of Perplexity for real-time web information.

Example: We want to have the latest informations / data around the bike market and specifically look into the european market. We can also ask for certain market projections. With the help of the perplexity skill we can get this kind of information right at the fingertips of the enduser. And now imagine to use this directly as input for simulation & planning!

 

The Architecture Stack

To bring Perplexity into the Joule interface, we utilize three core pillars of the SAP Business Technology Platform:

Joule Studio: This is where the Custom Skill is defined and configured. It acts as the front-end logic that tells Joule when to trigger an external search.Cloud Foundry (The CAP Wrapper): We use a Cloud Application Programming (CAP) model wrapper running on Cloud Foundry. This layer handles the API logic, ensuring the data is formatted correctly between the SAP ecosystem and the external provider. Thanks to vibe coding this was minimal effort.AI Foundation (SAP AI Core): The heavy lifting of the AI communication happens here. We use SAP AI Core to securely query Perplexity, providing a robust and governed gateway to the web.

 

Value:

External Market Reach: Extend Joule’s information reach to include external market data, projections, and raw material price developments.Technical Synergy: This setup uses SAP AI Core to query Perplexity, acting as a bridge between the enterprise and the live web. It ensures that external queries are handled with enterprise-grade security.Future-Ready: While this can be built today as a custom skill, it is already on the roadmap to become a standard capability of Joule.

 

Conclusion: The Power of an Integrated Platform

By combining the Business Data Cloud (SAC and Datasphere) with the SAP BTP AI Foundation, we aren’t just building tools; we are building an intelligent ecosystem. We are turning Joule from an analytical chatbot into a comprehensive business assistant that knows your data, your documents, and the world at large. 

 

Cheers,

Tobias

 

​ From Insights to Foresight: Elevating Analytics withSAP Analytics Cloud, Joule, BTP and PerplexityIntroductionWe’ve all been there: you have the internal sales figures, but you’re missing the “why” from the outside world. Is a raw material shortage in Asia spiking your costs? Is a competitor’s new product launch affecting your pipeline?In today’s fast-paced business environment, having data isn’t enough; you need the right data at the right time, regardless of where it lives. Whether it’s a row in a database, a paragraph in a PDF, or a trending market report on the web, the goal is to provide a unified experience.This post explores how we are extending the standard capabilities of SAP Business Data Cloud using the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and AI Foundation to create massive value. We will make use of a demo scenario in which our famous BestRunBikes company is facing significant declines in the racing bike segment. 1. The Core: Master Your Structured Data with Analytical InsightsThe journey begins with making structured data accessible to everyone, not just analysts. With Analytical Insights in Joule (released in Q2 2025), users can interact with their business data using natural language. With Joule in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) we bring this analytical power to the fingertips of our SAC users (planned GA see below).Example: At the Homescreen of SAC I recognize that my order value faces a significant decrease. We jump into the Metrics list to dive deeper. The Smart Insights (as built-in embedded ai capability) indicates that the racing product type is causing the issue. I want to understand which products belong to that type, so i ask Joule to “show me the product sales for racing” which results in an immediate visual chart generated by SAC. Value:Democratized Access: Analytics are available directly from line-of-business applications, saving time and training costs.Powered by “Just Ask”: This feature is enabled by SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and its “just ask” functionality.Deep Integration: It supports both SAC acquired models and SAP Datasphere models, ensuring data-access controls and authorizations remain intact.Note: The demo scenario shows Joule in SAC, which is a feature that is not yet general available. As of date of the post, the current plan is for Controlled Release with SAC QRC2 2026 & a planned GA with QRC3 2026. The timelines are subject to change as per the usual disclaimers. The experience of Joule itself though can already be achieved with Joule being deployed somewhere else like e.g. Successfactors, S4, Workzone,… 2. The Context: Grounding AI in Your Company’s WisdomThe first step in extending Joule is giving it access to your “dark data”—the unstructured information living in PDFs, images & more. Using the SAP BTP Document Grounding service, we can link Joule to internal sources like SharePoint or Workzone.Example: In our demo we want to understand if there are certain reasons for the decline in racing bikes. We know that we repeatedly buy market research that lives as pdf in our sharepoint. We understand that there is reduced consumer spending and increased safety concerns from the customers. We could now reach out to the product manager for racing bikes to discuss this. Value:Unstructured Data Integration: Access internal information stored in documents on platforms like SharePoint or Workzone.Internal Knowledge Base: Users can query for internal guidelines, KPI definitions, or existing market research documents.Reliable Foundation: This is an official BTP service, designed to provide “grounding” for AI, ensuring responses are based on your actual business documents.Have a look at our AI Discovery Center to learn more about this service. 3. The Vision: Global Intelligence with Perplexity IntegrationThe final frontier is connecting your internal world with the external one. By building a custom Joule Skill in Joule Studio, we can tap into the power of Perplexity for real-time web information.Example: We want to have the latest informations / data around the bike market and specifically look into the european market. We can also ask for certain market projections. With the help of the perplexity skill we can get this kind of information right at the fingertips of the enduser. And now imagine to use this directly as input for simulation & planning! The Architecture StackTo bring Perplexity into the Joule interface, we utilize three core pillars of the SAP Business Technology Platform:Joule Studio: This is where the Custom Skill is defined and configured. It acts as the front-end logic that tells Joule when to trigger an external search.Cloud Foundry (The CAP Wrapper): We use a Cloud Application Programming (CAP) model wrapper running on Cloud Foundry. This layer handles the API logic, ensuring the data is formatted correctly between the SAP ecosystem and the external provider. Thanks to vibe coding this was minimal effort.AI Foundation (SAP AI Core): The heavy lifting of the AI communication happens here. We use SAP AI Core to securely query Perplexity, providing a robust and governed gateway to the web. Value:External Market Reach: Extend Joule’s information reach to include external market data, projections, and raw material price developments.Technical Synergy: This setup uses SAP AI Core to query Perplexity, acting as a bridge between the enterprise and the live web. It ensures that external queries are handled with enterprise-grade security.Future-Ready: While this can be built today as a custom skill, it is already on the roadmap to become a standard capability of Joule. Conclusion: The Power of an Integrated PlatformBy combining the Business Data Cloud (SAC and Datasphere) with the SAP BTP AI Foundation, we aren’t just building tools; we are building an intelligent ecosystem. We are turning Joule from an analytical chatbot into a comprehensive business assistant that knows your data, your documents, and the world at large.  Cheers,Tobias   Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles 

#SAP

#SAPTechnologyblog

Avatar for

You May Also Like

More From Author