{"ref":"content:ac-ai-native-north-star-architecture","page":"/content/ac-ai-native-north-star-architecture","json":"/content/ac-ai-native-north-star-architecture.json","generated":"2026-10-26","drafted_with_ai":true,"entity":{"id":"ac-ai-native-north-star-architecture","title":"AI-native North Star architecture — Platform Layer","url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","content_type":"reference-architecture","explains":[{"ref":"capability:agent-tooling","applies_to":{"ecosystems":["btp","cap"]}},{"ref":"capability:mcp-servers","applies_to":{"ecosystems":["abap","btp","cap"]}}],"summary":"The platform layer of SAP's North Star architecture, the chapter that says where agents run and what a developer builds them with. It names an AI Golden Path built on the SAP Cloud Application Programming Model, the ABAP Cloud development model with RAP and the SAP Fiori design system, and a managed agent runtime on SAP BTP that is designed to provide software development kits for building agents in any framework, an agent sandbox, container-hosted execution, a skills registry and continuous evaluations, which is the ground [agent tooling](capability:agent-tooling) covers. Agents are extended without changing their code through four patterns, the first of them tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol, the concern [MCP servers](capability:mcp-servers) is named for; the process-layer chapter adds that a pro-code path with a standardised agent SDK and a prompt-driven path through the Joule Studio solution produce the same code artifact on the same runtime. It describes a design SAP intends rather than products that exist, and the SDK and the registry it names have no entry here yet.","short":"Platform layer of the North Star architecture for AI agents","authors":["actor:sap-architecture-center"],"published":"2026-05-13","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-09-14","quote":"In practice, the platform is designed to provide standardized software development kits for building agents in any framework, an agent sandbox for safe development and testing, container-hosted execution, an agent skills registry for discovering reusable capabilities, and continuous evaluations for quality assurance."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-09-14","quote":"Customers and partners customize agents without modifying the underlying code through four patterns: tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol, skills as reusable building blocks, pre and post extension hooks and instructions that precondition the agent’s behavior with domain knowledge and operating guidelines."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/process-layer","title":"4. Process Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-09-14","quote":"Two creation paths produce the same canonical artifact: a pro-code path where developers write agent logic directly with a standardized agent software development kit for full flexibility, and a prompt-driven path that translates natural language intent into a code-based agent through assisted authoring (Joule Studio solution), both deployed on the same agent runtime."}],"provenance":{"discovered_via":[{"source":"source:curator"}],"first_seen":"2026-09-14"},"drafted_with_ai":true,"published_on":"source:architecture-center","parts":[{"actor":"Developer","key":"developer","role":"builds agents on the pro-code or the prompt-driven path","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/process-layer","title":"4. Process Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Two creation paths produce the same canonical artifact: a pro-code path where developers write agent logic directly with a standardized agent software development kit for full flexibility, and a prompt-driven path that translates natural language intent into a code-based agent through assisted authoring (Joule Studio solution), both deployed on the same agent runtime."}]},{"slot":"capability:agent-tooling","key":"agent-runtime","role":"managed agent runtime","area":"platform","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"SAP Business Technology Platform provides a managed agent runtime that provides the infrastructure to make enterprise agents reliable at scale."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"In practice, the platform is designed to provide standardized software development kits for building agents in any framework, an agent sandbox for safe development and testing, container-hosted execution, an agent skills registry for discovering reusable capabilities, and continuous evaluations for quality assurance."}]},{"slot":"capability:mcp-servers","key":"mcp-tools","role":"tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol","area":"platform","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Customers and partners customize agents without modifying the underlying code through four patterns: tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol, skills as reusable building blocks, pre and post extension hooks and instructions that precondition the agent’s behavior with domain knowledge and operating guidelines."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/integration-security-ethics-governance","title":"7. Integration, Security, Ethics & Governance — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The Model Context Protocol provides tool integration, enabling agents to discover and invoke capabilities across systems."}]},{"slot":"capability:agent-evals","key":"evals","role":"continuous evaluations for quality assurance","area":"platform","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"In practice, the platform is designed to provide standardized software development kits for building agents in any framework, an agent sandbox for safe development and testing, container-hosted execution, an agent skills registry for discovering reusable capabilities, and continuous evaluations for quality assurance."}]},{"slot":"capability:tool-governance","key":"gateway","role":"single governed gateway for agent traffic","area":"process","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"A platform that runs autonomous agents must also govern them."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/integration-security-ethics-governance","title":"7. Integration, Security, Ethics & Governance — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Agent traffic flows through a single governed gateway that enforces trust at the platform level."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/integration-security-ethics-governance","title":"7. Integration, Security, Ethics & Governance — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The gateway provides landscape boundaries that define which systems an agent can access, fine-grained access policies that govern tool usage down to the parameter level, a unified tool catalog, and human-in-the-loop routing for critical decisions."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/vision","title":"2. Vision — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Applications become capability providers for agents that plan and execute processes across SAP, partner, and third-party systems and agents through a governed gateway."}]},{"ref":"artifact:sap-cds","key":"cap","role":"AI Golden Path for application development","area":"platform","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"An AI Golden Path for application development—built on SAP Cloud Application Programming Model, the ABAP Cloud development model (ABAP RESTful application programming model), and the SAP Fiori design system—delivers consistent data models, harmonized APIs, and unified lifecycle management."}]}],"areas":[{"key":"platform","kind":"sap-cloud","label":"Platform Layer","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The platform layer is where applications, agents, and workflows run. SAP Business Technology Platform provides composable services across data management, application development, integration, and security."}]},{"key":"process","kind":"sap-cloud","label":"Process Layer","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/process-layer","title":"4. Process Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The process layer is where business logic is defined and where the shift from rigid, predefined paths to agent-enabled orchestration takes shape."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/vision","title":"2. Vision — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Applications become capability providers for agents that plan and execute processes across SAP, partner, and third-party systems and agents through a governed gateway."}]}],"edges":[{"from":"agent-runtime","to":"mcp-tools","kind":"data","protocol":"mcp","for":"tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol, so an agent discovers and invokes capabilities across systems without a change to its code","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/platform-layer","title":"6. Platform Layer — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"Customers and partners customize agents without modifying the underlying code through four patterns: tool extensibility through the Model Context Protocol, skills as reusable building blocks, pre and post extension hooks and instructions that precondition the agent’s behavior with domain knowledge and operating guidelines."},{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/integration-security-ethics-governance","title":"7. Integration, Security, Ethics & Governance — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The Model Context Protocol provides tool integration, enabling agents to discover and invoke capabilities across systems."}]},{"from":"developer","to":"agent-runtime","kind":"provisioning","for":"deploys the agent built on either creation path on the same agent runtime","sources":[{"url":"https://architecture.learning.sap.com/docs/ai-native-north-star-architecture/process-layer","title":"4. 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Integration, Security, Ethics & Governance — AI-native North Star architecture, SAP Architecture Center","checked":"2026-10-09","quote":"The gateway provides landscape boundaries that define which systems an agent can access, fine-grained access policies that govern tool usage down to the parameter level, a unified tool catalog, and human-in-the-loop routing for critical decisions."}]}],"history":[{"date":"2026-10-09","field":"parts","from":null,"to":"6 parts, 3 edges, 2 areas","reason":"Filled from SAP's own pages at the maintainer's request (docs/concepts/product-doors.md was the occasion; the AI-native door reads these designs). Every part names what the graph holds; what it lacks is listed as candidates in the curation note."},{"date":"2026-10-17","field":"explains","from":null,"to":"applies_to on capability:agent-tooling (cap, btp); capability:mcp-servers (cap, abap, btp)","reason":"Door scope proposed from the title and summary, so a door page lists the piece only where it holds (docs/concepts/content-on-doors.md)."}]},"readings":{"liveness":[{"label":"Checked against the source","tier":"unknown","evidence":"nobody has checked it"},{"label":"Source reachable","tier":"unknown","evidence":"not crawled"},{"label":"Age","tier":"good","evidence":"published 5 months ago"}],"compatibility":[{"label":"Version","tier":"unknown","evidence":"no version declared"},{"label":"Moved since?","tier":"poor","evidence":"@cap-js/agents 0.9.1, 2026-08 and 1 more"},{"label":"Findings","tier":"good","evidence":"none flagged"}],"reach":[{"value":null,"unit":"views"},{"value":null,"unit":"comments"},{"value":null,"unit":"likes"}]},"signals":null,"series":null,"edges":{"authors":[{"ref":"actor:sap-architecture-center","name":"SAP Architecture Center","json":"/actors/sap-architecture-center.json"}]}}