Integrating and Extending Joule
SAP's reference architecture for SAP JouleSAP JouleSAP's unified AI engagement layer across SAP applications: Joule Work is where a user expresses intent, Joule Assistants coordinate agents across business functions, and Joule Agents carry out the tasks, provisioned on BTP as a formation against SAP Cloud Identity Services.sap official, btp across SAP cloud applications: a request is checked against a Scenario Catalog of the applications' skills and a Knowledge Catalog answered by retrieval-augmented generation, combined with the user's roles and history, sent to an LLM available through the generative AI hub, and, where a Joule function is needed, turned into a call to the backend. Its identity page is the authenticationAuthenticationEstablishing who is calling: validating credentials or tokens, resolving the user, and making that identity available to the application. Authorization decides what that identity may do; identity provisioning manages its lifecycle across systems.SAP and community, narrow by design path: each user sits in the Identity Directory of Cloud Identity ServicesCloud Identity ServicesIdentity Authentication and Identity Provisioning as one tenant: the login, the user store or the federation to a corporate identity provider, and the provisioning of users into whatever sits behind it.sap official, btp with a Global User ID, Identity Provisioning synchronises role assignments into SAP Build Work Zone, whose navigation service decides which functions a user may call, and the Destination service exchanges the user's token to call a function in the user's name. Its extension page covers Joule StudioJoule Studio, classic editionThe low-code capability in SAP Build for custom Joule skills and Joule agents: skills call OData APIs through BTP destinations, agents get a model, instructions, tools and MCP servers, and both deploy to Joule.sap official, btp in SAP Build, where Joule skills automate rule-based tasks over APIs and AI agents plan and reason with models and document grounding from SAP AI CoreSAP AI CoreSAP's AI service on BTP: the runtime for AI assets, and through the Generative AI Hub inside it the access to foundation models, the orchestration service with its templating, masking, filtering and grounding modules, the Prompt Registry and Document Grounding.sap official, btp, the ground agent toolingAgent toolingBuilding an agent into your own application — the tools it may call, the state it keeps between turns, and the framework it runs in. Distinct from MCP servers, which expose an application to somebody else's agent, and from agent guidance, which is knowledge handed to a coding agent.SAP and community, unassessed covers; a later Joule Studio page describes a managed Joule Studio Runtime on the SAP Business AI Platform, which has no entry here.
Where it sits
Who is behind it
In the atlas: maintains 1, wrote 26author
Architecture
parts read from 4 readme files,Parts, as the source names them
- End useran actorstarts with a query in the Joule client embedded in an SAP cloud applicationRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
The users start with their queries in the natively integrated Joule client embedded in our respective SAP cloud applications.
RA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerThe user access SAP Joule.
- Third-party identity provideran actorcorporate identity provider the login is redirected to, optionalThird-party Identity ProvidersRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
**Third-party Identity Providers:** supports integration with external identity providers for enhanced security and user management (Optional).
RA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerA common scenario would now redirect the authentication attempt to a 3rd party corporate Identity Provider.
- SAP Joulethe core AI copilot serviceSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule Service: The core AI copilot service (entitlement: foundation plan).
RA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center**SAP Business Technology Platform** establishes the foundation for implementing and extending Joule capabilities with Joule and SAP Build Work Zone entitlements.
- Cloud Identity Servicesuser authentication and authorization, and Joule's user storeSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
**SAP Cloud Identity Services** manages user authentication and authorization for secure access to your SAP Applications and Joule.
RA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerSAP Joule relies on these services, using SAP Cloud Identity Services as its user store, which can be shared with other SAP cloud applications through replication or direct access.
RA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerSAP Business Technology Platform (BTP): The central integration and extensibility platform. It hosts the following key services:
- SAP Cloud Identity Services - Identity Provisioningsynchronises user and role data from the applicationsSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
SAP Cloud Identity Services use the Identity Provisioning Service to synchronize user and role data from the application and update user-role assignments in SAP Build Work Zone.
RA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerIdentity Provisioning (IPS): Uses the connectivity (application) plan to sync users and roles from S/4HANA PCE to the BTP subaccount.
- SAP Build Work Zone, standard editionthe Fiori Launchpad site that surfaces the Joule UI, and navigation across applicationsSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition: Provides the Fiori Launchpad site that surfaces the Joule UI (entitlement: foundation plan).
RA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerSAP Joule uses SAP Build Work Zone for navigation across applications.
- SAP Destination servicecalls the Joule Function in the name of the userSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 2-joule-iam/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
SAP Joule leverages the SAP BTP Destination Service to call the Joule Function / API in the name of the user (Principal Propagation).
RA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerA dedicated BTP Booster ("Joule – End-to-End Setup Guide") automates much of the complex BTP configuration, including service instance creation, Cloud Foundry enablement, and destination setup.
- SAP Connectivity serviceintegrates Joule Studio with other SAP BTP services and external applicationsSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule Studio integrates via the SAP Connectivity service with other SAP BTP services and external applications.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerSAP BTP Connectivity integrates existing workflows with Joule Skills and AI Agents, enabling seamless, automated execution across SAP and non-SAP systems.
- Cloud Connectorsecure tunnel from the BTP subaccount to the S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition systemon Joule in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, through the BTP subaccount and the Cloud ConnectorRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Cloud Connector: The secure-tunnel software agent that connects the SAP BTP subaccount to the SAP S/4HANA PCE system (in its private data center) without opening a firewall.
- Joule Studio, classic editiondesign time for custom Joule skills and AI agentsSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule Studio enables extending Joule by creating new capabilities that can be deployed alongside the out-of-the-box capabilities provided by SAP. These capabilities include Joule Skills and AI Agents.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerJoule Studio is part of SAP Build, which includes SAP Build Apps, SAP Build Code, SAP Build Work Zone, and SAP Build Process Automation.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerOnce these prerequisites are met, Joule Studio is automatically provisioned using formations in the BTP cockpit.
- @sap/joule-studio-clipro-code tool to build, compile and deploy capabilities for JouleRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Besides Joule Studio as design time environment, you can also leverage Pro-Code Development Tools for Joule, like Joule Studio CLI to build, compile and deploy capabilities for Joule.
- SAP Build Process Automationset up with Joule in the SAP Build tenant before Joule Studio is provisionedSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
To provision Joule Studio, Joule must be set up in the target landscape along with SAP Build Process Automation as part of the SAP Build tenant with the build-default plan utilizing SAP Identity Authentication Service (IAS).
- SAP AI CoreLLMs through the generative AI hub, and document grounding for AI agentsSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
It provides the underlying Large Language Models (LLMs) that can be leveraged to configure AI Agents.
RA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerThis LLM is based on a rich ecosystem of technology partner LLM offerings also available directly via SAP Business Technology Platform's AI Foundation and the SAP Generative AI Hub.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerAdditionally, customers can provision their own document grounding capabilities in AI Core leveraging the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) service and integrate them into their AI Agents to ground them in specific data.
- Retrieval-augmented generationdocument grounding in customer-owned contentSAP Business Technology PlatformRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
This can be based on SAP-owned content, such as SAP Help Pages, or could be customer-owned content as well, by integrating the SAP Document Grounding services with Joule.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerAdditionally, customers can provision their own document grounding capabilities in AI Core leveraging the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) service and integrate them into their AI Agents to ground them in specific data.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public EditionSAP cloud system with Joule natively integratedSAP Enterprise Systemson Joule in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, natively integratedRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule is natively integrated into the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, providing users with seamless access to its capabilities directly within the SAP Fiori Launchpad.
RA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center**SAP Enterprise Systems:** connects Joule with your cloud systems such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP Analytics Cloud, etc, and other third-party applications to enable seamless data exchange and process automation.
- SAP SuccessFactorsSAP cloud system connected to JouleSAP Enterprise SystemsRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
**SAP Enterprise Systems:** connects Joule with your cloud systems such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP Analytics Cloud, etc, and other third-party applications to enable seamless data exchange and process automation.
- SAP Analytics Cloudsource of the analytical pattern's insightsSAP Enterprise SystemsRA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Users can ask questions related to business metrics, trends, and performance indicators, and Joule will provide relevant insights from the SAP Analytics Cloud system.
RA0024 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center**SAP Enterprise Systems:** connects Joule with your cloud systems such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP Analytics Cloud, etc, and other third-party applications to enable seamless data exchange and process automation.
Roles the source leaves open
- Custom Joule skills and AI agentsa capability, Agent toolingRA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule Studio enables extending Joule by creating new capabilities that can be deployed alongside the out-of-the-box capabilities provided by SAP. These capabilities include Joule Skills and AI Agents.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerJoule Skills automate rule-based, repetitive tasks using APIs, seamlessly integrating into SAP to enhance productivity. AI Agents tackle complex challenges with advanced planning and reasoning, integrating both SAP and non-SAP systems and leveraging Joule Skills.
RA0024 3-extend-joule-with-joule-studio/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerThe central entry point for consuming custom Joule skills and AI agents created in Joule Studio is the Joule client application, available on both Desktop and Mobile.
The source draws it as Joule Studio, classic edition, @sap/joule-studio-cli.
Ways the source names
- Joule in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, through the BTP subaccount and the Cloud ConnectorRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
This solution is exclusively available for RISE with SAP customers and relies on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) as the central integration and service hub.
RA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerThis architecture page focuses on Joule integration with SAP S/4HANA cloud private edition and SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud.
- Joule in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, natively integratedRA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center
Joule is natively integrated into the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, providing users with seamless access to its capabilities directly within the SAP Fiori Launchpad.
RA0024 1-joule-for-sap-s4-hana/readme.md in SAP/architecture-centerThis architecture page focuses on Joule integration with SAP S/4HANA cloud private edition and SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud.
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- explains → applies_to on capability:agent-tooling, capability:authenticationDoor scope derived from the artifacts this piece also explains, so a door page lists it only where it holds (docs/concepts/content-on-doors.md).
- parts → 17 parts, 16 edges, 3 areasFilled from SAP's own readmes at the maintainer's request; 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.
- Entered the atlasDiscovered via Added by hand.
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