Production-ready SAP BTP implementation guidance based on official SAP documentation.
Quick Links:
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Official Guide: https://github.com/SAP-docs/btp-best-practices-guide
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SAP Help Portal: https://help.sap.com/docs/btp/btp-administrators-guide
Table of Contents
Platform Fundamentals
Account Hierarchy
Global Account (SAP contract)
├── Directory (optional, up to 7 levels)
│ └── Subaccount (region-specific, apps run here)
│ ├── Cloud Foundry Org → Spaces
│ └── Kyma Cluster → Namespaces
└── Subaccount
Key Points:
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Global account = contract with SAP (one per commercial model)
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Directory = groups subaccounts (max 7 levels deep)
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Subaccount = deployed in specific region, enables runtimes
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Use labels for virtual grouping (Dev/Test/Prod, cost centers)
Environments
| Cloud Foundry | Polyglot apps | Multiple buildpacks, spaces
| Kyma | Cloud-native K8s | Open-source, namespaces
| ABAP | ABAP extensions | RAP, cloud-ready ABAP
| Neo | Legacy | Migrate away - HTML5, Java, HANA XS
Commercial Models
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Consumption-Based (BTPEA/CPEA): Flexible access, best for pilots
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Subscription-Based: Fixed-cost for known service needs
Best Practice: Start with consumption-based, move to subscription for stable workloads.
Account Model Setup
Simple Model (3 subaccounts)
Global Account
├── Dev Subaccount
├── Test Subaccount
└── Prod Subaccount
Best for: Initial implementations, single team, <3 projects
Directory Model (scalable)
Global Account
├── Directory: HR
│ ├── hr-dev / hr-test / hr-prod
├── Directory: Sales
│ ├── sales-dev / sales-test / sales-prod
└── Directory: Central IT
├── api-management
└── shared-services
Best for: Multiple teams, cost allocation, complex governance
Naming Conventions
| Subaccount | Natural language | "HR Development"
| Subdomain
| Lowercase, hyphens
| hr-dev-acme
| CF Org
| Company prefix
| acme-hr-dev
| CF Space
| Consistent across stages
| hr-recruiting
Tip: Derive CF org/Kyma names from subaccount names for consistency.
Security and Authentication
Identity Provider Setup
Always use SAP Cloud Identity Services - Identity Authentication
Corporate IdP → Identity Authentication (proxy) → SAP BTP
Critical Steps:
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Add multiple administrators (different time zones)
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Enable MFA for all admins
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Configure security alerts
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Set up backup admins in SAP ID Service
Authorization Methods
| Provisioning | Production, many users | Centralized roles, automated offboarding
| Federation | Simple scenarios | Real-time sync, but doesn't scale well
| Manual | Testing only | Quick setup, not production-ready
Destination Authentication
Recommended:
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PrincipalPropagation- SAP on-premise systems -
OAuth2SAMLBearerAssertion- Third-party systems -
OAuth2JWTBearer- User token exchange
Avoid in Production:
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BasicAuthentication -
OAuth2Password
See: references/security-and-authentication.md for complete guidance
Connectivity
Remote System Access
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Internet Services: Destinations with authentication
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On-Premise Systems: Destinations + Cloud Connector
Cloud Connector
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Lightweight on-premise agent
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Secure tunnel to SAP BTP (no inbound ports)
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Fine-grained access control
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Supports RFC and HTTP protocols
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Enables principal propagation
Note: Each subaccount needs separate Cloud Connector config.
Governance and Teams
Required Teams
Platform Engineering Team (Center of Excellence):
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Manages cloud landscape infrastructure
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Handles account operations, build infrastructure
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Creates governance and compliance guidelines
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Does NOT manage individual application lifecycles
Cloud Development Teams:
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Follow DevOps (develop AND operate)
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Responsible for application lifecycle
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Regular maintenance (e.g., UI updates every 6 months)
Essential Documentation
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Onboarding Doc: Organization, app IDs, timeline, tech stack
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Security Doc: Data sensitivity, policies, auth framework
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Services Catalog: Templates for destinations, builds, schemas
Development
Programming Models
SAP CAP (Cloud Application Programming Model):
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Framework with languages, libraries, tools
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Supports Java, JavaScript, TypeScript
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Enterprise-grade services and data models
ABAP Cloud:
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Modern ABAP for cloud-ready apps
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RAP (RESTful ABAP Programming Model)
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Extensions for ABAP-based products
Development Lifecycle
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Explore: Business opportunity, team roles
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Discover: Use cases, technology options
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Design: UX design, domain-driven design
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Deliver: Landscape setup, development
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Run and Scale: Feedback, optimization
AI Development
SAP BTP provides AI capabilities through SAP AI Core for:
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Generative AI (LLMs, RAG)
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Narrow AI (classical ML)
Key Resources:
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Repository: SAP-samples/sap-btp-ai-best-practices
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Documentation: https://btp-ai-bp.docs.sap/
Best Practices:
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Use service keys for secure authentication
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Implement PII data masking
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Build RAG with SAP HANA Cloud Vector Engine
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Configure content filtering
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Monitor model drift
Use Cases: 20+ samples including chatbots, PDF extraction, procurement.
See: references/ai-development-best-practices.md for patterns and examples
Deployment and Delivery
Deployment Methods
Cloud Foundry/Neo:
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Package as MTA archive
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Deploy via: BTP Cockpit, CF CLI, Business Application Studio
Kyma:
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Docker images (Dockerfile or Cloud Native Buildpacks)
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Helm charts for production
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Deploy via SAP Continuous Integration and Delivery
CI/CD Approaches
SAP Continuous Integration and Delivery:
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Low expertise required
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Ready-to-use infrastructure
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Direct SAP support
Project "Piper":
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High expertise required
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Jenkins-based
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Open-source community support
Best Practice: Combine CI/CD with SAP Cloud Transport Management for governance + agility.
See: references/deployment-and-delivery.md for detailed configs
High Availability and Failover
Multi-Region Architecture
Custom Domain URL
│
Load Balancer
├── Region 1 (active)
└── Region 2 (passive/active)
Failover Implementation
Four Core Principles:
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Deploy in Two Regions: Near users and backend systems
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Keep Synced: CI/CD pipeline or Cloud Transport Management
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Define Detection: Monitor 5xx errors, timeouts
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Plan Failback: Visual differentiation, user-driven
Legal: Check cross-region data processing restrictions.
See: references/failover-and-resilience.md for implementation details
Operations and Monitoring
Go-Live Checklist
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Deploy to production
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Set go-live timeframe (avoid quarter-end)
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Embed in SAP Fiori Launchpad
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Provision business users
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Configure role collections
Monitoring Tools
SAP Cloud ALM (Enterprise Support):
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Real User Monitoring
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Health Monitoring
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Integration and Exception Monitoring
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Job Automation Monitoring
SAP Cloud Logging:
- Observability across CF, Kyma, Kubernetes
SAP Alert Notification:
- Multi-channel notifications (email, chat, ticketing)
Cost Management
Best Practices
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Check Costs and Usage monthly
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Provide minimal required entitlements
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Use labels for cost allocation
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Set up automated alerts (Usage Data Management + Alert Notification)
Contract Strategies
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Consolidate subscriptions in one global account
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Use hybrid accounts for mixed workloads
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Note: Consumption credits non-transferable between global accounts
Bundled Resources
This skill provides comprehensive reference documentation:
Account & Governance
references/account-models.md(11K lines)
Detailed account structure patterns
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Naming conventions and examples
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Cost allocation strategies
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references/governance-and-teams.md(13K lines)
Platform Engineering team structure
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Onboarding processes
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Documentation templates
Security & Connectivity
references/security-and-authentication.md(13K lines)
Complete auth methods comparison
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Destination configuration
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Kyma RBAC manifests
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Identity lifecycle management
Deployment & Operations
references/deployment-and-delivery.md(10K lines)
MTA descriptor templates
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CI/CD pipeline configs
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Transport management setup
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references/operations-and-monitoring.md(11K lines)
Go-live procedures
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Monitoring setup guides
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Troubleshooting checklists
High Availability
references/failover-and-resilience.md(12K lines)
Multi-region architecture
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Load balancer configurations
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Failover automation scripts
Templates & Examples
references/templates-and-examples.md(18K lines)
Complete code templates
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Kubernetes RBAC manifests
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MTA descriptors
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Helm charts
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CI/CD configs
AI Development
references/ai-development-best-practices.md(6K lines)
Generative AI patterns
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RAG implementation
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20+ use cases catalog
Progress Tracking
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Implementation status
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Coverage details
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Validation checklists
Administration Tools
| SAP BTP Cockpit | GUI for all admin tasks
| btp CLI | Terminal/automation scripting
| REST APIs | Programmatic administration
| Terraform Provider | Infrastructure as Code
| SAP Automation Pilot | Low-code/no-code automation
Shared Responsibility Model
SAP Manages:
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Platform software updates/patches
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Infrastructure and OS monitoring
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BTP service monitoring
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Capacity management and incidents
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Global account provisioning
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HANA database operations
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Kyma
kyma-systemnamespace
You Manage:
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Global account strategy and subaccount config
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Application development, deployment, security
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Role assignments and integrations
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Application monitoring and health checks
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Open source vulnerability scanning
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Triggering HANA revision updates
Last Updated: 2025-11-27 Review Progress: See SAP_SKILLS_REVIEW_PROGRESS.md Next Review: 2026-02-27 (quarterly)