How SAP BTP Enables Custom App Development Without Breaking Your Core

In the past, building custom applications in SAP often meant embedding code directly into the ERP system. While this offered flexibility, it also introduced risk, complexity, and upgrade headaches. Fast forward to today—and thanks to SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)—those days are over.

SAP BTP enables businesses to build powerful, scalable, and secure custom applications without modifying the digital core. That means faster development, simplified upgrades, and future-proof architecture.

Here’s how BTP makes it all possible.

The Challenge with Traditional Customization

Customizing SAP used to come with trade-offs:

• Core modifications made upgrades slow, costly, and error-prone

• Custom code often lacked proper documentation and version control

• Business logic was tightly coupled with the system, making innovation difficult

As companies move to S/4HANA and adopt a Clean Core strategy, the old approach no longer works. That’s where SAP BTP comes in.

What Makes SAP BTP Ideal for Custom App Development?

SAP BTP provides the infrastructure, tools, and services developers need to create apps that are integrated with SAP—but independent of the core ERP system. Key capabilities include:

1. Side-by-Side Extension Architecture

BTP allows you to build apps next to your ERP—not inside it. Whether you're extending a process, adding a new interface, or creating a mobile experience, you can do so without touching the backend.

Example: Build a supplier onboarding app with its own interface and approval workflow, integrated with SAP S/4HANA via APIs but completely decoupled from the core.

2. Low-Code / Pro-Code Flexibility

With SAP Build (low-code/no-code tools) and CAP (Cloud Application Programming model), BTP supports both citizen developers and seasoned engineers.

• Business users can quickly build prototypes or simple apps

• Developers can create robust, enterprise-grade solutions using JavaScript or Java

3. Pre-Built Services to Accelerate Development

BTP comes with ready-to-use services like:

• Identity and access management

• Audit logging and security

• Mobile SDKs and offline capabilities

• AI and automation libraries

• Data integration and event-driven architecture

These building blocks reduce time-to-value and ensure apps meet enterprise-grade standards from day one.

4. Unified Data Access and Integration

Using SAP Integration Suite and DataSphere, custom apps can pull and push data across SAP and non-SAP systems without building brittle point-to-point integrations.

You get real-time data access, reliable API management, and cloud-to-cloud or hybrid connectivity—all in one platform.

5. DevOps and Lifecycle Management

SAP BTP supports full DevOps workflows:

• Version control

• CI/CD pipelines

• Multi-environment deployments

• Logging, monitoring, and alerts

Your team can follow modern software development best practices without needing to reinvent the wheel.

Why It Matters

Custom apps are no longer a luxury—they’re a competitive necessity. But the way we build them has changed.

With SAP BTP, your organization can:

• Respond to business needs faster

• Reduce total cost of ownership

• Avoid technical debt and disruption

• Innovate continuously and securely

How RTS Can Help

RTS helps enterprises unlock the full potential of SAP BTP for custom app development. Our team can support you with:

• BTP architecture and strategy workshops

• Developer enablement and training

• End-to-end custom app delivery

• Integration, security, and lifecycle planning

Whether you’re just getting started or scaling up your innovation roadmap, RTS is your partner for building apps that are tailored, agile, and built to last. Learn more about our SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) Services here today!