Anthony Cecchini is the President and CTO of Information Technology Partners (ITP), an ERP technology consulting company headquartered now in Virginia, with offices in Herndon. ITP offers comprehensive planning, resource allocation, implementation, upgrade, and training assistance to companies. Anthony has over 20 years of experience in SAP business process analysis and SAP systems integration. ITP is a Silver Partner with SAP, as well as an Appian, Pegasystems, and UIPath Low-code and RPA Value Added Service Partner. You can reach him at [email protected].
Artificial intelligence is clearly transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, and SAP is at the forefront of it all. SAP offers a comprehensive portfolio of AI services designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses across various sectors.
SAP AI Business Services are reusable microservices on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). with underlying machine learning models that tackle some of the most common business problems. The models are pretrained and/or customizable, which means you can use them as they are, but you can also retrain them with your own data. You can access the services either through the RESTful APIs or via a Python SDK.
The portfolio of the SAP AI Business Services includes the following services:
SAP AI Business Services 
Business Entity Recognition (BER)
One of the cornerstone services in SAP’s AI portfolio is the Business Entity Recognition (BER) service. This AI-powered tool is designed to identify specific entities within unstructured text data, such as emails, contracts, or service tickets. BER offers four distinct machine learning models, each specializing in identifying different types of entities, such as addresses, invoice headers, or general terms.
By automating the extraction of critical information, BER significantly reduces the time and effort required to manually sift through large volumes of text data. This not only speeds up processes but also enhances accuracy, allowing businesses to focus on more strategic tasks.
Key Benefits of BER:
- Increased Efficiency: Automates the extraction of relevant data, reducing manual effort.
- Customization: Tailor the service to recognize specific entities relevant to your business.
- Enhanced Accuracy: Minimizes the risk of human error in data processing.
Data Attribute Recommendation (DAR)
Data Attribute Recommendation (DAR) is another pivotal service within SAP’s AI portfolio. This tool helps businesses classify data records and predict missing data points, making it invaluable for maintaining clean and accurate databases. DAR is highly customizable, allowing businesses to tailor the service to meet specific data needs through the use of business blueprints.
One of the notable applications of DAR is in the recommendation of invoice objects, which has been integrated as a business blueprint within the service. By leveraging DAR, businesses can automate the classification and enrichment of data, ensuring that their records are always up to date and complete.
Key Benefits of DAR:
- Data Completeness: Predicts and fills in missing data points to maintain comprehensive records.
- Customization: Adapt the service to specific data needs through business blueprints.
- Automation: Reduces the manual effort required to manage large datasets.
Document Information Extraction (DOX)
Document Information Extraction (DOX) is a service that takes document processing to the next level by extracting and structuring data from various documents. Combining Optical Character Recognition (OCR) with advanced data processing techniques, DOX efficiently converts unstructured document data into structured formats that can be easily integrated into business workflows.
DOX is particularly effective when dealing with high volumes of documents, such as invoices, purchase orders, or contracts. By automating the extraction process, businesses can drastically reduce processing times and improve data accuracy, leading to more informed decision-making.
Key Benefits of DOX:
- Time Savings: Automates the extraction of data from documents, speeding up processing times.
- Improved Data Accuracy: Ensures that extracted data is accurate and ready for integration into workflows.
- Versatility: Applicable to a wide range of document types, from invoices to contracts.
Personalized Recommendation (PR)
Personalized Recommendation (PR) is a service that leverages AI to deliver customized recommendations based on user behavior. This service is particularly beneficial for online retailers looking to enhance the shopping experience by offering relevant product recommendations to their customers.
PR works by analyzing users’ browsing history and item descriptions, enabling businesses to train models specific to their websites. The trained models can then be used to provide similar-item recommendations and smart-search results, thereby increasing customer engagement and driving sales.
Key Benefits of PR:
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Provides personalized recommendations that resonate with customers.
- Increased Sales: By offering relevant product suggestions, businesses can boost conversion rates.
- Customization: Train models specifically tailored to your website’s user base.
SAP AI Core
SAP AI Core serves as the underlying runtime for SAP AI Business Services, offering a robust platform for training, deploying, and managing AI models. Built on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP AI Core provides a standardized interface known as the AI API, which allows businesses to access and manage their AI models efficiently.
One of the standout features of SAP AI Core is its support for open-source frameworks, enabling businesses to realize a wide range of machine learning use cases. Whether you’re looking to deploy pretrained models or train new ones, SAP AI Core provides the flexibility and power needed to execute complex AI projects.
Key Benefits of SAP AI Core:
- Flexibility: Supports a variety of machine learning frameworks, offering versatility in model deployment.
- Standardized Interface: The AI API ensures seamless integration and management of AI models.
- Scalability: Designed to handle large-scale AI projects, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
SAP AI Launchpad
SAP AI Launchpad is the central hub for managing AI use cases within the SAP ecosystem. This multitenant SaaS platform, also part of the SAP BTP, provides a user-friendly interface for overseeing AI run-times, models, and services. The Launchpad simplifies the administration of AI projects, enabling businesses to manage their AI assets across multiple instances with ease.
Whether you’re deploying new models or monitoring the performance of existing ones, SAP AI Launchpad offers a comprehensive set of tools for effective AI lifecycle management. The platform’s intuitive design ensures that even those with minimal technical expertise can navigate and manage their AI projects efficiently.
Key Benefits of SAP AI Launchpad:
- Centralized Management: Manage all AI assets from a single platform.
- User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies AI administration, making it accessible to non-technical users.
- Comprehensive Tools: Offers a wide range of features for effective AI lifecycle management.
SAP HANA Predictive Analysis Library (PAL)
SAP HANA Predictive Analysis Library (PAL) is a collection of machine learning algorithms integrated into SAP HANA. PAL provides a broad array of analytical functions, from time series analysis to classification and regression, making it a versatile tool for businesses looking to leverage AI within their existing SAP HANA environment.
One of the key advantages of PAL is its seamless integration with SAP HANA, allowing businesses to perform complex machine learning tasks without the need for data extraction or migration. This not only streamlines the AI workflow but also enhances the speed and efficiency of model training and deployment.
Key Benefits of SAP HANA PAL:
- Seamless Integration: Fully integrated with SAP HANA, eliminating the need for data migration.
- Versatility: Offers a wide range of machine learning algorithms suitable for various use cases.
- Efficiency: Accelerates AI workflows by enabling in-database processing.
Intelligent Scenario Lifecycle Management (ISLM)
Intelligent Scenario Lifecycle Management (ISLM) is SAP’s dedicated tool for managing the lifecycle of machine learning models within SAP S/4HANA. ISLM supports both embedded scenarios, where machine learning models are run within SAP HANA, and side-by-side scenarios, where models are connected to external services like SAP AI Business Services.
ISLM provides a comprehensive set of tools for model development, deployment, and monitoring, ensuring that businesses can manage their AI projects effectively from start to finish. Whether you’re developing new models or optimizing existing ones, ISLM offers the support and flexibility needed to succeed in the rapidly evolving world of AI.
Key Benefits of ISLM:
- Comprehensive Lifecycle Management: Manages all stages of the machine learning model lifecycle.
- Flexible Deployment: Supports both embedded and side-by-side scenarios for maximum versatility.
- Enhanced Monitoring: Provides detailed insights into model performance, enabling continuous optimization.
SAP Conversational AI
SAP Conversational AI is SAP’s chatbot solution, designed to create intelligent, human-like conversational experiences. This service allows businesses to develop chatbots that can engage with customers across various channels, from websites to messaging platforms.
The power of SAP Conversational AI lies in its ability to integrate with other SAP services, enabling businesses to build chatbots that are not only responsive but also deeply integrated with their existing systems. Whether it’s handling customer inquiries or automating internal processes, SAP Conversational AI provides the tools needed to develop sophisticated chatbot solutions.
Key Benefits of SAP Conversational AI:
- Multichannel Engagement: Deploy chatbots across multiple platforms to reach a wider audience.
- Deep Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other SAP services for enhanced functionality.
- User-Friendly Development: Offers a range of tools for easy chatbot creation, even for non-developers.
Summary
SAP’s AI portfolio is a testament to the company’s commitment to driving innovation in the business world. With a comprehensive range of services, from document extraction and personalized recommendations to advanced machine learning frameworks, SAP provides businesses with the tools they need to harness the power of AI. Moreover, the flexibility and scalability of SAP’s AI solutions ensure that businesses of all sizes can benefit from these technologies, whether they’re looking to streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, or drive new business insights.
As AI continues to evolve, SAP is poised to lead the way, offering cutting-edge solutions that empower businesses to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape. Whether you’re new to the power of AI, or looking to scale your existing capabilities, SAP’s AI portfolio provides a powerful foundation for success.
