SAP CAP as Development Accelerator on SAP BTP
Efficiently developing software with speed and flexibility is a sought-after aspiration for every developer. Embracing the diverse capabilities of the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP Cloud Application Programming (SAP CAP) seamlessly integrates into the corporate landscape. This comprehensive framework distinguishes itself through out-of-the-box access to libraries, languages, and tools for application development in the SAP Cloud. A Quickstart-Option empowers development teams to commence promptly through minimal configuration, swiftly yielding a functional backend. SAP CAP provides all necessary Software Development Kits (SDK) for Node.js and Java, facilitating easy and flexible integration of additional services via interfaces and adaptable incorporation of business logic. Our trio of experts – Maria Woydich, Software Engineer; Jakob Frankenbach, Head of Development; and Philip Weissmann, Data Scientist – are fervent SAP CAP enthusiasts and elucidate the optimal utilization of SAP CAP within enterprises, divulging insights on when and how to leverage its capabilities to maximize benefits:
Dreamteam: SAP BTP and SAP CAP
Our experience indicates that SAP CAP delivers the most value in projects where other SAP Business Technology Platform services are concurrently deployed. Although SAP CAP offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of technology selection, it is geared towards the SAP HANA Cloud database, which is also the only officially supported database. SAP CAP reaches its full potential, for instance, when utilizing the authentication service from SAP BTP.
In conjunction with SAP BTP, SAP CAP emerges as the ideal framework for rapidly developing robust cloud applications. We advocate SAP CAP for all Side-by-Side Extensions on SAP BTP involving simple CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) operations. Adhering to the SAP motto “Keep the Core clean,” extensions are executed without core modifications. Geared for speed, SAP CAP serves as a speedboat for extension development alongside the SAP Core.
Plenty is already Out-of-the-Box
Three aspects of the framework are particularly valuable to us and are inherent in SAP CAP Out-of-the-Box:
Compatibility
SAP CAP is fundamentally linked to the SAP HANA database and SAP BTP. This facilitates seamless integration with other SAP BTP services, such as the aforementioned SAP BTP authentication service, also on-premises systems are effortlessly connectable.
Interfaces
SAP CAP provides fully functional OData interfaces automatically generated from entities modeled at the project’s outset. Implementing a complex interface becomes remarkably simple. As an example, let’s consider the “Filter” requirement:
Implementing a filter of this nature would take considerably longer within other frameworks. SAP CAP additionally allows you to provide various interface types, such as OData v2/v4, REST, GraphQL.
Flexibility
With SAP CAP, you are provided with many out-of-the-box features. You can therefore get started quickly. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave it at that. There are no limits to configurations in the data model or to building individual business logic.
Where SAP CAP Excels
We currently deploy SAP CAP in several customer projects on SAP BTP. Thanks to the framework, these projects gain momentum swiftly. For instance, if a customer intends to implement an SAP Fiori project in the cloud, the OData interfaces that come Out-of-the-Box with SAP CAP already provide a significant advantage, as they form the basis of SAP Fiori UIs and can be easily integrated.
Furthermore, implementing domain-centric applications with SAP CAP is intuitive. Default CRUD operations can be effortlessly extended with custom business logic, leveraging the full flexibility of the framework.
The framework becomes the preferred choice for us and our clients when additional SAP BTP services need to be connected, as many tools are already available, resulting in significant time savings.
Our Conclusion: Thanks to compatibility with the SAP stack and various open-source technologies, straightforward UI programming, and intuitive configuration, SAP CAP emerges as the primary choice for cloud developments. As many companies within the SAP community are currently transitioning to the cloud, the significance of SAP CAP is poised to grow. We eagerly anticipate showcasing the proper application and tremendous possibilities to our clients.
Want to Learn More about SAP CAP?
We are eager to engage with you to discuss the implementation of SAP CAP in your specific use case.
