Episode #290
Introduction
In episode 290 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about Joule & Copilot integration at Sapphire.
Last week, we were at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, and in addition to many very exciting announcements from SAP, one experience attracted a lot of attention: the “Saving the Bakery” showcase. You could not only enjoy great donuts but also get hands-on experience with Joule and Copilot. Microsoft, SAP, and Reply worked hard to make it happen, and I’m really glad to have Aaron Lynch from Reply with us today.
Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode290
Reach out to us for any feedback / questions:
- Goran Condric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorancondric/
- Holger Bruchelt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-bruchelt/
#Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #Sapphire #Joule #Copilot #SaveTheBakery
Summary created by AI
- Save the Bakery Showcase at SAP Sapphire:
- Holger, Goran, and Aaron discussed the ‘Save the Bakery’ showcase at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, highlighting its interactive features, the collaboration between Microsoft, SAP, and Reply, and the strong attendee engagement, with Aaron explaining the technical build and booth experience.
- Event Overview and Collaboration: Holger described the ‘Save the Bakery’ showcase as a collaborative effort between Microsoft, SAP, and Reply, with Aaron from Reply managing the technical build and Avio Reply supporting the physical booth setup. The event attracted significant attention, with over 15,000 attendees and continuous traffic at the booth.
- Interactive Experience and Gamification: Aaron explained that the booth featured a guided experience with gamification elements, allowing participants to engage in supply chain and finance scenarios using AI tools. The leaderboard and timed challenges made the experience engaging and competitive, with over 300 participants and an 80% success rate.
- Integration of Joule and Copilot: Holger and Aaron emphasized the real-time integration between SAP Joule and Microsoft Copilot, enabling users to interact with live SAP S/4HANA data directly within Microsoft Teams. The demonstration showcased bidirectional data flows, including creating purchase orders and querying Outlook emails.
- Technical Build and Real Data Usage: Aaron clarified that the application was not a mock-up but a fully functional system using real SAP S/4HANA and Microsoft 365 data. Holger noted the extensive preparation required to set up master data in the SAP backend, ensuring authenticity and practical demonstration of the integration.
- Attendee Engagement and Outcomes: Aaron reported high engagement, with attendees returning and bringing colleagues. The showcase allowed users to test the AI agent, challenge its capabilities, and see tangible business use cases, leading to positive feedback and interest in adopting the solution for their own businesses.
- Technical Demonstration of SAP and Microsoft Integration:
- Aaron provided a detailed walkthrough of the Save the Bakery application, demonstrating live integration between SAP S/4HANA and Microsoft Teams, including generative BI dashboards, Azure OpenAI agent, and the process of raising purchase orders and querying Outlook emails.
- Application Architecture and Migration: Aaron described the application’s migration from an Azure app to a Microsoft Teams interface, enhancing user experience and consolidating the workflow within a single platform.
- Scenario Walkthrough and User Interaction: Aaron guided participants through a supply chain scenario where users resolved a supplier issue by interacting with an AI agent, querying data, and making decisions to save the bakery, all within a timed and scored environment.
- Generative BI Dashboards and Real-Time Updates: The application featured generative BI dashboards that updated in real time, providing users with live metrics, scoring, and feedback throughout the challenge.
- SAP S/4HANA Purchase Order Creation: Aaron demonstrated the process of raising a purchase order directly in SAP S/4HANA from within Teams, using deep links and AI-generated prompts, with the system executing a write-back to the SAP data set and confirming successful transactions.
- Bidirectional Data Flow and Outlook Integration: Aaron highlighted the bidirectional integration, including querying Outlook emails from SAP and summarizing them efficiently, showcasing the versatility and real-time capabilities of the solution.
- Availability and Future Plans for the Solution:
- Goran inquired about the accessibility of the Save the Bakery application, and Aaron confirmed its readiness for demo, with plans to replicate the booth at Reply’s London conference and expand its reach across Europe.
- Demo Accessibility and Sharing: Aaron stated that the application is fully built and available for demonstration, inviting interested parties to contact Holger for access and potential business adoption.
- Upcoming Events and Expansion: Aaron announced that the booth will be replicated at Reply’s London conference on June 9th, with plans to further enhance the solution and make it available across Europe.
- Challenges and Learnings from AI Integration:
- Goran raised questions about potential AI hallucinations and accuracy, with Aaron explaining the measures taken to ensure reliable outcomes, including close collaboration with SAP engineers and upskilling on SAP data conventions.
- Managing AI Hallucinations: Aaron described working closely with SAP engineers to guide the AI and limit the scenario to five minutes, ensuring accurate and consistent results for users.
- Upskilling and Data Field Understanding: Aaron noted the need for the Reply team to learn SAP-specific language and data fields, which was essential for achieving reliable integration and outcomes during the demo.