Self-check: Is your SAP system ready for AI agents?
- At SAP Connect, SAP presented more than 20 Joule Assistants and over 200 Joule Agents, with more than 400 agents planned by the end of the year.
- The new AI functions come with SAP Cloud ERP. If you still run SAP ECC, the platform question comes first.
- Ten yes-or-no questions show in a few minutes where your company stands.
At SAP Connect in Las Vegas in early October 2026, SAP presented its concept of the “Autonomous Enterprise”. At its core are the Joule Assistants, which are designed to handle operational tasks directly within business processes, and the new Joule Work interface, which SAP says it is now rolling out to customers. According to SAP CEO Christian Klein, more than 20 Joule Assistants and over 200 Joule Agents have been created since SAP Sapphire in May, and there are to be more than 400 agents by the end of the year. SAP has announced further agents for supply chain planning as well as for manufacturing and logistics for the fourth quarter of 2026.
For mid-sized companies, one question matters most: Are your SAP system and your organisation ready to use such agents effectively? The following ten questions help with an initial assessment. They can be answered in a few minutes, ideally by the IT manager together with those responsible for finance, purchasing or logistics.
Ten questions on the AI readiness of your SAP system
Answer each question with yes or no. If you are unsure, count the answer as no.
1. Is your ERP system already running in the cloud, or has the move been decided?
SAP provides its new AI functions through its cloud solutions. According to SAP, the basic Joule functions are included in standard cloud subscriptions. If you still run SAP ECC or a classic on-premise system, you will usually only get access to these functions after moving to SAP Cloud ERP, for example via RISE with SAP or GROW with SAP. Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 with enhancement packages 6 to 8 ends at the end of 2027. The platform question is on the agenda anyway.
2. Do you know which processes cause the most manual routine work?
The Joule Assistants are tailored to business areas such as finance, purchasing or supply chain. The benefit is greatest where many recurring clicks, reconciliations and follow-up questions occur today, for example when clearing open items, evaluating suppliers or rescheduling during shortages. If you can name these points specifically, you have a good starting point.
3. Is your master data maintained and unambiguous?
Duplicate suppliers, outdated material masters or incomplete customer data will mislead an AI agent too. At SAP Connect, SAP manager Manoj Swaminathan said, in essence, that no AI can make up for a flawed data model. Check whether master data has clear owners and is cleaned up regularly.
4. Is the data relevant for decisions in SAP or connected to it?
In many companies, important information is spread across SAP, Excel lists, a separate warehouse management system and the systems of service providers. For the business context of its agents, SAP relies on the SAP Knowledge Graph and SAP Business Data Cloud. Anything that sits outside and is not connected cannot be taken into account by an assistant.
5. Do your core processes largely follow the SAP standard?
SAP develops its assistants along its own standard processes. Many modifications and custom developments in the core make it harder to judge whether an assistant fits your processes without adjustment. A clean core therefore also makes it easier to use AI.
6. Is your authorisation concept up to date?
According to SAP, Joule Assistants work with the existing data, authorisations and audit trails. Roles that have grown over the years with overly broad permissions therefore also affect the work of the AI. An authorisation concept that matches actual responsibilities is an important prerequisite.
7. Have you defined how much an agent may do on its own?
According to SAP, customers can choose the level of autonomy per process. For high-risk processes, approval by an employee remains part of the process, while routine tasks can be automated to a greater extent. The business department should make this decision in advance, not when the function is activated.
8. Does every AI application have a business owner?
According to SAP, each agent should have a named owner, a risk level and restricted access rights. SAP names the SAP AI Agent Hub in SAP LeanIX as the central directory. Regardless of the tool, one simple rule helps: for every productive agent, it is clear who looks after it from a business perspective and who spot-checks its results.
9. Are your data protection officer and works council involved?
AI agents process data from day-to-day business and log their activities. In German companies with a works council, co-determination rights under Section 87 (1) No. 6 of the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG) apply to technical systems that can monitor employee behaviour or performance. Involving both sides early avoids delays later on.
10. Do you know the licensing model for the functions you want to use?
SAP distinguishes between the basic Joule functions included in cloud subscriptions and premium functions billed via so-called AI Units. According to SAP, these include the Joule premium packages for Financial Management, Spend Management and Supply Chain Management, among others. AI Units are purchased annually and expire after twelve months if they are not used. A realistic estimate of volumes prevents budget from expiring unused or functions from being missing.
Evaluation
Count your yes answers.
| Yes answers | Assessment | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | The foundations are in place. | A pilot in a clearly defined process, for example in purchasing or accounts receivable, with measurable goals such as processing time or number of follow-up questions. |
| 4 to 7 | There are open points, usually in master data, authorisations and responsibilities. | Address the open points first. This work pays off even without AI, because it reduces errors and follow-up questions in day-to-day business. |
| fewer than 4 | The question of the ERP platform probably comes first. | If your system still runs on SAP ECC, AI planning belongs in the migration planning for SAP Cloud ERP. |
A no to questions 1, 3 or 6 carries more weight than the others. These prerequisites can hardly be met at short notice and should be put on the agenda early.
Would you like to know which Joule Assistant is the right first choice for your business area? The SAP consultants at HPC in Mannheim and Hamburg support you with the assessment and with planning a first pilot project.
