SAP Connect Day for UX in Silicon Valley focused on AI strategy and tactics for implementation

SAP Connect Day for UX in Silicon Valley was a chance for customers to connect with each other, SAP experts, and selected partners to discuss how AI will improve the lives of SAP Cloud ERP users and the developers who build apps for SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The AppHaus in Palo Alto was filled with energy as we shared knowledge through a combination of lectures, hands-on sessions, and informal conversations. In this post, I’ll share some of the highlights and where you can learn more about the topics we discussed.

Strategy starts with where AI fits into SAP Cloud ERP

We showed demos of the latest user experience innovations in SAP Cloud ERP, also known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Starting with My Home, we explored enterprise search, card creation, smart situations, and AI-powered recommendations. In the SAP Fiori apps, we demonstrated proven productivity saving tools such as easy filter, easy fill, and smart summarization.

We briefly discussed SAP Fiori, including how it relates to design, development, and delivery of new apps in SAP Cloud ERP. This foundational session set the stage for the rest of the day, covering how SAP is bringing embedded AI to business users while keeping the SAP Design System and enterprise product standards at the center of the user experience.

Your data and queries are safe when using SAP AI.

There is often confusion when we talk about embedded AI and Joule. These two approaches are complementary. Joule provides a conversational interface to access SAP’s broad range of capabilities. It spans the entire autonomous suite.

Embedded AI provides targeted capabilities in both My Home and SAP Fiori elements apps within SAP Cloud ERP (SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition). People can use their existing apps and business processes while benefitting from the productivity enhancements that AI provides. Any embedded AI capabilities can also be accessed through Joule.

Partners focused on bringing AI to customers on any platform

The sponsors demonstrated a deep knowledge of the SAP market with everyone sharing different ways of bringing AI capabilities to customers, regardless of whether they were running on-prem or in the cloud. Here is a list of the partner sessions:

• SAP UX Eras tour: from Dynpro modifications to clean core – what we learned and how to do it right in 2026 (Dassian)
• Disappearing Ink: Use Agents to Automatically Eliminate Manual Data Entry Across Your Business (cbs – Corporate Business Solutions)
• From On-Premise to the Future: Enabling Agentic AI Across SAP Landscapes (eXXcellent solutions)
• Have Your Agent Call My Agent: 20 Joule Agents, Claude, and Reimagining of the Fiori Experience (Mindset Consulting)

Each session offered a different angle on the same broad question every SAP customer is asking right now: how do I bring AI and agents into my SAP landscape in a way that delivers measurable value? The variety of approaches sparked great discussion and gave attendees plenty of reasons to visit the partners during the breaks to go into more detail than the 20-minute talks allowed.

Successful AI implementation is about productivity – the hands-on workshops demonstrated this

The afternoon sessions we split into two blocks: one on application development and the other on new features.

In the application development talk, we talked about SAP Fiori elements, SAP Fiori tools, and building apps using clean core principles. We followed that up with a hands-on exercise where participants could build an app using our latest tools and have the chance to try vibe coding to add and change features in the app without coding. They commented that this was much faster than traditional methods for developing new custom apps.

SAP Fiori elements makes it easy to build apps with enterprise features.

The next section was on Smart Helpers, a new way that business users can automate routine tasks in SAP Fiori apps in their SAP Cloud ERP system. We discussed the reasons why we built this capability and encouraged people to think about areas in their business where they could streamline recurring tasks in SAP. Then, they had a chance to try out the capabilities on a few simple scenarios. Smart Helpers operate according to these principles:

• The user is in charge
• IT remains in control
• They are built on SAP Fiori apps
• No coding is required

People shared several scenarios they would consider automating with Smart Helpers.

Tour of the Experience Center highlighted broader SAP capabilities

To provide a broader look at SAP’s Autonomous Suite we scheduled a tour of the Experience Center in the AppHaus. Visitors followed fictitious company, S.Tech, to see how they transform complex operational and supply chain challenges into opportunities. People saw different SAP solutions working together in a manufacturing scenario and enjoyed seeing the new demos.

What’s next for UX innovation in SAP Cloud ERP?

The day closed with a sneak preview of new functionality around Smart Helpers and a deeper dive into Joule Work. This triggered a rich discussion on Joule Work and how it fits into SAP’s portfolio. We addressed the following questions:

• Does Joule Work replace SAP Fiori?
  No – the application experience and engagement layer experience are complementary. They will coexist for the foreseeable future. 
• What is the future of SAP Fiori apps?
  SAP Fiori apps will coexist with Joule Work for the foreseeable future, just as SAP GUI transactions coexist with SAP Fiori apps. We are continuing to build SAP Fiori apps for SAP Cloud ERP and enhance the tools that we use and you can use to develop your own SAP Fiori apps. Tooling will include increasing amounts of AI to reduce the amount of coding required to create new apps.
• When will we see all the cool embedded AI innovations in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition?
  We are working on moving most of the embedded AI capabilities to private cloud. Here is our current plan as of May 2026. As with any development plans or roadmaps, this is subject to change.

Thanks to everyone who made the day a success

Thank you to our partners for their thoughtful sessions, to the behind-the-scenes team of developers, architects, product managers, and colleagues who built the features we showed, tested the systems, and created the hands-on exercises, and to the logistics team who made everything run smoothly.

Most of all, thank you to the attendees. Your enthusiasm, probing questions, and hallway conversations help us understand where you are in your SAP Fiori journey and how we can best prioritize what comes next.

Next steps

• Register for the monthly SAP Fiori development roundtable call to meet other developers and architects who build SAP Fiori apps.
• Subscribe to the SAP Fiori development newsletter, in which we share updates on SAP Fiori elements, SAP Fiori tools, SAPUI5, and SAP Build Code every other month.  
• Join us at an another SAP Connect Day for UX in 2026 – we are finalizing locations, dates, and some new event formats.

On behalf of the SAP UX Foundation Team, Peter Spielvogel.

 SAP Connect Day for UX in Silicon Valley was a chance for customers to connect with each other, SAP experts, and selected partners to discuss how AI will improve the lives of SAP Cloud ERP users and the developers who build apps for SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The AppHaus in Palo Alto was filled with energy as we shared knowledge through a combination of lectures, hands-on sessions, and informal conversations. In this post, I’ll share some of the highlights and where you can learn more about the topics we discussed.Strategy starts with where AI fits into SAP Cloud ERPWe showed demos of the latest user experience innovations in SAP Cloud ERP, also known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Starting with My Home, we explored enterprise search, card creation, smart situations, and AI-powered recommendations. In the SAP Fiori apps, we demonstrated proven productivity saving tools such as easy filter, easy fill, and smart summarization.We briefly discussed SAP Fiori, including how it relates to design, development, and delivery of new apps in SAP Cloud ERP. This foundational session set the stage for the rest of the day, covering how SAP is bringing embedded AI to business users while keeping the SAP Design System and enterprise product standards at the center of the user experience.Your data and queries are safe when using SAP AI.There is often confusion when we talk about embedded AI and Joule. These two approaches are complementary. Joule provides a conversational interface to access SAP’s broad range of capabilities. It spans the entire autonomous suite.Embedded AI provides targeted capabilities in both My Home and SAP Fiori elements apps within SAP Cloud ERP (SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition). People can use their existing apps and business processes while benefitting from the productivity enhancements that AI provides. Any embedded AI capabilities can also be accessed through Joule.Partners focused on bringing AI to customers on any platform The sponsors demonstrated a deep knowledge of the SAP market with everyone sharing different ways of bringing AI capabilities to customers, regardless of whether they were running on-prem or in the cloud. Here is a list of the partner sessions:SAP UX Eras tour: from Dynpro modifications to clean core – what we learned and how to do it right in 2026 (Dassian)Disappearing Ink: Use Agents to Automatically Eliminate Manual Data Entry Across Your Business (cbs – Corporate Business Solutions)From On-Premise to the Future: Enabling Agentic AI Across SAP Landscapes (eXXcellent solutions)Have Your Agent Call My Agent: 20 Joule Agents, Claude, and Reimagining of the Fiori Experience (Mindset Consulting)Each session offered a different angle on the same broad question every SAP customer is asking right now: how do I bring AI and agents into my SAP landscape in a way that delivers measurable value? The variety of approaches sparked great discussion and gave attendees plenty of reasons to visit the partners during the breaks to go into more detail than the 20-minute talks allowed.Successful AI implementation is about productivity – the hands-on workshops demonstrated thisThe afternoon sessions we split into two blocks: one on application development and the other on new features.In the application development talk, we talked about SAP Fiori elements, SAP Fiori tools, and building apps using clean core principles. We followed that up with a hands-on exercise where participants could build an app using our latest tools and have the chance to try vibe coding to add and change features in the app without coding. They commented that this was much faster than traditional methods for developing new custom apps.SAP Fiori elements makes it easy to build apps with enterprise features. The next section was on Smart Helpers, a new way that business users can automate routine tasks in SAP Fiori apps in their SAP Cloud ERP system. We discussed the reasons why we built this capability and encouraged people to think about areas in their business where they could streamline recurring tasks in SAP. Then, they had a chance to try out the capabilities on a few simple scenarios. Smart Helpers operate according to these principles:The user is in chargeIT remains in controlThey are built on SAP Fiori appsNo coding is requiredPeople shared several scenarios they would consider automating with Smart Helpers.Tour of the Experience Center highlighted broader SAP capabilitiesTo provide a broader look at SAP’s Autonomous Suite we scheduled a tour of the Experience Center in the AppHaus. Visitors followed fictitious company, S.Tech, to see how they transform complex operational and supply chain challenges into opportunities. People saw different SAP solutions working together in a manufacturing scenario and enjoyed seeing the new demos. What’s next for UX innovation in SAP Cloud ERP?The day closed with a sneak preview of new functionality around Smart Helpers and a deeper dive into Joule Work. This triggered a rich discussion on Joule Work and how it fits into SAP’s portfolio. We addressed the following questions:Does Joule Work replace SAP Fiori?No – the application experience and engagement layer experience are complementary. They will coexist for the foreseeable future. What is the future of SAP Fiori apps?SAP Fiori apps will coexist with Joule Work for the foreseeable future, just as SAP GUI transactions coexist with SAP Fiori apps. We are continuing to build SAP Fiori apps for SAP Cloud ERP and enhance the tools that we use and you can use to develop your own SAP Fiori apps. Tooling will include increasing amounts of AI to reduce the amount of coding required to create new apps.When will we see all the cool embedded AI innovations in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition?We are working on moving most of the embedded AI capabilities to private cloud. Here is our current plan as of May 2026. As with any development plans or roadmaps, this is subject to change. Public BetaPublic GAPrivate GAAI-assisted in My Home    AI-assisted Smart Personalization (Cards) xPlannedAI-assisted Smart Personalization (Apps and Tiles) xPlannedAI-assisted task automation (Smart Helpers)x PlannedAI-assisted smart solutions for situations in My Homex PlannedSmart summarization and broadcast via email for executivesx Planned    AI-assisted beyond My Home   AI-assisted enterprise search xFPS02AI-assisted easy filter xFPS02AI-assisted smart summarization xFPS02AI-assisted error explanation xPlannedAI-assisted easy fillx PlannedAI-assisted task automation (Smart Helpers)x Planned Thanks to everyone who made the day a successThank you to our partners for their thoughtful sessions, to the behind-the-scenes team of developers, architects, product managers, and colleagues who built the features we showed, tested the systems, and created the hands-on exercises, and to the logistics team who made everything run smoothly.Most of all, thank you to the attendees. Your enthusiasm, probing questions, and hallway conversations help us understand where you are in your SAP Fiori journey and how we can best prioritize what comes next. Next stepsRegister for the monthly SAP Fiori development roundtable call to meet other developers and architects who build SAP Fiori apps.Subscribe to the SAP Fiori development newsletter, in which we share updates on SAP Fiori elements, SAP Fiori tools, SAPUI5, and SAP Build Code every other month.  Join us at an another SAP Connect Day for UX in 2026 – we are finalizing locations, dates, and some new event formats.On behalf of the SAP UX Foundation Team, Peter Spielvogel. Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles 

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