SAP
Cloud terminology refers to the specialized vocabulary, acronyms, and service
names used to describe SAP’s cloud ecosystem. Since SAP transitioned from a
traditional on-premise model to a so called "Cloud First" strategy,
many older terms have been renamed or evolved. Below list below doesn’t meant
to be complete or exhaustive. It just serves as a quick intro into cloud
terminology that SAP has. Not need to mention that these terms and their
definitions are subject to change. Thus, always consult with SAP official
sources. Such as SAP Trust Center that is official repository where SAP
hosts all legal, compliance, and service-level documentation.
The
most critical thing to know is that SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
is the foundation for almost all SAP cloud services.
Core
Platform Terminology
SAP
BTP (Business Technology Platform)
- The "operating system" for the SAP cloud. It’s a
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that hosts everything from databases to AI.
Hyperscalers - The underlying infrastructure
providers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) that host SAP’s cloud services.
Subaccount - A structural unit within BTP used
to manage applications, services, and users.
Environments
or Runtimes - Within
BTP where developers deploy code. Basically, they are two: Cloud Foundry and
Kyma. Cloud Foundry is for standard web apps. Kyma is for Kubernetes-based
containerized apps.
Agreement - Is the legal and structural
framework that governs how a customer uses and pays for SAP cloud services.
There are three types of them:
·
BTPEA
- BTP Enterprise Agreement - "consumption-based" agreement, customer commits
to a certain amount of cloud credits and spends them on any service you want.
·
CPEA
- Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement - The predecessor to BTPEA. It works
similarly with a "commit-to-consume" model using credits.
·
PayG
- Pay-As-You-Go - Agreement with no upfront commitment. You are billed monthly
based on exactly what you used.
Unit – Typically refers to the
standardized measurements used to quantify how much of a service customer is
using. However, as per multiple commercial models, the unit can refer to three
distinct layers of the BTP platform: Capacity Units, Units of Measure, or Cloud
Credits.
Credits
(Cloud Credits) – It
is a prepaid digital currency used to pay for cloud services. The credits are
bought upfront. One credit usually equals a specific monetary value (e.g., $1
or €1) as per a list price.
Entitlements - Are rights to use specific
resources. If Credits are the money in customer’s wallet, Entitlements are the
items the customer is actually allowed to buy and the "limits" on how
much of them can be used.
Quota
- Numeric limit of BTP
service (e.g., 64 GB of RAM, or 2 instances of a database).
Usage - Is the actual consumption of
services.
Usage
Metrics - Are the
specific units of measure used to calculate how much of customer balance
(Credits or Subscription) is consumed. Usage Metrics may differ in case of
different BTP services.
Capacity
Unit (CU) - Is a
ratio of services consumed via the Cloud Service and is calculated as set forth
in the respective Product Supplement, Service Description Guide or Service Use
Description.
|
Service |
Usage
Metric |
Meaning |
|
SAP HANA Cloud |
Capacity Units |
Combines RAM, CPU, and Storage into
one power unit. |
|
Integration Suite |
Messages |
Volume of data being moved between
systems. |
|
SAP Build Apps |
Active Users |
Number of people building or using
apps. |
|
Object Store |
Gigabytes (GB) |
Physical space files occupy. |
|
SAC |
Capacity Units |
Compute, memory, credits. |
|
DataSphere |
Capacity Units |
Multiple factors such as Data Lake
usage, storage, memory, compute and more |
|
BDC |
Capacity Units |
Those of SAC, DataSphere and on top
of that DataBricks related as well: serverless SQL compute, SAP Object Store
requests, and more |
Cloud
Package - Means a
defined set of Cloud Services that are subject to a single subscription fee and
collectively deemed a Cloud Service.
Content - Means any business logic, code,
data models, configurations, user data, applications or other electronic
materials created by customer.
Cloud
Service - means any
distinct, hosted, supported and operated on-demand solution provided by SAP.
Service
Description Guide (SDG)
- Is a legally binding document that defines:
·
Usage
Metrics: Exactly what constitutes a "unit" (e.g., what counts as a
"Document" vs. a "Record").
·
Service-Specific
Terms: Rules that only apply to one specific tool (e.g., data retention limits
for AI services).
·
SLAs:
The guaranteed uptime for each specific service (e.g., 99.7% vs 99.9%)
Test,
Demonstration and Development Cloud Services (TDD Cloud Services) - Refers to a specific category of
licenses and environments designed exclusively for non-productive use.
General
Terms and Conditions for SAP Cloud Services (GTC) – Is the foundational legal document
of an SAP cloud contract. While the Order Form tells what customer bought and
the Service Description Guide tells how it works, the GTC defines the legal
"rules of engagement" between the customer and SAP.
More
Information:
SAP Business Technology Platform Supplemental
Terms and Conditions
