My experience at SAP Inside Track(as Attendee and Speaker)
Hi Folks,
I had the opportunity to participate in SAP Inside Track Bengaluru 2025 — a vibrant community-driven event that brought together developers, architects, product experts, and SAP enthusiasts under one roof. As a speaker and participant, it was a rewarding experience packed with technical depth, hands-on demos, and a chance to explore innovations directly with the minds building them.
My primary motivation to attend was to speak on the topic of “Efficient Memory Storage of SAP HANA Column Tables”. The topic is due to be presented at HANA Tech Con in July. I was also looking forward to understanding the buzz around the SAP Terraform Exporter — and it did not disappoint. What surprised me most was the quality of the hands-on sessions, which went beyond presentations to actual, guided implementation and learning.
Terraform Provider and Exporter for SAP BTP
This hands-on session dove deep into managing BTP resources via Terraform. We covered:
- Installing Terraform CLI via Chocolatey
- Setting up the Terraform Binary Libraries
- Working with two important tools: Terraform Provider for BTP and Terraform Exporter for BTP
- Authenticating via environment variables
- Using .tf files and variables to define configurations
- Executing: terraform init terraform plan terraform apply
Terraform CLI in action: planning and provisioning BTP resources.
The use case is well documented in the repo: https://github.com/SAP-samples/btp-terraform-samples/tree/main/released/SAP-Inside-Tracks/SITBLR_JUNE_2025
The use of state files to manage infrastructure state was a key learning. One standout moment was learning how the “btptf” binary could seamlessly export configuration into JSON format for a specified subaccount ID. Note: locked subaccounts can’t be accessed from the exporter. The emphasis on the need to secure the statefile was a valuable learning.
The process of creating the subaccount and then exporting helped complete a full circle. The challenge however, is to still convince the hesistant customers to embrace the process of infrastructure maintenance using code.
Right now, I am working on replicating the activities on a trial account. I will share my learnings, once I accomplish it.
⚙️ Enterprise-Grade CAP Annotations
We also explored some advanced annotations in Cloud Application Programming Model (CAP), such as:
- @changelog
- @Audit-logging
- @PersonalData
- @Attachments
CAP annotations used to enhance data tracking and compliance.
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These annotations significantly boost the capability of CAP-based services in enterprise scenarios.
ABAP RAP and Joule — AI Developer Experience
This session was a revelation. Using Joule, SAP’s AI assistant, we created a full RAP-based ABAP application with OData services — from scratch — in minutes. It generated the backend logic, tables, and metadata, and even scaffolded a Fiori-like Bootstrap UI in under five minutes.
Joule auto-generating an ABAP RAP application with OData in minutes.
Session on “Efficient Memory Storage of SAP HANA Replication Tables”
I’m glad to share that my session on SAP HANA was well received. The focus from the functionals was on the challenges with BSEG tables and from the technical folks on the value added from the process. The diverse viewpoints are the crux of such technical meetups.
One question during my session was on the Buffer cache size of NSE . Is it possible or not? I had to defer the answer. The link answers the question — https://help.sap.com/docs/hana-cloud-database/sap-hana-cloud-sap-hana-database-administration-guide/adjusting-buffer-cache-size
Presentation link: https://github.com/sharathmg-sap/Content/blob/main/SAP_InsideTrack_HANA_Optimize_Data_Replications.pdf
Community Moments & Conversations
One of the highlights of the event was connecting with the Terraform team. Our discussion about the security aspects of Terraform and AI-enabled ABAP development using Joule was a great conversation.
The energy at SIT was inspiring.
My Top 3 Takeaways
- Terraform is enterprise-ready for SAP BTP infrastructure — but demands careful handling of statefiles and auth mechanisms.
- CAP annotations can elevate service reliability, traceability, and compliance in real-world applications.
- AI tools like Joule are transforming how ABAP developers build — faster, cleaner, and more intuitive than ever.
What’s Next?
- Deep dive into Terraform automation and integrating it with CI/CD pipelines
- Build a CAP project incorporating @changelog and @Audit-logging
- Explore RAP apps with Joule on personal trial accounts
Gratitude
Big thanks to the organizers and volunteers for pulling off a flawless experience, and to every speaker and attendee who contributed to the knowledge-sharing vibe, especially the hands-on session. Special shoutout to my firm, NTT Data Business Solutions, for being supportive.
SAP Inside Track Bengaluru 2025 was a community celebration of innovation, learning, and collaboration. Looking forward to the next one already!
