SAP Clean Core: Why Side-by-Side Extensions Are the Smarter Choice for the Future

28.10.2025

Topic: SAP | AP Automation

Side-by-side solutions enable agility, flexibility, and long-term stability

Digital transformation challenges businesses to innovate quickly and flexibly—without destabilizing their mission-critical systems. One key question in this context is how to build extensions in the SAP landscape: directly embedded within the ERP system or developed side-by-side on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).

The Clean Core strategy plays a decisive role in determining which approach is sustainable in the long run.

SAP-Integrated vs. Side-by-Side Extensions: What’s the Difference?

SAP-Integrated Solutions

• Built directly into the SAP core (e.g., SAP S/4HANA)
• Offer tight integration but risk complicating the SAP core through custom code
• Make system upgrades more complex, as individual customizations need to be migrated or reworked

Side-by-Side Solutions on SAP BTP

• Run outside the SAP core on the SAP Business Technology Platform
• Communicate with S/4HANA through stable APIs
• Remain independent of the ERP version and can leverage modern technologies like Java, Node.js, or ABAP Cloud
• Support multiple extension types such as proxy apps, analytics, or pre-/post-processing logic

In short: while integrated solutions are deeply embedded in the ERP system, side-by-side extensions follow a modular architecture—enabling flexibility, agility, and innovation without touching the SAP core.

The Role of the SAP Clean Core Strategy

SAP’s “Cloud First and Clean Core” strategy promotes a clear direction:

• Minimize custom code in the core → keep the SAP standard clean
• Up to 80% fewer system modifications → less complexity, higher agility
• Accelerated innovation cycles → AI, automation, and new business services can be adopted faster

Starting in 2025, SAP has replaced older certifications (“Integration with SAP S/4HANA/NetWeaver”) with the new Clean Core certification—shifting the focus toward loosely coupled, API-driven extensions on SAP BTP.

The Key Benefits of Side-by-Side Development

1. Future-Proofing: Extensions continue to work after SAP system upgrades.
2. Flexibility: Developers can use multiple programming languages and frameworks.
3. Innovation: Leverage cloud services, analytics, and AI without modifying the ERP core.
4. Integration: Seamlessly combine SAP and non-SAP data.
5. Scalability: Cloud-native architecture supports rapid business model evolution.

Especially in SaaS (Public Cloud) environments, the side-by-side model is practically mandatory—since multi-tenant architectures don’t allow custom modifications in the core.

Real-World Example: xSuite Invoice on SAP BTP

Our xSuite Invoice Workflow demonstrates how the Clean Core approach and side-by-side extensions work hand in hand:

• Deployed on SAP BTP: Our invoice workflow and supplier portal run natively on the platform.
• First Clean Core Certification: xSuite Invoice is the first solution for AP automation certified under SAP’s new Clean Core standard.
• Customer Advantage: Reliable planning and compatibility for both Public and Private Cloud SAP scenarios.
• Cloud-First Commitment: We actively support SAP’s cloud journey and position ourselves as an innovation leader.

This implementation shows how organizations can modernize processes, harness cloud capabilities, and maintain a stable SAP core—all at once.

Conclusion: Side-by-Side Means Future-Ready

The contrast between SAP-integrated and side-by-side extensions couldn’t be clearer.
While traditional in-core customizations can burden the SAP system and slow innovation, side-by-side solutions enable agility, flexibility, and long-term stability.

At the heart of this transformation is the Clean Core principle—protecting the ERP foundation while driving a cloud-first, innovation-ready SAP landscape.

Our xSuite Invoice workflow is a prime example of how side-by-side extensions on SAP BTP pave the way for modern, adaptable, and future-proof SAP environments.