Prerequisites and licensing

Most failed AI pilots in SAP shops fail on prerequisites, not on the AI. A team installs an extension, connects an agent, and then finds that the system release isn't covered, nobody bought AI Units, or the RFC logon type isn't supported. This lesson lists what you need for each piece, as published by SAP on the review date.

Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities

• Commercial model: consumption-based, paid in SAP AI Units. SAP's June 2026 blog explains that AI Units are bought annually, expire after 12 months if unused, and can be tracked in SAP for Me. Customers order material 8019164; partners order 8019670 for test, demo and development. SAP Note 3740750 has the details. The free promotion ended on 30 September 2026, and the AI capabilities have needed AI Units since 1 October 2026. SAP's 23 September 2026 post calls this a per-user-per-month (PUPM) license, while the Discovery Center AI Estimator meters it at 0.007 AI Units per AI request. Ask your account team which metric your contract uses.
• Products and releases: SAP BTP ABAP environment, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition 2021 or higher, served through a side-by-side service on SAP's cloud. SAP adds that for SAP S/4HANA on-premise 2021 to 2025, availability depends on special RISE with SAP contract conditions. SAP ERP (ECC) isn't covered.
• Some capabilities need newer releases: the OData UI Service from Scratch wizard and RAP business logic prediction need Private Edition 2025 or higher; the Custom Code Migration AI Assistant is listed for Private Edition only.
• Setup: an administrator provisions the service in SAP for Me (package Joule, application SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities), activates the feature in SAP Central Business Configuration, assigns named users to the IAS group for the service, and gives developers the service URL. SAP lists data center regions EU10, EU11 (EU access only), US30, AP20 and JP10.
• IDE: ADT for Eclipse client 3.58.3 or higher for the AI Units setup, or ADT for VS Code.

ADT for VS Code and the ADT MCP server

• Cost: the extension is free and licensed under the SAP Developer License Agreement.
• Backend: the same releases as ADT for Eclipse. SAP's FAQ says on-premise systems from SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 SP04 upward are supported, and SAP's ABAP AI blog states the MCP server supports release 7.31 and higher, in the cloud and on-premise.
• Connections: RFC for on-premise and Private Edition systems, HTTP for the ABAP environment and Public Edition. RFC with user and password arrived in patch 1.0.1 in June 2026; version 1.0 supported only SNC with single sign-on.
• MCP server: disabled by default for security reasons; you enable it in the extension settings. Tools that need AI tokens, such as AI-based ATC quick fixes, documentation search and object explanation, consume your Joule for Developers entitlement.

SAP-ABAP-1 and the generative AI hub

SAP-ABAP-1 is offered as a fully managed model. Its product page says you can try it with a free 30-day generative AI hub trial, and that token costs apply after promotions; SAP AI Core's documentation offers the same 30-day free test. Beyond the trial, SAP's documentation says it can only be reached through the generative AI hub's orchestration service on the SAP AI Core extended plan, which is its own BTP entitlement and its own cost line. For most ABAP teams, the simpler path is to use it indirectly through Joule for Developers.

Authorizations in the system

Licensing isn't the only gate. SAP's administrator guide lists two authorization prerequisites for the developer: a business role containing the business catalog SAP_A4C_BC_DEV_AIQ_PC, and the authorization object S_AIQADTLO with AIQ_TYPE values JADC_CODE and JADC_TEXT and activity AF. Ask your security team which role carries these in your landscape. Separately, the developer still needs normal development authorizations (for example, to change objects in the package and record changes on a transport). The AI features never grant more than the developer already has; they act as that developer.

Also check the token column in SAP's MCP tool reference. Tools such as AI-based ATC fixes, object explanation and the documentation search are marked as requiring Joule tokens; activation, search, ABAP Unit and ATC runs are not. That tells you which agent activities draw down AI Units.