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SAP TechEd 2026 (part 2): ABAP, the ADT MCP server and free training

ABAP news from SAP TechEd 2026 (agents, ADT for VS Code 1.2 and its MCP server) and how to get the Joule Studio certification and Learning Hub for free.

By 6 min read
Diagram of the ADT MCP server: AI assistants connect to the server bundled with ADT for Eclipse and VS Code, which accesses the ABAP system with safety controls on by default
Table of contents

In part 1 I covered what SAP TechEd 2026 (27–29 October, Berlin and online) brings for BDC, Datasphere, SAC and BW/4HANA. This second part covers two things a BI team also cares about: the ABAP news, with the ADT MCP server in the spotlight, and the free training SAP has opened until 31 December, including the Joule Studio certification.

ABAP: three agents and a new name

Those of us who write ABAP in BI (transformation routines, AMDPs, extractors) got news too. According to the blog by SAP’s head of ABAP Platform, published on 28 October:

  • Three agents on SAP Business AI Platform, part of Custom Code Assistant:
    • ABAP Custom Code Migration Agent: speeds up migrating custom code from ECC to S/4HANA. It runs readiness checks, applies deterministic quick fixes and high-confidence AI fixes, and tracks every change in transport requests.
    • ABAP Clean Core Adaptation Agent: helps resolve clean core ATC findings.
    • ABAP Application Modernization Agent: supports modernizing legacy ABAP code towards ABAP Cloud.
  • Custom Code Migration App: if you are still on ECC, you can now download ATC quick fix instructions, transfer them to your ECC system and apply automated S/4HANA adjustments before the technical conversion.
  • New name: SAP BTP ABAP environment is now SAP Business AI Platform, ABAP environment. It is now available on Alibaba Cloud (Shanghai), its fifth infrastructure provider, with an SAP Sovereign Cloud offering targeted for Q2 2027.

ADT for VS Code 1.2 and the ADT MCP server

This is the most practical news. On 19 October, days before TechEd, SAP released ADT for VS Code 1.2:

  • 23 more object types with full create, read, update and delete support: data elements, message classes, transactions, packages, BAdIs, application log objects, job templates, several CDS types (annotation definitions, scalar functions, caches)…
  • The first ABAP-specific views in VS Code: Transport Organizer, ABAP Feeds reader (short dumps, gateway errors, system messages), version history, SQL Notebooks (the SQL console as a notebook), activation log and HANA source code search.

It also brings a major update of the official ADT MCP server. This server ships with ADT for Eclipse and VS Code and exposes ADT’s tools to AI assistants. Until now it relied on the VS Code chat’s read and edit tools. With 1.2 it no longer does, so it works with CLIs such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Codex or OpenCode. SAP recommends starting with ADT for VS Code, where you enable it with one click, and then connecting the CLI of your choice with the IDE open next to it for code reviews.

These are some of the tools added in 1.2:

MCP tool What it does
abap_object_read_file Read any object ADT for Eclipse can display
abap_object_edit_file Edit an object with an exact string replacement
abap_object_get_document_symbols Get a class outline before reading all of it
abap_repository_search_object Search for development objects
abap_object_check Check ABAP objects for errors
abap_atc_exemption_request Request an ATC exemption
abap_feed_query Query feeds: short dumps, gateway errors, messages

They join the existing tools to create and activate objects, manage transport requests, run unit tests and ATC, and apply quick fixes. The server also supports systems back to SAP NetWeaver 7.31 SP04, because it reuses the same compatibility layer as ADT for Eclipse.

What comes next? SAP says ADT for VS Code is back on the quarterly rhythm of ADT for Eclipse, so both can ship in parallel. In the ABAP Cloud roadmap, the next MCP tools are where-used, source code search and trace reading, plus coverage in unit test runs. For the first two, SAP points to release 2702.

Free training until December: Joule Studio certification and Learning Hub

These are two separate offers, and it’s worth not mixing them up.

1. Free SAP Certified – Joule Studio Developer certification. SAP gives one free exam attempt to anyone who signs up on the campaign page before 31 December 2026. According to the official FAQ:

  • You need an SAP Universal ID with two different email addresses assigned.
  • No Learning Hub subscription or BTP account is required: it includes a preconfigured practice system.
  • The exam is hands-on: you complete the exercises in the practice system and then an AI role-play (or, if you prefer, an English-language video reviewed by people, with results in up to 20 business days). You have 24 hours from entering the practice system to finish everything.
  • It is a single attempt and you cannot sign up again. From 2027 the certification becomes paid.

To prepare, SAP recommends the Developing with Joule Studio learning journey, with the Introducing Joule Studio course (AIJ200, just over an hour) on SAP Learning. The course explains what SAP Business AI Platform is, what you can build with Joule Studio and how to create agents, agent extensions and n8n workflows.

2. SAP Learning Hub, event edition, free for attendees. Registering for SAP TechEd (the virtual edition is free to register and sessions are recorded) gives you free access to SAP Learning Hub, event edition, with live sessions, practice systems and AI-assisted learning. You also get 25% off a two-attempt certification exam booking. It is available until 31 December 2026, and the promo code arrives in your registration confirmation email. The SAP Learning page for TechEd has the details.

For architects there is also a new certification, SAP Certified – Solution Architect – SAP Business AI Platform, with its own learning journey. It is not part of the free promotion.

My recommendation

  • Get Joule Studio certified before December. Even if you won’t build agents, understanding how an agent finds and consumes data products is what will most influence how we model in BDC.
  • Try the ADT MCP server on a development system if your team maintains BW ABAP code: reading old routines, searching for objects or reviewing a short dump are good first use cases, and all of them are read-only.
  • If you registered for TechEd, use the Learning Hub, event edition. Find the code in your confirmation email and use it before the end of the year. The virtual sessions are recorded.

Sources

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