#92: Nostradamus Nerds, SQL, Q
In this issue:
NostrAIdamus Says (Paul, Paul, and Jelena’s Prognostications for 2026)
Listen Up, Whippersnappers
It seems like the junior end of the workforce keeps getting curveballs. The linked post is about software development, and my heart goes out to the junior end of the spectrum: “Students are telling advisors that they are struggling with getting that first job, and hopelessness looms.”
I recently talked to a young person in a tech program at a local university. His experience, and his conversations with peers, closely match the linked post and quote. I felt terrible because I had nothing to offer him in that moment. My professional life has been luck-shaped by having a knack for something that was valuable at the right time, so I didn’t have to learn any hard job market lessons. For junior software developers, there are signs that time is running out. In the latest Nerdletter Talk, I said that I wanted to have some advice. For the last few days, I’ve been struggling to figure out what that advice is - but I think I have it now.
Junior engineers: in every situation you face where the struggle and hopelessness feel real, you should choose the course of action that increases your connection to another person. It is going to be so easy to accomplish the how of software; your focus should be the what. And the best way to find the what is to understand people’s stories. PM
SQL First
As the saying (and biology) goes, humans learn to crawl before learning to walk. To walk in ABAP, one needs to crawl in SQL first. ABAP is about business, business is about data, and SQL is the way to query said data effectively.
SQL is older than ABAP and is almost as old as me. Yet judging by the LI feed, some ABAP developers are still not familiar with this popular query language or even with basic concepts of database design. Even worse, they don’t realize their foolishness and spread bad ideas to others. “SELECT * FROM MARA.” How about no.
Not all is lost though, because it’s never too late to learn how to use SQL effectively. And unlike with ABAP, there are all kinds of tutorials for that: this one, this one for the blue color fans, and this one, plus many others.
Good ol’ SQL comes especially handy in the Eclipse SQL Console, where you can just bang out a query and get the results without ABAP getting in the way. (Shshsh, please don’t tell ABAP I said that!) JP
Amazon Q Developer ABAP Accelerator
AWS started talking about Amazon Q Developer with ABAP capabilities in July, and at the recent re:Invent there was a talk about the latest iteration of its powers. Q focuses on two features that most of today’s SAP ABAP AI tools offer: documentation and code generation. I want to highlight one area where Q stands out from Joule for Developers, ABAP AI Capabilities.
Watch the video and note how when Q is given a task, it pokes around and tries things. It calls multiple tools in succession. It reflects on its own work and refocuses where it goes off track. Joule is much more like ChatGPT - one prompt, one response. In code development, agentic flows are (at the moment) the right way. No AI generates perfect code on its first go-round, but an agent tool that bonks around will get you a much better answer. Often suitable enough for you to see the correct functionality, and simply review and approve.
In 2026, the market is going to be FLOODED with ABAP AI tools. SAP environments at large companies often have enough of their own particular quirks and requirements that I think there will be room for several players. PM
Chat Without GPT
The picture accompanying this story was hanging on the wall in the “war room” during my very first SAP project. I’m sure every SAP consultant has seen some variation of this glorious image.
The “business wanted one thing, but IT delivered a different thing” problem has been around probably for as long as enterprise software has existed. And SAP put its special sauce on it with “business wanted one thing, SAP standard only allows a different thing, and now IT is stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Many great minds have tried to solve this problem. Agile was supposed to be our salvation. “Fail fast”, “demo quickly”, “customer collaboration over contract negotiation” and all that. Design Thinking also ran. Now, of course, AI is expected to save us all.
But I have a low-tech revolutionary idea: have you, like, tried just talking to each other?
LI influencers claim, “AI can understand intent.” But so do humans. Instead, we keep up the corporate broken-phone game with “requirement documents” based on hearsay and subjective interpretation; with “handoffs” between the team that made promises and the team that is doomed to deliver them.
When communication is broken to the point you can’t implement a tire swing, there are usually more systemic problems involved. And I have very bad news: those won’t be solved by AI either. Software success requires purpose and mutual trust. But to get there, at minimum you need to start a conversation with a fellow human. JP
NostrAIdamus Says
It’s this time of the year again! In 2025, we bring you the nice and accurate predictions from not just one or two but the whole three authors!
Paul Hardy Predicts
SAP invests many billions into AI, as indeed do all its competitors.
SAP prices itself out of this market.
The AI bubble bursts. It may be a soft landing compared to the dot-com bubble, but you cannot keep pumping money into something forever without tangible results. The stock market likes it – for now – but not forever.
Then we will have a “Quantum Computing” bubble starting.
SAP has roughly 4,500 different products. All will be renamed at some stage during 2026. There is a dedicated team that does this.
S/4 will be renamed to T/5 to make it sound a bit more AI-focused. T5 is a series of large language models developed by Google AI in 2019.
There are currently about 20 zillion products out there that use AI to generate ABAP code. Not all of these will survive.
Despite the SAP CEO claiming no one will be using transaction codes by the end of 2024, by the end of 2026 people will still be doing this horrific thing.
Canadian SAP trees will launch a class action lawsuit, claiming breach of copyright. PH
Jelena Hazards A Guess
SAP will pursue the ABAP RAP product placement in a rap video. This will result in a new Drake meme template and a diss track sponsored by Oracle.
New framework will be adopted in SAP EWM, bringing the total number of frameworks used in that product to 55 and a half. This framework will contain exciting new GUID type data element, not compatible with anything else.
In the TechEd 2026 executive keynote, SAP will announce the intent to begin thinking about implementing that thing someone asked about in 2016. You may clap now. JP
Paul Modderman Foretells
50% of ABAP developers will write 50% or more of their first code drafts with coding agents. This is not a snarky prediction - I actually believe this one.
3-factor authentication will include Voight-Kampff testing to see if you’re a replicant
SAP will allow emoji in transaction codes. Think “🛒✨” for “VA01”, “📦↔️🏭” for “MIGO”, “💥🔍” for “ST22”, and so on.
Watch the corresponding Nerdletter Talk for deep conversation about these subjects and exclusive bonus content. Like and subscribe!
Don’t sleep on this sleeper hit Nerdcast video where Jelena and Paul answer the burningest questions of 2025 about SAP, AI, and the meaning of universe.
Are you interested in sponsoring the Nerdletter and featuring your amazing product? Have a story to share or feedback to give? Get in touch!
This newsletter is always free and proudly written by humans and for humans. Show your support to resist AI slop!
Photo for this issue was created by Kristina Paukshtite from Estonia.
This is our last issue of 2025, we’ll see you in 2026. Happy Holidays! Byeeeee!