Destinations are a way to store and manage the connection details for remote systems or services.

Purpose of Destinations

• They act like a central connection configuration so that applications don’t need to hardcode system URLs, credentials, or authentication methods.
• You define the target system (destination) once, and multiple apps or services can reuse it.

Key Uses

• Connectivity to External Systems
  Example: An SAP BTP app needs to call an SAP S/4HANA system, an SAP SuccessFactors API, or even a third-party REST service.
  Instead of storing the URL and credentials in the app, you define a Destination in BTP.
• Simplifies Authentication & Security
  Destinations support multiple authentication methods (OAuth2, Basic Auth, SAML, Principal Propagation, etc.).
• Centralized Configuration
  If an endpoint changes (like a new S/4HANA system URL), you only update the destination once — no need to redeploy or change code in all connected apps.
• Standardized Access Across Apps
  Multiple apps can consume the same destination, ensuring consistency.

Example

Suppose you have a CAP (Cloud Application Programming) app on BTP that needs data from SAP S/4HANA:

• You create a Destination in the BTP cockpit pointing to your S/4HANA system (with the URL + OAuth2 credentials).
• Your app just calls destination.get(“S4HANA”) instead of hardcoding URLs.
• If the S/4HANA system moves to a new URL, you update the destination in cockpit, not in your app code.

In short: Destinations in SAP BTP are a secure, centralized way to define and reuse external system connections across apps.

Step by Step Process:

Step 1: Log in to SAP BTP Cockpit

• Go to https://cockpit.btp.cloud.sap and log in with your SAP credentials.
• Select your Global Account and then the Subaccount where you want to create the destination.

Step 2: Ensure Entitlements

• In your Subaccount, go to Entitlements → Configure Entitlements.
• Make sure Destination and Connectivity services are added.
  (If not, add them using Add Service Plans.)

Step 3: Create a Destination Service Instance (for runtime use)

• Go to Subaccount → Services → Instances and Subscriptions.
• Click Create → Instance.
• Select Destination as the service.
• Choose a plan (usually lite for trial or standard).
• Complete the wizard and finish.
• Optionally, create a Service Key or bind it to an application.

Step 4: Configure a Destination

1. In your subaccount, navigate to Connectivity → Destinations.
2. Click New Destination.
3. Fill in the required fields:
   • Name → Unique name (used by apps).
   • Type → HTTP (most common).
   • URL → Target system endpoint (e.g., your SAP S/4HANA or API URL).
   • Proxy Type → Internet (for cloud systems) or OnPremise (if using SAP Cloud Connector).
   • Authentication → Choose method (NoAuth, BasicAuth, OAuth2ClientCredentials, SAML, etc.).
   • Provide credentials (username/password, client ID/secret, or token URL depending on method).
4. (Optional) Add Additional Properties, e.g.:
   • WebIDEEnabled = true
   • sap-client = 100
   • HTML5.DynamicDestination = true
5. Click Save.

Step 5: Test the Destination

• Still in Connectivity → Destinations, find your destination.
• Use the Check Connection button.
• If successful, your app can now consume it.