Quick answer: According to SAP's documented flow, you build a Joule agent in Joule Studio in five moves: create a project in SAP Build, define the agent's name, expertise, and instructions, choose a large language model, add tools such as Joule skills and documents for grounding, then test it in a private environment before you release and deploy it. This lab follows that flow in 10 steps, with a real screen for each. SAP's new Joule Studio, announced in May 2026, may look different.
Daniel's manager sent a two-line message on Monday: "Can Joule answer shipment status questions for the logistics team? Show me something by Friday." (Daniel is a fictional example.)
Daniel had built SAP Build apps before, but never a Joule agent. He found plenty of announcements and very few complete walkthroughs.
So we wrote the one he needed: a single lab, step by step, with every screen captured in a real system.
Which Joule Studio Does This Tutorial Use?
This tutorial follows the agent-building flow SAP documents for Joule Studio in SAP Build (now called Joule Studio, classic edition), because it uses the published, step-by-step SAP material.
In May 2026, SAP announced a new Joule Studio as a fully managed offering for building agents, applications, and workflows. SAP's Q2 2026 release highlights listed the new Joule Studio as Early Adopter Care. The earlier product is documented on SAP Help as Joule Studio, classic edition .
Important: check which edition your tenant has before you start. The concepts in this lab (instructions, tools, grounding, testing, governed deployment) carry over to both.
What You Need Before You Start
You need a tenant with Joule Studio enabled in SAP Build, a private environment for testing, and the connections your tools will use.
Our lab setup mirrors SAP's own TechEd 2025 AI163 hands-on exercises , where these were pre-provisioned:
[SME CONFIRM: entitlements and role collections needed in a customer tenant]
Our lab scenario
Our agent answers one job: help a logistics coordinator check shipment status and suggest a carrier using the company's carrier guide. This mirrors SAP's TechEd scenario, so every step maps to published SAP material.
Build Your First Joule Agent in 10 Steps
These 10 steps take you from a business problem to a deployed, tested agent, following SAP's documented flow.
Screen labels below come from SAP's published exercises and SAP Learning. They can change between releases, so trust your screen over our words where they differ.
Step 1: Write the agent's job in one sentence
Before you open any tool, write what the agent does, for whom, and what it must never do. Ours: "Help logistics coordinators check shipment status and suggest carriers from the carrier guide. Never change data without confirmation." This sentence becomes your expertise and instructions later.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: one-page agent design sheet with job, users, tools and limits
Step 2: Activate your private environment
In the SAP Build lobby, open the Control Tower , then Environments , and choose Activate Private Environment . SAP's exercise describes this as a safe, isolated space to test agents without affecting shared systems.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: Control Tower, Environments, Activate Private Environment confirmation
Step 3: Create the project
From the SAP Build lobby, choose Create and select the Joule project type. SAP Learning names it "Joule agent and skill". Give it a clear name and description.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: SAP Build lobby, Create dialog with the Joule project type selected
Step 4: Connect your actions and destinations
Your agent reaches business data through actions and destinations. In SAP's exercise, add a Destination environment variable of type Destination from the project Settings so tools can call SAP AI Core and backend services.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: project Settings, Environment Variables, new Destination variable
Step 5: Build or select the Joule skills
A Joule skill performs one defined task, such as "get shipment status" by calling an action. SAP's lab builds three skills before creating the agent. Start with one read-only skill for your first agent.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: the Joule skill canvas with the action step and output message
Step 6: Create the agent
From the project overview, choose Create , then Joule Agent . Enter a Name and a Description that say exactly what the agent does.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: Create Joule Agent dialog with name and description filled in
Step 7: Write the expertise, instructions, and additional context
These three fields define behavior. Expertise says what the agent knows. Instructions say what it does in each scenario. Additional Context sets tone and constraints. See the next section for how to write them well.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: agent definition with Expertise, Instructions and Additional Context completed
Step 8: Choose the model
SAP Learning states that you choose a large language model to power the agent's reasoning, and Joule Studio offers several. Start with the default your tenant recommends, then compare in testing.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: model configuration panel
Step 9: Add tools
Choose Add Tool , then Joule Skill to attach your skills. For document answers, choose Add Tool , then Documents , and enter the tool name, description, destination variable, resource group, and collection ID for your grounding collection. SAP Learning also describes configuring an MCP server to connect external tools. Save the agent.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: agent tools list showing the Joule skill and the Documents tool
Step 10: Test privately, then release and deploy
Choose Test , select your private environment, and map each destination. Run your test prompts (next section). When results are right, choose Release on the project, then Deploy the released version to a shared environment, map destinations again, and launch Joule there to retest.
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: Test dialog with environment and destination mapping
Image pending: SCREENSHOT: Deploy dialog for the released version to the shared environment
Image pending: INFOGRAPHIC 1: The 10-Step Roadmap to Your First Joule Agent] Single image (1080 x 1350 px) showing the 10 steps as a vertical path in three phases (Design, Build, Test and Deploy), official ZaranTech logo in the footer. Alt text: Ten steps to build, test, and deploy a first Joule agent in Joule Studio.
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How to Write Joule Agent Instructions That Work
Good agent instructions are specific, scenario-based, and honest about limits, so the model knows what to do and when to stop.
In SAP's TechEd exercise, the instructions cover each scenario the agent handles, and the additional context sets a professional, procedural tone. Use the same structure:
Three rules we follow
Image pending: INFOGRAPHIC 2: Weak vs Strong Joule Agent Instructions] Single image (1080 x 1350 px) showing the four rows of the instructions table as before-and-after cards, official ZaranTech logo in the footer. Alt text: Examples of weak and strong instructions for a Joule agent in Joule Studio.
Planning to extend agents with code? See how SAP AI for ABAP Consultants covers SAP AI Core and generative AI →
How to Test a Joule Agent Before You Deploy
Test a Joule agent with a small, fixed set of prompts that cover the normal path, missing information, grounding, limits and permissions, and rerun the same set after every change.
Keep this table in your project notes. When you change instructions or tools, rerun every row. Most first-agent problems show up as a wrong tool choice, which is usually an instructions issue, not a model issue.
Common Mistakes in a First Joule Studio Lab
Most first-agent problems come from setup and instructions, not from the model.
[SME CONFIRM: add any error messages seen during the real lab, with the fix]
Setting up SAP BTP, destinations , and environments for Joule? See how the SAP BTP Masterclass covers the platform →
Which SAP Joule or SAP AI Course Fits Your Role?
Start with the AI closest to the work you do today, then add one layer.
Free SAP Joule Guides and Resources From ZaranTech
ZaranTech shares free e-books, guides, and learning resources on its LinkedIn page and in the SAP Learner Community . These go deeper into this lab:
Follow ZaranTech and the SAP Learner Community for new free guides every week.
Joule Studio Tutorial FAQs
What is Joule Studio?
Joule Studio is SAP's environment for building custom Joule skills and agents. SAP announced a new, fully managed Joule Studio in May 2026; the earlier version in SAP Build is now called Joule Studio, classic edition.
How do I create a Joule agent in Joule Studio?
Create a project in SAP Build, add a Joule agent, write its expertise and instructions, choose a model, add tools such as Joule skills and documents, test it in a private environment, then release and deploy.
What is the difference between a Joule skill and a Joule agent?
A Joule skill performs a defined task, such as calling an action to read or update data. A Joule agent reasons over a goal and decides which skills and tools to use, and in what order.
Do I need SAP AI Core to build a Joule agent?
SAP's TechEd lab uses SAP AI Core for document grounding. Whether you need it depends on your tools and setup. Check the entitlements in your tenant with your SAP BTP administrator.
Can I learn Joule Studio without a company system?
You can learn the concepts from SAP Learning and SAP Developers tutorials. To build and test a real agent, you need access to a tenant with Joule Studio enabled, such as a training or company system.
Back to Daniel's Friday Demo
Daniel did not try to build everything. He wrote the agent's job in one sentence, built one read-only skill, added the carrier guide as a document, and wrote the "no" cases first.
On Thursday, he ran his five test prompts, fixed one vague instruction, and ran them again. On Friday, his manager asked, "Can it cancel shipments too?" Daniel smiled. "Not yet. That is version two, with approvals designed in."
Free download: Joule Agent Lab Walkthrough (PDF)
All 10 steps with screenshots, the instructions template, and the five-prompt test sheet in one guide. [Download the lab walkthrough →] [Lead form: Name · Email · WhatsApp] [Lead magnet link]
Not ready to enroll? Start with a free SAP Joule demo
Watch a ZaranTech instructor walk through Joule skills and agents live, and bring your own agent idea to discuss. Register with your name, email, and WhatsApp number to get the session details.
[Attend a Free SAP Joule Demo →] [Lead form: Name · Email · WhatsApp] [Demo booking link]
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Checked on 6 Oct 2026. Joule Studio screens, labels, and availability differ by edition, release, and entitlement.