SAP BW/4HANA: The Next Generation of SAP Data Warehouse

Data analysis is crucial in making informed and strategic decisions in today's ever-changing business world. As new technologies emerge, companies increasingly prioritize agile and efficient analytics solutions. 

This article will introduce SAP BW/4HANA, the new generation of SAP's data warehouse optimized for the SAP HANA® platform. Discover how this innovative solution can transform companies' data management and exploration to gain competitive advantages. 

What is SAP BW/4HANA? 

SAP BW/4HANA is a Business Intelligence (BI) tool developed for companies that wish to extract valuable insights from their data to support strategic decision-making. This platform is designed for high integration with the SAP environment and other external data sources, providing a holistic and unified business view. As the on-premise data warehouse layer of the SAP Business Technology Platform, it inherits high performance, simplicity, and agility. Through this combination, the solution offers real-time analytics and a comprehensive and unified view of enterprise data, minimizing data movement, enabling the connection of multiple data sources, and making them available to reporting, business intelligence, and analysis tools. 

This innovative solution can transform companies' data management and exploration

What are the Advantages of SAP BW/4HANA? 

1. Simplicity: simplifies data modelling, management, and consumption through an Eclipse-based interface and a streamlined architecture that reduces the number of objects and layers. Additionally, it simplifies system migration and updates with automated and pre-configured tools. 
2. Modernity: enables the integration of new data types and sources such as social, behavioural, sensor, and machine learning data, utilizing resources like Open ODS View, CompositeProvider, and Advanced DataStore Object. It also allows the use of modern analytics techniques such as Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), and Hybrid Transactional Analytical Processing (HTAP). 
3. Flexibility: It offers flexibility in choosing between different deployment options, whether in the cloud or on-premise, and various integration options, whether with SAP or third-party applications. Additionally, it provides features to adapt to changes in business requirements, such as Data Tiering Optimization, which allows data movement between different storage layers, or Data Lifecycle Management, which manages the data lifecycle. 
4. Innovation: enables innovation based on insights derived from data, using integrated reporting, business intelligence, and analysis tools like SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite, or SAP Business Explorer. Furthermore, it facilitates innovation based on the advanced capabilities of SAP HANA, such as real-time processing, predictive analytics, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence.      

Source: SAP BW/4HANA | Data Warehouse and EDW Solutions 

How to Adopt SAP BW/4HANA in Your Company? 

SAP BW/4HANA is an on-premise solution that requires installation and configuration of the software on the company's server. To adopt SAP BW/4HANA in your company, you can follow one of the following scenarios: 

• Migration: If you already have a SAP data warehouse solution such as SAP BW or SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA, you can migrate to SAP BW/4HANA using tools like Migration Cockpit or Migration Toolset. These tools streamline and expedite migration by converting existing objects into the new SAP BW/4HANA format and verifying data compatibility and quality. 
• Implementation: If you do not have a SAP data warehouse solution or want to start from scratch, you can implement SAP BW/4HANA using tools like Data Warehouse Workbench or Eclipse-based Modeling Tools. These tools aid in modelling, managing, and consuming data in SAP BW/4HANA, utilizing concepts such as InfoObjects, InfoCubes, queries, etc. You can also use pre-configured content (BI Content) that covers various business areas and integrates content from almost all SAP applications along with some external applications. 

SAP BW/4HANA is an on-premise solution that requires installation and configuration of the software on the company's server

SAP BW/4HANA provides several advantages that drive business agility, delivering real-time insights for strategic decision-making. The solution combines the data from SAP and non-SAP sources to create a single logical view, providing a comprehensive and consistent understanding of operations and making it easier to identify opportunities and challenges. Moreover, SAP BW/4HANA design tackles future challenges such as IoT, data lakes, and advanced analytics, helping companies prepare for the next generation of business demands. It boasts key features that make it a comprehensive and progressive solution for flexible data warehousing development. Through its modern and intuitive interface, SAP BW/4HANA: 

• Improves user, designer, and administrator productivity with faster development of analytical solutions. 
• Offers adaptability to specific business needs through flexible deployment in the cloud or on-premise. 
• Reduces costs, decreases response times, and optimizes corporate data analysis with data management resources in different storage layers. 

If you intend to adopt SAP BW/4HANA in your company, you can rely on Izertis as your strategic partner. We are a specialized company in digital solutions with extensive experience in data warehouse and business intelligence projects with SAP BW/4HANA. We can assist you in defining the most suitable strategy for your business, designing and developing the most efficient and effective solution for your information needs, and supporting your project's entire migration or implementation process.  

Contact us to discover how SAP BW/4HANA can transform your data into valuable insights.