SAP BW on HANA

SAP BW on HANA is the next wave of SAP's in-memory technology vision that enables SAP
NetWeaver BW to use SAP HANA as a fully functioning in-memory database.
Running SAP BW on HANA results in dramatically improved performance, simplified
administration and streamlined IT landscape resulting in lower total cost of ownership.

In this article we will explore

What is SAP BW and SAP BW on HANA?

SAP BW on RDBMS Vs SAP BW on HANA.

Different aspects of SAP BW migration to HANA.

What is SAP BW?

SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW) or also called SAP BW in short, is
the name of the Business Intelligence, analytical, reporting and Data Warehousing solution
produced by SAP.

Serving as a powerful Enterprise Data Warehouse application platform BW provides flexible

reporting and analysis tools. It is a packaged, comprehensive business intelligence product
centered around a data warehouse that is optimized for (but not limited to) the R/3 environment
from SAP.

What is SAP HANA?

SAP HANA is an in-memory database.
Check the article What is SAP HANA? for more details.

What is SAP BW on HANA?

SAP BW on HANA is nothing but SAP's existing NetWeaver BW data warehouse, running on
SAP HANA.
SAP now supports SAP HANA as the underlying database for the NetWeaver BW Data
Warehouse.

Because SAP HANA is much faster than regular relational databases like Oracle or Microsoft
SQL Server, the data warehouse performs much faster.
The purpose of SAP BW on HANA is to combine the power of both.

What are the drawbacks of SAP BW on a RDBMS like Oracle?

Time to change:
Any change in structure or report takes too much time. Normally it takes 3-12 months to get a
change in structure or report.

Flexibility:
It lacks the granular level details. In SAP BW data is aggregated and materialized so users can't
get the way they need or at the granularity they require.

Performance:
Every report has to be tuned for acceptable performance.

Real time data not available:

Real time data are not available for analysis. Data is moved to SAP BW in batches and takes
time.

SAP BW on HANA Benefits:

SAP BW on HANA is smarter, simpler and more efficient.

Customer value of SAP BW on HANA:

Excellent query performance for improved decision making

Performance boost for Data Load processes for decreased data latency

Accelerated In-Memory planning capabilities for faster planning scenarios

Flexible - combine EDW with HANA-native data for real-time insights and
decision making

Data persistency layers are cut off and reduced administration efforts

Simplified data modeling and remodeling

Faster decision-making - Having the right information when you need it

In today's business world, fast access and manipulation is required on top of massive data
stores. This is beyond the capabilities of traditional disk-based systems.

SAP HANA helps your SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse run better than ever. HANA
enables you to analyze large amounts of data, from virtually any source, in near real time,
making it possible to access reports with up-to-the-minute information. As an example, having
the most current order and logistics information makes it possible to manage your inventory
more efficiently, and to predict Available to Promise (ATP) more accurately.

Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):

When you take into account the cost of hardware, software licenses, maintenance, performance
tuning and project development, SAP BW is always cheaper in terms of TCO when running on
HANA.

Whether HANA also is cheaper in terms of Total Cost of Acquisition (TCA) depends on where
you are in your procurement lifecycle. Do you have to replace hardware anyhow? Can you free
up resources on expensive UNIX equipment? Can you reuse the Oracle or DB2 licenses
elsewhere or save on maintenance revenue? Do you have to complete a SAP system upgrade
as well? Do you save substantially on storage costs? Many times, the answer is yes!

Simplified configuration and operational management:

Non-disruptive innovation and advanced administrative tools.
The current business processes inside BW can stay as they are and will mesh perfectly with
HANA. System operation stays as it is, and process chains do not need to be remodeled.

With HANA there is no need to retrain end users familiar with BW. There is still the same BW
application process but, with BW on SAP HANA, it is now possible to run queries, updates and
reports much faster than before. Expert users do not need to get retrained because they can
continue to use their current BI or other frontend tools.

In addition, HANA supports the BW Analysis Authorization Concept, and can be integrated with
NetWeaver Identity Management to ensure security remains intact.

When should customers move to SAP BW on HANA?

The answer should be: now! The benefits are huge for most BW systems and it is now
Generally Available and stable. Check SAP BW on HANA - Customer Success Stories.

Migration to SAP BW on HANA:

The migration to SAP BW on HANA is quite simple and requires no additional modeling or
adaptation of existing information assets. BW is the first SAP application to be re-architected
and rewritten to take full advantage of the enhanced capabilities of HANA. Processing that
would traditionally be done at the application (ABAP) layer is pushed down into the database
where it can be optimally executed with the various calculation and aggregation engines.

BW includes two model types optimized for best performance on the HANA platform. Existing
BW models can be used, in most cases, with only a parameter setting change.

Existing BW client tools, like SAP Business Explorer, are supported by BW on SAP HANA. The
HANA database also supports direct clients like Microsoft Excel and SAP's Business Objects BI
(Business Intelligence) tools.

Do we need to rewrite all the code and stuff after SAP BW migration to HANA?
Absolutely not! All your models will run just like they did before. There are definitely instances
where you may choose to optimize your models to run better on SAP HANA but this is not a
requirement.

What do we need to do after migration to SAP HANA?

The answer is that you don't need to do anything. However in most cases you would choose to
do the following:

Remove SAP BW aggregates (they're only overheads in SAP HANA and this is done
automatically for you).

Convert your SAP BW cubes and DSOs to SAP HANA cubes and DSOs (a simple process
that improves performance and reduces space).
Note that everything is optional.

Conclusion:
SAP BW on HANA is smarter, simpler and more efficient. Customers can make better, faster
decisions with SAP BW on HANA. SAP BW on HANA overcomes the traditional barriers and
opens a new world of new opportunities.