SAP BW/4HANA

What is SAP BW/4HANA?

SAP BW/4HANA is SAP’s next-generation packaged data warehouse solution. It is built entirely on SAP HANA. Many users of SAP’s on-premise data warehouse solution, SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), are moving to SAP BW/4HANA as mainstream maintenance is set to end for SAP BW 7.5 in 2027.

The solution makes up the on-premise data warehouse layer of SAP Business Technology Platform. SAP BW/4HANA users rely on the solution to help them organize and store all data streaming in from internal and external sources in a way that enables optimal analysis.

Key capabilities include:

• Simplified modeling and administration
• Integration with SAP and non-SAP applications
• Intuitive user experience and modern interface
• High-volume, real-time data processing

Key Considerations for SAPinsiders

What is SAP BW/4HANA?

SAP BW/4HANA is SAP’s next-generation packaged data warehouse solution. It is built entirely on SAP HANA. Many users of SAP’s on-premise data warehouse solution, SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), are moving to SAP BW/4HANA as mainstream maintenance is set to end for SAP BW 7.5 in 2027.

The solution makes up the on-premise data warehouse layer of SAP Business Technology Platform. SAP BW/4HANA users rely on the solution to help them organize and store all data streaming in from internal and external sources in a way that enables optimal analysis.

Key capabilities include:

• Simplified modeling and administration
• Integration with SAP and non-SAP applications
• Intuitive user experience and modern interface
• High-volume, real-time data processing

Key Considerations for SAPinsiders

Integrate SAP BW/4HANA with SAP Analytics Cloud.

Ingo Hilgefort, SAP’s Global Product Evangelist, SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, outlines for SAPinsiders several best practices that can help you get the most from this integration. Benefits of the integration include sophisticated dashboards and visualizations, data enrichment capabilities, and self-service functionality.

Keeping SAP BW/4HANA up to date and selecting the right type of connection for the integration are critical first steps, he explains. Read the full article and take SAP BW/4HANA to the next level.

Use the data collected by SAP BW/4HANA to evaluate what has happened in the past and enable effective planning.

A central data warehouse solution such as SAP BW/4HANA can lay the foundation for an insights-driven culture. It can help you analyze and translate disparate data sources into intelligent, actionable information the business can use.

Consider a test run before fully converting a large SAP BW instance to SAP BW/4HANA.

To fulfill a dedication to simplifying complex insurance and pension topics for its customers, Swiss-based company Helvetia Group needed to improve its data warehousing platform. The larger of its two existing SAP BW systems managed the company’s financial data. And, it had many dependencies on other projects and SAP and non-SAP systems. So, the company completed a test run on its smaller SAP BW system, which contained the company’s human resources data.

Learn how the conversion team completed its pilot project following a cookbook created by Helvetia’s Deputy Lead for Business Intelligence, Clemens Groetz. The smaller conversion, says Groetz, “has given us a chance to extend our knowledge about how an existing SAP BW system can be moved to SAP BW/4HANA.”