SAP BW/4HANA
SAP
In a nutshell
SAP BW/4HANA is SAP's current data warehouse system for the centralized storage, processing, and delivery of enterprise data. It supports reporting, analytics, and data integration based on the SAP HANA database and is used by many companies as a central platform for SAP reporting and business management.
For many SAP customers, SAP BW/4HANA currently serves as the backbone of their analytics and reporting landscape. At the same time, the question is increasingly being raised as to what role BW/4HANA will play in the future within SAP’s new data strategy, which includes SAP Business Data Cloud, Datasphere, and Databricks.
Why is SAP BW/4HANA relevant?
For many years, SAP BW has helped companies consolidate data from various SAP systems and make it available for reporting and analysis. In numerous organizations, significant investments, business logic, and domain-specific concepts are embedded in their existing BW landscapes.
At the same time, the world of data is undergoing fundamental changes. Today, companies not only need SAP data, but are also increasingly looking to integrate cloud applications, external data sources, IoT data, AI applications, and modern analytics platforms. It is precisely for this reason that SAP is currently further developing its strategic vision centered on the SAP Business Data Cloud.
This raises a key question for companies: What will happen to my SAP BW in the future?
The answer is more nuanced than is often portrayed. SAP BW/4HANA isn't going to disappear overnight. Rather, the goal is to build on existing investments in a meaningful way while taking advantage of new opportunities in data products, AI, Databricks, and modern data architectures.
As a result, many companies are facing strategic decisions:
- Continued Operation of BW/4HANA
- Lift & Shift to the SAP Business Data Cloud
- Partial modernization of existing models
- Building Hybrid Data Architectures
- Integration of SAP Datasphere or Databricks
- Development of a Long-Term Target Architecture
The real challenge here lies not in the migration itself, but in defining a forward-looking data strategy.
How does celver AG provide support?
celver AG helps companies evaluate and modernize their existing SAP BW environments.
Instead of focusing solely on a technical migration, we first analyze the role of the existing BW environment within the future data architecture. This involves addressing issues such as data strategy, analytics, planning, AI, and the integration of SAP and non-SAP data.
Typical questions from our customers include:
- How much longer should BW/4HANA continue to be used?
- Does it make sense to migrate to the SAP Business Data Cloud?
- Which BW content should be included?
- Which models can be simplified or discontinued?
- What roles do SAP Datasphere and Databricks play?
- How can existing BW investments be protected?
- Which target architecture best meets our future requirements?
We take a pragmatic approach to this: Not every business application landscape needs to be completely rebuilt from scratch. Often, existing investments can be put to good use and gradually transitioned into modern data architectures.
Related Terms
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Frequently Asked Questions
Not immediately. SAP positions the Business Data Cloud as the strategic target architecture of the future. Existing BW investments can continue to be used and modernized in stages.
In this process, an existing BW environment is technically migrated to the cloud. This simplifies operations but does not automatically resolve existing architectural or modeling issues.
Many companies are currently grappling with this question. The answer depends on factors such as corporate strategy, existing architecture, analytics requirements, and future AI initiatives. A customized assessment is therefore advisable.
Databricks enables complex data engineering, machine learning, and AI applications and is used within the SAP Business Data Cloud as a strategic platform for these use cases.
No. Many projects have shown that a significant portion of elements that have developed over time are no longer needed or can be simplified. An analysis of the existing landscape is therefore usually the first sensible step.
