Most users probably don’t care about how the technology they use works, let alone about its buzzwords. So drop “in memory,” “platform” and even “big data” from your vocabulary -- at least for five minutes -- and let’s look at how SAP HANA can actually help you Run Simple.
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| SAP HANA helps users visualize vast amounts of data and, in this case, lets an airline rebook passengers from a cancelled flight to new ones -- as well as change people’s airport shuttle, hotel and dinner reservations. |
We’ll do so via four scenarios, each based on either a customer story or a proof-of-concept that SAP completed with customers. They demonstrate how HANA users can improve their business by:
- Increasing capacity without growing
- Improving agility in response to unforeseen events
- Predicting instead of just reacting
- Tapping into new revenue streams
Increase Capacity
HANA graphically projects information on a dashboard, showing seaport managers that one vessel has fallen behind its loading plan. Clicking on the problem reveals that a highway closure has slowed the unloading process. A few more clicks on the dashboard can fix everything.
“I’m going to reroute hundreds or thousands of trucks simply with simply with the press of a button, instead of having to call them up individually,” stefan.krueger of SAP User Experience said during a HANA demonstration. “Once that’s done, the forecast is fine, and the ship should be on its way in time.”
Be More Agile
Airlines can quickly adapt to the unexpected, using HANA to quickly rebook passengers from a cancelled flight onto new flights in real time. Looking within each passenger’s travel network, including Concur and Tripit, airlines can also rebook their passengers’ airport shuttles, request late hotel check-ins and change dinner reservations.
“Passengers will be notified instantaneously,” Krueger said, confirming the notification by looking at the alert that just arrived on his smartwatch. “So instead of spending time at the airport waiting in line, they can stay at home with their family.”
Predict Trouble
Preventive maintenance can avert disaster, but it also carries high labor and equipment costs, especially when parts are replaced unnecessarily. So HANA helps users spot trouble early, alerting them when something needs replacing, such as a worn bearing on a wind turbine.
“So I will just -- through the business network -- find the right technician to do that work,” Krueger said, gliding his fingers across the touchscreen’s intuitive display. “I will schedule the repair, and the turbine should be fine in no time.”
Generate New Revenue
Companies that are selling machinery today might sell insight gained from those devices tomorrow. Farmers can better plan how to fertilize and irrigate their fields based weather, nutrient and other data that HANA gathers from sensors in the machines and in the soil, as well as satellite imagery.
“When the contractor gets working, the farmer gets a notification, and he can track what is happening in real time on the field,” Krueger said. “You can save all of that data so you can later optimize, find patterns and compare yields within the field to be much smarter about your decisions in the future.”
Dive Deeper
So you don’t need to know or use a bunch of database jargon to see how HANA is helping the world to run simple. Watch the video below for more on all four examples:
Or check out the videos below to dive deeper into each scenario:
- How do you grow 178 percent without growing at all?
- How does a cancelled flight arrive six hours early?
- How do you fix a machine that never breakes?
- How do you make money from things you never sold?
Follow Derek on Twitter: @DKlobucher
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