...or at least make life a lot easier for businesses looking to boost performance across complex and multi-cloud environments
In my
previous blog, we looked at how we have democratized SAP HANA by opening the platform up to the widest possible set of cases, data types, applications, and deployment options. The next step in the democratization of SAP HANA involves broadening the platform’s applicability to even more use cases across hybrid and multi-cloud environments—building on SAP HANA’s ability to easily run high-performing applications across multiple clouds, on hybrid landscapes, and on premise.
SAP Data Warehouse Cloud is a new data warehousing solution which enables organizations to leverage all the advanced capabilities of SAP HANA without incurring massive upfront costs often associated with data warehouse implementations. You can start small and grow as needed. SAP Data Warehouse Cloud comes with a rich set of connectors that simplify accessing data wherever it is located; it provides frictionless integration with all varieties of on-premise systems (both SAP and third-party).
Start Small
With SAP Data Warehouse Cloud you have the choice between moving data to the cloud by replicating datasets or accessing data remotely. This approach allows the organization to find the right balance between on-premise and cloud deployment. So, for example, a company with large on-premise databases doesn’t have to move everything to the cloud in a “big bang”. With SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, business users can extend existing shared on-premise data with their own data in the cloud. Alternatively, IT can use SAP Data Warehouse Cloud to build new scenarios in the cloud—based on or combined with on-premise data—allowing for an evolution into a full-fledged cloud data warehouse over time.
Elasticity and Scalability via Spaces
SAP HANA Data Warehouse Cloud addresses the topics of elasticity and scalability with a new concept called spaces. Spaces make it possible to scale individual areas of the data warehouse or data mart independently, rather than having to build huge monolithic systems. Functionality built into the SAP HANA core allows SAP Data Warehouse Cloud to intelligently replicate data to the specific space where it is required, instead of bringing all data together whether needed or not. In conjunction with independently salable spaces, quota assignment enables users to control how much compute and storage capacity a defined set of users, typically an individual line of business (LOB), can consume.
Managing Operational Costs
Imagine you have one department that requires a lot of compute power for a process that runs at the end of the month. Instead of having to scale up the whole data warehouse instance, you will have the option of scaling up just for that process. This approach works well with reports that require a lot of compute power, but less storage capacity. Many financial reports, for example, fit into this category. Scaling storage and compute independently also supports scenarios in which reporting requires a lot of storage, but less compute power. This may include reporting on weblogs, audit trails, sales apps, etc. On the other hand, this approach works just as well with reports that require a lot of compute power but less storage capacity. Many financial reports, for example, fit into this category.
The space concept enables architectures in which defined user groups can consume and enhance trusted data without needing to replicate the data first. Quota assignments act as a kind of rail guard for the LOB—ensuring a durable, mature data mart solution without requiring knowledge of or time devoted to the technical setup required to operate such an architecture.
Freeing Resources
With SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, your organization does not have to dedicate resources to SAP HANA setup and administrative questions. Operating a traditional large-scale enterprise system requires a team of skilled IT professionals, dedicated to securing corporate data, providing consistent and trusted data, ensuring availability of the data 24×7, etc. With SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, the business can focus on deriving value out of the data rather than on focusing on these operational tasks.
IT professionals are a scarce resource. They typically have the capacity to provide standard services for the entire enterprise, but there usually aren’t enough of them to cater to all the individual wishes and requirements of today’s business users. Additionally, the systems they operate need to provide reliable and stable services. This means, they cannot be modified ad-hoc, but only via rather strict and governed processes. Consequently, new generations of business users, digital natives with an affinity for technology, increasingly ask for self-service analytics capabilities. These allow them to leverage the data provided by IT and experiment with it on their own. SAP Data Warehouse Cloud incorporates collaborative features that bridge the gap between business and IT professionals.
Empowering business users to explore and leverage the data they need on their own is the latest and most advanced step in the democratization of SAP HANA. It is a step you are all invited to be a part of.
Learn More
Learn more about intelligent data warehousing on the
SAP Data Warehouse Cloud product page.
