Source: SAP

This was an SAP webcast last week

Be sure to join this session at SAP TechEd Las Vegas – ASUG Influence Council – Enterprise Data Warehouse, DAT306

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August 27 BI: SAP Analytics Cloud – Preparing your data

September 3 BI: Discover SAP BusinessObjects BI4.3

September 4 BI: SAP BW/4HANA Overview and Roadmap

September 5 BI: SAP Analytics Cloud – Data Connectivity, including Road Map

September 10 BI: SAP Analytics Cloud for SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise customers – Roadmap Update

September 11 – BI: SAP BW/4HANA Conversion

Source: SAP

The legal disclaimer applies; sharing early product information, and there may be changes without notice

Source: SAP

The “house” is on the right

In the past, had 2-3 offerings, including BW/4HANA, SQL Data Warehouse methods on top of HANA

The color in between includes the mixed scenarios; 90% of those running BW/4HANA use the mixed scenarios

These options were available on-premise and will continue

And will provide additional option, public cloud, SAP Data Warehouse Cloud; it does not replace BW/4HANA or SQL Data Warehouse

Will provide tight integration through hybrid scenarios

Source: SAP

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud positioning – one is the unified data platform and empower lines of business

Will support structured & unstructured data

Address line of business; make it easier for line of business to build their own scenarios

Source: SAP

Advantages of SAP Data Warehouse Cloud

One is collaborative features; combine data from any enterprise source, SAP and non-SAP

Elasticity – “pay as you go” – pay for what you are using, periods of year less power, use, less cost

End to end – new pre-built business content across industries; tight integration with SAP Analytics Cloud

Speed as running on SAP HANA

Source: SAP

In the middle, HANA Cloud, which has the services to connect, and use the HANA SDI

Start with virtualized access to data

Flexibly change to replication mode if need (classical ETL and ELT scenarios)

Storage – in memory, and disk based storage – based on Sybase IQ

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud services – repository services include a central metadata repository, data modeling services, in one unique UI

Supports slowly changing dimensions

Provides governance services (SAP handles)

Consumption analytics – tight integration with SAP Analytics Cloud

Opened SAP Data Warehouse Cloud for 3rd party consumption; API’s will be available

Source: SAP

Space concept

Your central data warehouse with operational data, then create spaces for finance, marketing

Expose data model from central data warehouse

The lines of business can work on this model, their own model, empowered to do steps themselves

Governance aspect – expose data from central data warehouse to the spaces, strict control, authorization concepts

Strict cost control; elasticity, pay as you use, only charge for computing power currently using, scale up and scale down depending on needs

Very transparent monitoring

Source: SAP

Preview of space manager transaction

Each space, see amount of computing nodes, storage used, the current costs, prediction will evolve

Each space can be hibernate mode, no longer active, no longer consume computing/storage power, and will impact the costs

Later can reactivate and continue working

Source: SAP

Modeling – separate between semantic/business layer and data layer

Data layer – specify data access – virtual table, replicate, connection types, automatically create a graphical data model so you see where data is coming from

Independent is the semantic layer – model dimensions, hierarchies, facts, (no longer discuss info objects, data store objects) – if want to model an info object, typically model a dimension

Source: SAP

Anything you model in data model, is automatically updated in the business catalog, across industry business content, intuitive searching for a model, filtering

Models are well documented

Business catalog provides data lineage and impact analysis

Source: SAP

Preview of how business catalog will look like

Left navigation pane, connections, datasets

Models from marketing, documented, documented KPI’s, who last updated

Business catalog will be central metadata repository for KPI’s, key figures

Source: SAP

Preview of data modeling, graphical data modeling available

This product is addressing SQL data warehousing

Mode – switch to SQL console

Source: SAP

SQL data warehouse – SQL statements, then create graphical model

Source: SAP

Tight integration with SAP Analytics Cloud

From modeling can jump to story building

Source: SAP

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud is not a replacement for BW/4HANA, it is an additional option

Can extend your existing BW for Data Warehouse Cloud

Hybrid scenarios – leverage your existing skill set

Timelines – start beta program next week

Then plan GA of product in late October

Link: SAP HANA Cloud Services | Data Management | Data Warehouse Cloud | SAP Hana Cloud Services

Source: SAP

You can see the replay here

Timestamps:

• SAP Data Warehousing: 4:30
• SAP Data Warehouse Cloud: 8:00
• Benefits of Data Warehouse Cloud: 25:12
• Demo: 30:00
• Q+A: 53:00

Q&A

Q: The UI is very similar to SAP Analytics Cloud. Why is this not part of the positioning? Is there integration with SAC models & security roles?

A: In fact DW Cloud sits on SAC as a platform, there will be full integration down the road…

Q: Can we PLAN (data input) from SAC stories within DW Cloud as of now? If not, when is that feature planned?

A: Planning is currently not supported by DWC models yet but it is planned

Q: Does SAP Data Warehouse Cloud also have planning functionality? Or will that be done in SAC only?

A: it is planned, in tight combination with SAC

Q: If we stay on BW 7.4 OR 7.5 and use DWC as addon service, Are all classical BW objects compatible?

A: will provide tight integration

Q: There will be 2 products available: SAC and SAP DWH Cloud. Wouldn’t it be more effcient to merge both products to avoid redundancies like story builder and so forth?

A: it’s partially separate from a licension perspective but we build this as one solution

Q: Is there any programming language available within DW Cloud that enables any custom code, namely writing start/end routines etc?

A: not yet available, plan to have data flow builder

Q: Will there ever be a migration path from BW4 to DWC?

A: Look for an update beginning next year

Q: Please can you state clearly the ‘perfect’ SAP envisaged DW landscape without any hybrid states? If DWC is not envisaged as a replacement of BW, will ‘new’ customers in future still require BW for data warehousing (or a SQL data warehouse)?

A: If your DW strategy is fully cloud we propose your start with DW Cloud

Q: Is there any plan to discontinue the classic BW on-premise and move to DWC? if so then what’s the timeline?

A: no

Open questions have been sent to the speakers

 

Special thanks to Eric Schemer for answering questions