The development of business intelligence capabilities is an idea that has been around for quite some time; but now, more than ever, it seems to be a top priority for companies and is a big part of their IT planning for 2017.
Usually, it is the business groups that are the first ones to start and run these initiatives. BI is seen as a way to better exploit the company’s various data sources and optimize the company’s efficiency and effectiveness in sales, marketing, production, inventory management, and transportation. The main objectives include better customer service, differentiation from the competition, increased efficiency, and more control over operations.
More recently, data management solutions such as in-memory databases have helped to take transactional solutions and analytical tools to a whole new level through this capability to analyze data in real time with the help of powerful platforms such as SAP HANA. These solutions bring the functionality, performance, and integration flexibility businesses need to be able to act and make decisions at the speed of business.
“Using SAP HANA in-memory database technology as business application platform we can truly manage our operations, sales and marketing in real time. SAP has done a lot to simplify its business software suite and unlock the full value of the information contained in our various data sources and processes. SAP HANA has enabled us to accelerate our strategic decision-making and to innovate in all aspects of our operations,” said the IT manager of one of our major clients.
About SAP S/4 HANA
S/4 HANA is the latest SAP platform integrating fully revised versions of its leading business applications. This next generation applications suite has been rewritten in order to give users a simpler, richer, more visual interface that is better adapted to mobile technologies. It is also based on the principle of operating an in-memory database that allows it to take advantage of data in real-time.
In just a few years, it has transformed the entire relational database industry. HANA combines database services, applications processing, and integration on a single platform. The same architecture provides libraries for predictive, spatial, planning, text processing, and business analytics. In short, it is a next generation data management platform that makes it possible to use the data currently held by your business more quickly and efficiently, and to develop new analytical applications and features based on your managers’ present needs, all using real-time data.
The Principle of In-Memory Database
The SAP HANA platform combines row-based and column-based database technology. It was designed for ultra-high-speed processing of data for analytical purposes and the development of applications in real-time and/or always-available mode. As its database resides entirely “in-memory” (RAM-based), HANA does not need to store its data on disks, which translates into exceptional performance and information access times, especially when producing management reports or creating dashboards. The SAP HANA platform takes advantage of multiple processors and search engines for parallel processing of relational, graphic, or text data. It can therefore analyze and derive greater value and intelligence from the various sources and types of data that we encounter in today’s environments.
Main Current Use Cases for SAP S/4 HANA
Among the most frequently encountered use cases for HANA are:
Analysis and reporting tools
HANA makes it possible to leverage analytics and reporting tools using in-memory technology in real-time to provide you with the right information anytime, anywhere.
Analytics / Big Data
HANA allows you to consult and process petabytes of structured, text, and spatial data from various sources such as EDW and Hadoop to allow you to anticipate risks or seize new opportunities.
Data Management
With SAP Data Management, HANA collects, integrates, and provides comprehensive and accurate information in real-time about any application or for any user.
Data Warehouse
HANA lets you streamline your data warehouse to enable users to identify relevant information at the right time, analyze information more quickly, and identify trends. Using technology such as SLT replication, data can be easily moved from existing systems and databases to HANA in real time. It is also possible to copy the data from SAP BW (Business WareHouse) and other databases to SAP HANA. The solution lets you use a modeling tool called HANA Studio to build logics, structures, and usage tools, for example, with SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Visual Intelligence so you can visualize and analyze data.
To Learn More About SAP S/4 HANA
If you are currently evaluating the modernization of your business applications or working on a business intelligence (BI) initiative, feel free to send us your questions.
François Rainville
Solutions Architect PCD Solutions
PCD Solutions
Email: frainville@pcdsolutions.com