SAP offers a wide range of solutions for managing data across its ecosystem, from provisioning and governance to warehousing and integration. These include tools for handling both master and transactional data, ensuring data quality, enabling lifecycle and replication management, and powering analytics via SAP HANA and SAP Datasphere. Whether you're working on-premise or in the cloud, SAP has a robust data management strategy to support big data, compliance, and intelligent insights.
When data is first collected or loaded into a system, it must be validated and cleaned prior to storage, a concept known as data provisioning. SAP solutions such as the SAP HANA Smart Data Integration and Smart Data Quality, SAP Data Services, and SAP LT Replication Server all provide users with ways to get data ready for use, from collecting to standardizing to storing.
Many SAP solutions are equipped to handle big data acquired from various sources such as the Internet of Things and stored in repositories such as data lakes, data warehouses, data marts, etc. In instances where solutions only handle specific sets of data, SAP users can connect them to databases and other warehousing options.
SAP has released a robust collection of products that focus on data management. Here are the key solutions:
The data lifecycle manager is an SAP HANA Extended Application Services tool that moves data from SAP HANA to other storage sources based on one of three different states of the data. These are “hot storage” for presently used data that should remain in the memory layer; “warm storage” for disk-based extended storage; and “cold storage” for data not needed and which can be stored on an external drive until it is.
SAP has created multiple ways for clients to store data for use. By keeping data structured and easily accessible, models and reports are easier to create.
SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) is SAP’s legacy data warehouse offering. It can be run on any database from third party to SAP HANA. Choosing this option gives clients the ability to run reports using SAP HANA’s memory layer rather than compressing data into SAP BW first. SAP BW will no longer receive maintenance following SAP’s 2027 target date of discontinuing SAP ERP solutions. Extended maintenance options will be available through 2030.
SAP BW/4HANA was first released in 2016 and serves as the successor to legacy SAP BW. This solution is an updated version of SAP BW that includes multiple new features. It runs on top of the SAP HANA database, and focuses on software simplicity, openness, a modern interface, and high performance.
Learn more about SAP BW/4HANA here.
SAP Datasphere (formerly known as SAP Data Warehouse Cloud) is an integrated, fully managed, and persona-driven data-warehouse-as-a-service solution that is suitable for SAP and non-SAP customers. It offers reduced deployment complexity, flexible pricing with integration to SAP Intelligent Suite solutions, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Business Technology Platform services, partner solutions and open-source technologies.
The architecture is designed to attach to existing on-premise data warehouse deployments (SAP SQL Data Warehousing, SAP Business Warehouse, and others) and extend them into the software-as-a-service world. This feature enables hybrid scenarios and avoids the need to move the entire data mart into the cloud.
SAP Agile Data Preparation is a tool that allows connection to data sources such as spreadsheets or databases. It can help users transform and manipulate data as needed.
SAP Data Intelligence is a cloud service that combines artificial intelligence and machine learning to better use siloed data and bring together the IT and data science departments of an organization. In Q2-2020, the functionality of SAP Data Hub was fully integrated under the SAP Data Intelligence name, adding data orchestration, discovery, refinement, and governance.
SAP Data Services is SAP’s flagship enterprise information management solution. It helps users ensure data quality, migration of data, text analysis, and interconnectivity with both SAP- and non-SAP systems.
As SAP’s main database offering, the in-memory SAP HANA provides users with the tools they need to quickly call and sort through data, often in real-time. It is available both on-premise and in the cloud. As part of its architecture, SAP HANA has multiple data management solutions available for users.
SAP HANA Cloud services is a suite of solutions that provides multiple data management functionalities via SAP HANA Cloud and SAP Datasphere.
SAP HANA smart data access enables virtual remote data access to third-party SAP and non-SAP data sources, without copying data locally into SAP HANA. This keeps data bloat down as it does not need to be queried over to SAP HANA for viewing.
SAP HANA Smart Data Integration loads data in batch mode or in real time into SAP HANA based on a variety of source systems, leveraging built-in and custom adapters. The SDI feature comes with SAP HANA.
SAP HANA smart data quality (SDQ) is a subset of select SDI transformations. These include data cleansing, address cleansing, and geospatial data enrichment.
SAP Information Lifecycle Management (SAP ILM) is a tool that allows the blocking and deletion of data from an SAP system. This is especially important in instances where data privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) require businesses to delete customer data upon request.
SAP Information Steward is a single-platform solution used to discover, assess, define, monitor, and improve data quality.
SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server (SLT) is a comprehensive data replication tool designed to facilitate the real-time transfer of data between different systems within an SAP landscape.
SAP Master Data Governance (SAP MDG) is a data governance solution that consolidates and creates enterprise master data, defines data management workflows, and determines the quality of said data.
SAP Vora is a distributed computing solution deployed on Apache Hadoop and Spark clusters. It provides a semantic layer for big data and can be used to run combined analytics across datasets.
SAP’s data management solutions are available in multiple deployment models to meet the needs of different IT landscapes:
On-premise: Traditional deployment on local servers. Offers full control but requires significant infrastructure.
Cloud: Includes SAP HANA Cloud, SAP Datasphere, and SAP Data Intelligence Cloud. Reduces maintenance, increases scalability, and integrates well with other cloud-based SAP tools.
Hybrid: Allows companies to bridge existing on-premise systems with cloud innovations, ideal for organizations transitioning gradually.
Data management plays a foundational role in the success of RISE with SAP transformations. Solutions such as SAP Master Data Governance, SAP Data Intelligence, and SAP Datasphere support:
Cleansing, migrating, and governing enterprise data for cloud readiness
Integrating data across SAP and non-SAP systems
Ensuring clean master data and accurate analytics during and after the move to SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Here are answers to some of the most common things SAP users want to know about data management.
Q: What is data provisioning in SAP?
A: Data provisioning refers to collecting, cleansing, and loading data into SAP systems using tools like SAP Data Services, Smart Data Integration, or SAP LT Replication Server.
Q: What is the difference between SAP BW, SAP BW/4HANA, and SAP Datasphere?
A: SAP BW is a legacy data warehousing solution, SAP BW/4HANA is its modernized successor built on SAP HANA, and SAP Datasphere is a cloud-native data warehouse-as-a-service offering.
Q: What tool does SAP offer for managing master data?
A: SAP Master Data Governance (MDG) consolidates and governs master data across SAP and non-SAP systems.
Q: Can SAP data management tools be used with non-SAP systems?
A: Yes. Solutions like SAP Data Intelligence and SAP Data Services support integration with third-party sources and data lakes.
Q: What is the role of SAP HANA in data management?
A: SAP HANA powers real-time data processing and analytics. It supports smart data integration, virtualization, and in-memory storage for fast, complex queries.
Q: What is SAP Data Intelligence used for?
A: SAP Data Intelligence unifies data management and orchestration across heterogeneous landscapes, enabling machine learning, data lineage, and governance.
Q: What happens to SAP BW after 2027?
A: SAP BW will exit mainstream maintenance in 2027, with optional extended maintenance through 2030. Users are encouraged to move to SAP BW/4HANA or SAP Datasphere.
Q: How does SAP handle data lifecycle management?
A: SAP uses tools like Data Lifecycle Manager and Information Lifecycle Management to categorize and move data based on usage, ensuring optimal storage and compliance.
Q: Is SAP Vora still in use?
A: SAP Vora is less commonly used today and has been largely superseded by newer SAP big data tools. However, it may still be part of legacy Hadoop-based architectures.
Q: Which SAP tool is best for real-time data replication?
A: SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server (SLT) offers real-time data replication between SAP systems.
In addition to the information laid out above, there are a handful of important SAP data management terms you should also be familiar with. Here are they are in list form:
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