More than just an upgrade: BW/4HANA - an innovative data warehouse

Four conversion scenarios for the system change

Modern reporting requires the use of data from as many different sources as possible. To do this, the data must be standardized and made available in the right place for reporting. With BW/4HANA, SAP offers an innovative data warehouse that opens up completely new possibilities for your reporting and consolidation.

If you are still using SAP BW7.5 on HANA or another data warehouse, you should make the switch to BW/4HANA as soon as possible. This is because BW7.5 will no longer be developed further by SAP and maintenance of the system will expire at the end of 2027. To avoid the risk of having to work with an outdated, no longer maintained data warehouse in a few years' time, switching to the new BW/4HANA version is essential. In addition, the new data warehouse also offers new, previously unknown possibilities for your financial reporting. The change is therefore more of an opportunity than a necessity.

The migration to BW/4HANA cannot be compared with the previous upgrades of the business warehouse versions - from NetWeaver 1.0 Business Intelligence to NetWeaver 7.5 Business Warehouse. With this latest data warehouse solution for on-premise, SAP is taking a big step forward and offering an innovative solution.

The advantages of BW/4HANA

• Better performance: The entire toolset has been modernized and the old bits have been cut off. Everything that slows down the system has been thrown out.
• High innovative strength: BW/4HANA presents itself as SAP's solution for the future.

• Only on this system can you install further developments such as BCS/4HANA (Business Consolidation) or BPC4/HANA (Business Planning and Consolidation).

• Simplified data orchestration, improved reporting: With the BCS/4HANA add-on, you can calculate consolidated data dynamically on-the-fly (without temporary or permanent storage).
• Powerful toolset for data administration: You can access certain points in time in the process chain and monitor data orchestration in this way
• Flexible data modeling: BW/4HANA provides extensive out-of-the-box functions; for example, you can merge two source data or apply filters directly to the database. BW/4HANA also provides direct access to sources via software-defined access (SDA), so you can also perform data modeling directly on the database.
• User-friendly framework: Fiori offers a simplified and personalizable application. For example, you can store content of your choice on tiles and find your way around easily thanks to standardized menu navigation.
• Mobile compatible: You are free to choose which device you work on.
• Self-service analyses: You create reports yourself and are no longer dependent on IT support. This speeds up reporting.
• Comprehensive data connection: If required, stakeholders can gain direct insight into the respective data source. BW(4HANA also enables reporting based on text information

Four conversion scenarios for a successful switchover

There are four conversion scenarios for the migration. Which conversion path is right for you depends on your requirements (existing hardware and software) and your objectives. We will advise you individually and provide you with comprehensive support during the complex migration process.

1. Greenfield conversion: We introduce BW/4HANA as a completely new data warehousing system. All data must be reloaded from the existing source system and a completely new system line set up.
2. Shell conversion / accelerated greenfield: In this scenario, we set up BW/4HANA as a parallel system line. Delimited data models and selected data flows are transferred in a targeted manner, but the data is only taken from the source system and not transferred.
3. Remote conversion: Here, too, we set up BW/4HANA in parallel and select specific data flows for migration. However, the data and entire sub-areas of the previous BW version are transferred using SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT).
4. In-place conversion: This conversion avoids the parallel operation of two systems and represents a complete system conversion. We migrate the entire existing BW system. The existing BW installation, including all objects, data and add-ons, is converted to BW/4HANA; all objects and add-ons that are not required are deleted in advance.

Conclusion

If you are currently working with SAP BW7.5 on HANA, BW/4HANA is the ideal follow-up solution. As maintenance for BW7.5 will expire in a few years and this is not a system upgrade but a system change, time is gradually running out. You will be rewarded for the increased effort involved in the migration with a user-friendly, powerful system that simplifies, improves and accelerates your reporting.

Our offer

If you are interested in BW/4HANA and would like to find out more about the possible applications, differences and requirements, we will be happy to support you with our professional and technical expertise.

As a first step, we recommend a target picture workshop in which the key points of a target scenario are developed.

Take the opportunity to raise your group reporting and corporate management to a new level - we look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to contribute to your success with our expertise!