In this section of the book, we will see how SAP HANA acts as a database for SAP BW.
With SAP HANA being an in-memory database, it works in a similar way to other traditional databases with regards to administration, and from a technical point of view.
SAP HANA acts as a database in the case of BW on HANA. There are three options to deploy SAP BW on HANA:
Fresh installation of BW on HANA: In this option, we create a new BW instance and connect to the SAP HANA database. This is the easiest option of the three.
Upgrade the existing BW system: In this option, we first upgrade the existing BW system to a minimum 7.3 SPS5. Then we change the underlying traditional disk-based relational database to the new in-memory database, the SAP HANA system.
System copy with BW on HANA: In this method, we copy the running production BW system to a new system while keeping the production system running on existing traditional databases. Then, we migrate the newly copied BW system to the SAP HANA database so that downtime in the production environment can be reduced. Post-copy automation steps are followed to shorten the migration process. We can also have both the existing production BW system and the newly copied BW on the HANA system connected to the same ERP system. This can be accomplished by delta queue cloning and synchronization on the production systems.
The SAP HANA appliance software with the SAP HANA database is preinstalled by the hardware vendor, certified by SAP on a validated hardware running a specific operating system. This HANA DB is installed on a separate server from the SAP NetWeaver BW system. The versions supported are SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3, SAP HANA SPS3, or higher versions. It is recommended by SAP to apply the latest available version.
During the process of setting up the SAP NetWeaver BW system, the ABAP schema and the data are loaded remotely into the SAP HANA database.
If we upgrade SAP NetWeaver BW on SAP HANA from SAP NetWeaver 7.3 to EhP1 for SAPNetWeaver 7.3, we have to first update the SAP HANA database to SP4 before upgrading the SAPNetWeaver system.
The following are the releases that SAP NW BW can run with:
SAP NetWeaver 7.3 SPS 05 or higher running on SAP HANA SPS 03 or higher
SAP EhP1 for SAP NetWeaver 7.3 SPS 04 or higher running on SAP HANA SPS 04 or higher
These are the benefits that can be harnessed by using SAP HANA as a database for SAP NetWeaver BW. We can also benefit from improved performance, as well as from the simplified administration and infrastructure created:
Compared to SAP NetWeaver BWA, the query performance will be equal to or better than using BW on HANA.
Complex analysis and planning scenarios with high data volume, unpredictable query types, complex calculations, and high query frequency can be achieved with a high degree of efficiency as in-memory feature supports very high efficiency to read operations. In addition, the query performance on the DataStore objects is comparable to the performance of InfoCubes.
The loading process in SAP HANA-optimized data-warehouse objects can be processed with high efficiency.
The SAP HANA database combines features of both the traditional database and SAP NetWeaver BWA, which helps to reduce costs for the required infrastructure setup. The same applies to the administration tools; we will require only a single set of administration tools, whereas we will require separate administration tools if we are using a database and SAP BWA separately. Similarly, a single set of tools will be enough for other activities such as monitoring, back up, and restore.
Data modeling is simplified. For example, using SAP HANA-optimized objects means that it is not necessary to load the objects to a BWA index. Also, aggregates are not necessary when using the SAP HANA database. The column-based database architecture enables easier remodeling, for example, it allows us to delete characteristics from an InfoCube that still contains data.
Furthermore, with improved query performance on DataStore objects, loading data from a DataStore object into a downstream InfoCube can become unnecessary if the InfoCube is only created to improve query performance. With its significant compression rate, the column-based storage ensures that less data needs to be materialized. The same column-based storage is used for all InfoProviders that save data as well as for the Persistent Staging Area (PSA).