Subject: SAP-BW (Business Warehouse)
SAP BW/4HANA represents a major evolution of the traditional SAP Business Warehouse platform, reimagined to fully leverage the in-memory computing capabilities of SAP HANA. One of its most compelling features is embedded analytics, which allows users to perform real-time operational and strategic analytics directly within the SAP system, eliminating the need for data replication or external reporting tools.
This article introduces BW/4HANA embedded analytics, explores its key components, and outlines the benefits it offers to organizations aiming to accelerate insights and decision-making.
Embedded analytics refers to the integration of analytical capabilities directly within transactional systems, such as S/4HANA or BW/4HANA. In BW/4HANA, this concept extends traditional business warehousing by:
- Utilizing the HANA database for real-time query processing.
- Supporting virtual data models (VDMs) for simplified and reusable data access.
- Offering pre-built analytical content and tools for creating dashboards, reports, and KPIs.
- Enabling business users to perform ad hoc analyses without deep technical expertise.
¶ 1. Open ODS Views and CompositeProviders
- Enable the integration and harmonization of data from multiple sources.
- Facilitate logical modeling without persistent data storage.
- Ideal for combining transactional data with master data for analytics.
- Used to define queries based on BW InfoProviders.
- Allows setting filters, calculated key figures, restricted key figures, and hierarchies.
- Supports analytical previews and drilldowns.
- Provides the foundation for multi-dimensional analysis.
- Optimized for HANA's in-memory processing.
- Supports complex aggregations, calculations, and exception reporting.
¶ 4. SAP Fiori and SAP Analytics Cloud Integration
- Embedded analytics integrates seamlessly with Fiori apps for intuitive UX.
- Direct connection with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for data visualization and storytelling.
- Enables embedded dashboards and real-time KPIs in operational contexts.
- In-memory data access provides immediate visibility into current operations.
- Avoids latency associated with traditional ETL and batch reporting.
- Business users can define and adjust analytical views using tools like Fiori-based VDM apps.
- Reduces reliance on IT for creating and maintaining reports.
- Combines transactional and analytical systems into a single architecture.
- Eliminates the need for data duplication or separate analytical databases.
- Drastically reduces query response times.
- Handles high-volume and high-granularity datasets efficiently.
- Native integration with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Fiori Elements.
- Enables modern visual analytics and KPI tiles in operational dashboards.
A retail company uses BW/4HANA embedded analytics to track real-time sales performance across stores:
- Open ODS Views connect to point-of-sale systems.
- CompositeProviders aggregate data by region and product line.
- Queries are created to calculate revenue, margins, and inventory turnover.
- A Fiori app displays KPIs with drilldowns to store-level performance.
- Business leaders access live dashboards via SAP Analytics Cloud, ensuring faster response to trends and anomalies.
BW/4HANA embedded analytics empowers organizations with real-time, actionable insights directly from their SAP environment. By blending operational data and analytical tools within a unified platform, it enables better decision-making, faster reporting, and a more agile enterprise. As companies move toward digital transformation, embedded analytics is a cornerstone for intelligent data-driven operations.