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Use

The SAP HANA database is available for use as a database for SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW) and offers the following benefits:

  1. Improved performance:

    • The query performance is equal to or better than a scenario where a SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator is used:

      Complex analysis and planning scenarios with unpredictable query types, high data volume, high query frequency and complex calculations can be processed with a high degree of efficiency, as read accesses are in-memory optimized.

      In addition, the query performance on DataStore objects is comparable to the performance on InfoCubes.

    • Load processes in SAP HANA-optimized Data Warehouse objects can be processed with a high degree of efficiency.

  2. Simplified administration and infrastructure:

    • The SAP HANA database replaces both the previous database and SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator, thus contributing to a reduction in infrastructure costs. Instead of database administration and additional SAP NetWeaver administration, the SAP HANA database requires just one set of administration tools, for monitoring or backup and restore for example.

    • Data modeling is simplified. More information: SAP HANA-Optimized Objects

    • Thanks to its high compression rate, the column-based data store ensures that less data needs to be saved. Column-based storage is used for all InfoProviders that save data. The property "SAP HANA-optimized" improves performance even further.

Note

Be aware of the licensing conditions when using SAP HANA.

Prerequisites

See the End-to-End Implementation Roadmap for SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse, powered by SAP HANA. You can find this document under Start of the navigation path http://help.sap.com/nw73bwhana Next navigation step Installation and Upgrade Information End of the navigation path.

Specific Functions and System Behavior When Using the SAP HANA Database

The following sections provides an overview of specific functions and the system response when using the SAP HANA database:

Using the SAP HANA Database instead of a SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator

Indexing BW Data in the SAP HANA Database

SAP HANA-Optimized Objects

BW Workspace

Planning for SAP HANA Database

Merging Data from BW and SAP HANA (Mixed Scenarios)

Information on Running and Managing BW on SAP HANA

Obsolete Functions and Tools

The following table provides an overview of obsolete functions and tools:

Obsolete Functions and Tools

Explanation and Further Information

SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator

If you use the SAP HANA database to persist data, you do not need a SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator to improve performance. You therefore do not need to create and fill indexes, thus simplifying both data modeling and system administration.

Notes and recommendations regarding SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator contained in the documentation are obsolete if you are using the SAP HANA database.

Aggregates

Aggregates do not improve performance if the SAP HANA database is used as persistence.

More information: Performance Optimization with Aggregates

Database-Specific Processes and Others

If you use the SAP HANA database to persist data, you no longer need a process for filling aggregates for example, or for building/deleting the index for InfoCubes.

More information: Obsolete Process Types for SAP HANA Database

More Information