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

If you use the SAP HANA database to persist data from your BW system, you do not need 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. The system automatically generates, updates and deletes the logical indexes (CalculationScenarios) for the InfoProviders. Like in SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator, you need to create snapshot indexes for VirtualProviders and queries (see Indexing BW Data in the SAP HANA Database).

As far as functionality is concerned, there are very few differences between using a SAP HANA database and SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator 7.2.

For the purpose of CalculationScenarios, complex calculations are performed directly on the database for various OLAP functions (see Operations in SAP HANA / BWA).

The statistics for maintenance processes and standard traces remain valid for SAP HANA and for the BWA (see Statistics for Maintenance Processes in a SAP HANA Index and Tracing in the SAP HANA Database).

Like in SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator, you can also make highly effective use of BW Workspaces (see BW Workspace).

Analytic Engine