SAP HANA

• Bottom-up and top-down planning
• Freely definable planning levels
• Data input at cell or aggregated level
• Proportional distribution of changes in values (splashing)

• Multi-tiered cell comments
• Authorization concept
• Multidimensional real-time evaluation
• Offline planning

Data can be accessed more quickly when it is held in random access memory (RAM). This applies to both analytical (OLAP) and transactional (OLTP) processing irrespective of the available architecture. Typical ETL processes are no longer necessary – after modeling, the data no longer has to be connected in an additional step, but is available thanks to the direct access to HANA.

The relational connection takes the form of an ODBC interface that accesses the ERP data pool via defined analytical views in HANA. DeltaMaster only reads the data required for the report at the time of the SQL request. The components for absolute and relative prior-year comparisons and cumulations that are required for comprehensive reporting are queried using SQL directly at runtime, thus ensuring that they are always up-to-date. Auxiliary tables in the database are no longer necessary. When modeling, DeltaMaster identifies KPIs and dimensions and recognizes which levels are part of a hierarchy or which properties and attributes are available. This phase does not require the IT department or special technical knowledge.

Clearly structured and modeled data is available after just a few steps. DeltaMaster then accesses this data for reporting, planning, and analysis: Standard reports based on comprehensive design guidelines are generated automatically in just a few seconds and deliver initial insights. The reports can be expanded to include new KPIs that the report editor can create on an ad hoc basis and use directly in structuring the report.

Besides rapid relational analysis, DeltaMaster has two interfaces for multidimensional evaluations: ODBO and XMLA. In this case, the potential of the MDX query language is used with preconfigured elements to calculate variances intuitively. Both the relational and the multidimensional interface enable native access to the data stored in HANA without Business Warehouse (BW), making the data usable for other applications irrespective of BW. There are also simplified scenarios for integrating non-SAP data. The data is also available to DeltaMaster users indirectly via the SAP BW on HANA component. This allows direct access to database tables without the need for InfoCubes; the necessary calculation takes place directly in HANA at runtime and the results are delivered directly to DeltaMaster.

Another highlight is the fact that DeltaMaster can also plan using data in HANA. To do this, DeltaMaster reads the analytical views in HANA; data input is performed using an SQL procedure that writes the data back to the database. As a result, the changes to the data are visible directly in DeltaMaster. This means that large numbers of users can carry out planning and it also makes comprehensive planning applications possible at the same time. The interplay between DeltaMaster and HANA means tangible benefits for customers. Firstly, HANA offers a higher query speed compared with purely relational data storage. This is reflected in the quicker provision of DeltaMaster reports. Secondly, certain procedures for data processing are outsourced to the HANA database in order to make better use of its performance and other capabilities. This means some procedures for integrating data in HANA achieve a higher performance than by using the conventional Business Warehouse.

For special customer requests, modeling adjustments using Core Data Services (CDS) views are possible directly in HANA. The configuration of an existing BW system can generally be retained for DeltaMaster when HANA is used. There is also an option to outsource data modeling from the semantic layer in BW to HANA’s own data models, allowing HANA to be used as a platform for the BI logic to a greater extent. DeltaMaster can harness the resulting performance benefits for evaluation, e.g. to provide current information for the monitoring of ongoing processes more quickly.