The digital transformation is progressing inexorably – and with it, the requirements for modern data and analysis platforms are growing. Today, companies are looking for an integrated business suite that standardizes processes, harmonizes data and uses AI to overcome challenges and seize new opportunities. With the announcement of SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC), SAP is setting another milestone to fundamentally redefine data, planning and analytics capabilities.
For existing customers who already rely on SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud or even SAP Business Warehouse On-Premise, SAP BDC stands for extensive changes. This article explains the new features of SAP BDC, how customers can gradually transform their data landscape and the strategic benefits that result.
SAP BDC unifies data from all SAP applications into semantically aligned data products and seamlessly combines it with non-SAP data, regardless of whether it is structured or unstructured. The result: a unified, cloud-based data layer that accelerates informed decision-making and enables the development of reliable AI applications. This platform creates the foundation for the SAP Knowledge Graph and enables agent-based workflows via the new SAP Agent Builder, which efficiently orchestrates complex processes.
With SAP BDC, SAP offers new possibilities for meeting the data needs of companies in the long term. Unlike conventional data and analysis solutions, SAP BDC is designed to be seamlessly integrated into all SAP applications. This preserves the original business context and eliminates hidden costs associated with the time-consuming use of data extracts.
Companies benefit from time and resource savings, higher quality data products and a better basis for well-founded business decisions.
The SAP Business Data Cloud is based on five central technical components that form the backbone of this platform:
- SAP BDC Cockpit: A central management tool for managing and monitoring data products. It offers an intuitive user interface for controlling data flows and ensures that data is kept up-to-date and accessible.
- SAP BW Private Cloud Edition: Enables the migration of existing SAP BW solutions to a modern, cloud-based environment. This reduces maintenance effort and lowers overall costs, while increasing the performance of data analysis at the same time. Customers can focus on their business requirements while SAP takes over the operation of the solution (SaaS model).
- SAP Datasphere: As a central “data warehouse”, SAP Datasphere enables the creation and use of data products that are tailored to individual company requirements. It integrates data from different sources, transforms it and prepares it for analytical purposes – creating a reliable, standardized database.
- SAP Analytics Cloud: As a central front-end tool in the Analytics & Planning area, SAC enables modern management dashboards that can be combined with BDC functionalities (such as AI algorithms).
- SAP Databricks: Provides a powerful environment for data engineering, machine learning and the application of AI. This component supports the expansion of data models and provides predictive insights for the intelligent control of business processes.
SAP BDC follows an approach that strategically enables the gradual modernization of a company's data landscape.
- First step: The existing SAP BW environment could be transferred to the Private Cloud Edition. This simplifies maintenance, typically optimizes the TCO and lays the foundation for a future-oriented data architecture. Thus SAP BW becomes a data product that is managed via the SAP BDC Cockpit.
- Next step: Based on the migrated data, the data analyst starts to implement new use cases. SAP Datasphere enables direct access to these data products so that they can be further transformed and modeled. At the same time, users benefit from an open partner ecosystem that facilitates the development of ML and AI applications via SAP Databricks.
- Follow-up step: The new data products are integrated into the business processes. By switching to SAP S/4HANA and consistently implementing the Clean Core strategy, companies can modernize their IT landscape while maintaining their existing system requirements. This step ensures that the data can be used continuously to optimize and control business processes.
The introduction of SAP BDC offers SAP customers numerous strategic advantages. On the one hand, you receive a fully integrated solution that covers all business areas – from financial management and supply chain management to human capital management and customer experience. Secondly, you benefit from a cloud-based, scalable architecture that makes your company fit for future challenges.
What is particularly important for existing customers is that SAP BDC makes it possible to seamlessly transfer existing systems into a modern data landscape. This means that customers do not have to reinvent their existing data and processes, but are able to optimize them in a targeted manner. The transition takes place gradually, so that risks can be minimized and investments can be planned efficiently.
Another strategic advantage is the seamless integration of SAP BDC into the existing SAP environment. The continuous connection to SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud and other SAP solutions ensures that data always remains up-to-date and in its original context. This avoids the additional effort associated with creating separate data extracts. At the same time, users benefit from extended analysis functions such as the use of machine learning, which sustainably improve their decision-making.
The SAP Business Data Cloud paves the way to a future-proof, SaaS-based data landscape and enables you as a customer to design your S/4HANA transformation strategically and efficiently. Scheer has decades of experience in the implementation of complex transformation projects. We support customers in optimally modernizing their IT and data landscapes to receive the maximum benefit from their investments.
Get in touch with us and let us develop your analytics roadmap to a future-oriented SaaS data landscape together. Contact us for a no-obligation initial consultation and let's discuss how we can strategically support your transformation.
Authors: Christian Mohr (Expert S/4HANA Presales) and Stephan Jacobs (Expert Business Analytics)
