It is expected that SAP S/4 HANA, the SAP ERP software suite within the current SAP ERP suite, will be replaced by the SAP ERP suite by 2025. SAP has highlighted the many benefits of SAP S/4 HANA's capabilities in detail. It also gives customers insight into the future design of enterprise resource planning (ERP), which will address customer issues and provide impressive ROI.
- It assists in the administration and management of IT environments and offers users a pleasant experience.
- Companies can reap the benefits of emerging technologies.
- Collaboration grows
- This gives you instant access to the most current information, allowing faster decision-making.
- Improves efficiency
- Increases productivity and promotes higher performance
- It helps IT cut costs and is very efficient in terms of price.
- It facilitates a seamless transition from cloud services to the future and provides the foundation for future innovation.
- Companies can drastically reduce their difficulties with SAP landscapes using SAP S/4 HANA's simplified central portal.
The benefits sound appealing. Still, businesses are now taking the time to understand how SAP S/4HAN can impact their business performance. Let's start by learning SAP software and SAP HANA!
What is SAP HANA?
Let's start by talking about Hasso Plattner, the founder of SAP. Plattner was driven to create a database that could manage real-time transactional and analytical data. This is why SAP HANA was created. SAP HANA was introduced in 2010 and has revolutionized enterprise IT, and the way companies work with data. It has also received numerous updates and gained new features.
Fun Fact HANA originally stood for "high-speed analytical device," but we now refer to it simply as HANA.
SAP HANA can be used on-premises or in the cloud by all businesses, regardless of size and industry. HANA can also be used to integrate data from different ERPs and databases and external and internal sources. SAP's ERP S/4HANA is available only on HANA.
The Greatest Benefits of SAP HANA for Businesses
SAP HANA, a relational database management system constantly updated with new features such as column-oriented management or in-memory storage, was created specifically for SAP HANA. This system is responsible for storing and transmitting the application's required information.
HANA is an online transaction processing platform, which makes it different from other SAP systems. HANA is an OLTAP-based solution because of this.
This memory feature makes data processing and query processing more efficient than ever. SAP HANA uses a column-oriented model rather than a row-oriented one. This means that every data column can be stored in a single spot. SAP HANA is focused on future requirements such as data querying and more efficient installations.
Advanced Efficiency
SAP Fiori manages the UI, and SAP HANA supports it. This allows for easy rendering of data in real-time and provides business insight. This will enable companies and organizations to outperform their competitors and help them grow their businesses.
SAP S/4 HANA and SAP HANA allow multiple transactions to be made through the same program. This will enable deals to be initiated in fewer clicks. You can also modify the screen's fill-out to enhance user experience. SAP HANA FI - and CO - can be recovered as line items. This increases the data accuracy across functions. SAP HANA, a product from SAP, is helping companies adopt cloud computing via cloud-based modeling.
Ownership Management
SAP HANA is an affordable choice, especially when it allows you to combine the analytical and transactional capabilities of different systems into one point. This is an extremely sensitive and business-like process. SAP HANA's transparency across functional areas is an advantage. This allows for a reliable and stable workflow. Accessing data from different systems and working across functions improves analytics and real-time insight throughout the organization.
Bigger Data Handling
SAP HANA makes it easier for your company to cope with the Big Data trend. You'll be able to process more information and benefit from more data because you can change how it's stored.
HANA seamlessly integrates data coming from many sources, both internal and external. Machine learning and advanced analytics allow enormous amounts of data to be combined, including text spatial, predictive, and stream of events and time series.
Scalable Solutions
It is not a good idea for any business to try and be static. The best thing about migrating SAP HANA is the ability to expand your HANA solution as your business grows and your needs change.
SAP HANA also offers dynamic Tiering. This means that the most frequently used data remains in memory. In contrast, less frequently used data automatically moves to a disk when storage space is limited.
This is a cost-effective way to manage large data volumes, especially when combined with HANA's advanced compression technology and columnar store, which results in a 3x reduction in footprint.
Security
SAP HANA is designed to make security a top priority for modern businesses. SAP HANA is a secure solution that allows you to feel confident in your company's security.
Hardware and Database for SAP S/4HANA
Only the SAP HANA database is used to run SAP S/4HANA. This is because cloud-based applications are becoming more popular and require a simpler substructure. SAP HANA has the advantage of being the only SAP HANA platform that can address the immediate challenges facing companies.
SAP HANA supports S/4HANA and many other applications that can be developed using extensive data analysis and the Internet of Things. SAP HANA can be easily integrated with other databases as a federated system.
The hardware cost is a critical factor in the development of SAP S/4HANA. Customers, tiny ones, fear high hardware costs that are too expensive. It is essential to know that columns can drastically reduce volume.
Best Practices
You should evaluate the return on investment if you have implemented customizations to an existing SAP ERP. Your partner can help you evaluate and assess the business benefits that customization has brought to your company. Your advisor can recommend a package solution if customization is not beneficial. Your advisor will be able to evaluate the best ways to generate business value with SAP S/4HAN by using the most recent technology. We recommend using agile project management for the best results.
The Secret Sauce to Successful SAP HANA Implementation
SAP HANA, an in-memory platform for processing large amounts of data in real-time, is called. In-memory computing stores data in RAM (random access memory, RAM) rather than in traditional databases on disk drives. SAP HANA can access in-memory information at a rate 10,000x faster than the standard database. This allows companies to quickly analyze large amounts of data and complete transactions within seconds rather than hours.
SAP HANA is often referred to as the most famous product in the SAP line-up. This is quite true. Read on to find out why!
Invest in your Business Process Management Workstream
Its broad functional capabilities make it crucial to map future business processes before SAP implementation. This vital business process management step should be noticed by SAP users and can lead to problems later.
Despite its market dominance and broad capabilities, there are better solutions than SAP software. SAP software could be better, and some features may not suit your needs. It is essential to clearly outline your business processes before going to implementation. This will allow you to identify gaps between what you need and what SAP can offer. This will help you prioritize areas where you need to modify your business processes, SAP, or employees.
Read More: What is SAP Software Examples In 2023 ?
Establish a Strong Third-Party Quality Assurance and Risk Mitigation Framework
SAP implementations can become stalled if left unattended. It is easy to lose focus on the projects, delay project implementations, or overrun budgets. You can protect your project with a robust quality assurance and risk mitigation framework.
It is essential to have a risk-based framework or QA that can quickly identify potential issues and resolve them before they become problems. This procedure is similar to the idea of a "canary in a mine," which ensures that risks are identified and remediated before they threaten the project.
We participated in an international SAP installation that was carried out for a large company undergoing major cultural transformations. The team didn't see the lack of investment as a problem. Our experience enabled them to address employee resistance bubbling under the surface. It might have been too late if they hadn't noticed the problem correctly and taken action.
Here is a summary of our quality assurance and risk-reduction framework for our clients' SAP S/4HANA deployments.
Align your Business Goals with SAP S/4 HANA
It is essential to define and align business objectives when moving clearly. A clear road map is possible to help SAP HANA transform. This could be a significant change or a slight modification. It should still be noted at the lowest possible levels.
When choosing the best method, a professional's involvement is crucial. Therefore, assessing the potential impact of any transformation is essential.
Next, identify the benefits this initiative will bring to your company. Next, consider the potential benefits for your business from this initiative. To ensure that SAPS/4HANA investments deliver the expected ROI, they must be viewed in conjunction with your company's goals. Being clear about your company's ultimate goals will ensure that everyone on the management team is on the same page and can make informed decisions.
Perform a Gap Analysis of S/4HANA
This is a chance to evaluate S/4HANA's strengths and weaknesses.
Kimberling said, "Don't view it as a discovery." It's not like you have to jump into S/4HANA. It is more of an analysis of gaps.
Let's say companies decide to implement S/4HANA. A gap analysis helps determine which components companies can use to start and which they should delay or deploy with full knowledge of potential risks.
Kimberling stated, "you will expose gaps in the system, and this is fine." It would help if you exposed all gaps because there are many. If you aren't doing this, you may not be aware of many aspects of S/4HANA. Kimberling stated that although S/4HANA and its predecessor ECC share some programming code, the S/4HANA move was a new application. According to Kimberling, it's essential to approach it this way. Recognizing this new technology for IT and CIO teams alike, many may need to search for other vendors such as Microsoft and Oracle.
Read More: How To Choose The Best Sap Consulting Firm
SAP Activate
Business leaders are increasingly interested in accelerating the implementation of the path model once the goals become clear. It is more complex than it appears. The four-step SAP productized activation process is simple and designed to help businesses migrate into SAP S/4 HANA as quickly and safely as possible.
Preconfigured Models
SAP S/4 HANA has millions of preconfigured solution models. This is why SAP HANA implementations are so quick. You can take advantage of the lower-cost and faster execution of SAP HANA by choosing the suitable model.
Create Great Sponsors
Proactive sponsorship has been proven to be a critical factor in the success or failure of complex change initiatives. So put in the effort to find and coach executives within your company who can shift their businesses around supporting SAP initiatives, provide resources, and assist local change teams. Then, focus on the busy operating manager, ensuring that SAP S/4HANA is accepted and ready for use.
Transform S/4HANA Roadmaps to Concrete Plans
SAP provides online documentation about its roadmap for S/4HANA's release. This will allow businesses to create their S/4HANA transition roadmaps.
The online roadmaps of SAP products are available to anyone. The S/4HANA roadmap, for example, shows the modifications and releases of modules up to 2024. Registering allows you to access SAP Activate, the vendor's deployment process, tools to create a roadmap and outline, and trial versions of S/4HANA Cloud technologies or on-premises.
Develop your SAP S/4HANA Internal Competency through a Center of Excellence
Your goal is to improve your systems and processes continuously. You will need to enhance your internal capabilities to achieve this goal. After the consultants leave, IT and business strategy support staff must be trained and refocused to take over solutions.
An SAP center of excellence allows you to improve your processes and employee training continuously. It also allows you to use new S/4HANA features, which are available via updates.
How to make SAP HANA a success
SAP HANA migrations for enterprises can be challenging. Many businesses have to manage multiple complex environments, including high levels of virtualization or mixed workloads. These migrations are essential, but they also offer a fantastic opportunity to rethink how digital information and data-derived insight are collected and used. To get on the right track, it is essential to plan. IT decision-makers should:
Collaborate with line-of-business leaders to establish goals and objectives. This is done to unlock tremendous business outcomes.
Finding the Right Partner
The right partner is critical to a successful SAP HANA journey. It would help if you looked out for these characteristics:
- Trust and Credibility: See testimonials and claims from SAP HANA migrations that have been successful in verifying their credibility. It would help if you also asked how long it took to complete those migrations. This includes migrations done by existing vendors, integrators, and multiple tech leaders. Cyber Infrastructure Inc., for example, has several case studies that show how migration projects were completed in a matter of three months.
- Flexible Infrastructure: Look for a partner open to working across multiple infrastructure deployments. This will allow you to meet your immediate requirements and provide flexibility for your long-term goals. Cyber Infrastructure Inc., for instance, provides a solid storage foundation that can be used in both on-and off-premises environments, with multiple solutions such as Azure Cyber Infrastructure Inc. files.
- Simple Data Protection and Ease of Data Use: Check the data protection, backup, and recovery options. Cyber Infrastructure Inc. provides 99.9999% availability on site3 and 99.99% availability online4. With the ability to back up SAP HANA data in minutes rather than hours, Cyber Infrastructure Inc. can make it easy. It would help if you also looked for technologies that will accelerate how your business can use SAP HANA insights. SnapCenter, for example, simplifies the creation of and management copies in support of intelligence and development projects.
The Key Takeaway
SAP implementation companies offer SAP HANA Services. This service provides a data platform that has advanced capabilities. It allows faster data access by using column storage. SAP HANA also uses high-efficiency compression methods such as cluster and dictionary-length encryption. SAP HANA is an application that simplifies the user experience and allows them to manage their information technology environment. It also reduces administrative burdens.
