SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A

1) What is SAP HANA?

SAP HANA is a modern platform for real-time analytics and applications. It enables
organiation to analye b!siness operations based on large "ol!me and "ariety of detailed
data in real-time# as it happens.. In addition to real-time analytics# SAP is also deli"ering ne$
class of real-time applications# po$ered by SAP HANA platform. %he platform can be
deployed as an appliance or deli"ered "ia the clo!d. SAP in-memory comp!ting is the core
technology !nderlying SAP HANA platform.
&) What is SAP HANA APP'IAN()?
SAP HANA appliance is a fle*ible# m!lti-p!rpose# data-so!rce-agonistic in-memory appliance
that combines SAP soft$are components optimied to r!n on Intel-based hard$are deli"ered
by SAP+s leading
partners s!ch as ,ell# (isco# I-.# HP# and /!0its!. It incl!des a n!mber of integrated SAP
soft$are components incl!ding the SAP HANA database# real-time replication ser"ices# data
ser"ices# data and lifecycle management# s!pport for m!ltiple interfaces based on ind!stry
standards and easy to !se data modelling tool called SAP HANA st!dio.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
'( What 1ind of applications is being deli"ered on top of SAP HANA?
SAP is deli"ering a ne$ class of applications on top of the SAP HANA platform that pro"ides
real-time insights on big data and state-of-the-art analysis s!ch as machine learning# pattern
recognition# and predicti"e capabilities. %hese applications can empo$er companies to
transform the $ay they r!n their b!siness# from enabling rapid# sense-and-respond processes
and targeted actions# to e"en rethin1ing their b!siness models.
SAP recently anno!nced t$o ne$ sol!tions that are b!ilt on the SAP HANA platform 2 SAP
Smart .eter Analytics and SAP )3P 3apid ,eployment Sol!tion for Profitability Analysis.
SAP Smart .eter Analytics# po$ered by SAP HANA# enables !tility companies to t!rn
massi"e "ol!mes of smart meter data into po$erf!l insights and actions. With this application#
companies can4
5 Instantly aggregate time of !se bloc1s and total cons!mption profiles to analye their
c!stomers+ energy !sage by $hat neighborhood they are in# the sie of their homes or
b!sinesses# b!ilding type# and by any other dimension and at any le"el of gran!larity
5 Segment c!stomers $ith precision based on energy cons!mption patterns that are
a!tomatically generated by identifying c!stomers that ha"e similar energy !sage beha"ior
5 Pro"ide energy efficiency benchmar1ing based on statistical analysis so that !tility
companies can help their c!stomers !nderstand $here they stand compared to their peers
and ho$ they can impro"e their energy efficiency
5 )mpo$er c!stomers $ith direct access to energy !sage insights "ia $eb portals and mobile
de"ices connected to SAP Smart .eter Analytics "ia application programming interfaces
%hese capabilities deli"ered by SAP Smart .eter Analytics enable !tility companies to
increase adoption of ser"ice options s!ch as demand response programs# la!nch targeted
energy efficiency programs# impro"e fra!d detection capabilities# and de"elop ne$ tariffs and
more acc!rate load forecasts.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
SAP )3P 3apid ,eployment Sol!tion for Profitability Analysis $ith SAP HANA dramatically
impro"es the speed and depth of $or1ing $ith large "ol!mes of financial data. %his sol!tion
can be implemented alongside the $ider
SAP -!siness6b0ects )nterprise Performance .anagement sol!tions portfolio to help
organiations create a complete pict!re of their cost and profit dri"ers. %he sol!tion deli"ers
the follo$ing capabilities to corporate finance departments4
5 Perform real-time profitability reporting on large scale data "ol!mes
5 (ond!ct instant# on-the-fly analysis of profitability data at any le"el of gran!larity#
aggregation# and dimension
5 3!n cost allocations at significantly faster processing time
5 )mpo$er b!siness !sers $ith easy# self-ser"ice access to tr!sted profitability information
,eployed either by SAP (ons!lting as a rapid-deployment sol!tion# or by an e*perienced
SAP partner# SAP )3P 3apid ,eployment Sol!tion for Profitability Analysis helps companies
engage in faster and more efficient profitability cycles and month-end closing processes.
%hese sol!tions 0oin the SAP7 -!siness 6b0ects8 Strategic Wor1force Planning application#
deli"ered earlier this year# as part of the family of applications enabled by the SAP HANA
platform. SAP is contin!ing to identify and design ne$ applications for 1ey b!siness
processes across lines of b!siness and ind!stries that can benefit significantly from the po$er
of in-memory comp!ting.
/or more details on the applications being deli"ered on SAP HANA please reach o!t to yo!r
SAP acco!nt e*ec!ti"e.
)( What is IN-.).639 (6.P:%IN;?
SAP in-memory comp!ting is a brea1thro!gh technology that enables analysis of "ery large#
non-aggregated data at !nprecedented speed in local memory <"s. dis1-based database).
%he primary capabilities of this technology are to store information in primarily col!mnar
format <note - it also has the ro$ store for certain data types) that can compress and store
massi"e amo!nts of information in main memory# !tilie parallel processing on m!ltiple cores
on the Intel architect!re and mo"e data intensi"e calc!lations from the applications layer into
the database layer for e"en faster processing. Since all the detailed data is a"ailable in main
memory and processed on the fly# there is no need for aggregated information and
materialied "ie$s# f!ndamentally simplifying the architect!re and hence red!cing latency#
comple*ity and cost.
In b!siness terms# this means that comple* analyses# plans and sim!lations can be done
based on real-time data and made a"ailable immediately. Pre"io!sly# people had to decide
bet$een speed "ers!s a more gran!lar pict!re of their b!siness. No$ c!stomers can loo1 at
information in any le"el of detail and in real-time.
%his technology ser"es as the fo!ndation for the SAP HANA appliance# the SAP HANA
platform and# in t!rn# applications po$ered by SAP HANA.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
*( What is the relational and history leading !p to SAP HANA?
SAP $as an early pioneer in the concept of !sing in-memory technology for impro"ing
performance and col!mnar databases to gain high data compression rates. %3)= and SAP
)nterprise Search $ere the first sol!tions to !se these concepts. -!ilding on the strength of
these early prod!cts# SAP then released the "ery s!ccessf!l SAP Net Wea"er7 -!siness
Wareho!se Accelerator <SAP Net Wea"er -W Accelerator).
With SAP Net Wea"er -W Accelerator firmly established in the mar1et# SAP e*panded its
"ision to other p!rposef!l $ays to le"erage this in-memory technology to f!rther benefit its
c!stomers. SAP+ s foc!s on -!siness Intelligence <-I) led to the decision to combine the -I
f!nctionality from SAP -!siness 6b0ects $ith the in-memory analytical engine of SAP Net
Wea"er -W Accelerator# creating an accelerated -I sol!tion called SAP -!siness 6b0ects
)*plorer# accelerated "ersion for SAP -W.
With a foc!s on openness and heterogeneity# SAP then e"ol"ed SAP -!siness 6b0ects
)*plorer by incl!ding data integration. %his allo$ed the sol!tion to access and accelerates
any data# and all information beyond str!ct!red data in SAP Net Wea"er -W. %his latest
$a"e of SAP -!siness 6b0ects )*plorer# accelerated "ersion# $as released to mar1et to in
>& &?1?. -!ilding !pon the s!ccess of this accelerated -I sol!tion# SAP has deli"ered SAP
HANA for real-time analytics and a ne$ class of applications# s!ch as SAP -!siness 6b0ect
Strategic Wor1force Planning and SAP Smart .eter Analytics <a"ailable in H& of &?11)#
po$ered by SAP HANA.
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+( Ho$ are c!stomers !sing SAP HANA %oday?
%he first !se cases foc!sed on pro"iding @real real-timeA analytical capabilities for SAP
-!siness S!ite applications s!ch as cost based profitability reporting ne*t to SAP )3P or
sales and c!stomer analytics and segmentation ne*t to SAP (3.. It replicates transactional
data "ia a real-time replication ser"ice# or e*tracts it "ia data ser"ices and e*poses it to SAP
-!siness 6b0ects -I <or .icrosoft )*cel) for real-time analysis and data e*ploration.
In addition# c!stomers are increasingly !tiliing SAP HANA for high "al!e and p!rpose-b!ilt
analytical !se cases o!tside the traditional SAP -!siness S!ite en"ironments $ith cons!mer#
interacti"e# $eb and machine data for instance.
/inally# SAP is deli"ering a ne$ class of applications on top of the SAP HANA platform that
pro"ides real-time insights on big data and state-of-the-art analysis s!ch as machine learning#
pattern recognition# and predicti"e capabilities.
,( Is SAP HANA A"ailable %oday?
9es# SAP HANA is generally a"ailable since B!ne &?th# &?11.
-( I am an )3P and N6N SAP ,W c!stomer. Ho$ can i 'e"erage SAP HANA?
/or c!stomers $ho do not $ant to disr!pt their e*isting landscape# SAP HANA can be
deployed as a high-performance data fo!ndation that resides side-by-side $ith their )3P or
non-SAP ,W. 'arge "ol!mes of transactional data from the )3P system can be directly
replicated into SAP HANA "ia the real-time replication ser"ices $ithin SAP HANA. In addition#
data from other data so!rces can be loaded into SAP HANA "ia the SAP HANA data ser"ices
component. (!stomers can !se the SAP HANA modeling en"ironment to create the reC!ired
calc!lation modelsDob0ects and e*pose them to -I tools s!ch as SAP -!siness 6b0ects
Analysis# =celsi!s7# SAP -!siness 6b0ects )*plorer8 and .icrosoft )*cel# for reporting and
analysis in real-time <see fig!re &).
Alternati"ely c!stomers can deploy SAP HANA as a high-performance data fo!ndation to
pro"ide real-time reporting and analytics on the large "ol!mes of transactions in their )3P
systems. Selected data from the bac1end applications <e.g.# an )3P system) can be
replicated in real-time into SAP HANA "ia the real-time replication ser"ices. (!stomers can
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le"erage the SAP HANA modeling en"ironment to e*tend pre-deli"ered data models# or b!ild
ne$ data models to s!it their needs. 6nce these data models are b!ilt and pop!lated# they
can be e*posed to the SAP -!siness 6b0ects -I tools. %his set!p $ill allo$ c!stomers to
bypass the traditional data $areho!se and directly le"erage HANA for all reporting p!rposes.
Since the )3P data is replicated to SAP HANA in real-time# all the standard )3P reporting
can no$ be done at high speed# and in real-time# by le"eraging the capabilities of SAP HANA
<see fig!re E).
.( What are the benefits of SAP HANA %oday?
Information is an asset companies can !se to ma1e better decisions. %he ability to capitalie
on this asset remains one of the highest priorities for organiations of all descriptions.
Ho$e"er# deli"ering on that need 2 for e"eryone in the organiation 2 remains el!si"e. In-
memory comp!ting is a disr!pti"e force that pro"ides the speed and agility to po$er analytics
at !nprecedented performance le"els# $hile remaining cost-effecti"e. In s!mmary# the SAP
HANA deli"ers4
5 Breakthrough analytics - ,eli"er real-time insight and manage Fbig data+ $ith the SAP
HANA appliance. %he b!siness imperati"e for rapid change is dri"ing ne$ demands for
b!siness and technology. %he need to get all the right information to b!siness !sers $itho!t
the delay of typical enterprise data $areho!ses is critical to !sing data as a competiti"e
differentiator. %raditional dis1-based data $areho!ses ha"e limits in terms their ability to
benefit from ma0or technology trends s!ch as m!lti-core (P:s# in-memory processing# and
col!mnar storage. %he mo"e to SAP in-memory comp!ting technology is a mo"e to a f!t!re-
proof fo!ndation that can tr!ly f!lfill the promise of real-time b!siness.
5 Amazing new applications - ,ri"e rapid inno"ation and meet strategic challenges $ith a
ne$ $a"e of real-time applications. In e"ery "ertical sol!tion and f!nctional area of b!siness
there are common themes of information needs. At the same time# e"ery organiation is
!niC!e in the $ay it can !se data to dri"e their b!siness in ne$ $ays. (!stomers need the
ability to !se po$erf!l technology to easily le"erage all their data# so they can fle*ibly model
their b!siness in a rapidly changing# competiti"e en"ironment.
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5 Dramatic simplification - 3ed!ce comple*ity to lo$er cost and accelerate "al!e deli"ery
from I%. Ne$ hard$are technologies and ad"ances in soft$are ha"e dramatically impro"ed
performance# $ith similar red!ction in costs# ma1ing ne$ comp!ting paradigms possible.
-!siness reC!irements demand that b!siness analysts ha"e the fle*ibility to define their "ie$
of the information and the application. )fficient I% organiations stri"e for lo$ red!ndancy and
high re-!se of system# information# and h!man reso!rces.
/0( What is the release strategy for s!bseC!ent "ersions of SAP HANA?
%he prod!ct release strategy for SAP HANA has been greatly streamlined to ens!re a non-
disr!pti"e approach to adoption and !pgrades of the sol!tion. ;oing for$ard# s!bseC!ent
"ersions of SAP HANA $ill be released "ia ser"ice pac1s as opposed to ne$ "ersions. %hat
means that c!stomers $ho adopt SAP HANA today can more easily incorporate additional
capabilities fo!nd in s!bseC!ent releases $itho!t disr!ption to both I% and b!siness !sers.
/or e*ample# the latest ser"ice pac1 for SAP HANA <SPS &) offers enhanced sec!rity
a!diting# trigger based data replication and a m!ch more rob!st distrib!ted system landscape.
/or c!stomers adopting SAP HANA# this means that they no$ ha"e a stable fo!ndation for a
ne$ generation of applications that $ill be predicated on this in-memory platform. /rom an I%
management perspecti"e# this eliminates the comple*ity and !nnecessary delays in !pgrades
and adoption. %here is only one SAP HANA release# and e"erything mo"es for$ards from
there# in the tr!e spirit of timeless soft$are.
//( What I am ASAP -W (!stomer. What are the ad"antages for r!nning SAP -W on
HANA?
SAP NetWea"er -W G.E* r!nning on HANA as the !nderlying In-.emory ,- Platform
merging ,- H -WA in one single persistency. Here are the ad"antages.
,ramatic Simplification4
o SAP NetWea"er -W G.E* r!nning on HANA as the !nderlying In-.emory ,-
Platform merging ,- H -WA in one single persistency for lo$er %(6.
o %o accelerate I%- of -W data# yo! $o!ld need &1 blades in -WA <appro*
mar1et cost of HW is J1.I . K Erd party database) "s. 1 HANA ser"er <appro* mar1et cost of
HW is J&??L K no Erd party database)
o Simplified administration "ia one set of admin tools e.g. for ,ata 3eco"ery
and High A"ailability
o No special efforts to g!arantee fast reporting on any ,- ob0ect<s)
o Primary persistence layer !nder -W# eliminates need separate ,-# P!re ,-
(on"ersion $itho!t re-implementation - no disr!ption of e*isting deployments
-rea1thro!gh Analytics
o (ol!mn based storage $ith highly compression rate and significantly less
data to be materialied
o Simplified 'ayered Scalable architect!re <'SA) for yo!r ),W for high
performance C!erying AN, loading.
3ed!ced materialied layers ---- Info (!be as an aggregation layer
on top of ),W layers obsolete
;reater Ability to report directly off gran!lar ,ata Store 6b0ect <,S6)
layers.
more logical layers and less physical layers.3ed!ction in data
red!ndancy in the 'SA
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o Impro"ed load performance for ,S6s "ia b!ilt in in-memory ,S6 acti"ation
process
o Ne$ ),W optimied In .emory Info(!be and ,S6 ob0ects that are
redesigned to remo"e legacy 3-,.S $or1aro!nds
o )*cellent C!ery performance as pro"en $ith SAP NetWea"er -WA
o Ability to nati"ely combine -W ),W data $ith real-time so!rced data in
HANA data marts <in local or remote HANA system).
Amaing Apps4 /o!ndation for b!ilding integrated planning applications
o In-memory planning engine
o Additional calc!lations done in-memory
o .odels for SAP b!siness content enabling ne$ applications in retail#
cons!mer prod!cts etc..
o -W add-on applications li1e S). are a"ailable to ta1e ad"antage of the in
memory feat!res of -W. <note4 AP6 is not s!pported as yet# $e ha"e f!t!re plans..
/1( (an a N6N-SAP Applications c!stomers !se SAP HANA?
Absol!telyM %he bea!ty of SAP HANA is that it caters to both the SAP applications H Non-
SAP applications $orld. )"en d!ring the ramp-!p and pilot phases $e had a n!mber of "ery
happy Non-SAP applications c!stomers $ho !sed SAP -!siness 6b0ects ,ata ser"ices to
load data from Non-SAP systems into SAP HANA and !sed SAP -!siness 6b0ects -I tools to
gain better insight into their data at "ery high speeds.
A classic e*ample of this $o!ld be :tility companies loading smart metering data in near-real
time into SAP HANA and r!nning comple* calc!lations to determine $hether they sho!ld b!y
or sell po$er fromDto the grid. %his has a h!ge impact on their profitability and co!ld be sol"ed
easily $ith SAP HANA.
/'( Are there any limitations aro!nd loading data from certain data so!rces into SAP
HANA?
NoM SAP HANA le"erages a leading )%'D)'% tool called SAP -!siness 6b0ects ,ata ser"ices
to load data from SAP or non-SAP data so!rces in near-real time. SAP b!siness s!ite
c!stomers# $ho need real-time replication# can !se S'% <System 'andscape %ransformation)#
the ne$ real-time replication tool pac1aged in SAP HANA. %his real-time replication tool is
database agnostic# 6S agnostic and also s!pports :nicode H Non-:nicode systems all the
$ay bac1 to 3DE N.Oc. %he tool also s!pports replicating data from cl!stered H pool tables and
also allo$s yo! to carry o!t transformations before loading the data into SAP HANA.
/)( What frontend tools can i !sed $ith SAP HANA?
SAP HANA comes $ith b!ilt in S>' and .,= interfaces to allo$ third party data access to
SAP HANA meaning yo! can technically r!n any third party application on top of SAP HANA.
Ho$e"er# only SAP -!siness 6b0ects -I has been optimied to r!n on SAP HANA to pro"ide
a f!ll s!ite of b!siness intelligence capabilities for any -I !se case scenario. All other front
end third party applications or -I clients $ill need to go thro!gh an official certification
program to get certified H s!pported on top of SAP HANA.
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/*( What Ho$ big does HANA scale?
%he SAP HANA soft$are is b!ilt $ith a .assi"e Parallel Processing architect!re in-mind and
scales across m!ltiple ser"ers. %here is no theoretical limit to the SW+s scaling and this is
limited by the HW appliance config!rations that are certified by SAP+s Hard$are partners.
/+( What Ho$ is SAP HANA Priced?
SAP HANA is priced !sing & pricing "ariables4 the "ol!me of data loaded and Fstored+ in SAP
HANA and the n!mber of !sers $ho interact $ith SAP HANA. In addition# SAP HANA is
a"ailable in E F)ditions+ to pro"ide options and choice to c!stomers based on their specific
needs and preferences.
For 2ore de$a#" on pr3ng4 p#ea"e 3on"u#$ you SAP Sa#e" Repre"en$a$ve&
/,( What is the difference bet$een sap -!siness Wareho!se Accelerator <SAP -WA) H
HANA?
SAP -W Accelerator <SAP -WA) is an in-memory accelerator for -W. HANA is a f!ll feat!red
in-memory platform. -WA $as specifically designed accelerate -W C!eries by red!cing the
data acC!isition time
by persisting copies of the Info (!be data in-memory. SAP -WA is foc!sed on impro"ing the
C!ery performance of SAP Net Wea"er -W. SAP -WA can be !sed today $ith any SAP -W
G.? release and abo"e.
SAP HANA is an in-memory appliance and platform for deli"ering high-performance analytics
and applications. As s!ch# it incl!des a f!ll-feat!red in-memory database. ,ata can be loaded
into SAP HANA from SAP H non-SAP data so!rces and "ie$ed !sing SAP -!siness6b0ects
front end tools. In the near f!t!re# SAP HANA $ill also act as an In-memory database that $ill
po$er SAP Net Wea"er -W G.E and abo"e. In this $ay it $ill be able to dramatically impro"e
the o"erall performance of SAP Net Wea"er -W by combining the "al!e proposition of both
the database H -WA into a single platform.
/-( What(an i !pgrade my e*isting SAP -WA licences to SAP HANA?
SAP c!rrently mar1ets and licenses SAP NetWea"er -W Accelerator and SAP HANA as
separate prod!cts. If and $hen SAP adopts a generally a"ailable standard migration policy for
SAP NetWea"er -W Accelerator# SAP $ill e*tend s!ch migration policy to SAP HANA to
C!alified SAP NetWea"er -W Accelerator c!stomers.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
1.1 What are the product names?
HANA is an o"erarching prod!ct name that forms se"eral components. When $e tal1 abo!t the in-
memory database <pre"io!sly I.,- or Ne$,-)# $e no$ call it SAP HANA ,atabase. When the
database is installed onto an appliance# $e call the appliance a SAP HANA Appliance. %he toolset !sed
to administer and model SAP HANA is called SAP HANA St!dio. Applications b!ilt on HANA $ill be
mar1ed Ppo$ered by SAP HANAP.
%his means that the ne$ "ersion of SAPQs data $areho!se prod!ct based on SAP HANA ,atabase 1.?
SP?E# is called NetWea"er -W G.E# po$ered by SAP HANA.
1.2 What is SA !A"A Appliance 1.# S#2?
SAP HANA 1.? is an analytics appliance that consists of certified hard$are# an In .emory ,ata-ase
<I.,-) an Analytics )ngine and some tooling for getting data in and o!t of HANA. 9o! b!ild the logic
and str!ct!res yo!rself# and !se a tool e.g. SAP -!siness6b0ects# to "is!alise or analyse data.
1.$ What are the limitations of SA !A"A 1.# S#2?
HANA 1.? as an appliance is effecti"ely a database and analytics appliance. 9o! can load data in one of
three different $ays# from 0!st abo!t any location - in real time# or in batch# from SAP and non-SAP
data-so!rces. (!rrently on SAP -!siness6b0ects -IN# )*plorer and Analysis for )*cel are s!pported as
reporting tools# b!t other tools are e*pected to be s!pported in the f!t!re. As m!ch as anything# SAP
are limiting s!pport for integrated scenarios so they can get the stable prod!ct stable.
As an aside# $e are already $or1ing on pro0ects that incl!de HANA 1.? SP?& integrated $ith SAP )"ent
Insight and the Sybase :n$ired Platform. HANA is $ell on its $ay to becoming a general p!rpose
database and there are 6,-( dri"ers that sho!ld be s!pported generically# in time.
1.% What is SA !A"A 1.&' 1.2 or 1.# S#$?
6n 11th No"ember &?11# SAP HANA 1.? SP?E $as released into 3amp-:p# along $ith the application
layer for SAPQs ,ata Wareho!se prod!ct# called NetWea"er -W G.E# po$ered by SAP HANA. %his $ill
allo$ any SAP NetWea"er -W G.E ,ata Wareho!se to be migrated into a HANA appliance. HANA 1.?
SP?E specifically also accelerates -W calc!lations and planning# $hich means yo! get e"en more
performance gains.
-l!efin Sol!tionsQ initial tests $ith this prod!ct s!ggest that it $ill be re"ol!tionary to the 1N#??? SAP
NetWea"er -W c!stomers# remo"ing iss!es $ith information a"ailability and performance. SAP
NetWea"er -W G.E# po$ered by HANA# is e*pected to be a"ailable to the general mar1et in >& &?1&.
1.& What(s the difference )etween SA !A"A and *+DB?
HANA is the name for the c!rrent -I appliance <HANA 1.?) and the -W ,ata Wareho!se appliance
<HANA 1.? SP?E). -oth of these !se the SAP I.,- ,atabase %echnology <SAP HANA ,atabase) as
their !nderlying 3,-.S. )*pect SAP to start to differentiate this more clearly as they start to position
the technology for !se cases other than Analytics.
1., *f * can run "etWea-er BW on *+DB.!A"A' why can(t * run the Business
Suite./0 ,.#?
Simply beca!se itQs not mat!re eno!gh yet to s!pport b!siness critical applications. /rom a technology
perspecti"e# it is already possible to r!n the -!siness S!ite on I.,- and SAP has trialled mo"ing some
large databases into HANA already.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
)*pect the first non-analytics prod!ct r!nning on the SAP HANA database platform to be the small-
b!siness oriented SAP -!siness 6ne - a "ersion of SAPQs )3P platform designed for b!sinesses $ith
1-1?? employees.
1.1 What is SA !A"A great at?
%he best thing that HANA brings to the table is the ability to aggregate large data "ol!mes in near real-
time - and to ha"e the data !pdated in near real-time. SAPQs demos sho$ h!ndreds of billions of records
of data being aggregated in a matter of seconds. SAP has b!ilt a set of Analytics Apps on top of HANA
and this are set to be great point !se cases to get c!stomers !p and r!nning C!ic1ly.
%he really great SAP HANA apps that ha"e been created mi* three big performance impro"ements.
/irst# the performance of in-memory analytics# second# an inefficient design and third# a change in
process that allo$s f!rther impro"ements. %his is $hat SAPQs (%6 Rishal Si11a affectionally call the
P1??#???* cl!bP.
In addition# SAP NetWea"er -W G.E# po$ered by SAP HANA loo1s li1e it $ill be a no-brainer for the
ma0ority of SAPQs 1N#??? -W c!stomers. %he impro"ements in performance and fle*ibility it allo$s
resol"e many of the classic data $areho!se problems that ha"e plag!ed the mar1et for &? years.
1.2 What is SA !A"A )ad at?
SAP HANA impro"es the biggest bottlenec1 that e*ists in standard database platforms - the spinning
dis1s. In-memory technology is typically 1??-1???* faster than dis1 for this reason. Ho$e"er in-memory
technology does not al$ays calc!late any faster than e*isting technologies# especially since some
analytics engines o!t there ha"e a lead on mat!rity.
So# there are scenarios $here ID6 $as not the bottlenec1 and calc!lations $ere# that SAP HANA may
not pro"ide benefits. %his is especially the case $hen sending o!t large datasets to front end tools li1e
SAP -!siness6b0ects -IN $hich then ha"e f!rther calc!lations to perform.
SAP is doing great things in this in the ne*t "ersion of SAP HANA and -!siness6b0ects -I# $here the
calc!lation layer of -!siness6b0ects $ill act!ally reside in HANA.
1.3 What does SA !A"A cost?
SAP HANA is priced by the ON;- !nit right no$# and there is some disco!nting based on "ol!me. As
!s!al $ith SAP licenses# itQs best to contact yo!r acco!nt e*ec directly and tal1 to them. %he minim!m
p!rchase amo!nt is c!rrently ON;-# and the smallest appliance is 1&S;-# $hich is !pgradeable to
&IO;-. %his means if yo! b!y ON;- today# yo! can easily incrementally e*pand !p to &IO;-.
1.1# Why is SA !A"A so fast?
3eg!lar 3,-.S technologies p!t the information on spinning plates of iron <hard dis1s) from $hich the
information is retrie"ed. HANA stores information in electronic memory# $hich is some I?* faster
<depending on ho$ yo! calc!late). HANA stores a copy on magnetic dis1# in case of po$er fail!re or the
li1e. In addition# most SAP systems ha"e the database on one system and a calc!lation engine on
another# and they pass information bet$een them. With HANA# this all happens $ithin the same
machine.
1.11 Does !A"A.*+DB replace 4racle?
ItQs the elephant in the room# b!t once the -!siness S!ite r!ns on I.,-# 6racle $onQt be needed any
more by SAP c!stomers $ho p!rchase HANA. %his doesnQt affect anything in the short term beca!se
many of those people b!ying HANA today $ill still need an 6racle )3P system.
Ho$e"er if yo! r!n an 6racle or ,-& data mart that performs poorly# yo! co!ld replace this o!tright $ith
SAP HANA and that $o!ld allo$ yo! to act!ally eliminate some licenses today.
1.12 What is this a)out 1#51 compression with SA !A"A compared to 4racle?
A typical !ncompressed 6racle or .icrosoft S>' Ser"er database# $hen p!t into HANA# $ill be 1?*
smaller than before and this is d!e to the $ay that HANA stores information in a compressed format.
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
Note that most databases are no$ compressed and these n!mbers may not fit yo!r scenario# and to
add to this yo! need &* the 3A. as yo!r database# pl!s room for gro$th. HANA siing is still a dar1 art.
6!r initial siing s!ggests that for NetWea"er -W# the 1ey database tables $ill compress bet$een I*
and 1?*.
1.1$ 6ou mean * ha-e to )uy an SA !A"A only 2.&7 smaller than my )ig 4racle
0DB+S? What a)out archi-ing and data ageing?
9es# in some instances yo! may ha"e to b!y a HANA appliance that is only &.I* smaller than it $o!ld
be !nder 6racle. And data ageing isnQt part of the 1.? release# b!t SAP is certainly $or1ing on it pretty
hard. 'etQs hope they release something faster than yo! need to b!y a bigger HANA applianceM
1.1% What(s the wider market opportunity for *+DB?
%his is the interesting thing - no one 1no$s yet# and fe$ analysts seem to ha"e cottoned on that the
$ider mar1et opport!nity might be h!ge. %hin1 not 0!st SAP applications b!t any third party that reC!ires
!ltra-high speed. %hin1 not 0!st an appliance b!t a de"elopment platform. %ime $ill tell.
2. SA !A"A data)ase hardware
2.1 What hardware is supported right now?
%al1 to yo!r hard$are "endor - all of the ma0or "endors e.g. HP# I-.# ,ell# (isco# /!0its! and Hitachi
ha"e certified HANA offerings no$. %echnically HANA $ill r!n on any Intel *ON based system from yo!r
laptop thro!gh to the big N?-core# &%- 3A. ser"ers. It is ho$e"er only s!pported on a small n!mber of
big rac1-mo!nt ser"ers li1e the ,ell 3T1? and HP ,'TS?.
%here is no$ a s!pported hard$are list on SAPQs $ebsite - http4DDser"ice.sap.comDpam <login reC!ired).
Appliances "ary from 1&S;- to the I-. scale-o!t appliance $hich is 1O*I1&;- nodes <S%-).
2.2 Why doesn(t SA !A"A run on )lades?
%he first HANA blades ha"e no$ been certified by Hitachi as of No"ember &?11 and are the first b!ilt
$ith net$or1 storage. 6ther "endors ha"enQt got blade chassis that can po$er the h!ge comp!ting
reC!ired of SAP HANA $ith the top-end Intel )G (P:s and 1%- 3A..
http4DD$$$.hds.comDassetsDpdfDhitachi-sol!tion-profile-con"erged-platform-for-sap-hana.pdf
)*pect the other "endors to follo$ s!it $hen they canM
2.$ Does SA make its own *+DB.!A"A hardware?
9es# b!t only in the labs so far. %here are no p!blic plans to compete against I-.DHPD,ell in this space#
b!t it may ma1e sense for SAP to enter the appliance mar1et# especially in the conte*t of ,ata (entres
and e"en more so in the conte*t of the SAP -!siness by,esign clo!d offering# $hich $ill r!n on HANA.
2.% !ow )ig does SA !A"A scale?
%heoretically at least - "ery $ell. %he biggest single-ser"er HANA hard$are $ill r!n most mid-sie
$or1loads - &%- of in-memory storage is eC!i"alent to I-&?%- of 6racle storage. %he $ay that HANA
$or1s means that it is possible to chain m!ltiple systems together - meaning that scalability has th!s-far
been determined by the sie of c!stomersQ $allets. ,o note that $hilst SAP tal1 !p P-ig ,ataP C!ite a lot#
HANA c!rrently only scales to the small-end of -ig ,ata# $hich refers to the 1ind of h!ge datasets that
/ace-oo1 or ;oogle ha"e to store - not %erabytes# b!t rather Petabytes.
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2.& What storage su)system does SA !A"A use?
%his "aries from "endor to "endor b!t most !se direct attached storage <,AS). -oth reg!lar magnetic
dis1s and SS, storage can be !sed for the bac1!p of the database <HANA r!ns in memory remember#
so dis1 storage is 0!st for bac1!p# and later# for data ageing) b!t so far# all the certified hard$are
config!rations !se magnetic dis1s. Note that yo! reC!ire &* storage that yo! ha"e 3A.# $hich is &* the
database sie - i.e. storage sie U N* database sie. In most cases there is additional !ltra-high speed
SS, storage for log files.
%he Hitachi sol!tion is the first SAP HANA certified sol!tion that !ses net$or1 attached storage <NAS)#
$hich is e*pected in time to be the dominant storage type for HANA. Ho$e"er I-. at least are
esche$ing net$or1 storage in fa"o!r of local storage# pl!s replication !sing their proprietary ;P/S
technology. I-. claim that - for no$ at least - this is the most reliable and cost-effecti"e mechanism for
SAP HANA.
$. 8echnical 9A:
$.1 What source data)ases does !A"A support in real;time?
%here are t$o mechanisms that HANA s!pports for near-real-time data loads. /irst is the Sybase
3eplication Ser"er <S3S)# $hich $or1s $ith SAP or non-SAP so!rce systems r!nning on .icrosoft# I-.
or 6racle databases. %his $as e*pected to be the most common mechanism for SAP data so!rces b!t
there remain some license challenges aro!nd replicating data o!t of .icrosoft and 6racle databases#
depending on ho$ yo! license the database layer of SAP. If yo! b!y yo!r database license direct from
the "endor then yo! are fine# b!t if yo! b!y it thro!gh SAP then yo! may ha"e a restricted license that
does not allo$ for !sage of S3S.
/or those scenarios# SAP ha"e a second choice of replication mechanism called System 'andscape
%ransformation <S'%). S'% is also near-real-time and $or1s from a trigger from the SAP -!siness S!ite
prod!cts. %his is both database-independent and pretty neat# beca!se it allo$s for application-layer
transformations and therefore greater fle*ibility than the S3S model. Note that S'% only $or1s $ith SAP
so!rce systems.
$.2 What source data)ases does !A"A support for )atch loads?
If yo! !se SAP -!siness6b0ects ,ata Ser"ices N.? for b!l1 loads then pretty m!ch anything. -6-,S is a
"ery fle*ible )*tract# %ransform H 'oad tool that s!pports many databases. ,ata Ser"ices $as
pre"io!sly called ,ata Integrator# and $as pre"io!sly called Acta# prior to being acC!ired by -!siness
6b0ects.
9o! can reasonably load into HANA !sing ,ata Ser"ices e"ery 1? min!tes and ,ata Ser"ices allo$s for
e*cellent fle*ibility beca!se yo! can ta1e care of comple* b!siness transformations incl!ding e.g.
address "erification o!tside of HANA# $hich may allo$ simplified modelling $ithin HANA.
$.$ What additional limitations does Sy)ase 0eplication Ser-er present?
S3S has additional restrictions $hich are $orth bearing on mind. It can only replicate :nicode data and
does not s!pport I-. ,-& compressed tables at this time.
%. 9ollow;ons' corrections < credits
%his is a $or1 in progress and yo!r help correcting me# clarifying some things I may ha"e not e*plained
so $ell or e"en 0!st as1ing a C!estion that I ha"enQt co"ered $o!ld be really !sef!l for the $ider mar1et.
'et me 1no$ and IQll e*pand this as the months go onM
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
SAP EDUCATION
SA+=/ :>/S8*4"S5 ?@!A"A*+@1#
SAP (ertified Application Associate 2 SAP HANA 1.? 2 print "ie$
,isclaimer4 %hese sample C!estions are for self-e"al!ation p!rposes only and do not appear on the act!al
certification e*ams. Ans$ering the sample C!estions correctly is no g!arantee that yo! $ill pass the
certification e*am. %he certification e*am co"ers a m!ch broader spectr!m of topics# so do ma1e s!re yo!
ha"e familiaried yo!rself $ith all topics listed in the e*am competency areas before ta1ing the certification
e*am.
:uestions
1. What are the benefits of implementing SAP HANA $ith SAP )3P?
Note4 %here are three <E) correct ans$ers to this C!estion.
a) 6 Performance optimiation for operational reporting
b) 6 Processing of large "ol!mes of data
c) 6 3ed!ction of -!siness S!ite process steps
d) 6 Pro"ision of -I (ontent
e) 6 Pro"ision of real-time analytics
&. Which of the follo$ing $o!ld be reasons for b!ilding a calc!lation "ie$ $ith S>' script rather than the
graphical interface?
Note4 %here are t$o <&) correct ans$ers to this C!estion.
a) 6 %o re!se standard S>' f!nctions not pro"ided $ithin the modeler
b) 6 %o create c!stom re!sable calc!lation f!nctions
c) 6 %o C!ery e*isting attrib!te and analytic "ie$s
d) 6 %o perform pro0ections on tables
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e) 6 %o perform 0oins bet$een col!mn and ro$ store tables
E. Which tool can yo! !se to pre"ie$ calc!lation "ie$ data?
Note4 %here are t$o <&) correct ans$ers to this C!estion?
a) 6 S>' Pre"ie$
b) 6 )*port .odel
c) 6 ,ata )ditor
d) 6 ,ata Pre"ie$
e) 6 S>' )ditor
N. 9o! ha"e created a balances report $ith data from SAP HANA and $ant to chec1 that the "al!es on the
report are correct.
With $hich of the follo$ing $o!ld yo! compare the balances on the report?
Please choose the correct ans$er.
a) 6 With the balances stored in the SAP -!siness6b0ects !ni"erse
b) 6 With the calc!lated meas!res stored in SAP HANA
c) 6 With the aggregate "al!es stored in SAP HANA
d) 6 With the s!ms of the indi"id!al "al!es stored in SAP HANA or in the so!rce
system
I. Which technology s!pports tr!e real-time replication of SAP )3P Pool and (l!ster tables in an SAP HANA
database?
Please choose the correct ans$er.
a) 6 Sybase 3eplication Ser"er
b) 6 SAP 'andscape %ransformation <S'%)
c) 6 SAP -!siness6b0ects ,ata Ser"ices
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d) 6 SAP -!siness6b0ects Information Ste$ard
O. Which of the follo$ing settings are mandatory for config!ring the import ser"er in the SAP HANA st!dio?
Please choose the correct ans$er.
a) 6 3epository name
'ogon credentials
b) 6 %ype of ob0ects
SAP HANA target ob0ect
c) 6 Ser"er address
3epository name
d) 6 %ype of ob0ects
So!rce connection
G. Which component of the )*ec!tion (ontrol mod!le brea1s the C!ery into e*ec!table parts?
Please choose the correct ans$er.
a) 6 S>' script
b) 6 (alc!lation engine
c) 6 .,=
d) 6 S>' parser
S. Which of the follo$ing tas1s are mandatory if yo! $ant to !se SAP -!siness6b0ects )*plorer $ith SAP
HANA for reporting?
Note4 %here are three <E) correct ans$ers to this C!estion.
a) 6 (reate a -I(S connection to SAP HANA.
b) 6 (reate an )*plorer information space.
c) 6 Sched!le the inde*ing of the )*plorer information space.
d) 6 Inde* the )*plorer information space.
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e) 6 (onfig!re the )*plorer in the (entral .anagement (onsole.
T. 9o! $ant to grant a!thoriation to a specific !ser to read data held in a "ie$.
Which tas1s do yo! perform in the :ser )ditor of the SAP HANA st!dio to achie"e this?
Note4 %here are three <E) correct ans$ers to this C!estion.
a) 6 Assign the :pdate pri"ilege to the appropriate analytic "ie$.
b) 6 Select the appropriate attrib!te "ie$ for the pac1age pri"ilege.
c) 6 Select the appropriate analytic "ie$ for the S>' and analytic pri"ileges.
d) 6 Assign the Select pri"ilege to the appropriate analytic "ie$.
e) 6 Select the !ser from the !ser folder in the SAP HANA instance catalog.
Solutions
1 a) (orrect 2 a) (orrect $ a) Incorrect % a) Incorrect & a) Incorrect
1 b) (orrect & b) (orrect E b) Incorrect N b) Incorrect I b) (orrect
1 c) Incorrect & c) Incorrect E c) Incorrect N c) Incorrect I c) Incorrect
1 d) Incorrect & d) Incorrect E d) (orrect N d) (orrect I d) Incorrect
1 e) (orrect & e) Incorrect E e) (orrect
, a) Incorrect 1 a) Incorrect 2 a) Incorrect 3 a) Incorrect
O b) Incorrect G b) Incorrect S b) (orrect T b) Incorrect
O c) (orrect G c) Incorrect S c) Incorrect T c) (orrect
O d) Incorrect G d) (orrect S d) (orrect T d) (orrect
S e) (orrect T e) (orrect
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SAP HANA BASIC INFORMATION & CERTIFICATION Q&A
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