SAP Datasphere is the new SAP DataWarehouse Cloud

This week on March 8^th 2023 the during a SAP Data Unleashed event SAP announced a new solution called SAP Datasphere. What it means is that Datawarehouse Cloud (DWC) becomes SAP Datasphere.

 

What led SAP to announce this solution? Basically, they are trying to address today’s challenges of data architecture: from data warehousing (structured data) to data lakes (unstructured or any kind of data) and beyond to data fabric (integrated layer (fabric) of data and connecting processes) reaching to particular challenges like data federation, cataloging, lineage, metadata, integration and semantic modeling of data.

How does the SAP address these kind of challenges it? By mixing a portfolio of their existing products like:

DWC – Data warehouse solution in cloud that evolved from SAP BW (BW/4), customers can move their BW models to Datasphere/DWC via SAP BW Bridge (BWB), thus investments made into BW are safe.

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) – Datasphere is integrated into SAC by supporting its analytics and planning use cases.

SAP Data Intelligence Cloud (SAP Data Intelligence formerly SAP Data Hub) – Datasphere leverages its Data Catalog functionality and engines for data moving.

 

And in addition, solutions from their partners like below to support the Business Data Fabric:

Databricks – provides data lakes platform called lakehouse (data warehouse + data lake) initially based around Apache Spark.

Confluent – capturing data in motion capabilities based on Apache Kafka.

Collibra – data governance and metadata management capabilities.

DataRobot – capabilities of AI lifecycle management, a platform for augmented intelligence – AutoML.

 

All these capabilities together forms the Datasphere. Although technically speaking it is a combination of DWC and SAP Data Intelligence Cloud. The Datawarehouse Cloud is rebranded to the Datasphere claiming the Datasphere to be a next generation of the DWC. Simple speaking features of the data integration, data cataloging, and semantic modeling were added into the DWC to enhance its data discovery, modeling, and distribution capabilities making it the Datasphere.

Data can be either replicated into the Datasphere or federated. SAP emphasizes an approach of data can sit anywhere just its analytics runs in the Datasphere. This is crucial point as running the data warehouse in the cloud may not be scalable easily. Thus, keeping data in its source and not replicating it may sound a better options.

User of the Datasphere digs into so called Datasphere Catalog to find a data of his/her interest. Leveraging its lineage capability a relationships between the different data can be explored. The Catalog supports data objects from other SAP Datasphere instances and SAP Analytics Cloud. This should be expanded soon to other SAP apps (like BW, ECC, S/4) plus non SAP apps via its partners. While accessing data like this the data from one source can be enhanced/mixed with data from other sources just by the user in Datasphere Spaces. Assuming here that the spaces are next generation of BW workspaces.

 

My take

Nowadays organizations are processing data outside their enterprise systems more and more. Therefore, a solution to enable users to work in analytics area using data from “anywhere” is very plausible. This is not a new for SAP. Somewhat similar picture was painted when Data Intelligence/Data Hub came on board. Seeing the Datasphere as a successor to those initiatives (DI, BW, DWC) plus having its AI powered capabilities the idea of the business data fabric perhaps may come true in future having a kind of “chatGPT” style of analytics.

 

More information:

SAP DataSphere microsite

onlinedocu

SAP Data Unleashed event

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC), SAP BW Bridge (BWB)

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC), SAP BW Bridge (BWB)

A next generation of data warehousing solution of SAP so called SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC) is around for a sometime. Yes, the cloud is most important thing in its name. As transactional systems are being moved to the cloud, the analytics/data warehousing do so. Problem here is again (similar to ECC -> S/4 Cloud move) how to migrate SAP data warehouse solution to the cloud with a less pain. SAP comes to address this via SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, SAP BW Bridge (aka DWC Bridge). Solution was announced during TechEd 2021.

What it does in nutshell is that it enables functions of SAP BW but in the (public) cloud.

By the BW functions is meant, a classic BW functionalities as we know them from either classic BW on any DB, or BW4/HANA one. The functions or functionalities basically cover what SAP BW Data Manager is doing, e.g. data loads, data transformations, SQL interface, database utilities, etc. The Bridge enables data modes of classic on premise BW system to be imported into DWC. On premise SAP BW’s InfoProviders objects like (a)DSO, Composite Providers can be imported into the Bridge’s space in DWC. These spaces can be shared with other spaces. A new data models can be built on top of these objects while combining them with other data sources or e.g. master data views.

Technically the SAP DWC Bridge is based on an ABAP Platform. It is a full-blown SAP BW4/HANA system just its analytics functions are not present. This is why the reporting part stays with DWC itself. Therefore, the Bridge has two key components: data modeling and data acquisition.

Data modeling part is managed in two separate modeling environments:

1. SAP BW bridge objects are developed by Eclipse based BW Modeling Tools for SAP BW Bridge objects. The modeling tools are to be installed in SAP HANA Studio.

2. Data Builder (in DWC) – consists of a tools to support data acquiring and replicating from a different sources and as well to combine and prepare these objects for consumption. The Bridge objects are present in DWC as remote tables.

Second - the data acquisition part takes place in so called SAP BW Bridge Cockpit. The cockpit serves as a central point of administration of processes. Data loading processes are managed here, managing aDSOs, InfoObjects, etc. Similar to what BW/4HANA Cockpit does.

To simply put it; the Bridge is the migration tool. The DWC works differently comparing to traditional BW. Difference is that while the classic BW gathers all data and models into a single place, DWC does not only store data. The DWC acts as a consistent layer that virtualizes data and models stored at many organization’s systems thus it supports accessing and managing data for analytics. Man in middle between the DWC and classic BWs is the Bridge that facilitates the move to the cloud.

A minimum version of BW that you can “bridge” with the DWC with the BWB is SAP BW 7.30.

More information:

Online docu

Online docu BWB in DWC

Info page

3117800 - Information/Restrictions Note for SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, SAP BW Bridge

3141688 - Conversion from SAP BW or SAP BW/4HANA to SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, SAP BW Bridge

Interdobs blog

SAP Support site software component: DWC-BWB