BW/4HANA 2 SPS 05 is here! What is new?

A lot of customers are still running SAP BW 7.5 in HANA, without even knowing the possibilities of BW/4. This blog describes the possibilities of the newest support package of BW/4, namely SPS05. Within this latest update new enhancements are categorized into 5 groups: 

• Modelling Flexibility 

• Data Integration 

• Data Tiering Optimization

• Data Protection and Privacy 

• Integration with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) 

The category ‘Modelling Flexibility’ gives the most incentive to upgrade to BW/4 SPS05 as it could simplify and optimize your data warehouse. 

Modelling Flexibility 

Besides some additional flexibility for maintenance (objects within the Web Cockpit), possibilities to automatically generate Process Chains and performance optimizations for certain objects (for example, Transformations and extraction from Composite Providers) the important enhancements are related to new features within the modelling of the Composite Provider. 

Looking at these new features, you will notice that some common Calculation View features that are used within Calculation Views are now integrated into the HANA. New features include being able to add: 

• SQL Filters  

• Aggregation Node (with different sets of Aggregation behavior)  

• Additional Join Types (for example, Greater Than with Time Dependent fields) 

• Additional Join Operators (for example, Not Equal) 

• Duplication of objects within the Composite Provider (for example, Part Providers) 

Data integration 

Enhancements on Data Integration rely on additional Adapters (for Smart Data Access) and Distribution Options (Open Hub Services) for new Extraction possibilities (like Virtual Table extraction on a Remote Source) and Target storage (Tables, File) in a Remote System. 

Data Tiering Optimization 

New features for ‘Data Tiering Optimization’ enable the function ‘Exceptional Updates to Cold Store’, which makes it possible to -during the activation of a DSO- to detect, process, and handle changes and/or changes on the Cold Storage locations. 

Besides the handling of these exceptions/changes, ‘relative’ time conditioning per tier (cold, warm, hot) can be handled dynamically instead of the static partition creation which was required before. 

Data Protection and Privacy 

For Data Protection, enhancements have been made to the ‘Data Protection Workbench’. These enhancements mainly focus on the extraction and processing (S/4HANA Cloud via CDS views), and storage (ADSO’s) of Notifications as well as possibilities to restrict on the usage of Worklists. 

Additional functionalities have been added as well to SAP Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) for the identification and maintainability (for example, deletion) of personal data. 

Integration with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) 

New options within SAC add visualizations via ‘Choropleth’s’. Choropleth allows shading or patternizing with predefined or custom defined shapes, presenting aggregated data geographically which can be customized in proportion to a (statistical set of) variables. 

 Additionally, some performance improvements can be achieved by pushing additional operations down to SAP HANA. For example, via local formula and member operation during selections. 

Road towards SAP BW/4HANA migration 

As shown above a lot of interesting features are implemented within this new release. In the coming weeks a new blog will be posted focusing on actual use cases with the enhancements in ‘Modelling Flexibility’, so stay tuned! 

Interested in knowing more about our vision of BW/4and a possible migration towards SAP BW/4HANA? Be sure to contact Roel van Bommel. (Roel.Van.Bommel@mccoy-partners.com of 06 22 69 83 92) for more information.  

Think Intelligent Analytics, think McCoy!