SAP Business Data Cloud: Key Questions from the Launch

SAP just announced Business Data Cloud(BDC), a revolutionary new solution for unifying enterprise data. While there’s no shortage of resources available on this new platform, such as SAP’s BDC product page, SAP consultants and customers have raised some pressing questions. With existing solutions like SAP Datasphere, SAP Business Suite, and custom setups—many of which already integrate with Databricks—many are left wondering: How do all these components come together?

In this blog, we’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions from SAP users during the SAP Business Unleashed live sessions, addressing common concerns and clarifying the complexities around SAP Business Data Cloud(SAP BDC).

What is SAP BDC?

Before we take a look at the FAQ section, let’s briefly discuss SAP BDC.

On Thursday, the 13th of February, SAP officially went live with an announcement on a new solution called SAP business data cloud and went public with the announcement on the virtual  SAP business cloud unleashed event,

Sap BDC is described as a novel solution for combining data from SAP and non-SAP sources and SAP BDC is designed to integrate data from SAP and non-SAP sources, creating a foundation for AI applications. It also introduces Insight Apps, which leverage real-time data, AI models, and data products for advanced analytics and planning across business functions like enterprise analytics, finance, and HR.

During the session, participants had many relevant questions, which we’ve distilled into the top 18 concerning SAP BDC. These questions fall into three categories: strategic, technical, and adoption/implementation.

TOP 5 Strategic FAQs

1. How does SAP envision its premier partners, like accenture, helping with the adoption of SAP BDC? And will SAP BDC be followed by other SaaS offerings from SAP?
SAP Moderator: Premier partners, such as Accenture, play a key role in supporting the adoption of SAP BDC. They will be instrumental in guiding customers through the implementation, ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud. Stay tuned for more details on the future of SaaS offerings from SAP.

2. Is BDC part of BTP or is it going to be a standalone solution?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) is considered a separate solution, though many of its components are built on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). BTP is critical to SAP’s strategy, underpinning the entire SAP portfolio and facilitating integrations across various data and application systems.

3. Will BDC replace SAP BW/4HANA?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud does not replace SAP BW/4HANA; rather, it offers a flexible path to the cloud for BW/4HANA users. With native integration to BW, customers can continue accessing their BW data as a data product, simplifying the modernization journey and maximizing their BW investments.

4. What is the difference between SAP Datasphere and Business Data Cloud?
SAP Moderator: SAP Datasphere is part of SAP Business Data Cloud. While Datasphere focuses on the data integration and data governance layer, Business Data Cloud brings together various data, planning, and analytics solutions—including Datasphere, Analytics Cloud (SAC), and SAP Business Warehouse—offering a unified experience across the business.

5. Will SAP Business Data Cloud combine Datasphere and SAC or will they remain individual tools?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud unifies all SAP data and seamlessly integrates third-party data. It combines SAP Datasphere, Analytics Cloud (SAC), and SAP Business Warehouse into a cohesive, fully managed solution, offering customers a unified experience in data, planning, and analytics.

Top 6 Technical FAQs.

6. Can customers still leverage CDS views for SAP data?
SAP Moderator: Yes, customers can continue leveraging CDS views to integrate and expose SAP data. CDS views remain a key part of SAP’s data architecture and are fully compatible with SAP Business Data Cloud.

7. How will the integration with SAP and Databricks work exactly? Are we able to replicate the data from SAP into Databricks using the CDC capabilities of, for example, a CDS view?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud integrates seamlessly with Databricks, enabling data replication using CDC capabilities, including CDS views for data federation. This allows businesses to leverage real-time data replication and integration across their systems.

8. Can Databricks be the data warehouse platform that connects to PowerBI or SAC?
SAP Moderator: Yes, SAP Databricks SQL has built-in visualizations, which can be used to directly visualize data and connect with platforms like PowerBI or SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for reporting and analytics.

9. How does SAP BDC integrate with existing SAP BW systems?
SAP Moderator: SAP BDC provides native integration with SAP BW systems. Existing SAP BW data can be consumed as a data product in the cloud, allowing for enhanced analytics and new use cases in SAP Datasphere or Databricks, while securing existing BW investments.

10. Is SAP BDC compatible with existing CDS Views and Data Federation techniques such as SDI (Smart Data Integration)?
SAP Moderator: Yes, SAP BDC supports the continued use of CDS Views and Data Federation techniques like SDI. The zero-copy approach ensures data can be consumed and integrated without duplication, leveraging these technologies efficiently.

11. What is the zero-copy approach and how does it work in the context of existing technologies like CDS views of S/4?
SAP Moderator: The zero-copy approach allows data to be consumed in SAP BDC without physically duplicating it. This eliminates unnecessary data movement, ensuring that data remains accessible across platforms like Databricks or SAP S/4HANA through CDS views and other integration techniques.

12. How does SAP Business Data Cloud enable AI and machine learning for its customers?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud integrates seamlessly with AI and machine learning solutions, empowering businesses to use advanced analytics and AI-driven insights. With tools like SAP AI and Databricks, businesses can accelerate data-driven decision-making and innovate faster.

TOP 6 Adoption and Implementation FAQs

13. Can SAP BDC migrate a full-scale BW migration to a private cloud?
SAP Moderator: Yes, SAP Business Data Cloud allows for the migration of SAP BW systems to a private cloud. It ensures secure data access and facilitates data sharing between systems like SAP Databricks and SAP Datasphere

14. Will there be any future SAP SaaS offerings that build on SAP Business Data Cloud?
SAP Moderator: SAP Business Data Cloud is foundational to SAP’s future SaaS offerings. Over time, more SaaS products will be integrated into BDC, expanding its capabilities in data governance, analytics, and AI-powered decision-making.

15. How can we get Joule with S/4HANA Private Cloud 2022?
SAP Moderator: Currently, Joule is supported for the release SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition 2023 FPS01 onwards. It is planned to be available for lower releases in the future, so stay tuned for updates.

16. What is the path for modernizing SAP BW 7.5 on HANA to run on SAP Business Data Cloud?
SAP Moderator: You can modernize your SAP BW 7.5 system by lifting it to the cloud using SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC). This approach ensures the security of your SAP BW investments while allowing you to expose BW data as a data product in SAP Datasphere or Databricks for advanced use cases.

17. Is there any use case where I can implement AI in finance with our S/4HANA On-Premise 2022 SP 2?
SAP Moderator: Yes, AI can be implemented in finance using SAP Business Technology Platform to enhance your S/4HANA On-Premise 2022 SP 2. You can leverage AI for use cases like predictive analytics and financial forecasting.

18. Where can I find documentation for SAP Business Data Cloud?
SAP Moderator: You can find comprehensive documentation for SAP Business Data Cloud at SAP’s official site.

CONCLUSION

The SAP Business Data Cloud is clearly a powerful solution for modernizing data landscapes and leveraging AI-driven insights, particularly for finance, promising enhanced analytics and advanced planning. To truly harness these advancements and ensure your finance operations are optimized for the future, you need a partner with unparalleled SAP expertise in the finance domain.

 At ERPfixers, we are not just consultants; we are thought leaders who have quite literally written the definitive books on SAP Financial Accounting, CO-PA, and Material Ledger. Our team specializes in all core SAP modules with a specific emphasis in Financials and Controlling, providing reliable, accurate, and quality, immediate SAP solutions.

 We bring deep-rooted knowledge to every challenge, whether it’s integrating your BDC landscape, optimizing your Material Ledger, implementing advanced finance analytics, or leveraging innovative tools like CostMatrix™, our revolutionary SAP-based cost splitting solution. Our commitment to client success is reflected in our 95% client satisfaction rate. Ready to transform your SAP finance operations with the best in the field? Contact ERPfixers today.