Right now, you might think of SAP HANA as a means to speed up information analysis — but by mid-year, anticipate the in-memory technology to transform into something more, said SAP’s Dan Kearnan.

As originally conceived, SAP HANA is a high-performance analytical appliance that accelerates analysis of large volumes of data. However, SAP HANA is constantly evolving, said Kearnan, director of BI marketing at SAP.

Watch for SAP HANA to take a turn this year as it aims to become an in-memory database that companies can substitute for relational databases. For example, SAP NetWeaver BW typically runs on an Oracle or IBM DB2 database, Kearnan said. However, as SAP HANA evolves to run as a fully-enabled in-memory database, expect SAP to debut SAP NetWeaver BW running completely on top of SAP HANA in 2012.

BI consultant Dr. Bjarne Berg of Comerit said the in-memory database potential of SAP HANA is innovative. “For the first time, we’ll be able to have technology, such as ERP, running on top of a new [HANA] database instead of just exporting the data,” Berg said in an interview in late 2011. “Now we’re getting over the hump of the ‘teaser’ environment to the real environment where we can start using HANA for real.”

Companies that have invested in SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP ERP should not think that SAP is tinkering with the layers and logic of these enterprise applications when considering SAP HANA, Kearnan said. Instead, SAP HANA will provide a faster database layer underneath SAP ERP and SAP NetWeaver BW, leaving these applications intact. Kearnan compares the move to swapping out the engine of your car for a faster engine – you have the same car, but the vehicle should drive better.

SAP HANA Can Boost Apps, Too

In addition to SAP HANA running as an in-memory database, it is also evolving to become a platform for building high performance analytic applications that directly use the large volumes of detailed data residing in SAP HANA. SAP has already developed a number of HANA-enabled analytic applications and plans to develop more throughout 2012.

Here’s an example: Suppose you live in a community in which a utility company monitors energy consumption in real-time via smart meters installed in residential homes. Smart meters can measure a customer’s peak consumption time, power outages, and what happens to energy use during storms.

Due to challenges using traditional software and hardware, it’s hard for utility companies to analyze smart reader data because their IT infrastructures can’t handle large volumes of data, Kearnan said. However, SAP has developed an application powered by SAP HANA that will lead to a greater ability to have energy consumption plans ebb and flow with demand based, in part, on better information about key performance indicators.

Scott Wallask

Scott Wallask was the managing editor for the BI, BusinessObjects, and HANA content of SAPexperts. He has covered SAP for WIS since May 2010, with a focus on SAP NetWeaver BW, HANA, BusinessObjects, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and human resources. He has spent 19 years as a writer and editor, including stints as a reporter at several newspapers in the Boston area. For 12 years starting in 1998, he created in-depth content about fire safety and OSHA regulations in hospitals while working at HCPro, a healthcare publishing company. In 2005, he won a first place award for best instructional reporting from the Specialized Information Publishers Association for his series on fire protection efforts in nursing homes. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in 1994 with a BA degree in print journalism.

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