The Intelligent Enterprise Needs Intelligent Connections

⇨ The shift towards the intelligent enterprise emphasizes the need for timely and accurate data to drive competitive advantage, with 37% of business leaders prioritizing cloud analytics that integrate data from multiple sources.

⇨ SAP Insiders predominantly utilize databases like SAP BW/BW4HANA, Microsoft SQL Server, and SAP HANA, but many are exploring non-SAP solutions like Databricks and Snowflake for data management.

⇨ Cost-effective data solutions are essential for connecting SAP data to non-SAP data warehouses, as high engineering costs can inhibit effective analytics, which is crucial for leveraging AI and large language models.

The intelligent enterprise is a concept long touted by SAP, often revolving around AI, data science, self-service applications, and cloud-based technologies. The theme is pinpointed in recent SAPinsider report “Evolving Business Intelligence and Analytics to Create the Intelligent Enterprise”, showing the business intelligence SAP Insiders are clamouring for as coming from data analytics.

In a survey of 144 business and IT leaders overseeing business intelligence data analytics, organizations were found to be “emphasizing the importance of equipping leaders with timely and accurate data to drive competitive advantage through informed strategic decisions”, according to SAPinsider CCO Mark Vigoroso. This shift, he reports, is supported by the increased integration of advanced business intelligence (BI) tools within workflows, providing real-time analytics and insights. Overall, 37% of respondents in the survey rated cloud analytics capabilities that connect and unify data from disparate sources as “very important”.

The next question is where all this data resides in order for connections to be made to power the intelligent enterprise. In our previous feature on data management strategies, we explored how under a quarter (22%) of SAP Insiders are currently using or planning to use SAP Datasphere (Datasphere) this year. In benchmark findings for the Intelligent Enterprise Report, top databases in use by the SAPinsider community are as follows:

• SAP BW or BW/4HANA (48%)
• Microsoft SQL Server (45%)
• SAP HANA (39%)

Notable non-SAP options thereafter come from Databricks and Snowflake, both at 17%, with the rest falling into single digit territory. SAP Insiders, therefore, are not necessarily beholden to SAP Datasphere when building their intelligent enterprise.

But according to Mike Corbisiero, Co-Founder and COO of  Extract, Load, Transform (Precog.com/blog/elt/2024/06/etl-vs-elt/">ELT) solution Precog, this is only one part of the story. While SAP Insiders are looking for cheaper options for their data, especially on the SMB front, there is still the expensive peril of connecting their SAP data into non-SAP data warehouses.

“You pay 100 grand for an engineering project, and 90, 120 days later it gets completed with an initial showing of data flowing,” warns Corbisiero. “Because that’s what those systems are designed for: a grabbing and order process. Where they completely fall down is that this isn’t good enough for analytics.”

ELT solutions like Precog can ensure compatibility with the latest API updates across Microsoft SQL Server, Snowflake and more. This can mean analytics for the intelligent enterprise remains an evolving proposition as opposed to a still – and not very smart – snapshot. And with the rising tide of AI comes the ultimate endgame for the intelligent enterprise –  as Corbisiero notes, “You’ve got to have a lot of data to be able to do large language models.” This means Insiders need to find cost effective solutions for their data to avoid EO: Economical Obsolescence.