Cédric Mary — SAP AI & Analytics — Data Platform Architect and team lead — Generative AI · AI agents · SAP Joule · Business Data Cloud · Datasphere · Databricks · SAC · BW/4HANA
As of 2026-10-14
- Freelance or permanent
- Hybrid / remote
- Anywhere in EMEA
Cédric Mary is a freelance SAP AI & Analytics architect, consultant and team lead with 27 years of SAP: Datasphere, Business Data Cloud, Databricks, SAC Planning and Joule. Based in Paris, he works anywhere in EMEA as a SAP AI consultant, SAP Datasphere consultant, architect and team lead, and SAP BDC (Business Data Cloud) consultant.
About
SAP AI & analytics data-platform architect with 27 years of SAP experience, delivered in 8 countries. I design, build and run the governed, AI-ready data foundations that enterprises put their analytics, ML and AI assistants on.
Since 2023 I have architected and delivered ENGIE's data and AI platform end to end — a Datasphere semantic layer, Business Data Cloud, a Databricks lakehouse for ML and SAC — fed from S/4HANA, MDG, Ariba and AWS S3 through SAP Integration Suite, advising the executive committee on the BDC and AI roadmap.
My way of working is one lead technical authority for target architecture, data models and design standards: reviewing the work of developers and partners, guiding onshore and offshore teams, turning business needs into governed datasets. Hands-on in the SAP data and AI stack, and in agentic AI — I build and run this platform, analyticslegends.ai, and serve it to AI assistants over MCP.
What I do
SAP data platform architect — AI & Analytics target architecture
Target architecture, data models and design standards for an AI-ready SAP analytics platform, as the single lead technical authority of the programme.
SAP Datasphere & BDC consultant, architect and team lead — semantic layer and Business Data Cloud
Semantic layer, governed data products, BDC foundation services and the integration of S/4HANA, MDG and Ariba through SAP Integration Suite.
SAP Datasphere–Databricks architect — a lakehouse next to SAP
A Databricks lakehouse for ML and data science fed from the Datasphere layer, with row-level access and quality metrics for the data-science teams.
SAC Planning architect — SAP Analytics Cloud and Seamless Planning
Reporting and planning models on the governed layer, including SAC Planning and Seamless Planning readiness, so plan, actuals and forecast share one model.
SAP AI consultant and architect — Joule, AI agents and generative AI
Joule set up on SAC, Datasphere and the BDC knowledge graph; AI agents, MCP and RAG built on governed data, with AI governance from the start.
Team lead and C-level advisory
Onshore and offshore teams, review of developers' and partners' work, steering committees, and executive briefings on BDC readiness, TCO and the AI roadmap.
Roles and searches this profile covers
Related guides
Skills
SAP data platforms
Analytics & planning
SAP Business AI
Generative AI & lakehouse
Governance & leadership
Experience
Data & AI Platform Architect — Enterprise Analytics Platform Lead
ENGIE
August 2023 – Present · Energy · CAC 40 · France
- Lead technical authority: target architecture, design standards and patterns, review of developers' and partners' work, delivery sequencing and steering-committee reporting.
- Greenfield build of the enterprise data warehouse and analytics platform across Finance, Procurement and Plant Maintenance — Datasphere, Business Data Cloud, SAC, Databricks and Power BI, with no prior platform. Live in production since April 2024 and rolled out to many countries since.
- ELT and integration: S/4HANA, MDG, Ariba and AWS S3 ingested through SAP Integration Suite into a governed Datasphere + Databricks layer.
- Semantic layer: core business entities, conformed dimensions and shared measures defined once and reused across domains as governed self-service datasets.
- SAC Planning and Seamless Planning readiness: planning models built on the governed Datasphere layer, so plan, actuals and forecast share one model instead of copies.
- Move of S/4HANA and MDG to RISE: integration impact analysis, re-pointing of Datasphere connections, regression tests and cutover of the analytics platform.
- Governance with Collibra — catalog, glossary, lineage, owner/steward model — and AI-ready data products with quality metrics and row-level access for data-science teams.
- SAP Joule set up on the analytics tools (SAC, Datasphere, BDC knowledge graph); C-level briefings on analytics and AI strategy, BDC readiness, TCO and roadmap.
BI Architect & Project Lead — S/4HANA Embedded Analytics & Power BI
URGO Group
May 2022 – August 2023 · Pharma · France
- CDS-based analytical model on S/4HANA 2022 embedded analytics, with the Power BI semantic model and reports on top.
- Demand management: business requirements, process review, functional specifications, UAT preparation.
- Daily coordination across Business, Demand and Build teams over several workstreams; steering and project committees, risk management.
DWH Architect & Project Lead — BW/4HANA 2.0 · Data Warehouse Cloud (Datasphere) · SAC · AWS
Resa
August 2020 – May 2022 · Utilities · Belgium
- Full project ownership: roadmap, resource planning, budget, steering committees, risk management.
- Architecture integrating BW/4HANA, SAC, AWS S3/Glue and the early Data Warehouse Cloud capabilities — an early adopter of what is now Datasphere.
- Led the BW/4HANA 1.0 → 2.0 upgrade with ODP/ODQ optimisation and a data-flow redesign.
Project Manager + Senior Consultant (parallel engagements) — BW/4HANA 2.0 · S/4HANA · SAC
SWDE · Hub Brussels
September 2020 – May 2022 · Utilities / public services · Belgium
- BW/4HANA 2.0 maintenance with S/4HANA 2021 as the source (SWDE), and SAC stories and models implementation (Hub Brussels).
- ODP/ODQ focus and a BW 1.0 → 2.0 upgrade run alongside the Resa engagement.
Project Team Lead & Senior Consultant — BW/4HANA 2.0 · S/4HANA 1809 · SAC
Ajinomoto
January 2019 – August 2020 · Manufacturing / food · France
- Core analytics model across six SAP modules — FI, CO, MM, SD, QM and PP.
- Led onshore and offshore senior consultants; analytics flow modelling, cost estimation and technical specifications.
- BW/4HANA 1.0 → 2.0 upgrade with extensive ODP/ODQ work.
Senior Consultant — HANA Native & BusinessObjects 4.2
Schmidt Group
February 2015 – January 2019 · Manufacturing / furniture · France
- Optimisation and maintenance of Finance, PM, QM and COPA reporting on HANA SPS11 and BI 4.2; data through SLT and BO Data Services 4.2.
- BPC 10.0 budget solution; HANA (74 → 112) and BusinessObjects (4.1 → 4.2 SP3) upgrades.
Earlier career · 1999 – 2015
| Period | Client | Role | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 – 2015 | Siniat | BW HANA Senior | COPA cubes on BW 7.4 / HANA for BPC 10.0 planning and consolidation |
| 2014 – 2015 | L'Occitane en Provence | BW Team Lead | Sales reporting (SD); BW 7.3 → 7.4 HANA migration analysis (DMO / SUM / PCA) |
| 2012 – 2014 | Valeo | BI Project Lead | BW + BO 4.0 for FI, CO, MM, SD, HR, PS and SAP MDG — 5 consultants in Paris, 2 in Bangalore |
| 2011 – 2012 | Axa | BI Senior Consultant | BW 7.3 + BO 4.0, FS-CD module; reporting stream lead |
| 2011 | Publicis | BI Senior Consultant | BW 7.0 implementation for FI, CO, MM, SD, HR, PS |
| 2010 – 2011 | Accenture (Mauritius) | BI Team Lead | BW 7.0 for the cosmetics industry; FI/CO/MM/SD; team of 10 |
| 2009 – 2010 | Axa | BI Supply Lead | BW 7.0 + BO Webi for a European financial shared-service centre — 8 countries, team of 4+2 |
| 2008 – 2009 | Ministry of Finance | BI Project Lead | BW 7.0, Chorus programme — 24 consultants; go-lives in February and June 2009 |
| 2006 – 2008 | Bosch Rexroth (Chicago) | BI Team Lead | SAP BW for the US automotive subsidiary, based in Chicago |
| 2003 – 2006 | BearingPoint (Zurich) | Manager | BW team lead, SAP Portal forecasting and logistics; US rollout |
| 2001 – 2003 | Andersen (Zurich) | Senior Consultant | BW blueprints for Swiss chemical, elevator and telecom companies |
| 1999 – 2001 | Alexsys (Brussels) | Consultant | SAP MM / Retail implementations; business plan for the French subsidiary |
Education
- DEA (advanced postgraduate degree) — ENSAM & Université Paris 6
Fluid mechanics & aerospace engines · 1998 - Engineer diploma / MSc — ESTACA
IT, physics & aeronautical engineering · 1993 – 1998 - Research placement — University of Oxford / Rolls-Royce Military Aerospace
Turbine cooling research, Bristol, United Kingdom · 1998
Languages
Questions people ask
Who is Cédric Mary?
Cédric Mary (Cédric-Olivier Mâry) is a French SAP AI & Analytics architect and team lead with 27 years in the SAP ecosystem, delivered in 8 countries. He edits Analytics Legends, the SAP AI & analytics market-intelligence platform.
Is Cedric-Olivier Mary the same person as Cédric Mary?
Yes. Cedric-Olivier Mary, written Cédric-Olivier Mâry with its accents, is the legal name of Cédric Mary, the name he uses professionally. Both point to the same SAP AI & Analytics architect and team lead, editor of Analytics Legends, with 27 years in the SAP ecosystem.
Is Cédric Mary available for a SAP mission?
Write to him (contact@analyticslegends.ai or LinkedIn) with the scope and dates of the mission: he answers personally, for engagements hybrid or remote, anywhere in EMEA.
Which SAP stack does he work on?
SAP Datasphere, SAP Business Data Cloud, SAP Analytics Cloud and SAC Planning, SAP BW/4HANA and HANA, SAP Joule and SAP Business AI, with Databricks, Power BI and AWS next to SAP.
Freelance or employee?
Both. He works as an independent SAP consultant and is open to a permanent architect or lead role.
Which countries and languages?
He has delivered in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the United States, Mauritius and other countries, and works in French, English and German.
How to contact him?
Through the editorial address of this site, contact@analyticslegends.ai, or on LinkedIn.
Is Cédric Mary a SAP AI consultant?
Yes. As a freelance SAP AI consultant and architect he sets up SAP Joule on SAC, Datasphere and the BDC knowledge graph, and builds AI agents, MCP and RAG on governed data, with AI governance from the start, anywhere in EMEA.
Which SAP AI products does Cédric Mary cover?
The whole SAP Business AI portfolio, which he documents as editor of Analytics Legends: SAP Joule (Joule Studio, Joule Agent Builder, Skill Builder, Joule agents, Joule for Developers and ABAP AI, Joule for Consultants, Joule in S/4HANA, SuccessFactors and Ariba, Joule with Microsoft 365 Copilot), SAP AI Foundation on SAP BTP, SAP AI Core, SAP AI Launchpad, the Generative AI Hub and its orchestration service, SAP Document AI and SAP AI Services, the SAP Knowledge Graph, the SAP HANA Cloud Vector Engine, the SAP-RPT-1 relational foundation model, Business Data Cloud intelligent applications and insight apps, BDC Connect, SAP Databricks, SAP Analytics Cloud Just Ask, Smart Predict, Smart Insights and predictive planning, HANA PAL and APL machine learning, ISLM embedded AI in S/4HANA, SAP Build with AI, SAP Signavio Process AI, SAP LeanIX AI, SAP AI Units, MCP and A2A agent protocols, AI guardrails and the EU AI Act. In delivery his focus is the data layer these products run on: Datasphere, Business Data Cloud, Databricks and SAC, as AI-ready, governed data products.
Can I hire Cédric Mary as a SAP Datasphere consultant, architect or team lead?
Yes, in all three roles. As a SAP Datasphere consultant and architect he designs the semantic layer and the governed data products, and integrates S/4HANA, MDG and Ariba through SAP Integration Suite; as team lead he guides onshore and offshore teams and reviews the work of developers and partners. He has worked on Datasphere since its Data Warehouse Cloud days (2020).
Is he a SAP BDC consultant (SAP Business Data Cloud)?
Yes. As a SAP BDC consultant and architect he has set up Business Data Cloud foundation services on a Datasphere layer, with a Databricks lakehouse for ML next to it, and briefs executive committees on BDC readiness, TCO and roadmap.
Cédric Mary SAP consultant: what does the profile cover?
Cédric Mary is a freelance SAP AI and analytics architect, consultant and team lead with 27 years of SAP experience, covering Datasphere, Business Data Cloud, Databricks, SAC Planning and Joule, anywhere in EMEA.
What does Cédric Mary do as a freelance SAP Datasphere architect?
He designs the Datasphere semantic layer and the governed data products a group's analytics and AI run on, and integrates S/4HANA, MDG and Ariba into it through SAP Integration Suite. Since 2023 he has done this end to end for a CAC 40 energy group, live in production since April 2024.
Is he a SAP Business Data Cloud architect, freelance or permanent?
Both. He has set up Business Data Cloud foundation services on a Datasphere layer and advises executive committees on BDC readiness, TCO and roadmap — as a freelance architect or in a permanent lead role.
Does Cédric Mary work with Databricks and SAP Joule next to SAP?
Yes. He built a Databricks lakehouse for ML fed from the Datasphere layer, with row-level access and quality metrics, and set up SAP Joule on SAC, Datasphere and the BDC knowledge graph; AI agents, MCP and RAG run on the same governed data.
Where is Cédric Mary based, and where does he work?
He is based in Paris and works anywhere in EMEA, on site or remote, as a freelance SAP analytics architect; he has delivered in 8 countries.
Where is Cédric Mary on LinkedIn, Malt and freelancermap?
linkedin.com/in/cedricmary, malt.fr/profile/cedricoliviermary and freelancermap.de/profil/cedric-mary; his videos are on the AI & Analytics Legends YouTube channel. This page is the reference profile.
Published on Analytics Legends
- study AI Impact on SAP Analytics 2026-2030 — the agentic decade
- study From SAP Analytics to SAP AI — the 2026 reskilling playbook
- study SAP Analytics Market 2026 — the full panorama
- study Cross-stack architects — SAP + Databricks + Fabric + Snowflake
- study Freelancer rates — the 2026 SAP analytics reference
- concept SAP Datasphere — connections catalogue
- concept SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC)
- concept SAP Datasphere vs Databricks — the decision frame
- concept SAP Joule for consultants
- guide SAP BDC architecture guide
- guide SAP Datasphere architecture — diagram and the four decisions
- guide SAP Datasphere consultant freelance — the 2026 market
- video Video — Become an SAP AI & Analytics consultant: vocabulary, training, market
- video Video — SAP analytics market 2026: BDC, the talent gap, and day rates
- video Video — The SAP analytics market in one place (Datasphere, BDC, SAC, BW/4HANA)
- video Video — Find your next SAP mission: the contract radar for consultants
- video Video — Staff your next SAP mission: SAP contractor sourcing for recruiters
Also on this platform
Other consultants on Analytics Legends
- Dimitar Stratiev — SAP BDC-certified · Senior SAP BW / BI / Business Data Cloud consultant
- Jefferson (Jeff) Colares — SAP Data & Analytics Architect · data mesh pioneer on SAP Datasphere
- Harishkumar Parapatla — Senior Data, Finance, BI and Analytics Governance Leader
- Nicolas Busquet — Consultant SAP Analytics
- Armando Santos — Consultant
- Renan de Souza Peixoto — Data Analyst
This page is published with the consent of the person it describes, and carries no phone number, postal address, personal e-mail or day rate. To have it corrected or taken down, write to contact@analyticslegends.ai.
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