Technology radar
SAP analytics technology radar
As of
32 SAP analytics technologies sorted into four rings — Adopt, Trial, Assess, Hold — so you can decide where to spend learning time. An opinion, not a product list: greenfield BW/4HANA sits in Hold, Datasphere and BDC in Adopt.
9
Adopt
8
Trial
7
Assess
8
Hold
Adopt = mature and load-bearing. Trial = pilot it now. Assess = watch it. Hold = stop starting new work on it. Trend: ↑ rising · → stable · ↓ fading.
Platforms & data
| Technology | Ring | Trend | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| HANA Cloud | Adopt | → | In-memory engine under Datasphere, SAC, S/4HANA. |
| SAP BDC | Adopt | ↑ | Composed Datasphere + SAC + Databricks offering. |
| SAP Datasphere | Adopt | ↑ | BDC cornerstone; cloud DWH; Feb-2025 momentum. |
| Databricks in BDC | Trial | ↑ | Native Databricks integration via BDC from 2025. |
| Snowflake + HANA federation | Trial | ↑ | Federated queries for mixed-stack clients. |
| Iceberg / Delta sharing | Assess | ↑ | Open-table formats; watch BDC uptake path. |
| BW on HANA | Hold | ↓ | Ex-ECC companion; plan the exit now. |
| BW/4HANA (greenfield) | Hold | ↓ | Maintained to at least end-2040, but SAP's data roadmap runs through Datasphere / BDC: run it, don't start greenfield on it. (2027 is BW 7.5's date, not BW/4HANA's.) |
Tools & front-end
| Technology | Ring | Trend | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAC Planning | Adopt | → | Planning module; load-bearing for FP&A teams. |
| SAC Stories | Adopt | ↑ | BI standard for SAP landscapes; mature enough to bet on. |
| Joule copilot | Trial | ↑ | Rolling out across stack; pilot in pre-sales demos. |
| SAC Analytic Applications | Trial | ↑ | Scripted SAC apps; harder but unlocks custom UX. |
| Power BI (side-by-side) | Assess | ↑ | Still #1 in non-SAP BI; know it for mixed stacks. |
| Tableau | Assess | → | Declining share in SAP accounts, still common enterprise. |
| BEx Query Designer | Hold | ↓ | Classic BW tooling; freeze scope, plan exit. |
| Lumira Designer | Hold | ↓ | Mainstream support ended; users migrating to SAC. |
Techniques & patterns
| Technology | Ring | Trend | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data-product thinking | Adopt | ↑ | Own the contract, not the pipeline; spreads in BDC. |
| Space-based modelling | Adopt | ↑ | Datasphere-native partitioning of domains. |
| Remote tables over copy | Trial | ↑ | Federation first; materialise only when costed. |
| Semantic layer reuse | Trial | ↑ | Consumption models once; many dashboards. |
| Data contracts | Assess | ↑ | Adjacent-industry pattern; BDC-friendly. |
| Lakehouse-style governance | Assess | → | Databricks unity / SAC + BDC rules blending. |
| Flat-file landing zones | Hold | ↓ | Unless transitional; kills observability. |
| Stored-proc-heavy ETL | Hold | ↓ | Trades agility for runtime; replace with views. |
Languages & APIs
| Technology | Ring | Trend | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| HANA SQL + CDS views | Adopt | → | Baseline; every SAP analytics engineer speaks it. |
| OData v4 | Adopt | ↑ | Standard interface for SAC and custom apps. |
| ABAP RAP | Trial | ↑ | RESTful ABAP; modern alternative for S/4 extensions. |
| Python (for glue / ops) | Trial | ↑ | CPI Python, Databricks notebooks, small pipelines. |
| dbt (for BDC-adjacent) | Assess | → | Standard in non-SAP side; watch connectors. |
| SAC Analytic App JS | Assess | ↑ | Niche but opens the UX ceiling. |
| ABAP reports (classic) | Hold | ↓ | Write queries + Fiori instead of new classical reports. |
| XS Classic | Hold | ↓ | Deprecated in HANA; migrate to XSA / Cloud. |
Positions set by Analytics Legends from public SAP roadmaps and observed engagements; as of 2026-10-26.
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