The SAP BW HANA Analysis Process: Improve Data-Mining with the New Features of SAP BW 7.4

Learn the technical underpinnings and practical steps needed to use the new SAP BW 7.4 HANA Analysis Process. This new tool improves on and complements the existing Analysis Process Designer (APD) as a way to execute data-mining algorithms and stored procedures using the power of SAP HANA via an SAP BW interface.

Key Concept

The SAP HANA Analysis Process tool is an SAP BW 7.4 feature for customers running SAP BW on SAP HANA. It allows the SAP BW modeler access to powerful predictive analysis (data mining) algorithms and stored procedures that execute on the database, not in the application server as was the case with older SAP BW Analysis Process Designer tool.

The previous versions of SAP BW the Analysis Process Designer (APD) was the go-to tool to perform data-mining tasks in SAP BW. Now, for companies running SAP BW on SAP HANA, the new SAP HANA Analysis Process tool that comes with SAP BW 7.4 can execute more complex algorithms faster.

I discuss how to better use (and understand the reasons to use) data-mining algorithms, and give an overview of the older APD tool. I then discuss the new SAP HANA Analysis Process (HAP) tool, how to create and execute a HAP, how to tie a HAP with an APD, and scenarios where this would be required.