Digital Evolution - Six Hana Scenarios

Many companies are looking for ways to use big data or evaluate the huge mountains of data available internally, e.g. measurement data from production machines, as efficiently, quickly and easily as possible. Hana offers one approach to this.

However, there is still a widespread misunderstanding here, according to which Hana is reduced to the functionality of a database management system (DBMS).

This unnecessarily limits the possible range of applications and users only tap into a fraction of Hana's potential. Dell has identified six value categories that explain in which application scenarios companies can use Hana and where the added value lies.

1. real-time operational intelligence

By using real-time operational intelligence, specialist departments receive information about the current business processes almost in real time and can then act accordingly.

When monitoring and controlling industrial plants, for example, a large number of systems continuously generate data that is of interest for regular operations and maintenance.

As machines are often monitored by different systems, the collected data was previously only analyzed with a time lag. With Hana, it is possible to evaluate the current measurement data immediately using complex algorithms and thus identify critical patterns.

If unexpected events occur during operation, instead of waiting until the next inspection interval, staff can intervene immediately, localize sources of error and eliminate problems. This reduces unplanned system downtimes and increases production time.

It is also conceivable to set up a dashboard for the production director to see all central processes at a glance. More efficient maintenance and servicing processes save companies a lot of money.

2. decision support, simulation, automation

Hana allows unstructured data - i.e. data that is not in table format - to be read. This makes Hana suitable for analyzing social media data from Facebook or Twitter, for example.

For example, opinions on your own company and products are determined, or the impact of a current marketing or advertising campaign is measured.

Another example is the evaluation of machine data and the prediction of when a production machine will suffer a malfunction. The evaluation of the data and the notification can take place automatically.

This type of application scenario is based on models that use a set of rules to automate processes and make them run more efficiently. Hana analyzes the resulting data, predicts future events and automatically generates instructions for action to prevent damage.

3. business process performance

Many business processes, such as recurring monthly closings, which often take a week or more, can be shortened to just a few days with Hana.

This is particularly noticeable in the consideration of overhead costs and their redistribution to the cost centers.

However, some companies are not limiting themselves to accelerating the applications and complex business processes for material requirements planning (MRP).

You can also use the shorter calculation times to create target/actual comparisons more quickly, which is a core element of standard costing. The knowledge gained in this way can then flow directly into the adjustment of operational business processes. The more precisely the adjusting screws are known, the more efficiently they can be used.

4. big data

Big data is a classic use case for Hana, where large volumes of data need to be read and processed quickly and prepared for instructions.

However, the really new aspect is not that the results are available more quickly, but that answers are found to questions that have not even arisen before; in other words, new working hypotheses only emerge through the analysis of results.

Manufacturing companies also use big data applications to monitor and trace the origin and quality of all preliminary products, for example. If there is a recall for certain goods, the cause of quality problems can be tracked down and rectified very quickly.

In the food and pharmaceutical industries, it is also becoming increasingly important to provide proof of the origin of primary products in order to meet demanding compliance requirements.

5. data warehouse and data marts

Data warehousing and data marts are first and foremost about the design of the SAP infrastructure, which often consists of several data layers.

The permanently updated data from round-the-clock production, for example, is stored in the ERP system (SAP ECC). In many cases, there is also a data warehouse that contains data from the ERP system and other different sources, as well as a data mart that contains copies of summarized parts of the data warehouse.

This means that there are multiple copies of the data that are not synchronized with each other. The production data at a certain point in time is transferred to the data warehouse overnight and is basically no longer up-to-date the next morning.

With Hana, these problems no longer exist. The in-memory database loads all the required data from the various sources in a short time and it is then available for detailed data warehousing applications.

This increases the reliability of the data and optimizes the entire flow of information, from the data source to the individual users at all levels of the company.

6. business process simplifications

A typical business process in an organization may require multiple SAP transactions, with an equally large number of SAP screens. With Hana, this information can be completely consolidated into a single view.

This means that all data sources are brought together in one place for display. Hana uses Fiori, SAP's HTML5-based user interface technology.

This web-based approach makes it possible to link information from various transaction-oriented and analytical applications, refine and simplify business processes and ultimately increase employee productivity.

Application scenarios

When it comes to developing specific application scenarios, it is important to start with the business processes. A pure performance analysis at a technical level, where the aim is to achieve more input/output operations per second, use storage space more efficiently or execute batch jobs faster, is only a single building block in a far more comprehensive overall concept.

As part of a management consulting approach, Dell therefore focuses on business processes, explains individual value categories and explains how companies can benefit from using Hana.

The benefits that can be achieved quickly eclipse typical TCO savings from consolidating the IT infrastructure. Specific business cases clearly show how quickly an investment can pay off.

Dell has built up a database with well over 100 application scenarios, for example for maintenance, production, reporting or marketing.

In some cases, there are also ready-made templates that can be used to quickly implement a solution according to the 80-20 rule. These SAP-certified Rapid Deployment Solutions (RDS) can be implemented quickly.

80 percent of the solution is already complete, and only 20 percent needs to be adapted to a customer's individual requirements. The complete Hana solution from Dell, including Hana appliance or servers, software and service, can initially be tested by a company with its own data in a proof of concept in a rented cloud.

In addition, Dell supports the IT or specialist department in creating a business case - including special aspects such as TCO and ROI calculations, cash flow, operation in the customer's data center or the use of cloud services, as well as a roadmap with precise timelines for all milestones.

Roadmap for the introduction of Hana

Many companies start with a less complex application scenario, for example in reporting. The transformation then progresses slowly in three stages:

At the first stage, the evolutionary transformation usually begins with a platform migration. This is a typical IT issue when a company replaces its existing servers with a Hana appliance.

Initially, it is only a matter of renewing the infrastructure. The first stage is therefore also referred to as a TCO play: this means that by reducing the size of the database - which can be reduced to around a third with Hana - the IT infrastructure can be made leaner and the total cost of ownership can be reduced.

The immediate reason for such projects is often the end of a hardware life cycle after six or seven years and the replacement with a new solution. The second stage can be described as "from insight to action".

Companies want to use Hana for extended reporting, for example, and thus create additional use cases for reporting. The aim is to gain new insights into business processes in order to be able to react more quickly as a company and improve processes.

Dell refers to the third stage as "Reimagine Business Processes", using SAP Business Suite for Hana or S/4 Hana to make business processes more efficient. This third stage is not yet so widespread.

Ultimately, evolutionary transformation enables companies to reduce the costs of business processes and tap into new sources of revenue.