Hana, mon amour

Everyone loves Hana, but no one wants to marry it. Little has remained of the initial enthusiasm for in-memory computing technology. Instead of making Hana the mistress of a new ERP, it is now only a handmaiden for digital transformation. SAP has neglected Hana, left it to its own devices, and not bequeathed it a viable roadmap.

Naturally, Hana has to get rid of the AnyDB thread and bring a new order to the ERP house - but the replacement happens without enthusiasm. A departure for new shores looks different. When ex-chief technology officer Vishal Sikka was still the protector of Hana, hardly a month went by without jubilant news, new insights and exciting projects.

Hana even set out to conquer the world outside the SAP community. Hana birther Professor Alexander Zeier agreed with Professor Hasso Plattner, Hana is the next computing revolution, and Intel eagerly provided assistance. The SAP and Intel alliance is history, and Alexander Zeier is trying to hold on to the last spark of hope for a Hana happy ending at Accenture. For now, Hana seems to be a burden for S/4 conversion.

An open S/4 with compatibility to the in-memory computing technology from IBM, Oracle and Microsoft would probably be further along. But S/4 is shackled to Hana and drags this responsibility around its neck like a millstone. Anyone who says S/4 must always think Hana - that's a definite brake on digital transformation. Hana, mon amour seems like an old black-and-white movie.

Yes, one always enjoys watching Casablanca, but the style, direction and governance no longer fit into the new era. Perhaps the time of Hana is also already over - only SAP has not yet noticed.