SAP Data Hub, Linux, and Container-as-a-Service (CaaS)

There is a lot of data hidden in numerous sources. In big data pools, but also in cloud applications, ERP systems or in BI or BW applications. With SAP Data Hub, SAP has tackled a challenging topic that has been identified in one way or another in many companies and that is: “getting more out of data”. This is also confirmed by an SAP study, as the following example shows: 86 percent of IT decision-makers believe that they could do more with their data if they had the most comprehensive access to it.

More than just a tool

At its core, SAP Data Hub provides integration, but also channels and manages data or information from the many sources available. But that’s not all: The SAP solution—simply speaking of a tool would not do justice to the power and performance—can also be used to create applications that aim to leverage any existing potential, even in a widespread organization, regardless of where the data/information is located and in the form of big data application scenarios. The focus is not only limited to a system landscape with SAP applications, but also with non-SAP application sources, such as Hadoop.

Open source at heart

From a technical point of view, the SAP-Hana platform and SAP Vora play an major role in the SAP Data Hub, alongside integration features – and a runtime-component-as-an-infrastructure element. Here, too, open source technology comes into play. In concrete terms: the Suse-solution Container-as-a-Service Platform, in short: CaaSP. Above all, this platform ensures flexible, simplified and automated possibilities for the delivery of small-scale services (microservices) using containers, including the use of Kubernetes. So if you like to put it that way, Suse CaaSP is at the center of the”SAP data hub hearty”

Kubernetes

Kubernetes in particular is known to be able to support container apps in cluster environments (physical or virtual machines). Kubernetes is also very popular when it comes to efficiently implementing a container-centric infrastructure (instead of a more rigid host-centric one). Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) as container host OS in a specialized version (SLES Micro OS) is also used. The benefit: a low footprint with optimal use of resources. SLES Micro OS is part of Suse CaaSP.

SDDC technologies in focus

The design of SAP Data Hub focused on one important aspect, namely being able to use a dynamic and highly flexible IT infrastructure as a kind of foundation. Components and technologies based on the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) and innovative and useful open source software solutions and services for enterprises are used. For example, Suse Linux for SAP Applications as a Hana operating system or the Suse CaaS Platform outlined above. In addition, SAP Vora takes software defined storage based on Open Source Ceph into account.