SAP HANA Reviews

HANA is used to analyze data quickly and build real-time dashboards, which allows us to track data live and monitor alerts. This helps in decision-making and responding to changes promptly.

We are able to perform read and write operations much quicker, which saves us significant time and resources. Additionally, it allows for real-time monitoring and reporting, which was previously delayed.

The data in HANA is stored in columns rather than rows, which speeds up searches and aggregations. This architecture allows for faster data processing and real-time analytics that were not possible with traditional databases.

The main issue is the ecosystem, which lacks the widespread support that SQL enjoys. Finding plug-ins or third-party tools to integrate with HANA is challenging, and this necessitates additional developmental efforts.

I have used SAP HANA for about a year and a half.

We have found it to be extremely stable with no major issues. However, there is always a fear factor because it is newer and not as battle-tested as other products.

HANA is highly scalable. Our operations have grown from a hundred data operations a day to as many in a couple of seconds. We have gone from a single server to multiple instances, both on the cloud and on-premises.

The support is lacking and not worth the premium price. If support was just a nominal fee, it would be perceived differently. We feel we should be getting better service for what we pay.

Neutral

We previously worked with Oracle and Microsoft. We switched due to the overall business suite applications offered by SAP were more beneficial.

The initial setup for the S4 HANA Cloud took seven months mainly due to custom development work.

We employed a team of fifty consultants who worked on different modules and aspects of the system. They are also involved in maintenance and troubleshooting activities.

We do not feel we're getting value for the investment due to the additional resources needed for integration and maintenance. We might have negotiated a better deal if we'd known the extent of the challenges.

We find the pricing to be not cost-effective, especially given the extra resources required for integrations. It's a recurring subscription model, which is expensive compared to legacy systems with just a maintenance fee.

We evaluated Oracle and Microsoft before settling on SAP.

I would recommend SAP HANA only to organizations planning to use other SAP platforms in the future. If you're dealing with legacy systems and integrations, HANA might not be suitable due to the ecosystem challenges.

I'd rate the solution five out of ten.

My main use case for SAP HANA is financial close and income statement analysis, which my team typically uses it for. A quick specific example of how we use SAP HANA for financial close and income statement analysis is HANA-based GL line item reporting, which made things easier and faster.

Using SAP HANA helps our workflow and decision-making as it saves time.

Multiple users can post, analyze, and validate data at the same time with SAP HANA, leading to no system slowdowns during peak close activities.

In my experience, the best features SAP HANA offers include no need to wait for batch jobs or data replications, allowing for real-time P&L and balance sheet during month-end close. Having real-time access to those reports significantly changes our month-end process and our team's workflow.

Access to live dashboards and drill-downs means questions are answered instantly during review meetings, shifting the focus from 'Is it correct?' to 'What should we do about this?', thus moving the conversation to margin, cost control, and performance drivers.

In practice, SAP HANA is very powerful, but I see areas where it could be improved to make life easier for users and teams, such as having too many Fiori apps with overlapping functionality, navigation not being intuitive for finance users, and users still needing to switch between Fiori and SAP GUI.

I have been using SAP HANA for four and a half years.

SAP HANA is stable in my experience.

The scalability of SAP HANA is very high because it supports both vertical and horizontal scaling and handles large data volumes efficiently, allowing for adding more modules or users without performance issues.

The customer support for SAP HANA is good.

I have seen a return on investment with SAP HANA as it typically delivers measurable ROI, especially in finance and month-end close processes.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for SAP HANA is that I did not encounter any challenges.

My advice for others looking into using SAP HANA is to not choose SAP HANA only for speed; plan for data growth and housing, invest in training earlier, start with a strong use case, and prepare for migration effort. I rate this review eight out of ten because many reporting changes still require IT or technical support, and CDS views and advanced analytics are not easily configurable by finance users.

SAP HANA is an integrated solution to improve our organization's real-time data analytics. It's a cloud-based solution, and it's fantastic for us. We serve various businesses, especially in the Gulf area, such as Saudi Arabia, across different production, manufacturing, sales, and distribution sectors. Everything, including SAP analytics and business intelligence, is available within SAP HANA.

The tool is an in-memory database that stores and retrieves data very quickly. This speed makes it faster to use and maintain data, as no additional processes move data between memory and disk.

With SAP HANA's in-memory technology, accessing your data is exceptionally fast. You don't need to retrieve it from disks or other media. Everything you need is already in memory, making data retrieval and report generation quick.

In certain instances, decisions must be made within 90 minutes. For instance, ideas that require data to support them are proposed during support meetings. This analysis involves comparing various data sets and dashboards to inform decisions. Integrating our infrastructure with the tool allows for connectivity between different functions, such as material management, manufacturing, human resources, and finance.

One notable issue is the difficulty in finding consultants with experience in the SuccessFactors product, a human resource management tool part of SAP's cloud-based solutions. For example, learning the Oracle database is straightforward. You can easily go to the Oracle website, download the database, install it on your laptop, and access technical resources and books.

However, SAP HANA presents a different scenario. The huge and solid software makes it difficult to install and use without proper training. Mastering SAP HANA often requires attending training centers, which can be costly.

The solution's support also needs to be faster.

I have been working with the product for seven years.

I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten. 

My company has 1000 users for SAP HANA. We follow an offshoring and outsourcing model for our technical team. For support, I have around 50 consultants. I rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

Previously, we relied on the Oracle database, but now, with SAP HANA, our applications run on a more stable database platform. I have worked with Oracle and Microsoft. However, SAP HANA is the most stable.

The tool's deployment is straightforward. During the blueprint phase, we discuss the customer's requirements and obtain their approval. Deploying SAP HANA within a business usually takes six months to one year. Some implementations may take less than six months, depending on the customer.

SAP HANA is affordable. I rate it a seven out of ten. 

I recommend the product to others since it is stable and reliable. I rate it a nine out of ten. 

Primarily, we used it for reporting and as the underlying database platform for SAP BW solutions.

My experience with SAP NetWeaver is primarily at the database level with SAP HANA. The database is still under development even after its official release over ten years ago. We often see new products with each major release, and there are still a lot of bugs.

As an in-memory database, expectations for HANA were already high, especially considering the infrastructure investments. 

We've seen reporting performance increase four to five times, which was a substantial improvement. At the end of the day, you expect those improvements when spending significant amounts on a solution.

It's a relatively new technology, and in-memory databases intrinsically require larger servers with more memory. We purchase the HANA license from SAP and the hardware from a vendor like HP or IBM.

Ultimately, as an organization, we aimed to speed up support and enable our executives to generate reports on their screens almost instantly with the click of a button. From that perspective, HANA delivered as a reporting solution.

SAP HANA's in-memory computing improved our operational efficiency. In terms of our overall business operations, I'd estimate a 30-40% improvement. Considering things like ticketing, resource allocation, and issue resolution, it's definitely had a sizable impact.

Its performance is one big benefit. 

Reporting is also valuable, but that's standard. I also like SAP HANA's ability to integrate with third-party tools. We can do reporting with tools like Tableau or Power BI by integrating them with HANA for visualization.

It's sufficed all of our requirements. We primarily needed it to run SAP applications, like NetWeaver or S/4HANA, and it has been really good at that. We also successfully integrated it with Tableau for reporting. Overall, it sufficed our needs.

The releases need to be more stable. It's surprising to still encounter significant bugs after ten years of the product being available.

In terms of features, SAP seems to be keeping up with its competitors like Oracle. The main issue is that the features they add often have a lot of bugs.

I've been working with it for ten years. I was a customer of HANA for ten years and have since moved on to new technologies.

I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. It should be improved. It's not that the system goes down, but there are irritations that affect users.

It's a highly scalable solution. No concerns there. It supports our growing data needs.

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. 

We have database-based users and business users. Overall, it would be more than five thousand at my last organization, we had many employees dependent on SAP. However, we were looking to onboard a few more of our business units to SAP. So, we were targeting an increase in usage by 20% to 30%.

There is room for improvement in the following areas:

1. The response times
2. The prioritization framework for customers
3. Reaching the correct expert quickly

So, those areas should be noted for improvement in customer service and support. 

Neutral

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a six out of ten, with ten being easy. 

Because with HANA, it's less about setting up a new system and more about migrating your old system to HANA. The migration experience isn't the same for everyone or for all customers; you can't follow a single runbook. 

You often need external consultants, SAP premium subscriptions, and SAP experts to manage the migration, and sometimes you need external code. So, from that perspective, it's a six.

I have used SAP HANA on the public cloud and on-premise.

There are two ways to think about the deployment stage:

1. For a Greenfield implementation of HANA, you are building a system from the ground up with SAP, which might take as little as a week. 
2. For large-scale brownfield implementations, where you're migrating your existing database to SAP HANA, it can take anywhere from five to six months to one year.

The price is on the expensive side, at eight out of ten, with ten being expensive. 

We were premium customers with our HANA boxes. It was part of an enterprise license that wasn’t tied to the number of HANA instances we had. 

I would recommend ensuring you have the proper SAP experts on your team if you plan to go for SAP HANA. 

If you don't have SAP experts, it's better to opt for SAP cloud solutions, which are managed by SAP.

Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

SAP S/4HANA recently established communication with SAP HANA database. No other database can be used with SAP S/4HANA application.

SAP HANA can be used for real-time analysis and resolving queries. It has an in-memory database that uses RAM instead of hard drive disks, making it a very fast tool compared with any other relational database.

Actually, SAP HANA has a different application for each purpose. If you want a better UI experience, SAP has its own application. If a user wants to manage an application, SAP has another application. If a user wants to use the baseline command, SAP has its own tool for it where one can manage it. There is always room for improvement in every field, but right now, I can't think of any area.

The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I have experience with SAP HANA.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten.

I have barely faced any issues with the product in the last two or three years.

The product offers scalability options. The tool offers two to three scalability options. If you are stuck on the upgrade part and you want to expand the disk space at RAM or storage levels, you can easily upgrade your hardware or networks.

The product's initial setup phase was really easy. A user just has to choose the pre-configuration options, and the tool will prompt with every option to help what one should choose, after which the product can be installed within ten to twenty minutes.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and in the on-premises model. Depending on what a user wants, it offers an on-premises data center deployment option. People can also choose between the SAP Cloud and the public cloud options. In SAP Cloud, there are other products offered, and the cloud also helps manage the DBMS application.

Speaking about the value and benefits a company can experience from the use of the solution, I would say that if an organization plans to implement an ERP solution in their company, then it should be SAP S/4HANA as it will be very beneficial. SAP HANA provides a free database to users, but it has very limited functionality. If a company wants to get full advantage from SAP application, then they must go with SAP HANA.

The tool is expensive compared to other products, like Oracle R or Microsoft, but it offers a range of all the company's functions.

SAP HANA is a new innovation from SAP compared to the old databases, like RDBMS. SAP HANA serves as an in-memory database that works fast and solves queries in real-time.

In terms of the most valuable functionality in speeding up data processing tasks, the main features of SAP HANA revolve around the fact that it is really easy to manage since there is no need to work on the command line, as the solution has its own application that is used for it. Our company's work and manageability parts are very easy with SAP HANA. SAP has many applications that can help my company manage SAP HANA, which is a very easy process. With the product, it is easy to manage backup and restore.

In every project, my company uses SAP HANA for data management because we have to load all the data in the DB. At that time, I never faced any error while doing any configurations since there would never be any issues with the DB part. A specific person is needed to manage the DB part. Even in a small company, there will be one person to manage the DB since it is very easy to manage by SAP HANA.

When speaking about the tool's in-memory computing can impact data analysis capabilities, if one considers the old database or RDBMS, then I would say that they have capabilities related to rows. When we execute a query or when we analyze data, the query only works with the rows as it reads every line. SAP S/4HANA allows for the aggregation of columns, making the retrieval of data very specific. I think a range of 1-1000 can be considered for the analysis of data.

SAP HANA is specifically made for SAP applications and is called S/4HANA. SAP launched HANA database with applications for SAP-related operations. SAP has certain tunings to ensure that SAP applications work better. I just use the tool with SAP applications, and I will never use it with any other applications. From SAP's end, SAP HANA is a very good database.

From the admin side, I never got involved with any integrations related to the product, but I would recommend it.

If a company wants to manage its resources, like for different functions, if an organization wants an application that can be used for enterprise resource planning, SAP is the best solution in the world.

I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

Our primary use case is working with various clients in industries such as pharmaceuticals and other services. We support clients as implementers of SAP HANA, providing expertise in functionality, finance, logistics, and processes.

The solution is very user-friendly and supports all kinds of functionalities across different industries. It enhances data processing with features like logistics and finance and provides real-time analytics with dashboards that are flexible and easy to work with.

The most valuable features of SAP HANA include its user-friendliness, flexibility, and extensive support for various functionalities like finance, logistics, and workforce processes. The real-time analytics feature with dashboards is also a highlight.

While SAP HANA is good, it would be better if it comes at a more affordable price. Furthermore, integration and understanding of business functionality can be challenging and require specialized skills.

I have been using SAP HANA for seven years.

For compliance, SAP HANA is stable.

SAP HANA offers excellent scalability. We have onsite support 24/7 across multiple countries, and I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

Customer service and support are of very high quality. They provide 24/7 onsite support, and I would rate their support a ten out of ten.

Positive

Setting up SAP HANA is not easy and requires specialized skills for integration and understanding business functionality. I would rate the setup difficulty at a seven out of ten.

The licensing cost for SAP HANA is approximately $200 per user per month.

I recommend SAP HANA to everyone because it is a comprehensive system that covers a wide range of functionalities and key features. However, it would be beneficial if the solution were more affordable.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

The use case revolves around the ERP system, covering standard modules that begin with procurement, extend through sales, encompass the entire spectrum of business processes, including commercial aspects, inventory management, and production, and conclude with sales and financial tracking.

Technically it resembles Oracle, but as a somewhat lighter version.

Continuous improvement is essential for these systems to stay competitive and relevant in the market. Currently, for support, we rely on local implementers who act as intermediaries. This makes it challenging for me to reach out to SAP directly. If, for instance, I encounter any issues during the ongoing project, expanding it to other companies may pose a challenge without direct access to SAP support.

I have been familiar with it for the past two years.

It has proven to be stable.

In my previous business, which involved a large-scale SAP implementation, we had direct access to SAP support as our corporate office was based in Dubai. We could easily reach out to SAP Middle East for any assistance. However, in my current business in Bangladesh, the situation is different. I don't have direct access to SAP, and instead, I need to go through the SAP office in India.

Setting up the system initially posed challenges, especially considering the geographical location I am in now, which is Bangladesh, my native country. However, it was not as difficult in Dubai, where I previously led the IT department for a group of companies with offices in thirty countries worldwide.

It comes with a significant cost. For a sizable enterprise, it may not be deemed expensive, considering the value it brings. However, for a mid-level organization, the cost may be viewed as very high.

Reflecting on both my current and past experiences, I would rate SAP HANA a nine in the past, but currently, I would rate it a seven. The reason for this adjusted rating is my challenge in reaching out to SAP for problem resolution or improvements. In the past, SAP felt like a reliable partner, providing comfortable interactions. However, the current difficulty in obtaining support makes me feel somewhat constrained. Having a strong partnership with SAP is crucial, as it influences our satisfaction with the current integrator.

We are using the solution for the DW system. The primary function of the solution is for the database in memory.

I would like to see improvements in the connectivity of the solution with other BI software. Not every software can connect to it natively.

I have been using the solution for the past five to six years.

I would rate the stability of the solution an eight out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of the solution an eight out of ten. The solution is quite scalable. You can increase the usage if you have enough hardware. There are about 5000 users in our organization.

Previously, we used Oracle Database, but we have changed to HANA database now.

The initial setup was not easy since it took a couple of days to install the tool. We had to download it from the internet and follow some processes so that the tool could be integrated into our internal network.

The deployment of the solution was done in-house.

I would rate the pricing of the solution a ten out of ten. The pricing for on-prem SAP HANA is on a yearly basis and expensive. I am not aware of the actual pricing but it is based on 64 Gigabytes. For instance, if you consider $10,000 for 64 Gigabytes, then you can calculate the cost for Terabytes in case you have one. You will have to buy expensive hardware as well which is quite a lot.

I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. There are three SAP-based individuals involved in the maintenance of the solution. This solution is recommended for SAP-oriented users only since it is very expensive as a database.