The SAP HANA (High-Performance Analytic Appliance) database management system was first launched in 2010, while SAP S/4 HANA, introduced five years later, has become one of the most-used ERPs across the business sectors.
These two systems differ–SAP HANA itself is an in-memory database system which runs the broader SAP landscape. SAP S/4 HANA is the ERP business suite powered by the HANA database.
As a fast, comprehensive single system, organizations can use SAP HANA to store and manage vast data volumes with instantaneous query results, data modeling, and almost zero latency.
SAP S/4 HANA is used as an ERP for field services, whereas HANA provides a multi-model database storage system operating on a memory basis rather than through conventional disk storage.
The SAP HANA system is primarily a database management system (DBMS), but it has wider-reaching use cases. DBMSs are typically used for technical applications, analytical processing, and online transactional processing, all valuable functionalities.
An ERP differs because it provides an end-to-end system with multiple modules, inputs, and output sources. ERPs are used across enterprises to provide automation, planning, internal controls, and supply chain management.
Is SAP HANA an ERP? The advanced SAP S/4 HANA system differs from the SAP ERP system because it incorporates innovation in data modeling, user interfaces, reporting tools, and functionalities. It bridges the gap between ERP and DBMS by combining real-time data analysis and machine learning, remote accessibility, and cross-departmental reporting and data inputs to boost efficiency and integrate workflows between teams.
DBMS can include software and services used to store and organize data, but conventionally do not use structured formatting or reporting, which limits their use. SAP HANA is a more modern, sophisticated version of a DBMS and provides considerably greater functionality than a traditional system. It offers numerous functions, including:
Because the system is cloud-based, users can access it from anywhere and on any remote device, making real-time decisions and data-based judgments drawing on enormous data volumes sorted, organized, and structured through one interface.
Developers can create unique tools and apps through the SAP HANA platform based on business logic and the database functionality required. Still, they can also integrate most SAP products into the system.
SAP S/4 HANA is the complete modular ERP cloud-based system, including analytical functions and AI-enabled machine learning, which is powered by SAP HANA and fully compatible. Other SAP solutions such as SAP Data Intelligence, SAP Data Warehouse Cloud, and SAP Analytics Cloud are also built on SAP HANA and work seamlessly together to provide multi-source data integration, business intelligence, enterprise planning, and augmented analytics within a single solution.
One of the key advantages is that the flexibility of SAP HANA means it can be deployed as an on-site system, used remotely, or as a hybrid, with scalability to meet the needs of younger, growing, and established organizations producing any data volumes, with the same system stability and security.
SAP has been working towards a strategic goal of developing a full-service, next-generation ERP for several years based on proven methodologies. SAP S/4 HANA incorporates the latest in IT hardware and software development.