SAP BW Bridge: 3 things you need to know now!
- Data warehousing
- BW Bridge, datasphere, DWC
- 4 min reading time
Lukas Weixler
This article describes SAP BW Bridge, a new solution that integrates on-premises information systems with SAP Datasphere (formerly Data Warehouse Cloud). This allows companies to benefit from the enormous scalability, simplicity and low cost to leverage existing investments in internal enterprise data more quickly in the cloud. Here, 3 things are particularly important: (1) definition, (2) features and (3) roadmap of BW Bridge.
What is the SAP BW Bridge?
SAP Dat asphere offers a high degree of flexibility with its options for source connection, modeling and visualization. As a strategic data warehousing product of SAP, Datasphere also has enormous potential for innovation in the future. Therefore, in order to make these advantages available to as large a user group as possible, the question of connecting existing data models is of crucial importance. Until now, the advantages of Datasphere were primarily of interest to companies whose data models were newly created and not based on an existing SAP BW system. Thanks to the new BW Bridge, the full potential of SAP Datasphere is now also available to companies whose analytical data models already exist in an existing SAP BW system and are supplied with data from corresponding SAP source systems.
For a comprehensive illumination of the restrictions and advantages of BW Bridge, see this wiki article.
What can the BW Bridge - aka: What are the best features of BW Bridge?
The SAP BW Bridge gives companies the option of integrating their SAP data from existing BW systems into the cloud for analysis. In this video, the most important functions of the BW Bridge are presented using an example. In summary, the application areas of BW Bridge include the following:
Connection to source systems
Connection of the DWC via the SAP BW Bridge with the existing on-premise SAP BW system and transfer of the data to the cloud. SAP BW Modeling Tools can be used to connect SAP on-premise source systems via Operational Data Provisioning (ODP).
Create data flows
Create data flows with the BW modelling tools. Generating InfoObjects, Data Store Objects, transformations and Data Transfer Processes (DTPs) to use complex calculations.
Use of process chains
Scheduling for data loading and transformation processes within the SAP BW Bridge Cockpit.
Data management
Management of data in InfoObjects and Data Store Objects and monitoring of process chains in the SAP BW Bridge Cockpit.
SAP BW Bridge Objects in the Cloud
SAP BW bridge objects such as objects and composite providers can be made available in a separate space within the SAP Data Warehouse Cloud. By releasing the views created there to other Spaces, new data models can be built on them to integrate different data sources or perform further calculations.
Using SAP BW/4HANA Business Content
A customised version of the SAP BW/4HANA Content AddOn, optimised for SAP BW Bridge, is supported to facilitate the creation of data models.
Who is the BW Bridge suitable for and how do I get the BW Bridge?
The SAP BW Bridge is an integral part of the SAP Data Warehouse Cloud and can be booked as a feature with the Data Warehouse Cloud. Companies continue to pay only for the main memory and the storage space of the Data Warehouse Cloud. Further information on pricing can be found here.
With BW Bridge, companies can transfer their existing BW solutions to the cloud and maintain the investments they have made.
Conversion tools for BW 7.30 and BW/4HANA will follow at a later date, probably not until version 2021. In this context, it is not mandatory on BWs 7.x0 to have a running HANA database in use.
The BW Bridge is already generally available.
Feel free tocontact us so that we can activate BW Bridge for you together.
Know more?
Would you like to delve deeper into the topic of BW Bridge or activate BW Bridge together?
Then we look forward to hearing from you!
