The Challenge: Fragmented Data in SAP Environments

SAP environments, while robust, often operate within fragmented ecosystems. With data scattered across SAP HANA, ERP systems, and non-SAP sources, organisations face hurdles in achieving real-time insights and streamlined decision-making.

BARC (Business Application Research Center) identifies data silos as a significant barrier to leveraging advanced analytics. For instance, integrating transactional data from SAP systems with external data sources like cloud applications or third-party platforms often requires extensive data engineering efforts. These complexities delay the deployment of AI models and hinder real-time decision-making, leaving organisations unable to respond to market changes swiftly.

To address these challenges, enterprises need a unified data platform that can seamlessly integrate SAP and non-SAP data, offering a single source of truth.

Solutions: Leveraging Qlik and SAP HANA for a Unified Data Platform

Qlik’s Active Intelligence framework and SAP HANA are powerful tools that can help organisations overcome the challenges of fragmented data. By integrating these solutions, businesses can establish a unified data foundation and unlock new possibilities.

Qlik for Seamless Data Integration

Qlik’s data integration tools provide a real-time approach to unifying SAP and non-SAP data. Qlik Replicate and Qlik Compose enable organisations to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data across various systems, including SAP HANA. This ensures that data remains consistent and accessible for analytics and AI applications.

Through Qlik’s Active Intelligence capabilities, enterprises can achieve continuous data delivery, empowering decision-makers with up-to-the-minute insights. For example, Qlik’s integration with SAP S/4HANA enables real-time dashboards that visualise operational metrics, allowing businesses to respond to supply chain disruptions or financial anomalies instantly.

Explore Qlik’s SAP Integration Solutions

SAP HANA for High-Performance Analytics

SAP HANA’s in-memory computing capabilities are designed for high-performance analytics. With its ability to process vast volumes of data in real-time, SAP HANA provides the computational power needed for AI applications like predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, and customer personalisation.

When paired with Qlik’s analytics tools, SAP HANA’s data processing capabilities become even more impactful. For instance, organisations can use Qlik to visualise SAP HANA datasets, creating intuitive dashboards that empower business leaders to explore trends and make informed decisions. This combination allows for the seamless execution of advanced analytics use cases, such as optimising inventory or enhancing customer experiences.

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Driving Advanced Use Cases with Unified Data

A unified data foundation enables organisations to explore advanced analytics and AI use cases, driving greater business value. With Qlik and SAP HANA working in tandem, businesses can achieve the following:

• Predictive Maintenance: By analysing equipment data stored in SAP systems, organisations can predict failures before they occur, reducing downtime and optimising maintenance schedules.
• Customer Personalisation: AI models can leverage unified datasets to offer personalised product recommendations or tailor customer interactions in real-time.
• Operational Efficiency: Organisations can monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) through real-time dashboards, ensuring streamlined operations and faster responses to disruptions.

According to BARC’s findings, organisations that invest in unified data platforms experience better scalability, improved data quality, and reduced operational costs. This underscores the importance of integrating tools like Qlik and SAP HANA into your data strategy to remain competitive in an AI-driven marketplace.

Conclusion

As the business landscape grows more data-driven, unifying SAP and non-SAP data is no longer optional—it’s essential. Leveraging solutions like Qlik and SAP HANA empowers organisations to build a solid data foundation that fuels analytics and AI capabilities, driving innovation and operational excellence. By addressing data fragmentation and enabling real-time insights, businesses can unlock the full potential of their SAP environments, setting the stage for advanced use cases that enhance decision-making and boost ROI.

📖 Read More: Kevin Petrie’s blog on Analytics and AI for SAP Environments: Build a Unified Data Foundation to Drive Advanced Use Cases from BARC.

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