Modernizing Enterprise Analytics with SAP BW on HANA

THE CHALLENGE

A large manufacturing enterprise’s analytics environment was running on SAP BW 7.3 over DB2, an aging platform with growing performance issues. Reporting was slow, data extractions were inefficient, and the legacy infrastructure limited scalability and modern analytics.

The organization needed a stronger data foundation that could support higher volumes, integrate with tools like Power BI and Qlik, and reduce operational risk. The existing system created performance bottlenecks, maintenance challenges, and limited visibility across data pipelines.

To keep pace with evolving analytics needs and ensure long-term stability, the enterprise required a full upgrade from BW 7.3 to BW 7.5 on SAP HANA, with improved performance, better data modeling, and a modern architecture aligned with SAP best practices.

THE SOLUTION

Cogent delivered a structured, multi-phase SAP BW upgrade and HANA migration. The team refreshed environments, prepared temporary systems for Dev, QA, and Prod, and used SAP’s Software Update Manager with DMO to run the upgrade. Data models were migrated “as is” to minimize disruption, and new integrations like Power BI and updated gateways were connected only to the new HANA system.

Cogent also maintained both BW environments in parallel to protect daily operations. The project included full testing cycles, validation, backup procedures, GRC connectivity, and disaster recovery setup to ensure a stable and resilient final landscape.

KEY CAPABILITIES

• BW Upgrade Execution Capability: Full upgrade from BW 7.3 to BW 7.5 using SUM and DMO.
• HANA Migration & Optimization: Transitioned BW data and models to the HANA platform for improved performance.
• Integration Readiness: Confirmed connectivity with Power BI, Qlik, ECC, GRC, and SQL.
• Parallel System Operation: Ran BW 7.3 and BW 7.5 production systems simultaneously to ensure continuity.
• Disaster Recovery Configuration: Set up HANA Replication Services for data protection.

BUSINESS IMPACT

• Faster Performance: Improved reporting speed and analytics responsiveness.
• Reliable Data Operations: Stronger data integrity through better validation and testing.
• Future Ready Architecture: Scalable BW landscape prepared for modern analytics.
• Lower Operational Burden: Reduced maintenance effort and technical debt by leaving DB2.