We are using on-premises, but I have also done some research in the last six months trying to go towards the cloud. We want to upgrade it because we also did the same thing with another company we are working with which is using the Sage X3 Cloud. We started with Sage Evolution, but now we are also moving to Save X3 Cloud.
ICT Consultant at Spring Training & Consulting
We can get more tenders because of the lower cost while providing a better product or service
Pros and Cons
- "The most value for us was in terms of using it to issue tenders online. We host our server, but it is open to the public, so clients who want to buy those tenders were able to go online, put their tender documents up, and we could evaluate them using SAP."
- "The interface is a little bit hard to customize. You almost have to consult the SAP original developer to change it."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
It helped us because some of the people who are busy supporting us are not local. We opened SAP HANA more for the management. We even got some tenders that we were able to submit documents online and sending it to our servers. The key value is that we can get more tenders because of the lower cost while giving a better product or service. This is possible only because of our use of SAP HANA.
What is most valuable?
The most value for us was in terms of using it to issue tenders online. We host our server, but it is open to the public, so clients who want to buy those tenders were able to go online, put their tender documents up, and we could evaluate them using SAP. We were basically able to do pre-qualifications using SAP. After that, we could send notifications to people who qualified and go through the non-qualified people using SAP. That feature is very effective in terms of supplier relationship management. We can issue tenders and people put their big documents through SAP HANA, which helps with communication and gives them notifications.
What needs improvement?
One is the menu. There is a part of the menu where the button should be "reject." The interface is a little bit hard to customize. You almost have to consult the SAP original developer to change it. Now we have to consult SAP just to do some interface changes. You expect it to be easy to get into the menu, but you can't. Instead of changing the console you wanted to reject it, for example, if a tender that does not meet a specific qualification. Basically, the customization of the interface needs to be more friendly.
I think we are also going towards mobile technology, so I would like to see the integration of a mobile app.
Buyer's Guide
SAP HANA
January 2025
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Learn what your peers think about SAP HANA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using SAP HANA for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's quite stable. There haven't been many cases of bugs, crashing, or freezing. It has been quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good, in terms of meeting our needs.
How are customer service and support?
I think technical support is okay. They should be more focused on updating the knowledge transfer for people who have experience with SAP in general but need to transition their knowledge to the local client. This part is a little bit challenging.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used another solution, but it was more of a client-oriented system, where you get developers to make and customize them for you. It's more local or in-house than regular IT systems. When you only have one company developer to make some products for you and he is the only one who can support you, it's a little bit of a challenge. With SAP HANA, if you get stuck somewhere you can call any other SAP HANA partner.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy for us to set up, because we had that QA code, in terms of the system analysis and system requirements. Once we got the system requirements, we were able to connect to the hardware and software. We could make sure before we did the implementation that we had the right environment.
What other advice do I have?
The main lesson is the importance of ERP capability, stability, and speed. The other lesson is about knowledge transfer because that is how you learn.
At the end of the day, I like it because it's one of the affordable ERP systems. I would rate is as eight of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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SAP Service Delivery Manager at SoftwareONE
Feature-rich with excellent performance and capable of integrating with most applications
Pros and Cons
- "A very feature-rich solution with excellent performance."
- "This is an expensive solution."
What is our primary use case?
This is an in-memory database. It's designed to leverage the use of new generation, multi-threaded CPU architecture. We are service providers.
What is most valuable?
This is a very feature-rich solution with excellent performance. It's capable of integrating with most applications on the market. The stand-out feature of SAP HANA is that all data resides in memory. Processing is significantly faster, and the need and size of databases drop because there is no need to create and maintain tables that hold historical data.
What needs improvement?
As with all electrical products, this is an expensive solution and we'd like to see licensing costs reduced.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very knowledgeable and provide good service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup doesn't take more than a few hours. The on-premise version can be installed on public cloud and SAP now have their own version on private cloud. Installation is just a matter of preparing the operating system that has certain prerequisites, patches, and networking requirements that need to fill parameters.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The hardware to run a HANA database requires extremely big servers, makes this an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
There aren't many options available and this is a good product. I rate SAP HANA eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
SAP HANA
January 2025
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Learn what your peers think about SAP HANA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Assistant Manager I.T. SAP HCM at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good, satisfactory, and very customizable product
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features I have found are speed, dashboard, and reporting."
- "There are a few areas wherein there could be a patch upgrade, and that can cover up the country-specific payroll areas."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for the database and the network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features I have found are speed, dashboard, and reporting.
What needs improvement?
There are a few areas wherein there could be a patch upgrade, and that can cover up the country-specific payroll areas.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SAP HANA for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is amazing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There is a high level of scalability. We currently have around three hundred and thirty licenses.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is excellent. There has never been a case where I was not given an answer.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very difficult and not easy.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment took two months to implement.
What was our ROI?
It is a good, satisfactory, and very customizable product. There has not been a situation where I have not been able to provide a solution to the customer. I think it is the best product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is relatively high for both customers and partners.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend SAP HANA and would give it a ten on a scale of one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
SAP Solution Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
An advanced database tool that is easy to install and straightforward to use, but lacks tools to aid legacy data migration
Pros and Cons
- "We appreciate that the current, redesigned version of this solution that is much more straightforward for new users, and has been well thought out with industry best practice standards in mind."
- "While new users to this solution have the benefit of the new design, existing ERP users may experience issues with migrating legacy data. We would like to see development of ready-made tools that allow for easy mapping when upgrading."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is an advanced, analytical database, which supports in-memory computing.
What is most valuable?
We appreciate that the current, redesigned version of this solution that is much more straightforward for new users, and has been well thought out with industry best practice standards in mind.
What needs improvement?
While new users to this solution have the benefit of the new design, existing ERP users may experience issues with migrating legacy data. We would like to see development of ready-made tools that allow for easy mapping when upgrading.
There is an issue with the programming language that has been introduced in the latest updates to the product, as it does not match the language originally used to develop the solution. We would like to have development tools included as a feature of the solution to help with this.
Also, this product has seen a large amount of new features added over the last few versions, and we would like the focus to be on improving those before more functionality is added.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution in our experience. However, current ECC users may experience issues with performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The cloud-based versions of this solution is auto-scalable, which is easy to initiate.
How are customer service and support?
We have found that the support for this solution is a little inconsistent, particularly with the regular introduction of new functionality, which doesn't allow the technical teams time to become fully acquainted with the tools they need to support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for this solution is straightforward as it is all automated. The setup is also easy, except for issues with migrating legacy data.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner / Reseller
Architect at Ernst & Young
Excellent in-memory database that boosts performance
Pros and Cons
- "The in-memory database is excellent."
- "The product lacks some flexibility in its settings and configurations."
What is our primary use case?
I have customers who work with SAP, and I carried out performance research for them, comparing the different parameters of SAP HANA. The solution is generally used for data warehousing.
What is most valuable?
I think the in-memory database is excellent as it boosts performance.
What needs improvement?
The product lacks some flexibility in its settings and configurations.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is quite scalable.
How was the initial setup?
I don't think the initial setup is too complex. Obviously it's not easy because SAP HANA is a complex system, so it's somewhere in the middle.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are quite expensive for the Ukraine but there is a range of different purchasing models so it's flexible in that sense. For a small enterprise, the costs might seem unreasonably high.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Technical Department Manager at Direcbusiness Technologies, Inc.
Fast performance with good dashboards and analytics, but the documentation needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "What I like most are the dashboards and pervasive analytics."
- "The documentation can be improved in the future."
What is our primary use case?
We have an ongoing cloud installation but mostly, we implement on-premises.
We use this solution for SAP Business One.
It's used mainly for analytic purposes, reporting, and the processing of large data.
What is most valuable?
What I like most are the dashboards and pervasive analytics. Those are the most useful to us.
What needs improvement?
The documentation can be improved in the future.
In the next release, I would like to see integration with smart devices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been implementing SAP Hana for six years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SAP HANA is scalable.
We are project-based. In each project, there are anywhere from 30 to 50 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not really received any technical support from SAP HANA.
I think that's also one thing that maybe SAP would be most helpful, especially if we encounter several errors during installation. We don't get to have many references or we don't get to ask the technical guys of SAP HANA.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we were using MySQL, but due to the fast performance of SAP HANA, we switched approximately three years ago.
How was the initial setup?
In the newer versions, the initial setup is mostly straightforward. However, the older version was more complex. We had several issues with installing.
The installation usually takes approximately four hours.
There are two admins at the most to maintain this solution.
What other advice do I have?
We definitely plan to keep implementing this product in the future and I can recommend it.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Account Executive at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Eases management of databases; rock solid with great functionality
Pros and Cons
- "Eases management of databases."
- "The user interface and CRM need to be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for our CRM, and for our ERP, inventory, and supply chain management. It's basically used to run the majority of the company. We are customers of SAP HANA and I'm an account executive.
What is most valuable?
SAP is great for what it does. There are likely better solutions out there but I'm not aware of them. It's a solution for big companies and in that sense it makes management of the databases much easier for higher-level people to know what's going on.
What needs improvement?
The user interface and CRM need to be more user-friendly, it's abnormally painful. I'm a frontline user of the CRM, and it requires lots of clicks that are unnecessary. Less is more on the internet and quite often I'm clicking five, six, seven times to get where I need, and that's not effective. When an item in a certain category is not done properly, it can either lock up a system or not complete the process. We see it on a daily basis and we have to figure out a workaround to solve it. It's a technical issue that SAP's had since the beginning, and it hasn't yet been solved. With SAP everything has to be categorized. If it's not, it causes system issues and then you have to decipher the issue to try and undo it. It's an algorithm argument flaw. In the near future, I'd like to see better user interfaces and better connectors between modules.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for about eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is rock stable now. We have an SAP team and five or six people fixing day-to-day issues with up to 30 people working on it all the time. There is an additional team that implements new functionalities.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It can scale infinitely. We have 12,000 users internationally and we use the product extensively.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Salesforce and I don't like it. It runs like a 1980s webpage in the current era.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was painful and required a lot of work. Systems would go down all the time because there were initial errors with the SAP system. but once it was up and stabilized, things were good. It still has flaws but it's a good solution as a whole. They've implemented extra modules from SAP. If you don't implement it properly you'll feel the pain. It probably took around six months to solve all the issues because SAP is so big and so integrated and so integral, it can take a while to fix the problems. You can limp along until things are solved and find workarounds, but it takes a lot of effort. SAP helped us with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SAP is expensive but it's a good solution for what it does. You're going to get a $20 answer, for a $20 product. For all the functionality it offers, the cost is worth it.
What other advice do I have?
It's important to plan and then plan again before implementing. If you don't plan properly, you will fail. The solution requires planning the implementation, making sure your company is the right size for the product. If you're an SMB, this might not be the right product for you. It might cost you more than you think. If you're enterprise size, you should look at getting into SAP, because it is the right solution. It's a solid product despite some minor issues - if SAP were to fix them it would raise the level of the solution.
As a user, I rate the solution eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Group General Manager-ICT at a consumer goods company with 501-1,000 employees
Unmatched performance, good security, and good traceability for audits
Pros and Cons
- "The performance in terms of processing time is unmatched due to the in-memory processing capability."
- "The product is very demanding on memory requirements."
What is our primary use case?
We use SAP HANA as our primary database for our enterprise business. The product is centrally hosted where all our business departments access the product through its sister product SAP ERP.
The product hosts data for the deployed modules namely, Finance and Control (FICO), Materials Management (MM), Plant Maintenance (PM), Production Planning (PP), Quality Management (QM), Human Capital Management (HCM), and Sales and Distribution (SD).
It also hosts the business warehouse (BW)/BI environment.
How has it helped my organization?
The performance in terms of processing time is unmatched due to the in-memory processing capability.
The administration of the many records that were previously distributed in different systems into a central location has been made easier. All that information has been availed central from multi-locations without the requirement for manipulation using worksheets, as was the case before.
The database is also running our business warehouse and business intelligence environment, where insightful reports are generated for business management.
What is most valuable?
Security and performance are the two most valuable features. Our processing time came down to less than two hours from more than ten hours in the legacy system. We use the product to process our small-scale grower payments at the end of the month and whose daily tea deliveries records are in hundreds of thousands.
The audit trails in the HANA product are so robust that one can trace back to the tiny details of what happened at a particular time, who did it, and the time it was done. This makes auditing of both the transactions and performance of the product possible.
What needs improvement?
The product is very demanding on memory requirements. This is a result of it being an in-memory processing product. The choice of the hardware must be done carefully because when subject to other hardware, it gets slow and just crawls. Memory on the other hand is not cheap because you have to buy it from a third-party.
The cost of the database is not cheap either, as you have to pay for the runtime for any licenses that you purchase, and that comes each year. Now that is punitive with increasing license requirement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SAP HANA for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SAP HANA is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer service is excellent, whereas the technical support is not among the best but we managed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used another solution before this one and we switched due to data growth and the need for predictive management.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex.
What about the implementation team?
SAP itself assisted us with deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Setup and licensing require planning and proper budgeting, as it is not cheap.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated products by Microsoft and Oracle.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: January 2025
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