SAP HANA offers improved productivity because of its architecture. First off, it is an in-memory database, so data processing takes place on data that is loaded in memory for fast access. Second, SAP HANA typically stores data in column-based tables versus the traditional row-based tables of an RDBMS.
This columnar structure provides faster access because most queries only address certain sets of columns. SAP HANA can directly target only those columns for loading, so you don’t have to load a huge set of data to get specific answers.
SAP HANA’s architecture is optimized for both fast queries and high-speed transactions for either OLAP or OLTP applications. It does this without duplicating or siloing data, so you are always working on the same source data, rather than downloading or offloading it for processing.
IBM Power Systems is supported for Tailored Data Centre Integration (TDI) which gives you the flexibility to use storage and networking of choice and change configurations and have support from SAP – all while achieving lower TCA and TCO. This means that you can use nearly any IBM Power Systems for SAP HANA and reuse storage and networking already on hand.
IBM customers using SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems can expect exceptional processing speed:
- Flexible for changing demands: IBM Power Systems, the first platform to provide a supported environment for virtualized instances of SAP HANA, is capable of running up to 16 SAP HANA production VMs on one system. IBM has this virtualization capability without the restrictions of VMware and with the added benefit of an unprecedented 80 percent system utilization guarantee for enterprise class systems.
- Resilient for continuous availability: Designed for up to 99.999%, Power Systems maximizes SAP HANA availability and provides the ability to pre-emptively migrate applications before failures occur using advanced self-monitoring and predictive failure alerts.
- High-performance to accelerate insights: IBM Power Systems offers a 4X advantage in multi-threading and high-bandwidth memory compared to x86 offers larger environments (up to 64TB), all with fewer cores and outstanding performance.
ISI have considerable expertise with SAP HANA and the level of complexity required to provide the hardware requirements your migration should be built on.
2025 may seem a long way off but migrating to SAP HANA requires considerable changes to not only your hardware, but also the way your databases are configured.
If you’re considering SAP HANA, there is never a better time to speak to ISI to get an understanding of what it can do for your business, what hardware is required for a migration and how it can be achieved simply and effectively.