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SAP Data and Analytics - SAC, BW/4HANA and Datasphere
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAP SAC) puts management reporting and the budget plan on the same cloud model, while the data itself is stored and modeled in SAP BW/4HANA or SAP Datasphere. Which one fits depends on the BW release you run today and on its maintenance dates.
Part of these processes
Process
Data to report and plan in SAP Analytics Cloud
Each step creates an SAP object. Business definitions are built once in a shared layer, and reports and plans both read from it.
- 01Source connectionLive connection · ODP
Data can stay at source
- 02Data modelingaDSO · CompositeProvider
Defined once, reused
- 03Load and monitorRSPC · RSPCM
Load order on closing night
- 04ReportingStory · F1572 · F2814
Multi-source reports in SAC
- 05PlanningVersion · data action
Budget and forecast rounds
- 06Plan write-backAPI_FINANCIALPLANDATA_SRV
Lands in ACDOCP in S/4HANA
Comparison
Three paths after BW 7.x
Your current BW release, its database and the maintenance horizon you need decide the route.
SAP BW/4HANA
On premise or private cloud
- In-place from BW 7.5 on HANA
- Remote conversion from non-HANA 7.3+
- Shell conversion only from BW 7.0x
- No more InfoCubes or MultiProviders
- Maintained until at least 2040
SAP Datasphere
SaaS data layer
- SAP and non-SAP sources together
- Replication or federation
- Formerly SAP Data Warehouse Cloud
- Fresh start where BW is small or absent
SAP Business Data Cloud
Private BW, data products
- BW 7.5 or BW/4HANA lifted to the cloud
- BW objects turned into data products
- Zero-copy sharing from object store
- BW 7.5 support still ends in 2030
Scope
What we do in the data and reporting layer
BW inventory and usage analysis
Which queries are used and which flows are dead; Transfer Cockpit (RSB4HCONV) pre-checks narrow the scope.
BW/4HANA conversion
In-place, remote or shell conversion; InfoCubes and classic DSOs become aDSOs, MultiProviders CompositeProviders.
Datasphere modeling
Spaces, replication flows and analytic models that bring SAP and non-SAP data under one business definition.
Reporting in SAC
Stories on a live S/4HANA connection, while operational KPIs stay in Fiori through Manage KPIs and Reports (F2814).
SAC planning and write-back
Budget, forecast and headcount cost plans; the approved version is written to ACDOCP in S/4HANA.
BPC and BusinessObjects roadmap
Move, complement or add scenarios for BPC; for BusinessObjects, a smaller and cleaner report inventory.
Current state
SAC, BW and S/4HANA: data layer and licensing
- In S/4HANA, part of operational reporting runs at the source through CDS-based embedded analytics. The conversion is a natural moment to bring those reports back and shrink BW scope.
- SAP Note 2500202 lists each BW extractor's status in S/4HANA: working, working with restrictions, not working with an alternative, or with none. Check every ECC flow against it.
- SAP Business Data Cloud (SAP BDC), launched on 13 February 2025, brings SAC, Datasphere and BW together; existing SAC and Datasphere tenants are kept under BDC.
- From 1 January 2026, SAC and Datasphere are off the list for new BTPEA, CPEA and PAYG subscriptions; credits bought earlier last until the agreement ends, and renewals go through BDC.
Localization
What affects reporting in Türkiye
TAS 29 inflation adjustment
KGK requires inflation-adjusted statements from TFRS and BOBİ FRS users for annual periods ending on or after 31.12.2023, so both amounts sit side by side.
KVKK and tenants abroad
With a tenant abroad, personal data in SAC or Datasphere falls under KVKK Article 9, amended from 1 June 2024; the old paragraph 1 also applied until 1 September 2024.
Turkish user interface
Turkish is one of the SAP Analytics Cloud interface languages, in the web client and in the mobile app, so users can open stories with Turkish menus.
From the field
What we see in SAP Analytics Cloud and BW projects
- BW gets converted as is. Unused queries and flows travel along and the test list grows for nothing. Run a usage analysis and the Transfer Cockpit pre-check first, and retire the flows nobody opens.
- One KPI, three tools, three numbers. Net sales is defined separately in Fiori, in a BW query and in an SAC story. Define it once in a single semantic layer, CDS or BW/Datasphere, and let the other tools read it.
- Moving BW 7.5 to the cloud buys no time. BW 7.5 support ends at the end of 2030 in the Business Data Cloud private cloud edition as well. Beyond 2030 the target is BW/4HANA or data products generated from BW objects.
- Planning on Datasphere comes up too late. Keeping plan data in Datasphere needs an SAC tenant on HANA Cloud, in the same data center as Datasphere and paired with it 1:1. That tenant decision belongs at the start of the project.
FAQ
SAP Analytics Cloud and BW: common questions
What is SAP Analytics Cloud used for?
It is SAP's cloud product that combines reporting, planning and predictive analysis. It connects live to S/4HANA without copying data, and approved plans can be written back to S/4HANA. Since February 2025 it is also offered as one of the components of SAP Business Data Cloud.
When does maintenance for SAP BW 7.5 end?
Mainstream maintenance ends at the end of 2027 and extended maintenance at the end of 2030. SAP has said it will maintain BW/4HANA until at least 2040. Moving BW 7.5 into the private cloud edition inside Business Data Cloud does not lift the 2030 limit.
How is SAP Datasphere different from BW/4HANA?
BW/4HANA is an ABAP-based data warehouse that runs only on SAP HANA, on premise or in a private cloud. Datasphere is a SaaS data layer that connects SAP and non-SAP sources through replication or federation. SAP describes Datasphere as the next generation of SAP Data Warehouse Cloud.
We run SAP BPC. Should we move planning to SAC?
SAP describes three scenarios for BPC customers: move planning fully to SAC, use SAC as a live planning front end on top of BPC, or build new functional plans in SAC and integrate them with BPC. The order usually follows the maintenance dates of your BPC release.
Do we still need BW after moving to S/4HANA?
Part of operational reporting moves into S/4HANA embedded analytics. Reports that combine several ERP systems or non-SAP sources, or that need long history, still call for a data warehouse such as BW/4HANA or Datasphere.
What happens to InfoCubes in a BW/4HANA conversion?
BW/4HANA has no InfoCubes, classic DSOs, MultiProviders or InfoSets. The conversion turns InfoCubes and classic DSOs into aDSOs, and MultiProviders and InfoSets into CompositeProviders. BW queries and SAC stories built on them belong on the test list.
Sources12 sourcesSAP Community, SAP Help Portal, SAP Learning +2
SAP Community
- Maintenance strategy for SAP NetWeaver 7.5 fully aligned with SAP Business Suite 7 community.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- SAP Business Data Cloud - FAQs community.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Announcement: SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud Availability via SAP Business Data Cloud community.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Seamless planning integration between SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Datasphere - product FAQ community.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Extend existing planning scenarios of SAP BPC/ BW-IP in SAP BDC community.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
SAP Help Portal
- Conversion Guide for SAP BW/4HANA 2021 help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA 2022 - Initial Shipment, Feature Pack Stack 1 & 2 help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Using SAP Analytics Cloud Export Jobs - Financial Planning and Analysis help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Learn About the Translation Process - SAP Analytics Cloud Help help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
SAP Learning
SAP News Center
Resmî Gazete
Sources checked as of October 2026.
SAP Consulting
Choose your next step after BW
Your current BW release and report inventory are enough to start; the path that fits your dates follows from them.