A new era of data integration and use with the SAP Business Data Cloud

The recently introduced SAP Business Data Cloud is a fully managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution which integrates all business data fdata from all areas of a business and combines them in a standardized, semantically comprehensive data platform. It then becomes the central basis for all business-critical data, and acts as an important cornerstone for SAP Business AI.

The key new features

Databricks
The integration of Databricks opens the doors for possibility of unstructured data as well as advanced data science approaches and machine learning – definitely a step forward.

Joule
Joule promises to offer business-relevant AI, natural language insights, and automation that support intelligent decisions in real-time. 

Insight Apps
The platform will provide ready-to-run Insight Apps based on pre-built, proven data models, delivering actionable insights to businesses immediately. 

Databricks: the Key to Success

My Highlight: The integration of Databricks as an ML/AI platform is a key strategic step for SAP. US software company Databricks offers cloud-based solutions to build and manage enterprise data using machine learning and AI models. It provides customers with a complete solution for all data and analytics use cases and could be the key to the success of the Business Data Cloud. 

My Opinion

Despite these promising enhancements, it remains to be seen whether the SAP Business Data Cloud can deliver on its promises in practice. Only with its broad availability in April will we see how well the solution functions and whether it provides the expected flexibility and scalability. Although some channels like LinkedIn seem to already have initial insights into projects with the SAP Business Data Cloud, it is wise to wait and see what the new solution truly delivers in real-world tests. Less hype, more realism. 

Therefore, we are eagerly looking forward to April and will put the SAP Business Data Cloud to the test from that day on. Then we will see how well the new solution can be used for our customers’ purposes.

In addition to the functional features, the licensing model will also be crucial for determining how the SAP Business Data Cloud will perform. Unfortunately, there is still no clear information on this. Particularly the Insight Apps, which are expected to be licensed individually, might face a challenging market test. However, if they deliver the promised value, they could overcome this challenge.