SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BW/4HANA

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
SAP Analytics Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
The SAP Analytics Cloud solution brings together analytics and planning with integration to SAP applications and access to heterogenous data sources. As the analytics and planning solution within SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud supports trusted insights and integrated planning processes enterprise-wide to help make decisions without doubt.
$36
per month per user
SAP BW/4HANA
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
SAP BW/4HANA is a next-generation data warehouse solution. It is specifically designed to use the advanced in-memory capabilities of the SAP HANA platform. For example, SAP BW/HANA can integrate many different data sources to provide a single, logical view of all the data. This could include data contained in SAP and non-SAP applications running on-premise or in the cloud, and data lakes, such as those contained in the Apache Hadoop open-source software framework. With SAP BW/4HANA,…N/A
Pricing
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Editions & Modules
SAP Analytics Cloud for Business Intelligence
$36.00
per month per user
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning
Price upon request
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsGet started on your 30-day trial with SAP Analytics Cloud, supporting analytics enterprise-wide. Extend it up to 90 days if you want to.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Considered Both Products
SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
We have both. We use SAC more for SAP aaplications like: S/4HANA & BW/4HANA, We use Power BI for snowflake, datalake.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
1. Commenting is better than BPC
2. Driver-based planning is better than Oracle EPM
3. Top-down and Bottom-up planning is better than both BPC as well as Oracle EPM
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC is a single platform for planning , collaborating and visualisation which other reporting tools do not provide
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud is the product from SAP itself where most of the companies are well integrated with SAP S4 HANA, SAP BW, and SAP BW4HANA so this reporting tool helps us with the best integration and for faster reporting performance instead of other versions and also it is …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
It's on par or more when it comes to [connecting] to sap source systems. It has an edge in terms of FP&A processes.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
As it has been released as a Beta version in the past days, I have not the chance to evaluate them together. Both products look pretty similar. I would like to use it more to see what are the main differences.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
We are currently using Power BI primarily, and are using SAC primarily for planning at this point. Would be interested to explore more of the predictive and augmented analytics capabilities of SAC.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
We use all these products to offer our clients a comprehensive analytics platform, integrating all of them in a single packaged solution.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC is better at performance when the data source is bigger and the volume of data is high. That is thanks to live connectivity. SAC is offering a planning version and more functionalities. SAC is offering a lot more business content in the library.
SAP BW/4HANA
Chose SAP BW/4HANA
SAP Analytics Cloud is complemented by SAP BW/4 HANA through connectors that work in real-time and allow the display of indicator information in interactive and user-friendly visualizations.
SAP Data Services integrates with BW/4 HANA allowing to automate the loading of …
Chose SAP BW/4HANA
They all have different uses. BW/4HANA is mainly a HANA based data warehouse.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
247 Ratings
1% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports7.8204 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.1242 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.9220 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
257 Ratings
5% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis8.0248 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.9245 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.8190 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.9235 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
242 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Publish to Web8.1208 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2233 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Versioning8.1202 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling7.9194 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
250 Ratings
3% above category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.8239 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.8232 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.9236 Ratings00 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.834 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.2
256 Ratings
6% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
8.8
1 Ratings
2% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.1235 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.1242 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.0233 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control8.145 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.6236 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Location-Based Data Governance00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
219 Ratings
0% above category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.9208 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.8180 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.0203 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
274 Ratings
6% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Long-term financial planning7.6233 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial budgeting7.8239 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting7.9246 Ratings00 Ratings
Scenario modeling7.5237 Ratings00 Ratings
Management reporting8.3265 Ratings00 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.6
229 Ratings
5% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Financial data consolidation7.4183 Ratings00 Ratings
Journal entries and reports7.7173 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency management7.5188 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations7.4143 Ratings00 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.5129 Ratings00 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.0180 Ratings00 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails7.6170 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
254 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Financial Statement Reporting7.9213 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Reporting8.3244 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting8.0225 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.1203 Ratings00 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing7.6114 Ratings00 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.2
277 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Personalized dashboards8.2270 Ratings00 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards8.1255 Ratings00 Ratings
KPIs8.3261 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.3243 Ratings00 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.3246 Ratings00 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.6206 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.6
258 Ratings
9% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Flat file integration7.7244 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel data integration7.9247 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.1226 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Modeling
Comparison of Data Modeling features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
SAP BW/4HANA
7.0
1 Ratings
13% below category average
Data model creation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Data Exploration
Comparison of Data Exploration features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
SAP BW/4HANA
4.0
1 Ratings
30% below category average
Visualization00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Data Warehouse
Comparison of Data Warehouse features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
SAP BW/4HANA
6.0
1 Ratings
18% below category average
High-Volume Data Processing00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Data Warehouse Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Administrative Automation00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Self-Optimization00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.3 out of 10
Google BigQuery
Google BigQuery
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub
Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
Oracle Exadata
Oracle Exadata
Score 8.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(298 ratings)
8.0
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.4
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(219 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.3
(75 ratings)
9.7
(7 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.9
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Likelihood to Recommend
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud is great for big companies that want advanced data analysis and planning, especially when they need to work together in real-time or when people need to access data on their phones. It's like a super tool for predicting future trends in industries like retail or finance. SAC also works well for companies that use different types of computer systems because it can easily connect them. But, for small businesses that only need basic reports or don't have a lot of technical resources, a simpler tool might be better. If a company doesn't always have a good internet connection or if they're just starting with analytics, there might be other tools that work better.
Read full review
SAP
Some scenarios where SAP BW/4HANA is well suited are retail industry, supply chain, finance, warehouse, stocking processes, BI, [and] some finance analytics reporting. Some scenarios where SAP BW/4HANA is less appropriate [is when] relational queries are needed [and] in some small business with infrastructure limitations. Another scenario that is less appropriate is for ABAP processes requirements.
Read full review
Pros
SAP
  • It makes it easier yo analyse order and related records easily.
  • We can easily maintain and track the performance of employees in organisation.
  • Can easily track various aspects for the growth of an organisation thus allowing real time analysis and tracking of organisation's growth and performance.
Read full review
SAP
  • High speed data warehouse regardless of data volumes.
  • Excellent integration with SAP systems and Data sets.
  • Simplified data modelling due to columnar data base.
Read full review
Cons
SAP
  • Complexity in Data Modeling
  • SAC supports various data sources, but improvements in the ease of connecting to and integrating with certain data repositories, especially non-SAP databases, would enhance the platform's versatility and integration capabilities.
  • An offline mode for SAC could be valuable for users who need to access and analyze data without an internet connection. Additionally, optimizing performance for large datasets and complex visualizations would contribute to a smoother user experience.
Read full review
SAP
  • Enterprise license pricing is very expensive and run-time license limits the usefulness of the tool.
  • Integration with SAP Analytics cloud for write-back to BW/4HANA. Live connection is only read from SAC.
  • Make run-time licenses more useful.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
SAP
There’s no doubt I will renew SAP Analytics Cloud. It is the most vital tool in our organization that makes it seamless to make rapid business decisions by collecting, modeling and visualizing data in real-time.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Usability
SAP
Considering the feedback and improvements made over time, users often rate SAP Analytics Cloud's usability in the range of 7 to 9 out of 10. Positive aspects include its integration capabilities, collaborative features, and the ability to create visually appealing dashboards. Some users, however, may note a learning curve or desire additional customization options.
Read full review
SAP
SAP BW/4HANA requires specialized skillsets around data warehouse modeling and the access to data, however the modeling capabilities are intuitive and have now become accessible to both SAP and non-SAP data warehouse specialists. This new model allows for Interchangeable skillsets and access to a broader pool of experts throughout the industry, as well as easier access to data.
Read full review
Support Rating
SAP
Since the implementation stage, the support team has been very helpful and assisting. Even in the later stages, the tech team had quite a rapid response. In general, SAP has provided us with great customer support, let it be for a specific product of SAP or for integration of different modules.
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SAP
SAP Max Attention and general support for SAP BW/4HANA is broadly available. Truth to be told, MaxAttention has a premium cost but brings great engineers. So this being an enterprise capability and extremely critical, we did not consider cost as the main factor since support works well. Just keep that in mind when making your selection.
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In-Person Training
SAP
Good videos and reference material available in SAP Portal.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
SAP
SAC is a simple solution ad it works fine when connecting it to other SAP tools. On the other hand, connecting it to third party solutions brings difficulties when there's no previous design and the objetives are not clear. It is really important to integrate Business users from the start to provide with valuable business insights
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
SAP
SAP is a product/solution that contains extra capabilities that might be considered an enhancement; SAP Analytics Cloud models are based on a huge data collection, and numerous models can be integrated. When coupled with different SAP systems, Analytics Cloud has a common dataset architecture; this software also includes improved analytics capabilities.
Read full review
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud is complemented by SAP BW/4 HANA through connectors that work in real-time and allow the display of indicator information in interactive and user-friendly visualizations. SAP Data Services integrates with BW/4 HANA allowing to automate the loading of information in the system taking as a data source a wide variety of platforms.
Read full review
Return on Investment
SAP
  • In general, SAC is a comprehensive analytics platform that offers a range of capabilities for data visualization, reporting, planning, and predictive analytics. It is particularly well-suited for businesses that use SAP systems and are looking to gain insight into their data in a single, integrated platform.
Read full review
SAP
  • Faster turn-around to enhancements
  • End users can query structures that are not limited to multi-dimensional models.
  • Performance improvements means that business user can do more in the same time compared to traditional BW
Read full review
ScreenShots

SAP BW/4HANA Screenshots

Screenshot of Next generation data warehousing with SAP BW/4HANA.Screenshot of SAP BW/4HANA user cockpit.Screenshot of Geolocation analytics in SAP BW/4HANA.Screenshot of Data modeling in SAP BW/4HANA.Screenshot of Modern user experience in SAP BW/4HANA.Screenshot of Monitor the performance of your business in real-time with SAP BW/4HANA.