SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BW/4HANA

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
SAP Analytics Cloud
Score 8.2 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 8.2 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 DetailsA 30-day trial with SAP Analytics Cloud is available, supporting analytics enterprise-wide. A trial can be extended up to 90 days on request.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Considered Both Products
SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
As a tool it is good but lacks the maturity of BPC from calculation power, flexibility and overall large volume data handling capability.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
It's tightly integrated with these two technologies and we can directly integrate those in SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
We selected SAP Analytics Cloud for its streamlined integration with the SAP ecosystem.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Because the connectivity is natural and is easy to work and develop everything behind the same brand. Also is easy to have all the data under control on this software and easily consume in SAP Analytics Cloud Review. As I said, great advantage of using sap that means all are …
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.
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
309 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports7.6259 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.3301 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.8277 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
315 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis8.1306 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.6302 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.1229 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.4292 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.7
296 Ratings
6% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Publish to Web7.9253 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.0283 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Versioning7.8244 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling7.7239 Ratings00 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers7.033 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
303 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.0289 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.8278 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.8278 Ratings00 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.572 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.2
311 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
8.8
1 Ratings
0% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.2285 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.0294 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.0286 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control8.299 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.5291 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
7.5
262 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.5251 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.0221 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.2247 Ratings00 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.3
40 Ratings
5% below category average
SAP BW/4HANA
-
Ratings
REST API7.235 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API7.132 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames7.327 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API7.327 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)7.733 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)7.028 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
12% 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
22% 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
26% 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
Yellowfin
Yellowfin
Score 8.8 out of 10
Google BigQuery
Google BigQuery
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub
Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Kyvos Semantic Layer
Kyvos Semantic Layer
Score 9.5 out of 10
Oracle Exadata
Oracle Exadata
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SAP Analytics CloudSAP BW/4HANA
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(326 ratings)
8.0
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.6
(14 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(252 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(70 ratings)
9.7
(7 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.9
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(1 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
We are planning to review the licensing as we have issues with SAC dealing with huge datasets. Analytics area is good for import models but when we have live connections in place that's when we have issue with SAC dealing with huge datasets in live be it BW or be it HANA models in the backend.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Usability
SAP
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate 8 SAP Analytics Cloud's overall usability as a 7. SAC has a clean, modern user interface with drag-and-drop features. It is an integrated platform that combines reporting, planning, and predictive analytics in one tool. It has Real-time connectivity with SAP data sources like S/4HANA.


Self-service analytics capabilities allow non-technical users to build simple dashboards.
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
Reliability and Availability
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Performance
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud’s performance an 8 out of 10. Pages generally load quickly, and reports run within a reasonable time frame, even with complex datasets. Integration with other systems is smooth and doesn’t noticeably affect performance. Overall, it’s a responsive and efficient tool for business analytics. But
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
In-Person Training
SAP
Good videos and reference material available in SAP Portal.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Online Training
SAP
it's ok
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 Analytics Cloud vs. Microsoft Power BI:Cost: Power BI is often perceived as a cost-effective solution, especially for organizations already using Microsoft products. SAP Analytics Cloud might be seen as a higher-cost option.Integration: SAP Analytics Cloud may have an edge in integration with SAP systems, while Power BI is known for its broad integration capabilities, including seamless integration with other Microsoft tools.Usability: Power BI is often praised for its user-friendly interface and quick adoption, while SAP Analytics Cloud may be seen as offering more advanced features.
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
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
SAP
unit pricing
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Scalability
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
SAP
very simple
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
SAP
  • Many manual data manipulations and exports in Excel have been replaced by the tool, providing management with improved insight into the amount of time spent at each stage of an invoice's lifetime, allowing bottlenecks to be discovered.
  • We now have more insight into the data, and people with little technical experience can easily build stories.
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.