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The data management landscape has evolved rapidly, leaving enterprise organisations with critical decisions to make about leveraging their data efficiently.
For businesses using SAP, this decision is inevitable. At the end of 2027, mainstream maintenance for SAP’s Business Suite 7 will be discontinued, with many SAP products, such as SAP ECC and SAP Business Warehouse, moving to extended support and eventually reaching end of life.
This impending change is forcing companies to rethink their data strategies. They could continue investing in SAP, which would mean keeping the data within the same familiar systems. The alternative is to move or replicate the data to more flexible environments using modern tools and technologies that offer greater longevity and adaptability.
In this article, we are going to explore the key considerations around SAP data management and the advantages of the modern data stack.
Releasing SAP data into a broader ecosystem
SAP Datasphere is a comprehensive service designed for data integration, cataloguing, semantic modelling, data warehousing, and virtualising workloads across both SAP and non-SAP data. It aims to unlock data traditionally confined within SAP systems.
We know that today data thrives when it can interact within a broader ecosystem, combining diverse datasets and services. This openness is essential for fostering innovation and maximising the value of business data. Unfortunately, using SAP Datasphere in conjunction with other warehouses often requires a layer of data federation, which can add complexity and impact performance.
The case for open platforms
Storing data solely in SAP Datasphere risks locking data within another closed system. While SAP provides data management capabilities, the business realities increasingly value open ecosystems.
Companies of all sizes benefit from a best-of-breed approach. Tools like Fivetran help move data across different platforms, helping companies avoid the pitfalls of being locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem, an approach that simplifies data management and governance on a more flexible platform.
Staying open to stay agile
Open platforms drive innovation and agility, allowing businesses to enhance their data strategies with a variety of tools and services. Outside the SAP system, it becomes easier to adopt a best-of-breed approach, supported by a larger pool of technical expertise. Open platforms also improve integration with multi-cloud solutions, aiding in data sovereignty and regulatory compliance across regions.
Considering how rapidly technology advances, open data platforms provide the flexibility that organisations need in order to integrate new tools as they emerge, helping the business stay competitive and adapt quickly to changing technological and business landscapes.
Data governance and collaboration
Effective data governance and collaboration are crucial for maintaining data quality, ensuring compliance, and fostering innovation. Managing these aspects within a closed system like SAP can be difficult, especially as data becomes more distributed and regulations tighten.
SAP’s data virtualisation and closed nature can complicate governance, making it hard to maintain consistent standards. On the other hand, modern solutions like Fivetran offer better governance tools, such as
- Role-based access controls
- Data cataloguing
- Column hashing/blocking
Helpful tools like Snowflake simplify quality and compliance management, while dbt enhances collaboration with features like version control and documentation, leading to more transparency in the way data is managed.
Ultimately, migrating to an open platform improves data governance and collaboration, supporting better decision-making and innovation.
If you are looking to gain real-time access to SAP ERP data with high-volume data replication, download Fivetran’s guide to SAP data integration.
Accelerating SAP data insights with a modern platform
For modern data teams, the focus has irrevocably shifted from simply managing tables and objects to creating comprehensive data products that deliver valuable insights.
A modern data platform powered by Fivetran, Snowflake and dbt offers cost-effective, flexible solutions that enable businesses to scale efficiently and access modern data capabilities without unnecessary expenses.
As the demand for real-time data processing and analytics grows, the performance limitations of SAP systems, particularly those using data virtualisation, become more apparent. Conversely, modern data technologies are designed for high performance, enabling rapid querying and processing of large datasets to support faster decision-making and greater agility.
Let's sum up
Though SAP has robust capabilities, migrating to open and flexible platforms presents substantial benefits. Tools like Fivetran foster greater innovation, agility and compliance by integrating data into best-of-breed solutions.
As businesses face rising costs and performance challenges, prioritising strategies that promote growth and adaptability is essential for enhancing data capabilities and ensuring long-term success.
If you are looking to gain real-time access to SAP ERP data with high-volume data replication, download Fivetran’s guide to SAP data integration.
Explore Infinite Lambda’s Case Studies to learn from our success stories of implementing Fivetran and helping organisations migrate to the modern data stack to drive business value.
