Aging Architecture
Legacy design patterns and accumulated dependencies make change difficult and risky.
Part of the Concinnity Enterprise Intelligence PlatformSAP Enterprise Data & Analytics › SAP BW Modernization
SAP Enterprise Data & Analytics
SAP BW Modernization Consulting
Modernize SAP BW for the Business Data Cloud Era
Concinnity helps organizations protect years of trusted SAP BW business logic while simplifying architecture, reducing technical debt, improving analytics performance, and preparing for SAP Business Data Cloud, SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, and enterprise AI.
Current SAP BW LandscapeTrusted Logic • Technical Debt • Slow Change • Multiple Reports
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Concinnity BW ModernizationAssess • Simplify • Optimize • Modernize • Validate • Enable
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SAP Business Data Cloud
SAP Datasphere
SAP Analytics Cloud
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Protected Investment • Modern Architecture • Faster Intelligence
Concinnity Point of View
SAP BW contains years of validated business logic, financial calculations, hierarchies, KPIs, and governance. Modernization should preserve this intellectual capital while reducing complexity and enabling a more agile enterprise intelligence architecture.
At a glance
A structured modernization path for existing SAP BW investments
Best forSAP BW, BW on HANA, and BW/4HANA customers planning modernization
Business focusInvestment protection, agility, performance, simplification, and AI readiness
StakeholdersCIO, CFO, SAP Leaders, Enterprise Architects, Data and Analytics Teams
Modernization contextS/4HANA programs, cloud analytics, Business Data Cloud, and Datasphere
Typical outcomesLower complexity, faster reporting, reduced technical debt, modern architecture
Consulting focusAssessment, simplification, optimization, modernization, validation, adoption
Executive questions we help answer
Define a modernization path that protects business continuity
01
Which SAP BW objects and models still deliver meaningful business value?
02
What should we retain, optimize, redesign, modernize, or retire?
03
How can we reduce technical debt without disrupting critical reporting?
04
How should BW modernization align with our S/4HANA transformation?
05
Where should SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Datasphere fit?
06
How do we preserve trusted calculations, hierarchies, and semantic models?
07
How can we improve performance and reduce support effort immediately?
08
How do we prepare the analytics landscape for planning, AI, and enterprise intelligence?
Why organizations modernize SAP BW
Common pressures driving modernization decisions
Increasing Support Cost
Complex models, custom code, and repeated manual effort increase operational overhead.
Slow Analytics Delivery
New reporting requirements take too long because of tightly coupled objects and processes.
Multiple Reporting Platforms
BW, spreadsheets, data marts, and BI tools create inconsistent results and duplicated work.
Complex Data Models
Years of additions can create redundant flows, unused objects, and unclear ownership.
Limited Cloud Readiness
Existing architecture may not support modern data products, cloud analytics, or flexible access.
Limited Real-Time Visibility
Batch-oriented processing can delay insight into rapidly changing operational conditions.
AI Readiness Gaps
Legacy structures may lack the accessibility, semantics, and governance required for AI.
Current-state landscape
Traditional SAP BW environments often accumulate complexity over time
SAP ECC, S/4HANA, and Operational SystemsMultiple extractors, interfaces, files, and custom feeds
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SAP BW LandscapeInfoProviders • Transformations • Custom Logic • Process Chains • Historical Models
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Legacy Reports
Multiple BI Tools
Excel Workarounds
Manual Reconciliation
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Technical Debt • Slow Change • High Support Effort • Inconsistent Experience
Target enterprise architecture
Move toward a modern, governed, and scalable analytics foundation
Enterprise Applications & Data
SAP S/4HANASAP ECCSAP BWCloud ApplicationsNon-SAP SystemsExternal Data
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Modernization & Data Foundation
Landscape SimplificationBusiness Logic PreservationGoverned Data ProductsSemantic ModelsIntegrationQuality & Governance
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Modern SAP Data & Analytics Platform
SAP Business Data CloudSAP DatasphereSAP BW/4HANASAP Analytics CloudMicrosoft Fabric
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Enterprise Intelligence
Executive DashboardsOperational AnalyticsEnterprise PlanningPredictive InsightAI-Enabled Decisions
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Business Outcomes
Protected InvestmentFaster AnalyticsLower ComplexityCloud ReadinessAI Readiness
Modernization strategies
Choose the path that fits your business priorities and risk tolerance
01
Optimize Existing SAP BW
Improve performance, simplify models, remove unused content, and strengthen operations.
Best for:Organizations needing immediate value while longer-term plans are developed.02
Modernize to SAP BW/4HANA
Adopt a simplified, HANA-optimized BW architecture while retaining BW-centered capabilities.
Best for:Organizations that continue to rely on BW as a strategic enterprise warehouse.03
Modernize with SAP Business Data Cloud
Use a cloud-oriented SAP data and analytics strategy to support data products, analytics, planning, and AI.
Best for:Organizations pursuing a broader SAP cloud and enterprise intelligence roadmap.04
Hybrid Modernization
Modernize in phases, combining optimization, coexistence, selective redesign, and cloud adoption.
Best for:Enterprises balancing transformation goals with business continuity and risk.Modernization decision framework
Evaluate business value, complexity, and future-state relevance
01Business CriticalityDoes the object or model support a critical decision or process?
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02Usage & AdoptionIs it actively used, trusted, and supported by business owners?
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03Technical ComplexityHow much custom logic, dependency, and maintenance does it require?
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04Future-State FitShould it remain in BW, move to a modern platform, or be redesigned?
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05Modernization ActionRetain • Optimize • Redesign • Modernize • Replace • Retire
BW modernization readiness assessment
Is your SAP BW landscape ready for modernization?
✓
BW loads, reports, or process chains are taking longer than expected.
✓
Multiple reporting platforms are producing inconsistent KPIs and results.
✓
Analytics delivery is too slow for current business expectations.
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Technical debt and custom logic are increasing support effort and risk.
✓
We are planning or executing an S/4HANA transformation.
✓
We are evaluating SAP Business Data Cloud or SAP Datasphere.
✓
Trusted business logic is difficult to understand, maintain, or transfer.
✓
We want to enable modern analytics, planning, predictive insight, or AI.
Several items apply?
A structured SAP BW assessment can identify immediate optimization opportunities, modernization options, risks, sequencing, architecture, and business value.
Concinnity modernization methodology
A six-phase journey that protects value while enabling change
01
Assess
Inventory the landscape, usage, performance, business criticality, dependencies, and risks.
Output: modernization assessment02
Simplify
Identify unused objects, redundant flows, duplicate logic, and unnecessary complexity.
Output: simplification backlog03
Optimize
Improve performance, operations, process chains, data loads, reporting, and supportability.
Output: immediate performance gains04
Modernize
Redesign selected models and move priority capabilities toward the target architecture.
Output: modernized data and analytics capabilities05
Validate
Verify business logic, reconciliations, controls, performance, security, and continuity.
Output: trusted transition06
Enable & Improve
Drive adoption, governance, support, optimization, decommissioning, and future use cases.
Output: sustainable modernizationCore consulting services
Modernize SAP BW across strategy, architecture, delivery, and operations
SAP BW Health Assessment
Evaluate performance, usage, complexity, technical debt, risk, and modernization readiness.
Landscape Simplification
Identify redundant objects, unused models, duplicate flows, and retirement opportunities.
Performance Optimization
Improve data loads, process chains, queries, models, operations, and supportability.
BW/4HANA Modernization
Plan and implement a simplified, HANA-optimized enterprise data warehouse architecture.
Business Data Cloud Enablement
Align BW modernization with SAP Business Data Cloud, data products, analytics, planning, and AI.
SAP Datasphere Integration
Connect BW and enterprise data to contextual models, governed data products, and cloud consumption.
SAP Analytics Cloud Enablement
Modernize dashboards, enterprise reporting, planning, forecasting, and executive analytics.
Governance & Managed Services
Strengthen ownership, standards, quality, security, support, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
Business value
Protect trusted SAP investments while enabling future innovation
Investment
Preserve Trusted Business Logic
Protect valuable calculations, hierarchies, models, controls, and institutional knowledge.
Efficiency
Reduce Technical Debt
Simplify the landscape, improve performance, and lower support and maintenance effort.
Agility
Accelerate Analytics Delivery
Enable faster modeling, reporting, planning, and access to trusted enterprise data.
Future Readiness
Prepare for Cloud and AI
Create a modern foundation for Business Data Cloud, Datasphere, analytics, planning, and AI.
Typical modernization journey
Move in phases while maintaining business continuity
01Current SAP BWTrusted logic, technical debt, operational dependencies
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02AssessmentLandscape, usage, performance, risk, and business criticality
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03OptimizationImmediate simplification, performance, and operational improvements
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04ModernizationSelective redesign, migration, coexistence, and cloud enablement
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05Modern Data PlatformBusiness Data Cloud, Datasphere, BW/4HANA, Analytics Cloud
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06Enterprise IntelligenceAnalytics, planning, prediction, AI, and business performance
Technology ecosystem
Modernization across SAP BW, S/4HANA, cloud data, analytics, and AI
Existing SAP Landscape
SAP BWBW on HANASAP BW/4HANASAP ECCSAP S/4HANAModern SAP Data Platform
SAP Business Data CloudSAP DatasphereSAP HANA CloudGoverned Data ProductsSemantic ModelsAnalytics & Planning
SAP Analytics CloudExecutive DashboardsEnterprise PlanningPredictive AnalyticsOperational AnalyticsHybrid & AI Ecosystem
Microsoft FabricPower BICloud PlatformsMachine LearningGenerative AIIllustrative engagement
Simplifying a complex SAP BW landscape while preparing for cloud analytics
Global SAP Enterprise
Protecting trusted reporting logic while modernizing the enterprise analytics foundation
Challenge
The organization relied on a complex BW estate with redundant models, slow change cycles, aging reports, and increasing support effort.
Approach
Assessed usage and criticality, simplified the landscape, optimized performance, defined modernization paths, and aligned priority domains to Datasphere, Analytics Cloud, and Business Data Cloud.
Business Impact
Reduced complexity, faster reporting, lower support effort, preserved trusted logic, improved governance, and a phased roadmap toward enterprise intelligence.
Industry applications
Modernize SAP BW across your operating environment
Related solutions
Connect SAP BW modernization to your future-state architecture
SAP BW Modernization Assessment
Ready to modernize your SAP BW landscape?
Concinnity can help assess your current BW environment, protect trusted business logic, identify immediate improvements, and define a practical modernization roadmap.
Schedule a BW Modernization Assessment