More

    SAP Extends Scope and Reach of HANA via SPS 11 Update

    Slide Show

    7 Characteristics of a Data-Driven Organization

    All the data in the world isn’t going to be of much use if it’s not accessible or simple to manage. To address both those issues, SAP today released a support package stack (SPS) 11 update to the SAP HANA in-memory computing platform. The update adds support for Java and the Node.js variant of JavaScript as well as the ability to apply policies governing how data is moved between memory, disk and ultimately external data storage platforms such as Hadoop.

    SAP also revealed that it has reengineered HANA in a way that makes it possible to scale the application server in SAP HANA SPS11 independently of the underlying database services.

    Lori Vanourek, head of SAP HANA platform management, says SAP is making sure that HANA can play a role in modern microservices architectures that are starting to evolve rapidly across enterprise IT environment. With that goal in mind, SAP wants to make sure that HANA can be invoked not only using any major programming languages, but also allow companies to integrate HANA with open source code management tools such as Git/GitHub and Maven.

    Other new features provided via SPS 11 include access to 70 predictive algorithms that run across live streaming, series and spatial data. These algorithms are designed to adapt and self-improve to facilitate machine learning and process automation. SAP is also adding support for enhanced text analytics, such as the ability to identify relationships among the elements of a sentence and improved language support for text mining algorithms.

    Also available are new spatial features such as clustering and the ability to partition spatial data help accelerate analysis and enrich location intelligence. A reverse coding capability also enables organizations to pinpoint a location’s latitude and longitude and display specific addresses within a given geography.  SAP HANA has also been certified with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OCG), which helps make it easier to exchange data between third-party spatial solutions. SAP also announced today that it intends to deepen support for advanced Esri ArcGIS geospatial capabilities across all HANA applications.

    Via SPS 11 SAP is also adding support for hot stand-by capabilities across multiple data centers to prevent downtime in the event of a system failure, hardened security and unified administration for cloud and on-premise deployments.

    In addition to making HANA more accessible from a technical perspective, SAP is continuing to expand its reach into key vertical markets. SAP today announced SAP Foundation for Health, a data warehouse model of the health care sector, and SAP Medical Research Insights, an application running on top of SAP Foundation for Health that clinical researchers can use to more easily filter and group patients by multiple attributes.

    SAP is clearly trying to maneuver HANA into a position where it will be used as a platform for creating Big Data applications based on modern microservices architectures based on frameworks such as Node.js. The degree to which SAP can successfully accomplish that goal naturally remains to be seen. The paradox is that, while the services that developers are making use of to build those applications are getting more granular, the amount of data that is typically being invoked is now anything but.

    Mike Vizard
    Mike Vizard
    Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a contributor to publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.

    Get the Free Newsletter!

    Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends, and analysis.

    Latest Articles