Let's look at the core innovations of SAP Business Data Cloud (SAP BDC) and how it supports our customers in transforming their business.
One solution for all data and analytics requirements, diverse audiences & use cases
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) is a Software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution equipped with data and analytics services needed in a modern world. Together with SAP Business Technology Platform providing foundational services, SAP BDC combines strategic solutions such as SAP Datasphere, and SAP Analytics Cloud and their capabilities in one single solution.
What makes SAP Business Data Cloud so powerful, is that it offers the tools and technologies to meet all data and analytics requirements of a modern and agile organization.
It uses the latest technology to support scenarios such as:
- Out-of-the-box reporting
- Machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Advanced data modeling and data warehousing
- Powerful planning and reporting
- Intelligent data management
SAP BDC combines powerful data warehousing features — such as data integration, data modeling, and AI/ML-driven model extensions — with innovative, ready-to-use reporting capabilities. This comprehensive functionality addresses the full spectrum of modern data and analytics needs, making it ideal for diverse target audiences with varying requirements.
End-to-end data lifecycle managed by SAP
One of the core innovations of SAP BDC is that SAP's role as a provider goes beyond the tasks that maintain security, availability, and performance in a SaaS landscape. Rather, SAP uses its knowledge and experience to bundle, integrate, harmonize, and transform customers' business data across different business applications such as SAP cloud ERP, SAP Customer Experience or SAP SuccessFactors in an unprecedented approach. To prepare for seamless use across all SAP BDC scenarios and third-party tools, the business data that is managed by SAP is integrated within a hyperscaler environment, and undergoes cleansing, harmonization, and enrichment.
Out-of-the-box reporting with pre-built dashboards
A key highlight of SAP BDC is its out-of-the-box reporting capability, featuring SAP Business Data Cloud Intelligent Apps, which are prebuilt intelligence apps for each SAP line of business or solution area. They combine prebuilt reporting and analytics, AI and ML models that learn, reason, and act in the context of business data.
The concept behind this feature is built on pre-delivered artifacts and objects that may initially resemble the familiar business content from SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), SAP Datasphere, or SAP Analytics Cloud. However, there is a key difference: unlike previous approaches, all artifacts, objects, and process steps required for a ready-to-consume, full-stack application are included and fully managed by SAP.
In the past we offered multiple tools for data analytics and left it to the customer to build everything themselves, requiring heavy resources and a high cost of ownership. But with SAP BDC, we now offer a fully managed SaaS solution that unifies data and analytics with our customers' key business processes and delivers a trusted data foundation that fast tracks innovation and decision making.
Specifically, here is what happens when you install SAP Business Data Cloud Intelligent Apps:
- Automated creation of artifacts across all tools and components.
- Automated data management steps.
- Automated data provisioning from data source to dashboard.
- Automated ready-to-consume business insights.
Let's Summarize What You've Learned
- SAP BDC combines SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, and their capabilities into one fully managed SaaS solution for all data and analytics needs.
- It seamlessly integrates mission-critical SAP data with third-party sources—without losing business context or requiring constant extraction.
- SAP transforms and harmonizes business data within a hyperscaler environment, ensuring high-quality, ready-to-use data across the board.
- Prebuilt SAP Business Data Cloud Intelligent Apps deliver instant, AI-powered business insights with minimal setup, accelerating decision-making and innovation.