What’s New in SAP HANA Cloud – June 2025

Estimated read time 36 min read

The first half of 2025 is coming to an end which means we have just released this year’s second delivery of SAP HANA Cloud. Below, I am excited to share more details about the innovations that are part of this recent shipment.

But first, before we start looking into these details, I can only recommend watching this short video for an overview of the release highlights. Not losing any more words, let’s have a more detailed look into the freshly released innovations.

 

Innovations in SAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA Database

Administration and Service Management

Partitioning Updates: Determining partition assignments & preview for table repartitioning

With Q2 2025, the SAP HANA Database within SAP HANA Cloud introduces some new features for table partitioning that significantly simplify the management of table partitions.

The journey started at the end of 2024 with the assignment of human-readable names to table partitions. This allows to not only identify partitions based on their partition ID, but also by using names. Furthermore, partition names remain stable after table re-partitioning operations. With the recent release, we extended the usage of partition names in all DML (Data Manipulation Language) and DDL (Data Definition Language) statements with the partitioning clause.

Next, the PARTITION_ALLOCATION() function offers the ability to pre-process data with respect to the partition assignment.  It identifies the partition allocation for a given set of rows. This provides the end user with a better understanding of which partition the data will be assigned to, before executing the INSERT statement. This is especially crucial, when using more complex table partition definitions and thus helps to minimize the need for later corrections. It ultimately contributes to a more optimized and cost-effective data management strategy.

Finally, we introduced a new UI for table partitioning in SAP HANA Cloud Central, where end-users get a visualization of the expected results for a table re-partitioning. This increases the visibility and reduces efforts when planning and preparing the repartitioning of large tables, including potential downtimes.

Table Partitioning Preview

Ability to move or copy database tenants between instances

Multitenancy capabilities in SAP HANA Cloud are available since QRC4 2024. With QRC2 2025, we extend the administration support for native database tenants. Users can now move database tenants between their SAP HANA Cloud instances. Apart from that, the data of a database tenant can also be copied from an SAP HANA Cloud source database to an SAP HANA Cloud target database instance. For both features, the end-user calls a public Tenant Management Service API for SAP HANA Cloud. Additionally, there are plans to provide a UI in SAP HANA Cloud Central for those self-service operations in the near future.

The tenant move operation helps to balance load or re-locate database tenants between SAP HANA Cloud instances, whereas the tenant data copy can be applied for testing or refreshing tenant data.

Both capabilities are invaluable for businesses that require tenant copies for backup, development, testing or training purposes or those looking to balance the workload between different instances. They enable easier data relocation due to business reasons, ensuring that organizations can swiftly adapt to changing requirements without disrupting ongoing operations.

Restoring a system to a point in time before it was overwritten by a system copy

With the latest SAP HANA Cloud delivery, users now have the capability to restore their system to a point in time within the last 14 days, before the source instance was overwritten by a system copy action. This feature provides a dependable backup option, ensuring data integrity and system stability.

The innovation is particularly valuable for safeguarding against accidental system overwrites. By allowing a system to be restored to a previous state, it helps to mitigate the risk of data loss ensuring business continuity.

New features in the SQL Console

With the second release of SAP HANA Cloud in 2025, the SQL Console now has an option to automatically format SQL for SAP HANA database connections.

Additionally, the messages and history tab has been combined into one tab which is customizable and supports the ability to export the contents in CSV format.

Finally, there is now an indicator on a SQL Console tab to highlight if the contents have changed since the last ‘save to the statement library’, and an optional message shown if the tab is closed that contains unsaved changes.

Please refer to this tutorial for more details:  Query Databases Using the SQL Console in SAP HANA Cloud Central.

These new features improve the user experience and functionality when working with the SQL console in SAP HANA Cloud’s main administrative tool, SAP HANA Cloud Central.

Alerts

With the Q2 update of SAP HANA Cloud, we now also provide means to configure alert thresholds via the alerts app of SAP HANA Cloud Central. Take a look at this blog post to learn more how to set alert thresholds.
Additionally further details are available in Alerts in SAP HANA Database and Data Lake.

Migration of TEXT and full-text indexes to the database

We have once again expanded SAP HANA Cloud’s self-service migration tool to now support the migration of TEXT and BINTEXT data types to the NCLOB data type, SHORTTEXT data type to the NVARCHAR data type, and full-text index functionality to fuzzy search index functionality. This enhancement streamlines the migration process, making it more efficient and user-friendly.

The feature automates the migration of tables with TEXT, BINTEXT, and SHORTTEXT data types, as well as the migration of full-text indexes to fuzzy search indexes. By reducing manual efforts, the self-service migration tool enables businesses to focus on more strategic tasks, while ensuring their seamless transition of data and functionality to SAP HANA Cloud.

Security

Allowing multiple X.509 providers for the same issuer (based on priority)

From now on, you can create multiple X.509 providers based on priorities, to control the order of authentication checks, ensuring preferred providers are first: Every X.509 provider gets a priority value from 1 to 255 (should be unique across all providers). If no priority value is provided during creation, a lower priority is automatically be assigned. If there are several identity providers for the same issuer URL, they are evaluated in order of their priority, starting with the highest priority. When one provider fails, the one with the next lower priority is checked.

The UI for this can be seen below:

‘Identity Providers’ app in SAP HANA Cloud Central

This enhancement ensures seamless authentication by allowing a fallback to alternative X.509 providers if needed. It also supports multiple certificate authorities, enables adherence to different security requirements and allows prioritization of providers based on speed, availability, or geographic proximity. Thus is eventually reduces authentication latency. For more details, please have a look at our documentation: X.509 Certificate-Based User Authentication and CREATE X509 PROVIDER Statement (Access Control).

Audit policy filters based on user authentication method

In SAP applications, such as S/4HANA and Enterprise Cloud Security (ECS), the technical user (e.g. SAPSID) can be employed by operational users to log on to the SAP HANA database for maintenance and troubleshooting purposes. These actions should be specifically audited.

Typically, technical users are identified using X.509 keys/certificates, while operational users commonly authenticate using time-limited passwords. This distinction needs the implementation of audit filters based on authentication methods to effectively track and manage operational user actions.

You can see an example of such policies in the following screenshots of the SAP HANA Cloud Central ”Audit” app:

More detailed view on the policy:

This new feature comes with multiple benefits. First it allows the writing of an audit log by including or excluding the multiple authentication methods that are available. Next, users benefit from a split-authentication setup of SAP S/4HANA and ECS scenarios (for on-premises). And lastly, users can prepare and enable audit policies for support cases that will automatically only write an audit log if a user is logging in using password-based authentication. For more details, please see our documentation: CREATE AUDIT POLICY Statement (Access Control).

Checking all matching providers with JWT authentication

With QRC2 2025, we are enhancing the JWT processing to allow the integration of new providers by automatically switching to the next suitable provider if the current one:

does not have a mapping for the JWT external identity definedis not configured for automatic user creation.

If the current provider is configured for automatic user creation, automatic user creation should be triggered. If automatic user creation fails, the processing of JWT providers should stop and the authentication should fail. If you are looking for more details on the new feature, please have a look here: Single Sign-On Using JSON Web Tokens for more details.

The enhanced JWT processing reduces disruptions caused by misconfigurations and prevents authentication failures when introducing new providers or adjusting provider priorities. Eventually, it ensures smooth operational changes.

No-op CONNECT SQL for a logged-on user

SAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA database now optimizes user connections by ignoring redundant CONNECT statements when the user_name matches the current session user.

This mainly optimizes the most expensive part of the authentication process, which involves avoiding the password validation.

Note: From a security point of view, this is not a risk because even if a wrong password is supplied, the session user would remain the same. To see how to do it, please visit this website: Configuration Parameters SAP HANA Cloud.

Changing the default encryption mode from advanced encryption standard (AES) 256 CBC to AES 256 CTR

With the recent release, we changed the default encryption mode in SAP HANA Cloud from AES-256 in CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) mode to AES-256 in CTR (Counter) mode.

By standardizing AES-256 CTR as the default mode during instance provisioning, we can ensure a uniform encryption approach across all regions and deployments, supporting international compliance requirements.

Machine Learning & Predictive Analytics

Vector data processing in AutoML, constraint clustering, and explainability for outlier analysis

With the SAP HANA Cloud 2025 Q2 release, several new embedded Machine Learning / AI functions have been released with the SAP HANA Cloud Predictive Analysis Library (PAL) and the Automated Predictive Library (APL).

Key new capabilities include:

A new text embedding model version, covering more languages and short-text embedding scenarios,More tabular AI functions supporting vector data analysis like AutoML, k-nearest neighbors (k-NN),Outlier detection using isolation forest supporting outlier explainabilityMachine learning experiment tracking and task scheduling capabilitiesData drift analysis using the Automated Predictive Library

More details about the introduced enhancements is available in the What’s new documentation for SAP HANA Cloud database 2025.14 (QRC 2/2025).

Multi-Model Data Processing

Range index and enriched query execution for the JSON document store

With the second release of SAP HANA Cloud in 2025, a range index has been implemented for the JSON document store to optimize query execution by reducing full collection scans.

This feature improves query performance, providing quicker access to filtered data and thus enhancing the user experience. By minimizing collection scans, it also reduces CPU and memory consumption, ensuring more efficient resource utilization.

Support for additional vector functions

Additionally, we are strengthening SAP HANA Cloud’s vector data processing capabilities. With QRC2, it now supports additional vector functions such as addition, subtraction, L2 norm, and normalization of vectors. These functions enable operations like combining two vectors element-wise, computing their differences, calculating the Euclidean distance, and scaling vectors to have a unit norm.

These new vector functions facilitate efficient feature transformations, similarity calculations, and data consistency. By incorporating them, SAP HANA Cloud reduces reliance on external processing, making the workflow more integrated and efficient, while your data stays within your database.

Knowledge Graph Engine: VALIDATE Query Form (SHACL)

After the initial release of the Knowledge Graph Engine in Q1 2025, we are now broadening its capabilities with the powerful addition of the VALIDATE Query Form (SHACL), allowing users to validate RDF data against constraints defined in SHACL (Shapes Constraint Language). This feature includes a flexible SPARQL syntax that can specify different elements such as shapes graphs, data graphs, and more. With this functionality, users can ensure that their data meets predefined rules and structures, thereby maintaining data integrity and consistency.

This innovation provides a robust mechanism for validating data at scale, which is crucial for maintaining data quality. By using SHACL, users can create complex constraints that reflect their specific data models and business rules. This not only helps in catching errors early but also ensures that the data adheres to expected standards and formats. Moreover, the detailed validation report generated by the VALIDATE query form enables users to pinpoint exactly where and why data validation has failed, facilitating quicker resolution and continuous improvement of data quality.

Knowledge Graph Engine: CREATE Inferences Update Form

Additionally, users are now able to create inferred triples from RDF graphs using a set of OWL 2 RL and RDFS-Plus inferencing rules using the CREATE INFERENCES Update Form. This allows users to generate new knowledge from existing data by applying logical rules. Users can specify which graphs to infer from, which graph to insert the inferred triples into, and which rules to apply. This flexibility ensures that the inference process can be tailored to different use cases and data structures.

This innovation provides a powerful tool for enriching RDF data through automated inference. Users can now deduce new relationships and classifications that were not explicitly stated in the original data. This not only enhances the comprehensiveness of the data but also makes it more useful for complex queries and analyses. Furthermore, the ability to customize the inference rules allows for fine-tuned control over the knowledge generation process, making it adaptable to a wide range of applications.

Graphical View Modeling

Everyone who follows our release announcements closely might know that we are always heavily investing in adding more functionalities to SAP HANA Cloud’s Graphical View Modeling. Below you can find a brief overview. For more details, please refer to the detailed blogpost of our topic expert Jan Zwickel.

Refactor nodes into new calculation views

The recent update to SAP HANA Cloud introduces the option to refactor nodes into standalone calculation views and to replace nodes with newly created calculation views, offering a more modular approach to graphical view modeling.

By providing access to additional powerful refactoring methods, this feature enables more agile view development. Users can now enhance their data modeling processes, allowing for greater flexibility and efficiency in managing calculation views.

Use multiple lines for notes and labels information of calculation views

SAP HANA Cloud now supports using multiple lines for describing calculation views in the notes and labels fields.

This facilitates a better understanding and reuse of calculation views, as users can provide more detailed and structured information. Additionally, it improves collaboration among teams by ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear and comprehensive view of the calculation logic and underlying data.

Support of half vector data type

The latest update of SAP HANA Cloud makes the half vector data type available for input parameters and calculated columns.

This data type offers reduced resource consumption compared to the real vector data type, which is particularly beneficial for AI scenarios. Furthermore, it increases flexibility, allowing businesses to optimize their AI models and processes without compromising on performance.

Automatically map table function parameters based on parameter names in table function nodes

We’ve also introduced a new feature that makes working with table functions faster and easier: Automatic parameter mapping based on names. When using table function nodes, input parameters can now be automatically mapped to columns with matching names. This option is available directly within the input mapping section of the node, helping streamline your workflow.

This new functionality saves developers time and reduces the chance of errors. Instead of manually connecting each parameter, matching columns are mapped instantly, ensuring consistency and minimizing the risk of incorrect or missing inputs.

Innovations in SAP HANA Cloud, data lake

Creating thin clones of relational engine databases

With the Q2 release, users are now able to create so-called ‘thin clones’ of their SAP HANA Cloud, data lake relational engine database. This feature enables users to quickly create and deploy clones of existing databases, designed specifically for short-term use in development and testing environments. These clones share the persistence layer of the parent database at the time of cloning and are fully updateable, allowing changes to be managed independently from the parent database.

The value of this innovation is immense as it facilitates the timely creation of development and test database instances based on existing production databases. Moreover, it supports a wide range of complex test scenarios, including insert, update, and delete operations, providing comprehensive testing capabilities. Perhaps most notably, it minimizes storage costs by sharing the persistence layer of the parent database and storing only the unique database page versions for modifications made within the thin clone. This cost-saving measure ensures that you can manage your resources more effectively while maintaining high-quality development and testing processes.

SAP developer licensed client

The Linux and Windows SAP HANA Data Lake client software is now available for download from the SAP Development Tools under the SAP developer license which enables developers who have not yet subscribed to SAP HANA Cloud to easily download the client software required to connect to the SAP HANA Cloud, data lake trial or free instances without needing the required login for SAP software downloads.

Note that this version requires cryptographic libraries such as OpenSSL to be installed separately. Further details can be found at Use Clients to Query a Data Lake Relational Engine.

Database Application Development

Database Explorer (DBX): Generative-AI-assisted TableData generation

The latest SAP HANA Cloud release enhances the user interface of the Database Explorer to allow populating tables with AI-generated data. The UI provides options to choose the number of rows, select tables for data generation, and select a Large Language Model (LLM) for data creation. Users can preview the generated data before loading it into the database, save it as a CSV file, or copy it to the clipboard.

This feature streamlines the data generation process and provides customizable data selection and flexible row generation. By harnessing AI, this new functionality improves testing capabilities, allowing users to quickly generate and evaluate data sets tailored to their specific needs.

Generative AI conversational SQL console: Custom data model support

The Q2 release of SAP HANA Cloud also contains enhancements to SQL console which now includes generative AI capabilities. They enable the use of customer-defined data models in SQL query generation. Previously, SQL statements in the console only included system views and tables.

This enhancement personalizes query generation for more flexibility and efficiency. By supporting custom data models, the SQL console not only enhances the user experiences, but also allows for more tailored and effective SQL statement creation specific to your business.

High-productivity experience for pro-code developers creating SAP HANA applications

SAP HANA Cloud’s latest update provides developers working on applications within SAP Business Application Studio with advanced tools designed to boost productivity and efficiency.

This improves efficiency during the development of SAP HANA applications by offering a more streamlined and cohesive experience. Developers can now enjoy a consistent workflow, accelerating the creation and maintenance of high-quality applications within the SAP Business Application Studio.

OpenTelemetry support for the Node.js drivers for the client utilities component

The SAP HANA client Node.js drivers now support OpenTelemetry enabling prepares, executes, commits, and rollbacks to be traced.

This addition provides further observability options for applications.  Additional details can be found at Node.js Tracing.

Further Innovations & Enhancements

Expanded Data Center Availability: Launch in SAP Sovereign Cloud & SAP NS2

I am excited to announce that SAP HANA Cloud has been launched in SAP Sovereign Cloud and SAP NS2. This enables customers in regulated industries to leverage the benefits of SAP HANA Cloud while meeting their enhanced digital sovereignty requirements.

The Sovereign Cloud release is built upon the secure foundation of the public SAP HANA Cloud offering, which is further hardened and enriched with SAP Sovereign Cloud capabilities. It provides advanced, country-specific capabilities that address local regulatory requirements across all four dimensions of sovereignty: data, operational, legal, and technical. Capabilities such as in-country data residency, local operations, and all required certifications are offered.

Currently, SAP HANA Cloud is available in four Sovereign Cloud regions: Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. It is expected to be released in the SAP NS2 environment in the United States by the end of Q2.

To learn more about SAP HANA Cloud in SAP Sovereign Cloud and SAP NS2, take a look at this blog post.

Congratulations, you read the entire What’s New blog post for Q2 2025 – well done!

For more insights into the technical details on the Q2 2025 release, please have a look at our What’s New Viewer in the Technical documentation, which provides a comprehensive overview of the release scope. To always stay informed about recent developments and news in and around SAP HANA Cloud, be sure to follow the SAP HANA Cloud tag.

Moreover, you can find our new blog posts using the #whatsnewinsaphanacloud hashtag. In case you missed the last What’s New webinar from Q1 2025, you can find it along with past and future webinars in this YouTube playlist. Our upcoming webcast on the Q2 innovations will be added to the same playlist shortly.

If you have any questions about SAP HANA Cloud or would like to discuss the mentioned innovations, please post them in our SAP HANA Cloud Community Q&A or in the comments section below!

Cheers!

 

​ The first half of 2025 is coming to an end which means we have just released this year’s second delivery of SAP HANA Cloud. Below, I am excited to share more details about the innovations that are part of this recent shipment.But first, before we start looking into these details, I can only recommend watching this short video for an overview of the release highlights. Not losing any more words, let’s have a more detailed look into the freshly released innovations. Innovations in SAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA DatabaseAdministration and Service ManagementPartitioning Updates: Determining partition assignments & preview for table repartitioningWith Q2 2025, the SAP HANA Database within SAP HANA Cloud introduces some new features for table partitioning that significantly simplify the management of table partitions.The journey started at the end of 2024 with the assignment of human-readable names to table partitions. This allows to not only identify partitions based on their partition ID, but also by using names. Furthermore, partition names remain stable after table re-partitioning operations. With the recent release, we extended the usage of partition names in all DML (Data Manipulation Language) and DDL (Data Definition Language) statements with the partitioning clause.Next, the PARTITION_ALLOCATION() function offers the ability to pre-process data with respect to the partition assignment.  It identifies the partition allocation for a given set of rows. This provides the end user with a better understanding of which partition the data will be assigned to, before executing the INSERT statement. This is especially crucial, when using more complex table partition definitions and thus helps to minimize the need for later corrections. It ultimately contributes to a more optimized and cost-effective data management strategy.Finally, we introduced a new UI for table partitioning in SAP HANA Cloud Central, where end-users get a visualization of the expected results for a table re-partitioning. This increases the visibility and reduces efforts when planning and preparing the repartitioning of large tables, including potential downtimes.Table Partitioning PreviewAbility to move or copy database tenants between instancesMultitenancy capabilities in SAP HANA Cloud are available since QRC4 2024. With QRC2 2025, we extend the administration support for native database tenants. Users can now move database tenants between their SAP HANA Cloud instances. Apart from that, the data of a database tenant can also be copied from an SAP HANA Cloud source database to an SAP HANA Cloud target database instance. For both features, the end-user calls a public Tenant Management Service API for SAP HANA Cloud. Additionally, there are plans to provide a UI in SAP HANA Cloud Central for those self-service operations in the near future.The tenant move operation helps to balance load or re-locate database tenants between SAP HANA Cloud instances, whereas the tenant data copy can be applied for testing or refreshing tenant data.Both capabilities are invaluable for businesses that require tenant copies for backup, development, testing or training purposes or those looking to balance the workload between different instances. They enable easier data relocation due to business reasons, ensuring that organizations can swiftly adapt to changing requirements without disrupting ongoing operations.Restoring a system to a point in time before it was overwritten by a system copyWith the latest SAP HANA Cloud delivery, users now have the capability to restore their system to a point in time within the last 14 days, before the source instance was overwritten by a system copy action. This feature provides a dependable backup option, ensuring data integrity and system stability.The innovation is particularly valuable for safeguarding against accidental system overwrites. By allowing a system to be restored to a previous state, it helps to mitigate the risk of data loss ensuring business continuity.New features in the SQL ConsoleWith the second release of SAP HANA Cloud in 2025, the SQL Console now has an option to automatically format SQL for SAP HANA database connections.Additionally, the messages and history tab has been combined into one tab which is customizable and supports the ability to export the contents in CSV format.Finally, there is now an indicator on a SQL Console tab to highlight if the contents have changed since the last ‘save to the statement library’, and an optional message shown if the tab is closed that contains unsaved changes.Please refer to this tutorial for more details:  Query Databases Using the SQL Console in SAP HANA Cloud Central.These new features improve the user experience and functionality when working with the SQL console in SAP HANA Cloud’s main administrative tool, SAP HANA Cloud Central.AlertsWith the Q2 update of SAP HANA Cloud, we now also provide means to configure alert thresholds via the alerts app of SAP HANA Cloud Central. Take a look at this blog post to learn more how to set alert thresholds.Additionally further details are available in Alerts in SAP HANA Database and Data Lake.Migration of TEXT and full-text indexes to the databaseWe have once again expanded SAP HANA Cloud’s self-service migration tool to now support the migration of TEXT and BINTEXT data types to the NCLOB data type, SHORTTEXT data type to the NVARCHAR data type, and full-text index functionality to fuzzy search index functionality. This enhancement streamlines the migration process, making it more efficient and user-friendly.The feature automates the migration of tables with TEXT, BINTEXT, and SHORTTEXT data types, as well as the migration of full-text indexes to fuzzy search indexes. By reducing manual efforts, the self-service migration tool enables businesses to focus on more strategic tasks, while ensuring their seamless transition of data and functionality to SAP HANA Cloud.SecurityAllowing multiple X.509 providers for the same issuer (based on priority)From now on, you can create multiple X.509 providers based on priorities, to control the order of authentication checks, ensuring preferred providers are first: Every X.509 provider gets a priority value from 1 to 255 (should be unique across all providers). If no priority value is provided during creation, a lower priority is automatically be assigned. If there are several identity providers for the same issuer URL, they are evaluated in order of their priority, starting with the highest priority. When one provider fails, the one with the next lower priority is checked.The UI for this can be seen below:’Identity Providers’ app in SAP HANA Cloud CentralThis enhancement ensures seamless authentication by allowing a fallback to alternative X.509 providers if needed. It also supports multiple certificate authorities, enables adherence to different security requirements and allows prioritization of providers based on speed, availability, or geographic proximity. Thus is eventually reduces authentication latency. For more details, please have a look at our documentation: X.509 Certificate-Based User Authentication and CREATE X509 PROVIDER Statement (Access Control).Audit policy filters based on user authentication methodIn SAP applications, such as S/4HANA and Enterprise Cloud Security (ECS), the technical user (e.g. SAPSID) can be employed by operational users to log on to the SAP HANA database for maintenance and troubleshooting purposes. These actions should be specifically audited.Typically, technical users are identified using X.509 keys/certificates, while operational users commonly authenticate using time-limited passwords. This distinction needs the implementation of audit filters based on authentication methods to effectively track and manage operational user actions.You can see an example of such policies in the following screenshots of the SAP HANA Cloud Central ”Audit” app:More detailed view on the policy:This new feature comes with multiple benefits. First it allows the writing of an audit log by including or excluding the multiple authentication methods that are available. Next, users benefit from a split-authentication setup of SAP S/4HANA and ECS scenarios (for on-premises). And lastly, users can prepare and enable audit policies for support cases that will automatically only write an audit log if a user is logging in using password-based authentication. For more details, please see our documentation: CREATE AUDIT POLICY Statement (Access Control).Checking all matching providers with JWT authenticationWith QRC2 2025, we are enhancing the JWT processing to allow the integration of new providers by automatically switching to the next suitable provider if the current one:does not have a mapping for the JWT external identity definedis not configured for automatic user creation.If the current provider is configured for automatic user creation, automatic user creation should be triggered. If automatic user creation fails, the processing of JWT providers should stop and the authentication should fail. If you are looking for more details on the new feature, please have a look here: Single Sign-On Using JSON Web Tokens for more details.The enhanced JWT processing reduces disruptions caused by misconfigurations and prevents authentication failures when introducing new providers or adjusting provider priorities. Eventually, it ensures smooth operational changes.No-op CONNECT SQL for a logged-on userSAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA database now optimizes user connections by ignoring redundant CONNECT statements when the user_name matches the current session user.This mainly optimizes the most expensive part of the authentication process, which involves avoiding the password validation.Note: From a security point of view, this is not a risk because even if a wrong password is supplied, the session user would remain the same. To see how to do it, please visit this website: Configuration Parameters SAP HANA Cloud.Changing the default encryption mode from advanced encryption standard (AES) 256 CBC to AES 256 CTRWith the recent release, we changed the default encryption mode in SAP HANA Cloud from AES-256 in CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) mode to AES-256 in CTR (Counter) mode.By standardizing AES-256 CTR as the default mode during instance provisioning, we can ensure a uniform encryption approach across all regions and deployments, supporting international compliance requirements.Machine Learning & Predictive AnalyticsVector data processing in AutoML, constraint clustering, and explainability for outlier analysisWith the SAP HANA Cloud 2025 Q2 release, several new embedded Machine Learning / AI functions have been released with the SAP HANA Cloud Predictive Analysis Library (PAL) and the Automated Predictive Library (APL).Key new capabilities include:A new text embedding model version, covering more languages and short-text embedding scenarios,More tabular AI functions supporting vector data analysis like AutoML, k-nearest neighbors (k-NN),Outlier detection using isolation forest supporting outlier explainabilityMachine learning experiment tracking and task scheduling capabilitiesData drift analysis using the Automated Predictive LibraryMore details about the introduced enhancements is available in the What’s new documentation for SAP HANA Cloud database 2025.14 (QRC 2/2025).Multi-Model Data ProcessingRange index and enriched query execution for the JSON document storeWith the second release of SAP HANA Cloud in 2025, a range index has been implemented for the JSON document store to optimize query execution by reducing full collection scans.This feature improves query performance, providing quicker access to filtered data and thus enhancing the user experience. By minimizing collection scans, it also reduces CPU and memory consumption, ensuring more efficient resource utilization.Support for additional vector functionsAdditionally, we are strengthening SAP HANA Cloud’s vector data processing capabilities. With QRC2, it now supports additional vector functions such as addition, subtraction, L2 norm, and normalization of vectors. These functions enable operations like combining two vectors element-wise, computing their differences, calculating the Euclidean distance, and scaling vectors to have a unit norm.These new vector functions facilitate efficient feature transformations, similarity calculations, and data consistency. By incorporating them, SAP HANA Cloud reduces reliance on external processing, making the workflow more integrated and efficient, while your data stays within your database.Knowledge Graph Engine: VALIDATE Query Form (SHACL)After the initial release of the Knowledge Graph Engine in Q1 2025, we are now broadening its capabilities with the powerful addition of the VALIDATE Query Form (SHACL), allowing users to validate RDF data against constraints defined in SHACL (Shapes Constraint Language). This feature includes a flexible SPARQL syntax that can specify different elements such as shapes graphs, data graphs, and more. With this functionality, users can ensure that their data meets predefined rules and structures, thereby maintaining data integrity and consistency.This innovation provides a robust mechanism for validating data at scale, which is crucial for maintaining data quality. By using SHACL, users can create complex constraints that reflect their specific data models and business rules. This not only helps in catching errors early but also ensures that the data adheres to expected standards and formats. Moreover, the detailed validation report generated by the VALIDATE query form enables users to pinpoint exactly where and why data validation has failed, facilitating quicker resolution and continuous improvement of data quality.Knowledge Graph Engine: CREATE Inferences Update FormAdditionally, users are now able to create inferred triples from RDF graphs using a set of OWL 2 RL and RDFS-Plus inferencing rules using the CREATE INFERENCES Update Form. This allows users to generate new knowledge from existing data by applying logical rules. Users can specify which graphs to infer from, which graph to insert the inferred triples into, and which rules to apply. This flexibility ensures that the inference process can be tailored to different use cases and data structures.This innovation provides a powerful tool for enriching RDF data through automated inference. Users can now deduce new relationships and classifications that were not explicitly stated in the original data. This not only enhances the comprehensiveness of the data but also makes it more useful for complex queries and analyses. Furthermore, the ability to customize the inference rules allows for fine-tuned control over the knowledge generation process, making it adaptable to a wide range of applications.Graphical View ModelingEveryone who follows our release announcements closely might know that we are always heavily investing in adding more functionalities to SAP HANA Cloud’s Graphical View Modeling. Below you can find a brief overview. For more details, please refer to the detailed blogpost of our topic expert Jan Zwickel.Refactor nodes into new calculation viewsThe recent update to SAP HANA Cloud introduces the option to refactor nodes into standalone calculation views and to replace nodes with newly created calculation views, offering a more modular approach to graphical view modeling.By providing access to additional powerful refactoring methods, this feature enables more agile view development. Users can now enhance their data modeling processes, allowing for greater flexibility and efficiency in managing calculation views.Use multiple lines for notes and labels information of calculation viewsSAP HANA Cloud now supports using multiple lines for describing calculation views in the notes and labels fields.This facilitates a better understanding and reuse of calculation views, as users can provide more detailed and structured information. Additionally, it improves collaboration among teams by ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear and comprehensive view of the calculation logic and underlying data.Support of half vector data typeThe latest update of SAP HANA Cloud makes the half vector data type available for input parameters and calculated columns.This data type offers reduced resource consumption compared to the real vector data type, which is particularly beneficial for AI scenarios. Furthermore, it increases flexibility, allowing businesses to optimize their AI models and processes without compromising on performance.Automatically map table function parameters based on parameter names in table function nodesWe’ve also introduced a new feature that makes working with table functions faster and easier: Automatic parameter mapping based on names. When using table function nodes, input parameters can now be automatically mapped to columns with matching names. This option is available directly within the input mapping section of the node, helping streamline your workflow.This new functionality saves developers time and reduces the chance of errors. Instead of manually connecting each parameter, matching columns are mapped instantly, ensuring consistency and minimizing the risk of incorrect or missing inputs. Innovations in SAP HANA Cloud, data lakeCreating thin clones of relational engine databasesWith the Q2 release, users are now able to create so-called ‘thin clones’ of their SAP HANA Cloud, data lake relational engine database. This feature enables users to quickly create and deploy clones of existing databases, designed specifically for short-term use in development and testing environments. These clones share the persistence layer of the parent database at the time of cloning and are fully updateable, allowing changes to be managed independently from the parent database.The value of this innovation is immense as it facilitates the timely creation of development and test database instances based on existing production databases. Moreover, it supports a wide range of complex test scenarios, including insert, update, and delete operations, providing comprehensive testing capabilities. Perhaps most notably, it minimizes storage costs by sharing the persistence layer of the parent database and storing only the unique database page versions for modifications made within the thin clone. This cost-saving measure ensures that you can manage your resources more effectively while maintaining high-quality development and testing processes.SAP developer licensed clientThe Linux and Windows SAP HANA Data Lake client software is now available for download from the SAP Development Tools under the SAP developer license which enables developers who have not yet subscribed to SAP HANA Cloud to easily download the client software required to connect to the SAP HANA Cloud, data lake trial or free instances without needing the required login for SAP software downloads.Note that this version requires cryptographic libraries such as OpenSSL to be installed separately. Further details can be found at Use Clients to Query a Data Lake Relational Engine.Database Application DevelopmentDatabase Explorer (DBX): Generative-AI-assisted TableData generationThe latest SAP HANA Cloud release enhances the user interface of the Database Explorer to allow populating tables with AI-generated data. The UI provides options to choose the number of rows, select tables for data generation, and select a Large Language Model (LLM) for data creation. Users can preview the generated data before loading it into the database, save it as a CSV file, or copy it to the clipboard.This feature streamlines the data generation process and provides customizable data selection and flexible row generation. By harnessing AI, this new functionality improves testing capabilities, allowing users to quickly generate and evaluate data sets tailored to their specific needs.Generative AI conversational SQL console: Custom data model supportThe Q2 release of SAP HANA Cloud also contains enhancements to SQL console which now includes generative AI capabilities. They enable the use of customer-defined data models in SQL query generation. Previously, SQL statements in the console only included system views and tables.This enhancement personalizes query generation for more flexibility and efficiency. By supporting custom data models, the SQL console not only enhances the user experiences, but also allows for more tailored and effective SQL statement creation specific to your business.High-productivity experience for pro-code developers creating SAP HANA applicationsSAP HANA Cloud’s latest update provides developers working on applications within SAP Business Application Studio with advanced tools designed to boost productivity and efficiency.This improves efficiency during the development of SAP HANA applications by offering a more streamlined and cohesive experience. Developers can now enjoy a consistent workflow, accelerating the creation and maintenance of high-quality applications within the SAP Business Application Studio.OpenTelemetry support for the Node.js drivers for the client utilities componentThe SAP HANA client Node.js drivers now support OpenTelemetry enabling prepares, executes, commits, and rollbacks to be traced.This addition provides further observability options for applications.  Additional details can be found at Node.js Tracing.Further Innovations & EnhancementsExpanded Data Center Availability: Launch in SAP Sovereign Cloud & SAP NS2I am excited to announce that SAP HANA Cloud has been launched in SAP Sovereign Cloud and SAP NS2. This enables customers in regulated industries to leverage the benefits of SAP HANA Cloud while meeting their enhanced digital sovereignty requirements.The Sovereign Cloud release is built upon the secure foundation of the public SAP HANA Cloud offering, which is further hardened and enriched with SAP Sovereign Cloud capabilities. It provides advanced, country-specific capabilities that address local regulatory requirements across all four dimensions of sovereignty: data, operational, legal, and technical. Capabilities such as in-country data residency, local operations, and all required certifications are offered.Currently, SAP HANA Cloud is available in four Sovereign Cloud regions: Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. It is expected to be released in the SAP NS2 environment in the United States by the end of Q2.To learn more about SAP HANA Cloud in SAP Sovereign Cloud and SAP NS2, take a look at this blog post.Congratulations, you read the entire What’s New blog post for Q2 2025 – well done!For more insights into the technical details on the Q2 2025 release, please have a look at our What’s New Viewer in the Technical documentation, which provides a comprehensive overview of the release scope. To always stay informed about recent developments and news in and around SAP HANA Cloud, be sure to follow the SAP HANA Cloud tag.Moreover, you can find our new blog posts using the #whatsnewinsaphanacloud hashtag. In case you missed the last What’s New webinar from Q1 2025, you can find it along with past and future webinars in this YouTube playlist. Our upcoming webcast on the Q2 innovations will be added to the same playlist shortly.If you have any questions about SAP HANA Cloud or would like to discuss the mentioned innovations, please post them in our SAP HANA Cloud Community Q&A or in the comments section below!Cheers!   Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles 

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