Introduction
This is an SAP blog series on SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC). This is the second part of the blog series SAP Business Data Cloud – A Beginner’s Guide. If you missed the first part please go through that and let me know your feedback or comments.
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1
In the first part, I covered Introduction to SAP Business Data Cloud, Why do we need SAP Business Data Cloud, and Key Components of SAP Business Data Cloud. I hope you have got a basic understanding about SAP Business Data Cloud from the first part.
In this part, I’m planning to cover the Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud in beginner’s language.
Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC)
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) architecture consists of:
Source SystemsFoundation ServicesSAP DatasphereSAP DatabricksSAP BW and BW/4 HANASAP Analytics CloudIntelligent ApplicationsBDC Cockpit
How the Architecture fits together
Let’s understand how the architecture fits together end-to-end.
The data journey starts with Source Systems. It can be both Cloud and On-Prem sources. It can be both SAP and non-SAP systems. SAP S/4HANA. SAP SuccessFactors, ECC, Ariba, and Concur are just a few examples. These systems provide the raw business data for e.g, things like transactions, employees, vendors, or purchase orders.
From there, that data moves into Foundation Services, which harmonize and transform it into unified data products. Those data products are then modeled and governed in SAP Datasphere, where they can be used for analytics, planning, and machine learning.
If the organization needs advanced AI or large-scale data processing, that’s where SAP Databricks comes into play. It can extend your data models using pro-code data science tools and then push enriched results back into the Business Data Cloud environment.
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) then takes over for data visualization and dashboards, and planning which allows business users to explore insights interactively. It’s the front-end planning and analytics face of the platform for most end users.
Now, all of this is orchestrated and managed through the SAP Business Data Cloud Cockpit. The cockpit is essentially your control center. It’s where you can browse pre-delivered data products, install intelligent applications, manage data sharing with Databricks, and configure access and roles. For administrators, this is where most of the setup and system management happens.
Finally, we have the SAP Business Data Cloud Intelligent Applications. These are SAP-managed SaaS apps built on the platform that address specific use cases like predictive forecasting, anomaly detection, or scenario-based analytics. They use all the underlying components SAP Datasphere, SAP Databricks, SAP Analytics Cloud to deliver a ready made intelligence to business users.
So when you look at the architecture as a whole, it’s really a layered ecosystem:
Source systems provide the dataFoundation Services manage and transform it.SAP Datasphere models and governs it.SAP Databricks adds AI and ML.SAP Analytics Cloud visualises and plans it.Cockpit and Intelligent Applications tie it all together into a complete end-to-end experience.
What makes this architecture so powerful is that everything is connected. Data flows seamlessly from operational systems into analytics and AI without losing trust, structure, or meaning.
Conclusion
In this blog we covered the architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud and How it fits together everything. This is the part 2 of the SAP Business Data Cloud – A beginner’s guide series.
In case if you missed the part 1, here is the link to it. SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1 – Please go through it and let me know if you have any comments or feedbacks.
In the next part of the series, we will deep dive into the main components and it’s role in SAP BDC.
If you have any feedback, questions or queries, please post them as comments. I will try to answer the maximum as per my knowledge.
IntroductionThis is an SAP blog series on SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC). This is the second part of the blog series SAP Business Data Cloud – A Beginner’s Guide. If you missed the first part please go through that and let me know your feedback or comments. SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1 In the first part, I covered Introduction to SAP Business Data Cloud, Why do we need SAP Business Data Cloud, and Key Components of SAP Business Data Cloud. I hope you have got a basic understanding about SAP Business Data Cloud from the first part. In this part, I’m planning to cover the Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud in beginner’s language. Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC)SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) architecture consists of:Source SystemsFoundation ServicesSAP DatasphereSAP DatabricksSAP BW and BW/4 HANASAP Analytics CloudIntelligent ApplicationsBDC CockpitHow the Architecture fits togetherLet’s understand how the architecture fits together end-to-end. The data journey starts with Source Systems. It can be both Cloud and On-Prem sources. It can be both SAP and non-SAP systems. SAP S/4HANA. SAP SuccessFactors, ECC, Ariba, and Concur are just a few examples. These systems provide the raw business data for e.g, things like transactions, employees, vendors, or purchase orders.From there, that data moves into Foundation Services, which harmonize and transform it into unified data products. Those data products are then modeled and governed in SAP Datasphere, where they can be used for analytics, planning, and machine learning.If the organization needs advanced AI or large-scale data processing, that’s where SAP Databricks comes into play. It can extend your data models using pro-code data science tools and then push enriched results back into the Business Data Cloud environment.SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) then takes over for data visualization and dashboards, and planning which allows business users to explore insights interactively. It’s the front-end planning and analytics face of the platform for most end users.Now, all of this is orchestrated and managed through the SAP Business Data Cloud Cockpit. The cockpit is essentially your control center. It’s where you can browse pre-delivered data products, install intelligent applications, manage data sharing with Databricks, and configure access and roles. For administrators, this is where most of the setup and system management happens.Finally, we have the SAP Business Data Cloud Intelligent Applications. These are SAP-managed SaaS apps built on the platform that address specific use cases like predictive forecasting, anomaly detection, or scenario-based analytics. They use all the underlying components SAP Datasphere, SAP Databricks, SAP Analytics Cloud to deliver a ready made intelligence to business users.So when you look at the architecture as a whole, it’s really a layered ecosystem:Source systems provide the dataFoundation Services manage and transform it.SAP Datasphere models and governs it.SAP Databricks adds AI and ML.SAP Analytics Cloud visualises and plans it.Cockpit and Intelligent Applications tie it all together into a complete end-to-end experience.What makes this architecture so powerful is that everything is connected. Data flows seamlessly from operational systems into analytics and AI without losing trust, structure, or meaning. ConclusionIn this blog we covered the architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud and How it fits together everything. This is the part 2 of the SAP Business Data Cloud – A beginner’s guide series.In case if you missed the part 1, here is the link to it. SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1 – Please go through it and let me know if you have any comments or feedbacks.In the next part of the series, we will deep dive into the main components and it’s role in SAP BDC. If you have any feedback, questions or queries, please post them as comments. I will try to answer the maximum as per my knowledge. Read More Technology Blog Posts by Members articles
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