Introduction
This is an SAP blog series on SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC). This is the third part of the blog series SAP Business Data Cloud – A Beginner’s Guide. If you missed the first and second 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.
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 2 – In the second part, I covered the Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud.
I hope you have got a basic understanding about SAP Business Data Cloud and Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud .
In this part, I’m planning to cover what are the components of SAP Business Data Cloud and it’s role in SAP BDC in beginner’s language.
SAP Datasphere
Let’s start with SAP Datasphere, which is the core data modeling and integration component of SAP Business Data Cloud.
Datasphere integrates and harmonizes data from SAP and non-SAP sources, and helps in ensuring raw data is structured and meaningful. Raw data alone isn’t sufficient for analytics or AI it needs context and semantic definitions.
SAP Datasphere offers options for semantic enrichment like classify datasets as facts, dimensions, hierarchies, or text, and specify field meanings such as date, currency, or unit, and also setting aggregation rules like sum, average, min, or max. and it converts raw data into business-ready, semantically enriched models.
Datasphere supports prebuilt models from SAP as well as custom models combining SAP-managed data with partner or customer data products. These models can be consumed by SAP Analytics Cloud or AI/ML workflows in Databricks.
In SAP BDC, Datasphere acts as the trusted foundation, bridging raw data from source systems to analytics and AI, ensuring consistency and semantic clarity across the platform.
SAP Databricks
Next, let’s discuss SAP Databricks, the AI and machine learning engine within BDC.
Databricks provides a collaborative platform for data scientists to develop and deploy AI/ML models on top of harmonized BDC data. It covers the entire ML lifecycle, from experimentation to production, including advanced cases like generative AI.
Data engineers can perform ingestion, transformation, and monitoring while Delta Share enables seamless, zero-copy access to BDC data products. This ensures AI/ML workflows operate on live, governed data without duplication.
In BDC, role of Databricks is to extend harmonized data products with intelligence, delivering predictive and actionable insights that can be visualized in Analytics Cloud or reused in other BDC components.
SAP BW
Now let’s look at SAP BW integration. Many organizations already have valuable historical data in SAP BW or BW/4HANA, and BDC allows you to leverage this data in the cloud without disruption.
The integration follows three steps:
Lift : to move your on-premise BW system to the BDC private cloud for extended maintenance and reduced infrastructure management.Shift : to generate data products from BW Info Providers so they can be consumed in Datasphere, Analytics Cloud, or Databricks.Innovate : to adopt SAP-managed data products and Intelligent Applications, and modernizing analytics workflows over time.
In BDC, BW provides historical, trusted enterprise data as ready-to-use data products, enabling AI/ML, dashboards, and custom analytics scenarios while preserving previous investments.
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
Next component is SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC). SAC is the front-end of BDC.
It provides dashboards, charts, tables, maps, and stories for interactive exploration of harmonized and enriched data. Users can drill down, filter, and perform planning functions
Analytics Cloud integrates with Datasphere, Databricks, and BW models, so all visualizations are based on trusted, governed data. It also leverages AI/ML features like predictive insights and the ‘Just Ask’ natural language query assistant.
Analytics Cloud supports both prebuilt Intelligent Applications and custom dashboards, enabling users to turn enriched data and AI insights into actionable decisions.
Its role in BDC is to provide a unified interface for business users, helping them analyze, plan, and act on data efficiently.
Data Foundation Services
Finally, let’s discuss the Foundation Services of SAP Business Data Cloud.
Foundation Services manage SAP-managed data products: they replicate, harmonize, and store them in the SAP HANA Cloud Data Lake. The data is stored in highly efficient files rather than tables, enabling large-scale, high-performance read operations.
Foundation Services also support Delta Share, an open protocol that allows data to be shared securely with zero copying. Consumers such as SAP Datasphere, SAP Databricks, or other analytics tools can access data efficiently while maintaining governance.
Discovery of available data products is facilitated via Open Resource Discovery (ORD), which exposes technical definitions, metadata, and business descriptions. Users can explore products before generating or installing them.
In BDC, Foundation Services act as the backbone, ensuring that all SAP-managed data products are up-to-date, discoverable, and securely available for analytics, AI/ML, and Intelligent Applications. Without Foundation Services, data products and intelligent applications would not have a trusted, governed environment for reliable consumption.
Conclusion
In this blog we covered the components of SAP Business Data Cloud and it’s role in SAP BDC. This is the part 3 of the SAP Business Data Cloud – A beginner’s guide series.
In case if you missed the part 1 and 2, here is the links:
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1
SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 2
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 third part of the blog series SAP Business Data Cloud – A Beginner’s Guide. If you missed the first and second 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. SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 2 – In the second part, I covered the Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud. I hope you have got a basic understanding about SAP Business Data Cloud and Architecture of SAP Business Data Cloud .In this part, I’m planning to cover what are the components of SAP Business Data Cloud and it’s role in SAP BDC in beginner’s language. SAP DatasphereLet’s start with SAP Datasphere, which is the core data modeling and integration component of SAP Business Data Cloud.Datasphere integrates and harmonizes data from SAP and non-SAP sources, and helps in ensuring raw data is structured and meaningful. Raw data alone isn’t sufficient for analytics or AI it needs context and semantic definitions.SAP Datasphere offers options for semantic enrichment like classify datasets as facts, dimensions, hierarchies, or text, and specify field meanings such as date, currency, or unit, and also setting aggregation rules like sum, average, min, or max. and it converts raw data into business-ready, semantically enriched models.Datasphere supports prebuilt models from SAP as well as custom models combining SAP-managed data with partner or customer data products. These models can be consumed by SAP Analytics Cloud or AI/ML workflows in Databricks.In SAP BDC, Datasphere acts as the trusted foundation, bridging raw data from source systems to analytics and AI, ensuring consistency and semantic clarity across the platform.SAP DatabricksNext, let’s discuss SAP Databricks, the AI and machine learning engine within BDC.Databricks provides a collaborative platform for data scientists to develop and deploy AI/ML models on top of harmonized BDC data. It covers the entire ML lifecycle, from experimentation to production, including advanced cases like generative AI.Data engineers can perform ingestion, transformation, and monitoring while Delta Share enables seamless, zero-copy access to BDC data products. This ensures AI/ML workflows operate on live, governed data without duplication.In BDC, role of Databricks is to extend harmonized data products with intelligence, delivering predictive and actionable insights that can be visualized in Analytics Cloud or reused in other BDC components.SAP BWNow let’s look at SAP BW integration. Many organizations already have valuable historical data in SAP BW or BW/4HANA, and BDC allows you to leverage this data in the cloud without disruption.The integration follows three steps:Lift : to move your on-premise BW system to the BDC private cloud for extended maintenance and reduced infrastructure management.Shift : to generate data products from BW Info Providers so they can be consumed in Datasphere, Analytics Cloud, or Databricks.Innovate : to adopt SAP-managed data products and Intelligent Applications, and modernizing analytics workflows over time.In BDC, BW provides historical, trusted enterprise data as ready-to-use data products, enabling AI/ML, dashboards, and custom analytics scenarios while preserving previous investments.SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)Next component is SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC). SAC is the front-end of BDC.It provides dashboards, charts, tables, maps, and stories for interactive exploration of harmonized and enriched data. Users can drill down, filter, and perform planning functionsAnalytics Cloud integrates with Datasphere, Databricks, and BW models, so all visualizations are based on trusted, governed data. It also leverages AI/ML features like predictive insights and the ‘Just Ask’ natural language query assistant.Analytics Cloud supports both prebuilt Intelligent Applications and custom dashboards, enabling users to turn enriched data and AI insights into actionable decisions.Its role in BDC is to provide a unified interface for business users, helping them analyze, plan, and act on data efficiently.Data Foundation ServicesFinally, let’s discuss the Foundation Services of SAP Business Data Cloud.Foundation Services manage SAP-managed data products: they replicate, harmonize, and store them in the SAP HANA Cloud Data Lake. The data is stored in highly efficient files rather than tables, enabling large-scale, high-performance read operations.Foundation Services also support Delta Share, an open protocol that allows data to be shared securely with zero copying. Consumers such as SAP Datasphere, SAP Databricks, or other analytics tools can access data efficiently while maintaining governance.Discovery of available data products is facilitated via Open Resource Discovery (ORD), which exposes technical definitions, metadata, and business descriptions. Users can explore products before generating or installing them.In BDC, Foundation Services act as the backbone, ensuring that all SAP-managed data products are up-to-date, discoverable, and securely available for analytics, AI/ML, and Intelligent Applications. Without Foundation Services, data products and intelligent applications would not have a trusted, governed environment for reliable consumption. ConclusionIn this blog we covered the components of SAP Business Data Cloud and it’s role in SAP BDC. This is the part 3 of the SAP Business Data Cloud – A beginner’s guide series.In case if you missed the part 1 and 2, here is the links:SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1 SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC): A Beginner’s Guide – Part 2If 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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