A Journey from Legacy to Future-Ready Data Architectures
For many enterprise IT leaders, the road to data modernization starts with a familiar scene: aging SAP BW or HANA data warehouses, performance limitations, and the nagging pressure to “do more with data”—faster, smarter, and at scale.
During a recent Lemongrass Live, a panel of our experts took attendees on a journey through this very evolution from the early days of traditional data warehousing to today’s federated, cloud-native architectures powered by AI and open integration.
Here’s what we learned about why now is the time to rethink SAP BW and HANA and how to do it strategically.
The Changing Data Landscape: From ETLs to AI and Federated Platforms
Mayank Madan, Head of the Data Practice at Lemongrass, has seen the shift firsthand from long-running ETL jobs and rigid, on-prem architectures to distributed, scalable data platforms.
“Ten years ago, you’d spend your nights making sure ETLs didn’t fail. Today, we’re talking about zero-ETL architecture,” he explained.
As data matured, so did the platforms. What started with Hadoop and evolved through cloud data lakes has now entered a new phase. With platforms like SAP Datasphere, SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC), BigQuery, and Snowflake, data isn’t just centralized, it’s connected, federated, and ready for AI-powered insights.
Inside the SAP Ecosystem: What’s Changing and Why It Matters
Babu Ayyalu, Solutions Architect at Lemongrass, reflected on SAP’s own journey.
“From HANA accelerators to BW/4HANA and now Datasphere and BDC, SAP has moved towards a more intelligent, open ecosystem,” he shared.
With BW/4HANA 2023 support ending in 2040 and cloud-native tools like SAP Datasphere becoming the preferred path forward, enterprises are being nudged—if not pushed—into migration mode.
But it’s not just a technical decision. It’s about aligning business strategy, data freedom, and AI-readiness with technology investments.
Four Paths Forward: Migration Strategies that Match the Moment
According to Mayank, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to modernization. He shared that he sees four key migration strategies being adopted by customers:
- Rehosting (Lift and Shift): Moving BW systems as-is to the cloud. Common among customers transitioning via RISE with SAP.
- Replatforming (BW/4HANA): A more traditional approach, offering incremental benefits but increasingly viewed as a stepping stone.
- Rearchitecting (to Datasphere or BDC): Requires a fresh design mindset—data lakehouse, data products, fabric architectures, and integrated analytics.
- Hybrid Approaches: Combining SAP-native tools like Datasphere/BDC with cloud-native platforms (e.g., Databricks or Redshift), to manage SAP and non-SAP data holistically.
Enterprises with existing data lakes or investments outside SAP are leaning into this hybrid model, aiming for a unified data fabric strategy.
What Makes Migrations Hard? It’s Not What You Think
Technology can often be the easiest part. The real complexity lies in what Babu calls “the long pole in the tent”: custom code, info object hierarchies, and transformation logic that has evolved over years (if not decades).
Here, automated tooling and reverse engineering are essential. AI-powered solutions can help decode, map, and transform these hidden elements to accelerate migration and reduce risk.
Data Quality: The Quiet Risk to AI Success
A recurring theme in the discussion was data quality—not as a side consideration, but as a foundational pillar.
“Analytics platforms don’t generate data; they ingest it,” Mayank reminded us. “Poor quality in, poor AI out.”
From harmonizing formats (like gender or product codes) to checking for missing or null values, enterprises must invest in data profiling and cleansing upfront—ideally as part of the migration process.
Cloud Analytics: Beyond Speed and Cost
While many still view cloud adoption as a cost or performance play, Babu felt that the real value is data freedom.
With cloud-native platforms, businesses can bring together SAP, Salesforce, IoT, and third-party data to power real-time analytics and self-service decisioning. That agility is what makes modern architectures truly transformative.
SAP BDC: A New Era Begins
The panel spent time diving into SAP’s latest announcement—Business Data Cloud (BDC). Unveiled in early 2025, BDC represents a paradigm shift.
“This is the first time SAP is truly aligning with market architecture standards,” Mayank noted. With:
- Zero-copy access
- Data productization
- AI/ML integration via Databricks
- Pre-built Inside Apps for analytics
BDC creates a blueprint for future-ready data ecosystems—especially compelling for Greenfield deployments or those starting fresh with cloud-native design principles.
Lessons Learned from the Trenches
To close, Mayank and Babu shared their key takeaways from helping customers on this journey:
• Start early with metadata discovery.
• Don’t underestimate the size or complexity of your BW instance.
• Follow an “automation-first” mindset.
• Plan for data governance and security upfront—not after the fact.
• Invest in training your team. New tools require new skills.
Modernization Isn’t Just a Migration—It’s a Strategic Opportunity
As Andy Walker, SVP Sales for America and leader of Lemongrass’s go-to-market strategy in the region, put it in closing: “Migration is your chance to not just move platforms, but to unlock strategic agility.”
Whether you’re looking to optimize SAP BW, explore hybrid architectures, or prepare your landscape for AI, the message is clear: Start with strategy, think holistically, and take your people—and your data—on the journey with you.
Watch the full Lemongrass Live session on demand.
Whether you’re just starting to evaluate your options or already mapping out your SAP data modernization journey, this webinar is packed with insights that can help you get it right.
Hear directly from our experts and discover practical strategies for migrating SAP BW and HANA data warehouses—without the risk, and with far more reward.
