SAP Business One is one of the most popular ERP systems targeted towards SMEs. Conventionally SAP Business One is mainly used in Windows Environment with Microsoft SQL Server at its core RDBMS. SMEs till few years back using SAP Business One for regular Back Office Process and Accounting management fond out this approach to be quite ideal. But now-a-days, when the database size increased to Terabytes and SMEs are relying more and more towards getting real time analytics (Reports and Dashboards), they find out that SQL Server is overwhelmed for such a requirement.
To resolve such a situation SAP has devised a plan long time back and released SAP Business One HANA (SAP B1H) just for such purpose. Let’s check how SAP Business One HANA (SAP B1H) can make a business more efficient.
SAP B1 powered by SAP HANA is available from SAP B1 8.82 . It contains enhancements and additions meant for SME. SAP developed HANA as an in-memory database platform which uses innovative techniques to store Customer’s data that is particularly suited for handling very large amounts of relational, data with unprecedented performance.
Approaches for using HANA with SAP B1
- Existing SAP Business One Customers can use SQL Server as their primary database, while HANA can be used with SAP Business One Analytics called as B1A which will enable them to get desirable speed and performance for reporting requirements such as Interactive Analysis, Crystal Dashboards and for Enterprise search.
- For new and upgrading customers of SAP Business One who desired unprecedented speed and performance within their SAP Business One environment can use SAP Business One version for SAP HANA. Like B1A, B1H provides superior performance as well as a host of new features. While SAP continues to introduce new features for this more scalable platform, new features have already been introduced into B1H that are not available in SAP Business One running on Microsoft SQL Server and even some features are not available in B1A.
Hey, Do you know how to install license for SAP Hana and B1H?
What does HANA mean to a business?
Let’s look at specific features of HANA B1H which are not available in SQL Server environment or even in the hybrid approach of B1A.
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Real-time Inventory Check
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Item Inventory is always a key concern for any business, be it for Raw Material or Finished Goods or for Purchase or Sales Cycle. B1H Introduces a new feature called Available to Promise Check, this shows an inventory transparency. Inventory is dynamically calculated, whether promised, on-demand or in-hand without Pre Calculation.
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Delivery Schedule
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Delivery Manager can view Open Sales Orders in a Dynamic Drag & Drop, it enables them to restructure quantities of Open Orders and planners can split quantities of an Order and merge them in multiple deliveries or push quantities from one Open order to another to meet urgent requirement.
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Cash Flow
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B1H provides a dynamics feature of Cash Flow Forecast which instantly updates Cash Flow based on certain criteria such as marketing documents or assured transactions. System will automatically aggregate all relevant business activities such as Quotations, Open Orders, Sales Opportunities in real time and allow users to get a 360 Degree View.
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Dashboard
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B1H provides 4 Out of the box Dynamic Dashboards, but apart from that it has the capability to embed Crystal Dashboard Designer. SAP has delivered pre-defined semantic layers to enable rapid content development based on dimensions and measures, and allows users to attach these interactive widgets to their related document types
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Interactive Analysis
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B1H using these same semantic layers within a Microsoft Excel / Pivot-based reporting solution. Areas like: Document/Inventory Aging, Cost Centers, Profit & Loss, Liquidity, Budgeting, Sales Opportunity, Sales Revenue and Inventory Turnover have pre-defined semantic layers. In addition, SAP B1 Users can develop their own as well. Simply open the Interactive Analysis Tab in the left or top menu structure of SAP Business One HANA B1H and begin drilling into data cubes, or define a data structure and develop and publish your own data cubes.
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Enterprise Search
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New Enterprise search technology mimics that of the most popular search engines from the web, and provides a full 32-key text search. Users can apply dynamic filters and drill-down, while still following to the data security policies designed by SAP B1 Implementation Partners.
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Mobile Applications
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Called as “Extreme Apps,” functions like the Enterprise Search, Pervasive Analytics, Cash Flow Forecast, Available to Promise and Delivery Scheduling have been added to the existing SAP Mobile App that is included in with every B1H license.
