Differences between SAP HANA and SAP HANA 2.0

SAP HANA 2 is being hailed by SAP as the latest platform for Digital Transformation. SAP HANA 2 is an offering that leverages cutting edge data management and database technology. SAP has also looked into the analytical intelligence capabilities and advanced application development tools on an integrated in-memory platform. This frees up precious human resources and capital for new and state-of-the-art application development to meet mission-critical business goals.

The existing SAP HANA platform has been given a huge boost giving users access to a stable and highly secure data environment which is also highly available for all user applications.

Database management and database have been improved with high security, workload management and availability along with Data Integration, Data Quality and Enterprise Modelling. When a professional is deploying or developing modern applications which are able to access data from anywhere and integrate transactions with analytical processing of an advanced nature. SAP HANA 2 has revolutionized analytical intelligence an application development. There are highly significant changes in terms of analytical processing engines for spatial, text, graph and streaming data along with Enhanced Development tools and application server tools.

SAP HANA requires the availability of a Cryptographic service provider as a prerequisite for encrypting the data volume. This occurs by default as recommended by the CommonCryptoLib. In this case, a persistence root encryption key must be created. This key is utilized to encrypt the page encryption key and is stored in SSFS and automatically retrieved from there. This makes sure that no administrator action is needed for start-up.

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Once changes to data are moved from memory to disk, the needed pages are encrypted during the write operation automatically. These pages are encrypted by using a 256-bit page encryption key. From a security point of view this page encryption key and encryption keys in general should be renewed at regular intervals.

Both SAP HANA 1.0 and SAP HANA 2.0 do not support the encryption of database traces and data backups. It should also be noted that for encrypting data backups a suitable third-party tool must be utilized with the backint interface. And the same should be applied to the database trace, which are not encrypted either. A great generic recommendation is to avoid large tracing files on Operating System level.

source: morethansap.com

Given below are the improvements and enhancements that are seen in SAP HANA 2.0 over the previous version:

Database Enhancements

1. High availability and disaster recovery/ backup and recovery

• Optimized workload for third party backup tools by consolidation of SAP HANA log backups.
• Automated orchestration of HA/DR processes with highly improved SAP Landscape Management integration.
• Load balance read-intensive operations between primary and secondary instances of SAP HANA with the active / active-read enabled mode.

2. Security

• Simplification of monitoring of security alerts and configuration of security and users in the latest SAP HANA cockpit.
• Minimize TCO by utilizing existing LDAP groups for automatic role assignment.
• Protect data at rest by utilizing SAP HANA’s holistic encryption for data and redo log files.

3. Administration

• Manage multiple tenants, one instance, or thousands of SAP HANA instances within the SAP HANA Cockpit administration and monitoring tool.
• Manage system thresholds and prohibit run-away queries and with enhanced workload management.
• Minimize cost and time when executing change by comparing, capturing, and analysing various workload replays.

Advanced Analytical Processing Enhancements

1. Search

• Run search rules in “Batch Mode” to go through a large number of records in a single call.
• Find information at an accelerated rate with enhanced filtering and searching on dates.
• Dynamically configure search rules for duplicate detection.

2. Text analytics

• Leverage the intelligence of existing applications that utilize text analysis to all languages by utilizing spaces between words.
• Manage your own domain-specific custom dictionaries and rules within the Web IDE for SAP HANA.
• Effortlessly embed natural-language processing into user products with a new native SQL interface.

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3. Graph data processing

• Analyze graph data with the highest efficiency to achieve accelerated results with new visualizations.
• Take advantage of existing Cypher query language skills with SAP HANA support for Cypher for pattern matching

4. Predictive analytics and machine learning

• Creation of richer predictive applications utilizing more pre-packaged algorithms.
• Run scoring functions at an accelerated pace with parallel processing across large-scale partitioned data.

Application Development and Tools Enhancements

1. Application server

• Minimize TCO with Bring Your Own Language and Runtimes by running these applications within the XS Advanced framework.
• Construct native applications in multi-tenant or MDC landscapes without constraints.
• Minimize effort of supporting JAVA based applications with enhanced JAVA / JavaScript runtime supportability and trace features.

2. Tools, languages, and APIs

• Test and develop MDX based queries and statements against SAP HANA views and take advantage of additional MDX capabilities.
• Speed up application development with improved modelling for data types (i.e. spatial, text, graph, etc.), calculation views and core data services
• Boost productivity with enhanced syntax error troubleshooting and extended impact and lineage analysis.
• Directly generate and query hierarchies without dependency on the graphical modeler.

Data Management Enhancements

1. SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer, Edition for SAP HANA

• Execute enterprise architecture and business process modeling, along with architecture and plan physical data models that target SAP HANA, with this new web-based tool that compliments existing SAP HANA modeling tools.

2. Multi-tier storage

• Integrated management of Dynamic Tiering with support for encrypted extended store, delta back-ups and system replication.
• Simplification of management for large volumes of data with multi-store tables.

3. Data integration

• Gaining access to higher number of data sources with added support for Microsoft Access and SharePoint.
• Simplification and acceleration of data movements with parallel data loads, automatic recovery, and data integration with SAP ABAP-based systems (via BAPIs that support virtual procedures).

4. Data quality and data federation

• Leveraging remote metadata synchronization to simplify alignment with remote data schema copies.
• Enhance the accuracy of location-based data by leveraging enhanced address cleansing capabilities.

Data Encryption Comparison between HANA 1.0 and HANA 2.0

SAP HANA is designed to copy data from memory to disk at periodic save points and also captures every data change in redo log entries. This makes sure that the database can be restored to its latest committed state post failure. It has to be stated that, the above mentioned data will stay unencrypted on the HANA server disk and is supposed to be saved from unauthorized access at the operating system level from perspective of security. It is in this stage that encryption is employed.

A Direct comparison between SAP HANA 1.0 and 2.0 SPS 00 is given in the table below

Major Differences between SAP HANA 1.0 and SAP HANA 2.0:

The most remarkable feature of HANA is that redo log encryption is possible. Post activation, log entries undergo encryption using a 256 bit long root key. This key can be considered as another key for data volume encryption and must also be maintained separately. Users have to remember that there is the distinct possibility and or need to back-up encryption root keys with HANA 2.0 for example in the case of redo log encryption.

Such a root key back-up may be required for recovery when it comes to a disaster scenario. If the root key back-up is lost, then it may lead to a situation where the data is unrecoverable. Hence it is recommended to perform a root key backup at periodic intervals. If users lose the root key then it may lead to a situation where the data is unrecoverable. While carrying out root key back-ups are highly recommended, this leads to the requirement of a new root key backup, every time the root key is changed.  Along with this, a password will secure the changing root key, and the required password is supposed to be set before the root key back-up is executed.

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Conclusion

SAP HANA has always been recognized as the leader in database management systems and as database servers. While SAP HANA 1.0 has a strong set of core features, SAP HANA 2.0 builds on these great foundation features with superior sets of enhancements in everything from data management and advanced analytical processing to Application development and tool enhancements.

You may also like to read: How to Become a Successful SAP HANA Consultant?