The path from BW to intelligent enterprise
Move from BW/4HANA into SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) without losing reporting fidelity. At Sapphire 2026, SAP made BDC the context layer of the new SAP Business AI Platform. Alongside the SAP Knowledge Graph, BDC is the governed data surface every Joule agent, and every AI you bring, reasons over. The unification layer that fixes your reporting is now the ground floor of enterprise AI.
The reality for most SAP customers
What BDC actually gives you
Federated data access
Real-time, no costly ETL process
Zero-copy architecture
Minimal duplication, semantic models preserved
Open integration
Compatibility with SAC, Power BI, Tableau, and more
AI-ready foundation
Embedded Databricks, AI Core, and Joule
Business-centric semantics
Models that match how your business actually thinks
Progressive migration
Ability to move at your own pace from BW to BDC via PCE
Our view
SAP isn't investing further into BW. BW/4HANA stays supported into the next decade, but the platform is moving to BDC, not BW.
Seven practices, end to end. Most are in production today, with the newest in active build.
We analyze your current-state architecture, set a future-state vision tied to business outcomes, and build a phased migration roadmap with milestones and ROI. We make the call about what stays, what moves, and when.
Datasphere is the data fabric that makes BDC work. We design semantic models that preserve business context, build reusable data products by domain, and set up governance with row-level security.
SAC in BDC is the official UI for the intelligent enterprise. We build Story 2.0 dashboards on live Datasphere connections, with Joule-enhanced natural-language queries and self-service for business users.
BW Private Cloud Edition is the on-ramp to BDC. We assess custom BW logic, develop dual-run strategies that protect business continuity, and migrate data models into Datasphere data products.
SAP Databricks within BDC brings AI/ML to semantically rich SAP data. We configure managed Databricks instances, implement delta sharing, and develop ML models that train on business-context-aware data.
We build AI apps on top of BDC: Finance Intelligence for anomaly detection and cash-flow prediction, Supply Chain Intelligence for demand forecasting, and Revenue and People Intelligence on curated data products.
The goal is adoption. We set up data governance with lineage and compliance, define KPIs once that get used everywhere, train by role, and track usage so the platform keeps improving.
Real-time finance analytics on Datasphere replaced a fragmented close process. SAP referenced the work in their own BDC materials.
7 days 4 days
ERP close cycle
Phased BDC migration via BW PCE replaced rigid models and the IT-as-report-factory pattern. Business users now build their own reports.
60%
faster report generation
BDC federates across ECC, SuccessFactors, and operational systems, with Databricks ML running predictive equipment maintenance.
Real-time
operational insight
More Business Data Cloud work
Manufacturing
Chemicals
Manufacturing
Four phases, each with clear deliverables. None of them is a six-month "discovery."
Phase 1
2-4 weeks
We map your current architecture, sources, and landscape. Stakeholder interviews and a design-thinking workshop surface the real problems. You leave with a readiness assessment, preliminary roadmap, and a business case with ROI projections.
Phase 2
4-6 weeks
You get future-state architecture, semantic model definitions, a data product strategy by business domain, a governance and security framework, a phased migration plan with milestones, and a licensing review.
Phase 3
12-24 weeks, phased
We'll provide Datasphere configuration and data integration, SAC dashboards with live connections, BW PCE migration where needed, and Databricks setup for AI/ML. With role-based user training, people will actually be able to use it.
Phase 4
Ongoing
Usage monitoring, self-service expansion, ongoing data product development by business need, performance tuning, and strategic advisory as your BDC ecosystem matures.
Gavin Quinn
Founder & CEO
Joule & Agents
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Parvathy Sankar
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The foundation on which your SAP estate extends, integrates, and runs AI.
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The core your business runs on, and the foundation for everything else.
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SAP support from the people who understand the architecture, not a generic help desk.
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Get your SAP core standard, governed, and upgrade-safe, so the AI era can be trusted to run on it.
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Adopt the SAP Business AI Platform without betting your roadmap on one model or one vendor.
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Ship on-demand without putting the system of record at risk.
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Presented publicly
Talks our team gave on this topic at SAP events. Slides included.
Our first call is a working session, not a pitch. Bring a real problem and let’s whiteboard it together.