Exasol Data Warehouse vs SAP HANA comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Exasol and SAP are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Exasol is ranked #36, while SAP is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1. Exasol holds a 1.4% mindshare in SQL, compared to SAP’s 6.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Exasol users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Exasol Data Warehouse

Read 8 Exasol Data Warehouse reviews

1,803 Views
1,623 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SAP HANA

Read 93 SAP HANA reviews

11,086 Views
8,315 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Exasol Data Warehouse

SAP HANA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

SAP HANA and Exasol Data Warehouse are two significant players in the data warehousing market, consistently competing in delivering fast and efficient data processing solutions. SAP HANA tends to have an edge due to its comprehensive features and integration capabilities.

Features: SAP HANA includes advanced analytics, in-memory computing, and real-time data processing which provides quick insights and makes it a valuable tool for large enterprise needs. Exasol is noted for its exceptional speed, automatic optimization, and robust support for SQL, ensuring efficient performance for analytical queries. SAP HANA excels in integration, making it suitable for complex system landscapes.

Room for Improvement: For SAP HANA, some users note that the system can be resource-intensive and complex, requiring a significant setup and integration effort. Additionally, optimization for big data solutions would enhance its capabilities further. On the other hand, Exasol could improve by offering more flexible role management and documentation that caters to beginners for easier onboarding and usability. It can also benefit from better integration capabilities to match SAP HANA's comprehensive suite.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP HANA offers extensive documentation and strong technical support, ensuring that even complex deployments are well-supported. However, this also makes it more resource-intensive. Exasol is praised for its simplicity and faster setup, requiring fewer resources and less dependency on support, though the documentation could be more beginner-friendly.

Pricing and ROI: SAP HANA comes with a higher initial cost but offers substantial ROI through its extensive features and integration capabilities. It is often seen as a justified investment for enterprises needing comprehensive solutions. Conversely, Exasol provides a more cost-effective setup, with a promising ROI driven by its efficient performance and rapid deployment, making it attractive for businesses seeking quicker returns with lower upfront expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Exasol Data Warehouse vs. SAP HANA Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse vs. SAP HANA

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Exasol Data Warehouse

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

36th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP HANA

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Virtualization (2nd), Embedded Database (1st), Database Management Systems (DBMS) (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Exasol Data Warehouse is 1.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP HANA is 6.2%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SAP HANA	6.2%
Exasol Data Warehouse	1.4%
Other	92.4%

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

Shubham-Agarwal

Manager - Projects at Cognizant

Fast query processing and easy-to-store all the data

There are very few companies that are using Exasol, but the majority of companies are using SQL Server, Cloud or IBM Db2 Database, or any other databases. Therefore, the resources are limited, which is my only concern. So if I face any issues, limited resources are available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol. From that perspective, it can be a bit of a struggle for me to find a solution. In the next release, I would like to see better compatibility issues. Currently, Exasol has limited compatibility with other software like Python and R. For example, If I talk about SQL Server, we can connect it to big data or Python, which is also compatible with different servers.

Read full review

Bassem Mohammed

IT Application Manager at TBTD

Integrated business processes have improved real-time analytics and financial performance

Whether I or my customers utilize SAP HANA's real-time analytics depends on the data needed to be displayed, and then choosing how to transfer the data to the analytic object, data source, or database to be displayed in the reports. It may be near real-time, real-time, or running batch every day. There are tools for integration between third-party systems, such as OData or APIs from SAP to get in or push data to other systems. Support for both structured and unstructured data helps organizations unify data sources depending on the needed data to be displayed. There are many ways to store it for report displays, but structured data will be better than unstructured data.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"This solution is extremely fast and very stable; you set it up and put your data on it and as long as it's structured, it self-tunes queries and doesn't require a database administrator."

"It is easy to scale."

"The solution is hands-off; you set it up insert your data and it self tunes queries."

"The speed is very good compared to other databases, like SQL Server or Oracle."

"We can quickly scale the solution as it works on an MPP system."

"We mainly chose Exasol for its performance reasons."

"The most valuable feature of Exasol is its speed."

"Its speed is great."

More Exasol Data Warehouse pros

"The solution is easy to scale."

"What is good about SAP HANA is its simplicity and its flexibility."

"It's sufficed all of our requirements. We primarily needed it to run SAP applications, like NetWeaver or S/4HANA, and it has been really good at that."

"It has a very huge bandwidth and data transfer."

"It's stable and reliable."

"As I only worked part-time on SAP HANA, I did not have the opportunity to explore the advanced features of the solution. However, I did work with basic features, such as user administration and access controls for the accounting department. The feature that stood out to me the most was the Single Sign-On and user administration, backup, and server management. My experience with SAP HANA was mainly focused on basic server improvements."

"Once you try to do any queries against this database you can get the result very fast."

"Using SAP HANA has reduced a lot of paperwork that we would typically be doing and the communication we have with our suppliers."

More SAP HANA pros

Cons

"The only area where we found it could improve was in custom role creation and security, and it was difficult to work with."

"There are limited resources available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol."

"It would be beneficial if the updates would occur more often."

"They don't talk very well to with other products when it comes to connectivity. Integration is lacking."

"You have to install Exasol drivers, and it's not easy to find or implement a driver into different systems."

"The price is quite expensive relative to other similar solutions, it could be more accessible in that sense."

"They should improve the security features for MPP processing."

"Lacks a cloud-based platform."

More Exasol Data Warehouse cons

"SAP HANA isn't user-friendly, and it's very hard to train newcomers to use it."

"Licensing costs with SAP HANA are very high. Due to high pricing, many clients are moving from BW on SAP HANA and S/4HANA to Azure SQL."

"You cannot apply mulit-join inside the calculation views, for example, when you are joining tables."

"A documents preview could be helpful."

"Because SAP HANA is completely in-memory, it requires the use of bigger systems which have a higher amount of RAM. If the system does go down then coming back up is difficult and can take 30 to 40 minutes."

"I don't have direct access to SAP, and instead, I need to go through the SAP office in India."

"We have not really received any technical support from SAP HANA. I think that's also one thing that maybe SAP would be most helpful, especially if we encounter several errors during installation."

"The product is very demanding on memory requirements."

More SAP HANA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's cost is mid-ranged."

"The price of the solution could be reduced, it is expensive."

"A monthly or yearly license must be purchased, although its utility will be based on the cost-benefit analysis that is reached by the individual customer."

"We pay annually for the license of the solution."

"The cost of SAP HANA is high, and I would rate the price at eight out of ten."

"We pay $200 on a monthly basis."

"While the cost of the license may seem high, it is important to note that the benefits of the solution far outweighs the cost."

"The licensing cost for SAP HANA is approximately $200 per user per month."

"The price is high and could be a bit cheaper."

More SAP HANA pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

13%

Construction Company

11%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	64

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What are the biggest benefits of using SAP HANA?

Based on my work with SAP HANA, the biggest benefit that it can bring to your business is total data management. This product is by SAP - a company that serves almost all needs a client may have co...

See all answers

Is SAP HANA’s customer and technical support reliable?

We have been using SAP HANA for a fairly short period of time and have only taken advantage of their customer support. So far, we have not had issues that required specialized help from technical s...

See all answers

Is SAP HANA difficult to set up and start using?

SAP HANA is fairly easy to set up, however, I do not think a complete beginner can do it. You certainly need some preparation - either you need to have experience with similar solutions, or with ot...

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 11% of the time

Teradata vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Database vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Db2 Database vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 6% of the time

SAP IQ vs Exasol Data Warehouse

Compared 4% of the time

More Exasol Data Warehouse Competitors

Oracle Database vs SAP HANA

Compared 34% of the time

SQL Server vs SAP HANA

Compared 7% of the time

MySQL vs SAP HANA

Compared 5% of the time

IBM Db2 Database vs SAP HANA

Compared 4% of the time

Oracle Database In-Memory vs SAP HANA

Compared 4% of the time

More SAP HANA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse

September 2026

Download Exasol Data Warehouse product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP HANA

September 2026

Download SAP HANA product report

Also Known As

No data available

SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance, HANA

Overview

Exasol Data Warehouse is renowned for its exceptional speed and automatic optimization, making it user-friendly. It enhances data processing on platforms such as Tableau, ensuring efficient dashboards for users across countries.

Exasol Data Warehouse offers an impressive performance by outperforming competitors like SQL Server and Oracle. Its automatic optimization and hands-off setup simplify deployment, while robust SQL support and self-tuning capabilities improve workflows. Users benefit from its high processing speed, supporting efficient data queries and broader workflows, alongside an intuitive interface and comprehensive documentation. Despite its performance strengths, it struggles with global recognition, connectivity, and integration. Challenges include custom role creation and security, with limited row-level security support. Users seek more frequent updates and better compatibility with languages such as Python and R. It requires specific drivers, is not cloud-native, and has a high cost. With limited resources available, security features for MPP processing need enhancement.

What are the key features of Exasol?

Impressive Speed: Outperforms counterparts in data processing, enhancing efficiency.
Automatic Optimization: Boosts performance and ease of use.
Robust SQL Support: Facilitates seamless data handling and queries.
Self-Tuning Capabilities: Reduces manual intervention for users.
Intuitive Interface: Enhances user engagement and accessibility.

What benefits should users look for in Exasol?

Enhanced Performance: Streamlines and accelerates BI functions.
Improved Dashboard Efficiency: Increases effectiveness on platforms like Tableau.
Ease of Use: Simplifies set-up with hands-off setup and self-tuning.
Broad Integration: Acts as backend for tools like MicroStrategy.
Central Data Repository: Supports critical data management across regions.

Exasol Data Warehouse is implemented to enhance performance in reporting systems and development processes, serving teams in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. It acts as a backend for reporting tools such as MicroStrategy while accelerating BI functions. It supports the resolutions of data issues from tools like Tableau, provides ad-hoc analysis, and manages critical data points efficiently.

Exasol

SAP HANA is a high-speed in-memory data platform providing real-time analytics and quick data retrieval while supporting enterprise scalability and integration.

Designed for efficient data processing, SAP HANA offers robust security, ease of use, and advanced analytics through an architecture that ensures flexibility and stability. This allows seamless integration with third-party systems, significantly improving data management and decision-making capabilities. Enterprises benefit from data modeling, compression, comprehensive dashboards, and real-time insights. However, users have noted high costs, speed, and scalability issues, as well as complexity in interface and customizations. There's also a need for better integration with third-party tools, clearer documentation, and enhanced connectivity with Java and other platforms.

What are the key features of SAP HANA?

In-memory Processing: Delivers rapid data retrieval and analytics.
Data Modeling and Compression: Enhances storage efficiency and speed.
Advanced Analytics: Offers comprehensive insights for strategic decisions.
Seamless Integration: Integrates with third-party systems effectively.
Real-time Insights: Supports real-time analytics across data sets.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating SAP HANA?

Improved Decision-making: Informs strategic business choices with advanced analytics.
Operational Efficiency: Enhances productivity by streamlining data management.
Scalability: Supports growth and evolving data needs effectively.
Security: Protects data integrity with robust mechanisms.

SAP HANA is deployed for enterprise resource planning across industries, notably in finance, HR, and sales. It supports real-time analytics, business intelligence, and integrates with SAP ERP and S/4HANA, offering tailored solutions for sectors like supply chain management, CRM, procurement, and financial analysis.

SAP

Sample Customers

1&1 Internet SE 11880 Internet Services AG AB Svenska Spel Accarda AG Aera Technology Inc. AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH AQR Capital Management, LLC arvato distribution GmbH ARZ Allgemeines Rechenzentrum GmbH Badoo Limited Baur Versand (GmbH & Co. KG) BIScience Ltd Blocket Blue Yonder GmbH Codilink UK Ltd T/A Coniq crealytics GmbH dailyme TV GmbH Dailymotion S.A. Dataforce Verlagsgesellschaft für Business Information mbH Deutsche Postbank AG Digitales Rezept Zentrum GmbH DIKW Groep direct services Gütersloh GmbH DR Technologies Ltd. dress-for-less GmbH econda GmbH emetriq GmbH empiriecom GmbH & Co. KG Flaconi GmbH Fresenius Netcare GmbH Fyber GmbH GfK SE Grant Street Group, Inc. Gruner + Jahr GmbH Gymshark UK Hahn Air Lines GmbH Hermes Einrichtungs Service GmbH & Co. KG INNOVATIVE SCHEDULING, LLC internetstores GmbH INTERSPORT Deutschland eG IQVIA Commercial GmbH & Co. OHG IQVIA Commercial Sp. z o.o. IQVIA Incorporated iVantage Health Analytics K - Mail Order GmbH & Co. KG LIQ CORP SA Manor AG Basel Match2Lists Limited MEDION AG Midasplayer AB Monsoon Accessorize Limited m-pathy GmbH msales Ltd. MTG Modern Services AB MW Aviation GmbH & Co. KG Myntra Designs Pvt Ltd Netzeffekt GmbH New Company Services Ltd. NOVENTI HealthCare GmbH Olympus Europa SE & Co. KG Operation Fistula OpsDataStore OTTO (GmbH & Co KG) Panda Retail Co. PAPSTAR GmbH Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. Questback GmbH RatePAY GmbH Revolut Ltd. Saarland-Sporttoto GmbH Sagarmatha Ltd. SIA Damara Technologies Supermärkte Nord Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG The National Research Center for College & University Admissions, Inc. United Utilities Water Ltd. Verlag C.H. Beck oHG Vocal Planet Ltd. Vodafone Group Services GmbH Webtrekk GmbH wer liefert was? GmbH Windeln.de SE Wooga GmbH XING SE Zalando SE

Unilever, NHS 24, adidas Group, CHIO Aachen, Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited

Buyer's Guide

Exasol Data Warehouse vs. SAP HANA

September 2026

Free Report: Exasol Data Warehouse vs. SAP HANA

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