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Infobright DB vs SAP BW4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

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

Infobright DB
Ranking in Data Warehouse
27th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Relational Databases Tools (37th)
SAP BW4HANA
Ranking in Data Warehouse
8th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Data Warehouse category, the mindshare of Infobright DB is 0.5%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP BW4HANA is 4.6%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Warehouse
 

Featured Reviews

SD
If you need a real big data solution, look for a distributed solution that actually has a proven track record.
This version of Infobright has zero support for distributed scalability. The internal smart grid employed for each table has a major flaw in that the data size cannot be expunged until 2GB of data is reached at the column-level. This is a major flaw, making usage in a big-data scenario impossible. This means that you can delete as many records from a database table as you want. However, unless the 2GB aggregate size threshold was reached for some of the columns in the table, no reduction in disk space usage will occur. Only the data from the columns that reached 2GB will actually decrease. Other columns below 2GB in size do not leave the disk. I spent countless hours trying to find some workaround for this. I have nightmares of my e-mail inbox full of unsolvable questions about data size reduction from our field engineers.
Csaba Grünblatt - PeerSpot reviewer
Performs all necessary data warehouse tasks and offers additional functionalities
SAP BW4HANA improved data reporting processes significantly. Performance on HANA database is good. Well-built data models ensure consistent and fast reporting. Reusable models enhance efficiency, even for SaaS services. In-memory computing, especially since HANA, has greatly improved performance in data analysis tasks. It eliminates the need for complex optimizations like creating indexes or aggregates. Queries that once took minutes now run in seconds, enabling real-time reporting, especially for SAP ECC on HANA. SAP BW4HANA's integration capabilities are streamlined with a simplified architecture and more virtual layers. You can directly load data into optimized layers, reducing the need for extra storage. The introduction of Open ODS Views allows for additional logic and master data inclusion, making integration faster and simpler. The learning curve for SAP BW4HANA is much faster now compared to ten years ago, thanks to abundant free resources like documentation, videos, blogs, and learning journeys provided by SAP. It is simpler to learn with these resources available compared to the past when you had to attend courses and rely on books. I would recommend SAP BW4HANA to users looking to implement it, especially if they want to keep their systems on-premise and already have SAP systems. Those with BW on HANA have two choices: BW4HANA or DataSphere, depending on their cloud strategy. If they are advanced in their cloud strategy and want to migrate off-premise, DataSphere is a good choice. However, for a robust solution on-premise or in a private cloud, BW4HANA is an excellent option. Overall, I would rate BW4HANA as a nine out of ten. It performs all necessary data warehouse tasks and offers additional functionalities. We use it traditionally, with complex transformations and models but with less emphasis on real-time processing and third-party sources.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has very amazing smart grid query feature for very fast aggregate queries across millions of rows"
"Some of the main features of this solution are that it uses HANA and it has good performance."
"The solution's performance is really good. Also, it's easy to operate, easy to administer, and relatively simple to install."
"SAP BW4HANA aids in managing data from ER to front-end analysis, contributes to ROI, and fosters business growth understanding. I like that the solution breaks down components to a very granular level, allowing for customization and implementation based on specific requirements. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable."
"The solution seamlessly integrates with SAP products."
"From an ERP point of view and a functionality point of view, it works very well. The benefits are in that of financial costing and material management."
"The solution is easier to maintain than traditional SAP products."
"It is a stable solution."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
 

Cons

"Only the data from the columns that reached 2GB will actually decrease. Other columns below 2GB in size do not leave the disk."
"It's complicated to use. You need to spend a lot of time learning about it. The interface could be improved. It's not intuitive to build a data model and use their ETL tools."
"I don't see SAP actively supporting the solution now...a better support from SAP would be appreciated."
"There's the complexity in migration from BW to BW/4HANA, especially with data migration."
"Pricing would be a good improvement. A lot of customers think that it's very expensive and especially support is very expensive."
"One thing that could be enhanced in SAP BW4HANA is the user interface for process chains."
"There's one area where the other vendors have an upper edge, which is the data lake. I think SAP is trying to figure out whether to stick with IQ, their own data lake solution, or push customers toward customer-preferred vendors, like Azure Data Lake, AWS, or any other provider."
"The solution is not easy to implement. It requires a lot of learning at the beginning."
"Challenges arise with real-time client requirements when clients are accustomed to Microsoft Excel's extensive features for data analysis. They expect similar flexibility and customization in the solution, particularly regarding headers displaying keys and descriptions or just keys. Achieving this level of customization can be challenging, and it's an area that may need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our pricing was based on server instances and it was actually very cheap compared to Oracle. I guess you get what you pay for."
"It's a little expensive compared to Microsoft Azure."
"SAP BW/4HANA is expensive."
"The cost and licensing depends on how the customer is going to use the solution."
"The SAP HANA application still hasn't been leveraged to the fullest extent, but it's a five-year enterprise license."
"As an investment, the solution is very expensive."
"We have a broad licensing arrangement, which is expensive but worth it for sizeable businesses."
"The tool is affordable."
"For some, the rates offered by SAP can be costly while for others it may seem cheap. The price ultimately depends on how you have negotiated your contract with SAP."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about SAP BW4HANA?
One significant advantage of SAP BW/4HANA is the direct integration with the SAP HANA database, providing seamless access to real-time analytics. Additionally, it enables real-time data integrati...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP BW4HANA?
We have a broad licensing arrangement, which is expensive but worth it for sizeable businesses.
What needs improvement with SAP BW4HANA?
The interface could be more user-friendly, as we often need to do low-level coding to get things done.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Infobright
SAP BW/4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

REZ-1, SonicWALL, IntegriChain, Fuseforward International Inc., Polystar, Live Rail, Mavenir Systems, JDSU Partners, Bango
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Find out what your peers are saying about Infobright DB vs. SAP BW4HANA and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.