LocalDB vs SAP HANA comparison

Microsoft and SAP are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Microsoft is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.5, while SAP is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. Microsoft holds a 2.7% mindshare in SQL, compared to SAP’s 11.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of SAP users who would recommend it.

LocalDB

Read 6 LocalDB reviews

2,094 Views
1,752 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SAP HANA

Read 85 SAP HANA reviews

8,321 Views
7,228 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

LocalDB

SAP HANA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

SAP HANA and LocalDB compete in the database management software category, with SAP HANA having the upper hand due to its advanced data modeling and real-time analytics capabilities that cater to large enterprises.

Features: SAP HANA is recognized for its advanced data modeling abilities, impressive speed via in-memory processing, and seamless integration, making it a suitable choice for large enterprises needing real-time analytics and scalable solutions. On the other hand, LocalDB stands out for being lightweight, offering compatibility with standard SQL management tools, and serves developers seeking a simple and efficient database solution for smaller-scale applications.

Room for Improvement:SAP HANA needs to enhance its pricing flexibility, improve scalability and third-party system integration, and refine performance when handling large data sets. LocalDB can improve by expanding its integration capabilities and further developing its management tools to support more complex environments and broader connectivity options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP HANA's deployment options include on-premises and private or hybrid clouds, providing flexibility while requiring more resources. However, customer support, although effective, is sometimes slow. LocalDB offers straightforward on-premises and cloud deployments with lower resource demands but mainly relies on community resources for support, which can be limiting for users requiring formal assistance.

Pricing and ROI:SAP HANA is considered expensive, especially for smaller entities, due to high hardware requirements and licensing costs, though SAP ERP users might find value in bundled offerings. In contrast, LocalDB is highly cost-effective with minimal fees, making it an attractive option for budget-constrained projects while adequately fulfilling database management needs.

To learn more, read our detailed LocalDB vs. SAP HANA Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

LocalDB vs. SAP HANA

April 2025

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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

LocalDB

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

17th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP HANA

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Virtualization (2nd), Embedded Database (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of LocalDB is 2.7%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP HANA is 11.0%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

Srini-Dhanaraj

Founder & CEO at imfine.club

The database always has structured data, like rows, columns, and bases

LocalDB is an excellent solution for learners, beginners, and projects of negligible size; it is very good. Any startup can use a local database to start. Once they grow beyond its limits, they can migrate to a MS SQL server that's also available on-premises. I rate it ten out of ten.

Read full review

Jayarami Reddy Pujeri

ERP Head at ID Fresh Food

Comprehensive system with real-time analytics for versatile industry applications

Our primary use case is working with various clients in industries such as pharmaceuticals and other services. We support clients as implementers of SAP HANA, providing expertise in functionality, finance, logistics, and processes The solution is very user-friendly and supports all kinds of…

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

"The initial setup was simple."

"The initial setup is very straightforward. The guidelines are very easy to follow. Maintenance is very easy and requires very little manpower."

"The most valuable feature of LocalDBis the connection between the application and DB."

"The solution is fast."

"LocalDB is an excellent solution for learners, beginners, and projects of negligible size; it is very good."

"SAP HANA's most valuable features are monitoring, reporting, and price and stock control."

"Technically it resembles Oracle, but as a somewhat lighter version."

"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."

"The most valuable features of SAP HANA include its user-friendliness, flexibility, and extensive support for various functionalities like finance, logistics, and workforce processes."

"The user interface is very good. You can do any kind of reporting analytics from the platform."

"SAP HANA's best features are its programmability and extensibility - you can size and shape the software however you need."

"We have found the solution to be customizable and it is beneficial it comes as a bundled package. Additionally, it is user-friendly."

"We use SAP HANA for Master Data Governance."

More SAP HANA pros

Cons

"The ALM features can be improved, but the database by itself is reliable."

"The initial setup is complex and requires a skilled person."

"The internal connection features of LocalDB could improve."

"The solution needs to create a management tool. Right now, the solution has tools for creating a local installation, but it's too simplistic. We need something that's a bit more complex so that we can extend the tools with our scripts."

"It is only for a small amount of data. Local DB is made for the purpose of small-volume optics."

"I would like more technical documentation. I would like it to be easier to find online help or have a better launch-based service. SAP has a lot of functions, so we need more best practices and more detailed documentation on industry solutions. For example, it would be good to have documentation on why a certain process needs to be set up and which kinds of configurations need to be set up."

"FI, or the financial module of SAP, has room for improvement. It has to have some better localization for the Middle East, especially in regards to taxes and the letter of credit cycle. I would like to see better localization from the HCM."

"Ease of use could be improved in SAP HANA. I like SAP because SAP solutions can be used by anyone, which means even laymen can start working on SAP tools, but in SAP HANA modeling, you'll need to know some other technologies and sequel scripting, and you need a separate skillset, so if you don't have the skillset, you won't be able to work on SAP HANA. Making SAP HANA low-code would make it even better."

"In my limited experience using SAP, the process of granting access to different modules is difficult. Specifically, the requirement to assign roles and key codes to users rather than being able to assign them individually made the process more complex. It would be beneficial if there was a way to assign key codes separately, rather than having to create multiple roles. This would make managing access easier."

"The only downside of the product is that it is an expensive solution that needs to consider lowering its prices to improve the product."

"The solution could improve by having better migration flexibility. For example, it would be helpful if there was a way for customers could check their nonproduction and production deployments."

"The solution could improve in the handling of backup data and the administration tools."

"There could be better management for faster updates, last year there were some changes in India to the e-invoicing feature."

More SAP HANA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The fees are fair."

"The licensing cost is too high for LocalDB."

"The tool has a high price. I rate the solution’s pricing, one on a scale of ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap."

"We are spending about 20,000 to 30,000 euros on the solution."

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

"Set up a consortium of consulting partners and hardware vendors to define your tech. Landscape TCO (total cost of ownership) and then approach the OEM for pricing (on-premise or on cloud or a hybrid model). Check if you can bring your own licenses for some of the existing application licenses on the new platform, to reduce TCO."

"The price of licensing is dependent on the size of the project, however, we have found that there is scope to negotiate the cost. If the solution is implemented on-premises there may be some extra costs for hosting etc."

"The pricing is relatively high for both customers and partners."

"SAP HANA is expensive, but unfortunately, we do not have any alternatives."

"There is a yearly subscription to use SAP HANA. There is a fee for maintenance."

More SAP HANA pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about LocalDB?

The solution is fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for LocalDB?

It's free of cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with LocalDB?

Technically speaking, you don't need to get any updates because it's not online. It's on-premise. So once it is installed, then you get a desktop-grade version. But the purpose of LocalDB is not th...

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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...

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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 LocalDB

Compared 81% of the time

MySQL vs LocalDB

Compared 11% of the time

MariaDB vs LocalDB

Compared 4% of the time

Oracle Database In-Memory vs LocalDB

Compared 4% of the time

More LocalDB Competitors

Oracle Database vs SAP HANA

Compared 23% of the time

SQL Server vs SAP HANA

Compared 21% of the time

MySQL vs SAP HANA

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Db2 Database vs SAP HANA

Compared 9% of the time

Apache Spark vs SAP HANA

Compared 5% of the time

More SAP HANA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Relational Databases Tools

May 2025

Download LocalDB product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP HANA

March 2025

Download SAP HANA product report

Also Known As

No data available

SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance, HANA

Overview

LocalDB is a lightweight version of the SQL Server Express Database Engine that is targeted for program development. LocalDB starts on demand and runs in user mode, so there is no complex configuration.

Microsoft

SAP HANA, also known as SAP High-performance Analytics Appliance, is a multi-model database that stores data in its memory, allowing users to avoid disk storage. The product combines its robust database with services for creating applications. SAP HANA is faster than other database management systems (DBMS) because it stores data in column-based tables in main memory and brings online analytical processing (OLAP) and online transaction processing (OLTP) together.

The column-oriented in-memory database design allows users to run high-speed transactions alongside advanced analytics, all in a single system. This provides companies with the ability to process very large amounts of data with low latency and query data in an instant. By combining multiple data management capabilities, the solution simplifies IT, helps businesses with innovations, and facilitates digital transformation.

The solution is structured into five groups of capabilities, categorized as:

Database design
Database management
Application development
Advanced analytics
Data virtualization

There are three more SAP products that work alongside SAP HANA and complete the experience for users together. SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a ready-to-run cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP). SAP BW/4HANA is a packaged data warehouse, based on SAP HANA, which allows users to consolidate data across the enterprise to get a consistent view of their data. Finally, SAP Cloud is a single database as a service (DBaaS) foundation for modern applications and analytics across all enterprise data. All three products can combine with SAP HANA to deliver to users an optimized experience regarding their data.

SAP HANA Features

Each architectural group of capabilities of SAP HANA has various features that users can benefit from. These include:

Parallel processing database: SAP HANA utilizes a single platform to run transactional and analytical workloads.
ACID compliance: This feature ensures compliance with requirements for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) standards.
Multi-tenancy: This feature allows multiple tenant databases to run in one system while sharing the same memory and processors.
Multi-tier storage and persistent memory support: SAP HANA's native storage extension is a built-in capability to manage between memory and persistent storage, including SAP HANA Cloud Data Lake.
Scaling: The scaling feature supports terabytes of data in a single server and distributes large tables across multiple servers in a cluster to scale further.
Data modeling: This feature consists of graphical modeling tools that enable collaboration between stakeholders and the creation of models to execute complex business logic and data transformation in real time.
Stored procedures: The product has a native language to build stored procedures and uses advanced capabilities to create complex logic.
Administration: This feature consists of administration tools for various platform lifecycle, performance, and management operations and automations.
Security: SAP HANA provides its users with real-time data anonymization features to extract value from data while protecting privacy.
Availability and recovery: The tool supports high availability and disaster recovery through an array of techniques, including backup, storage mirroring, synchronous, asynchronous, and multitarget system replication.
Extended application services: Through its built-in application server, users can develop services such as REST and ODATA, as well as web applications that can run on multiple locations.
Client access: The product offers clients the ability to access it via other application platforms and languages, including Java, JavaScript, R, and Go.
Application lifecycle management: This set of features facilitates the building and packaging of applications, transporting them for development to test to production, and then deploying them.
Application development: This feature consists of a set of tools that offer application development on premises and in the Cloud. The programming language ABAP includes additional optimized features to build extensions to SAP applications.
Search: The search feature uses SQL to locate text promptly across multiple columns and textual content.
Spatial processing: This product feature provides native support for spatial data types and spatial functions.
Graph: Through this feature, users of the product can store and process highly connected data using a property graph.
Streaming analytics: This feature combines various data sources that users can utilize to discover trends over a set period.
Data integration and replication: The solution offers comprehensive features to handle all data integration scenarios.
Data federation: This feature allows users to perform queries on remote data sources in real time with data federation.
Caching: The capacity to cache data provides users with the ability to optimize federated queries against remote sources of data.

SAP HANA Benefits

SAP HANA provides many benefits for its users. These include:

This solution offers a high level of data and application security, beginning from a secure setup and providing continuous support.
SAP HANA offers augmentation for applications and analytics with built-in machine learning (ML).
The solution works in a timely manner, as it provides a response to queries within seconds in large production applications.
SAP HANA simplifies work, as it provides a single gateway to all user data with advanced data virtualization.
The product is very flexible, as it allows users to deploy applications in a public or private cloud, in multiple clouds, on premises, or hybrid.
SAP HANA scales easily for data volume and concurrent users across a distributed environment.
This is a powerful solution in terms of querying large datasets with a massively parallel processing (MPP) database.
SAP HANA is a versatile product that supports hybrid transactional and analytical processing as well as many data types.
The product provides a smaller data footprint with no data duplication or advanced compression, and reduces data silos.

Reviews from Real Users

According to a database consultant at a pharma/biotech company, SAP HANA is a very robust solution with good data access.

Bruno V., owner at LAVORO AUTOM INF E COM LTDA, likes SAP HANA because the product offers advanced features, helps reduce hours, and makes it easy to find what you need.

SAP

Sample Customers

AstraZeneca, Kienzle Automotive GmbH, Kodak Alaris, Unilever, Floatel International and Kongsberg Maritime, MyHero

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

Buyer's Guide

LocalDB vs. SAP HANA

April 2025

Free Report: LocalDB vs. SAP HANA

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