If you recently looked at SAP In-memory Computing webpage, you might had noticed one change. HANA does not stand for "High-performance ANalytic Appliance" anymore. This short blog aims to update you on some new names in SAP In-memory Technology area.
Saplingualogists will be happy - they can write new page in the thick volume of SAP marketing name changes.
"SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance (SAP HANA)"
is now "SAP In-Memory Appliance (SAP HANA™)"
I think this change makes lots of sense. SAP HANA™ is not meant to be only "analytic" anymore, so my speculations about next versions of HANA turning into HOPA (point #4) are going away. Now it is In-memory Appliance, so the name reflects:
- Technology instead of the goal,
- The fact that it is still an appliance in a sense of predefined and certified hardware configurations running the set of pre-integrated software components.
"SAP In-Memory Computing Engine"
is now "SAP In-Memory Database"
Here I have mixed feelings. Not because I got used to "IMCE" (or "ICE" before that) or because "IMDb" is the Internet Movie Database, where you can search for Chuck Norris moviews. 😉
On one hand the "engine" in the previous product name reflected better that it was more than just a database: one of the engine components allows in-database calculations without moving data into the application layer, and includes BFL - business functions library that can be called by other applications and executed "close to the data".
On the other hand almost every single time I had to explain that computing engine in SAP HANA is SQL-compliant database. New name makes it simpler, but as mentioned in previous paragraph causes the lost of that "extra" delivered with it.
Business Applications based on SAP In-memory Technology
Two weeks ago during Run Better Tour (#SAPRBT) SAP announced the series of applications to be released (called confusingly the "applications roadmap") on top of the in-memory technology. Dealing with official dozen-words names you will recognize those by additional "Advanced by SAP In-Memory Computing" product name postfix.
Is SAP HANA™ still Chuck Norris of the Enterprise Software?
And at the end - on the fun side. Does it mean that I should change "Chuck Norris" nickname for SAP HANA as well? I leave it up to you. That's what blog comments area is for 😉
Cheers,
-Vitaliy, aka @Sygyzmundovych
