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SAP's Platform Provides Multiple Possibilities for Predictive Analytics

In order to optimize business opportunities with predictive analytics, companies must have access to a flexible and robust platform that freely integrates with different types of data, data sources, and applications. SAP's platform does that.

When companies have to choose an IT platform that doesn't limit the possibilities of leveraging data and using predictive analytics, SAP's platform is a strong option.

With its strategy for SAP HANA and SAP HANA Cloud, SAP has developed a flexible platform for data-driven companies that easily communicates with other platforms and easily handle Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, which form the basis for using predictive analytics.

SAP is aware of the new competences required when working with data and recognizes the challenges for companies to recruit data scientist resources. Therefore, SAP continues its commitment of developing off-the-shelf algorithms throughout their application portfolios.

The essential is that SAP's platform allows, one step at a time, to leverage data and offers several solutions.

Birgitte Dahl, CEO, Rooftop Analytics

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When the company has an ambition to leverage data to gain competitive advantages, there is no doubt that predictive analytics is needed. It must be predictive analytics which goes beyond the capabilities of what off-the-shelf algorithms can offer.

SAP's Platform Paves the Way for Predictive Analytics - And One Step at a Time

To begin with, a company's ambition may be to start with already developed algorithms and techniques in business analytics tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and SAP Analytics Cloud, referred to as off-the-shelf analytics. These solutions undoubtedly provide relevant insight. The challenge, however, is that competitors using the same tool can gain the exact same insight into their business.

By taking analytics to the next level, the 'SAP Predictive Analytics' application is a good starting point, enabling companies to use both standard algorithms and machine learning for developing their own algorithms. The results can be visualized in the analytics tools that the company has already started using.

When companies see the advantage of going a step further and make use of the strengths of the SAP platform, multiple data sources and applications must be brought into play. This allows the company to fulfill its high ambitions of becoming a data-driven company, which utilizes data differently and better than its competitors.

SAP's platform can handle multiple analytics applications in interaction - each with its different strengths.

Apply SAP Predictive Analytics and Algorithms in the Predictive Analytics Library (PAL). If the company already has the SAP HANA (on-premise) platform, this application is an obvious starting point. SAP Predictive Analytics is open for non-SAP data and integrates with advanced applications such as Python and TensorFlow. This gives the advantage of being able to develop advanced algorithms applying machine learning, not just standard algorithms. It offers the opportunity to access the algorithms used by Google, Amazon, and Facebook among others.

Apply SAP Leonardo Machine Learning Foundation. This is an SAP Cloud solution that is on top of the SAP Cloud platform and effectively works with big data and algorithms applying machine learning algorithms within deep learning (neural networks). Applying APIs, the company can exchange data with both standard ERP solutions and customer developed solutions.

Use Tableau or Power BI to Present the Results. If the company wants to continue with Tableau or Power BI as the tool for data presentation, SAP Predictive Analytics can still serve as the underlying analytics tool for the ERP solution and enterprise systems.

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Would you like to know if customized algorithms are the right way to go for your data project, contact Birgitte Dahl.