SAP Business Data Cloud Migration

The main cost drivers are landscape size (number of active BW objects), complexity of the data model, number of reports and their consumption layer, and how much custom ABAP is embedded in transformation logic. A discovery phase – typically 2–4 weeks – produces the inventory needed to size the project accurately. Without it, any estimate is quite general.

However, you can get an estimate within 24 hours – with our BW-BDC migration calculator. It’s quite rough but quite something to start with.

Datasphere – the integration and modelling layer inside BDC – supports connections to a wide range of external sources: cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery), relational databases, REST APIs, and flat file sources. Data can be replicated into BDC or accessed in place via virtual tables, depending on latency and governance requirements.

For companies already using a non-SAP data platform, BDC can sit alongside it rather than replacing it – the two can share data in both directions. The integration story is significantly stronger than it was with BW, where external data always needed to be brought in and modelled on SAP's terms.

BDC releases new functionality monthly, so post-go-live support isn't just about keeping the lights on – it includes staying current with platform changes and adjusting architecture decisions accordingly. We provide hypercare support in the weeks immediately after cutover, followed by a structured handover to your internal team that includes documentation, admin training, and defined escalation paths.

Knowledge transfer is built into the project rather than bolted on at the end. Your team works alongside ours during the build phases so they understand what was built and why, not just how to operate it.

BW Bridge is designed as a transitional arrangement, not a permanent solution. It allows you to consume existing BW data in Datasphere without fully migrating – but you're still maintaining BW logic, BW data models, and BW-era extraction. With BW Bridge, you move your data infrastructure to the cloud – but you don’t necessarily reduce the complexity.

Plus, BW Bridge does not eliminate the need for redesign. It supports a defined scope of BW functionality, but not every object, integration pattern, reporting scenario, or custom development from an existing BW landscape can be carried forward unchanged. Some unsupported objects and custom code may need to be adjusted BEFORE moving them from BW to BW Bridge.

BW Bridge helps you save effort and money when you can’t stay on-prem anymore but don’t have enough resources for a proper migration to BDC. However, it doesn’t make sense when the cost of maintaining two parallel environments – BW Bridge and BDC – exceeds the cost of finishing the migration properly. For companies with a large, actively used BW landscape, that crossover tends to come sooner than expected.

It depends almost entirely on the size and complexity of your BW landscape and which approach you're taking.

A lift and shift project – moving BW infrastructure to private cloud without rebuilding anything – can be completed in 2-4 months for a straightforward landscape. The subsequent modernization phases add time on top of that, typically running in waves rather than as a single project.

A selective rebuild of core reporting for a mid-sized BW landscape typically runs 6–12 months. Larger or more complex landscapes, or those with significant custom development, can run longer.

The honest answer is that timeline estimates made before a discovery phase are rough at best. The discovery phase itself – 2-4 weeks – is what produces a reliable project plan. If you skip or compress that step, you risk spending more time and effort later, dealing with what hasn’t been considered initially.

No. You can lift a BW 7.5 system directly to a private cloud and migrate to BW/4HANA in the cloud afterward. The on-premises upgrade is not a prerequisite.