SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) has served organizations for decades as a reliable foundation for data warehousing and business intelligence. It has enabled tailored reporting, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), and financial consolidation through add-ons such as BPC and BCS.  

But the latest version, SAP BW 7.5, including its associated add-ons, will exit mainstream maintenance on 31 December 2027. Extended maintenance will be offered only until 31 December 2030, subject to additional cost. In addition, SAP BW’s architecture no longer meets modern requirements for data-driven FP&A, and AI-enabled performance management & steering (performance intelligence). 

This milestone confronts many finance and analytics leaders with a strategic question: What will be our trusted data & business intelligence platform for the next decades, after SAP BW? 

This paper explains why organizations should define a next-generation data & AI platform now, outlines strategic options for organizations using SAP BW, and concludes how to choose the best strategy.