Skip to main content

SAP Data Accelerator

Last updated on by s-krishnamoorthy

Overview​

SAP Data Accelerator (DA) is a cloud-native, SAP-managed service that provides authorized external partners with governed, near-real-time access to SAP on-premises and private cloud business data — without requiring direct database access or custom ABAP development. Data flows are governed by SAP's security model, ensuring enterprise-grade compliance while enabling the open ecosystem integrations that modern data platforms demand.

SAP Data Accelerator currently supports Palantir Foundry. Support for additional partner platforms may be introduced over time.

SAP Data Accelerator is currently implemented for Palantir with secure proxy, with more enhancements such as Direct Access & Storage planned for the future.

image of solution diagram
Copy to clipboard
Solution Diagram Resources
You can download the Solution Diagram as a .drawio file for offline use. Alternatively, you may view and edit the Solution Diagram directly on draw.io.
Please note that any changes made online will need to be saved locally if you wish to keep them.
DownloadEdit

Data flows:

  • Acquisition (left → right): SAP backend data is selected, authorized, and replicated to partner systems via SAP Data Accelerator APIs.

  • Writeback (right → left): Enriched or AI-generated insights can be written back to SAP from partner platforms, subject to authorization.

Key Components​

SAP Backend Systems​

SAP Data Accelerator supports connectivity to the following SAP backend systems, on-premises and Cloud Private Edition:

  • SAP S/4HANA
  • SAP ERP / ECC
  • SAP Business Warehouse
  • SAP SLT Replication Server

SAP Cloud Connector​

The SAP Cloud Connector establishes a secure, outbound-only tunnel from on-premises SAP systems to SAP BTP. It eliminates the need for inbound firewall openings, ensuring that on-premises data can be surfaced to cloud-side services without compromising the network perimeter.

SAP ABAP-Add-on​

Installed on the customer's SAP systems — operates unchanged. Handles data extraction and writeback.

SAP Data Accelerator​

The core SAP BTP service that mediates all data exchanges.

Key responsibilities:

  • Data selection: Administrators define which SAP objects (tables, views, CDS views, BAPIs) are exposed and to which partners.

  • Authorization and governance: Consent and access control are enforced at the SAP Data Accelerator layer; partner systems receive only what they are explicitly permitted to consume.

  • Replication and streaming: SAP Data Accelerator can deliver data in bulk (initial load) and in near-real-time (delta/change data) to partner systems.

  • API surface: Partners consume data through standardized APIs rather than direct database connections, insulating them from SAP schema changes.

Partner System​

Any certified or configured partner platform — analytics engines, AI/ML platforms, data lakes, or third-party SaaS applications — that connect to SAP Data Accelerator to consume SAP data.

Key Benefits​

  • No direct database access required: Partners consume data through managed APIs, reducing security exposure and eliminating coupling to SAP's internal data model.
  • Centralized governance: SAP administrators retain full control over which data is shared, with whom, and under what conditions.
  • Near-real-time delivery: Delta replication ensures partner platforms work with fresh SAP data without the latency of nightly batch jobs.
  • Bidirectional flow: Writeback support closes the loop between external AI/ML outputs and SAP operational systems.
  • Minimal on-premises footprint: Beyond the SAP Cloud Connector, no additional on-premises infrastructure is required.
  • Standards-based security: Certificate-based authentication and TLS transport align with enterprise security standards.

Use Cases​

  • Analytics on SAP Data: Surface SAP transactional and master data in an external analytics platform without direct database access.

  • AI/ML Feature Engineering: Provide SAP operational data as features for machine learning models hosted outside SAP.

  • Supply Chain Visibility: Replicate SAP purchase orders, inventory, and logistics data to a partner visibility platform in near-real time.

  • Financial Planning: Send SAP actuals to an external planning tool; write back forecast or plan data to SAP for reconciliation.

Security Considerations​

  • All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.2+.

  • Certificate-based authentication and TLS transport align with enterprise security standards.

  • Data access is scoped to the minimum required by the partner's registered profile.

  • SAP Cloud Connector enforces outbound-only connectivity, protecting on-premises infrastructure.

  • Writeback operations are subject to additional authorization checks, optionally with user-level attribution (actions written to SAP are recorded against the individual user identity, not a shared service account).

Outlook​

The architecture will continue to evolve as the partnership grows, with further enhancements and innovations over time, including potential capabilities around managed storage and zero-copy access.

This reference architecture document is intended for enterprise architects and integration specialists evaluating or implementing SAP Data Accelerator as a governed data-sharing layer between SAP and partner platforms.