In a recent Demo Dive featuring Hakkoda and Coalesce, SAP data integration took center stage.
Hakkoda’s Matt Florian, Head of Hybrid Cloud Analytics, and Coalesce’s John Gontarz, Head of Solutions Architecture, shared a practical look at how the launch of SAP BDC Connect is already reshaping the way enterprises activate SAP data within the Snowflake AI Data Cloud.
Their message was clear: what was once one of the hardest integrations in the enterprise stack is becoming dramatically more accessible, and that it’s already driving even more impact than business and data leaders anticipated.
“Everyone’s Looking for an Easy Button”
For years, integrating SAP data into modern analytics platforms has been seen as complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive.
As Florian put it during the session: “A lot of people intentionally try to avoid it… because SAP and Snowflake together can be hard. Everybody’s looking for an easy button.”
In many ways, that button is exactly what BDC Connect has promised to deliver. By simplifying how SAP data is accessed and shared, organizations can move faster from integration to insight without the heavy lift traditionally required.
Gontarz reinforced this point: “These conversations are pretty hard—this definitely makes it a lot easier.”
Zero Copy, Real Impact
A central theme of the discussion was SAP BDC Connect’s zero-copy architecture: a fundamental shift in how SAP data is made available to downstream platforms like Snowflake.
Instead of extracting and replicating data, BDC Connect exposes SAP data products along with their business context and semantics.
Florian explained it this way: “We’re not trying to push data over. The data stays in SAP—but the metadata and the meaning behind it become available to Snowflake engineers.”
This approach reduces risk, eliminates duplication, and preserves SAP as the system of record—all while still enabling full access to its analytical value.
Breaking Down Organizational Silos
Beyond the technical innovation, both speakers highlighted a more persistent challenge: the disconnect between SAP teams and analytics teams.
Florian noted: “The answer is—they don’t have these conversations. SAP teams and analytics teams aren’t aligned.”
BDC Connect begins to change that dynamic by creating a shared, governed data layer that both sides can work from. Instead of rebuilding logic or reconciling differences, teams can operate from a common foundation.
“BDC becomes the conduit that helps facilitate that conversation,” Florian added.
The result is not just better data access, but better collaboration and faster decision-making.
From Raw Data to Ready-to-Use Products
Another key takeaway from the session was SAP’s shift toward delivering foundational data products through BDC Connect.
These aren’t just raw extracts. They’re curated, fully structured, and aligned to business use cases.
As Florian explained: “What SAP has put together are foundational data products… and they’re actually more powerful than what those extractors were.”
Gontarz expanded on this, noting that much of the preparation work is handled upfront: “BDC builds a lot of intelligence beforehand… so the data is ready to consume.”
This dramatically reduces the time required to build pipelines and enables teams to focus on higher-value work.
Accelerating Development with Modern Tooling
The conversation also highlighted how tools like Coalesce complement BDC Connect by accelerating pipeline development within Snowflake.
Gontarz described BDC Connect as the starting point: “If you choose BDC, that’s your first and most important accelerator.”
From there, modern data tooling enables teams to rapidly build, test, and iterate on new data products without getting bogged down in manual development cycles.
The combination creates a powerful foundation for scaling analytics and AI initiatives.
Expanding What’s Possible with AI
With SAP data accessible in Snowflake, organizations can begin to unlock more advanced use cases. This is especially powerful when it comes to the realms of AI and predictive analytics.
Gontarz shared a practical example: “Maybe you want to include weather data in your forecast. We make it easy to bring that in as part of the pipeline.”
By combining SAP data with external signals, teams can improve forecasting accuracy, optimize operations, and move toward more intelligent, data-driven decision-making.
A Shift Toward Outcomes
The overarching theme of the webinar was a shift in focus—from building data pipelines to delivering business outcomes.
As Florian summarized: “That’s the value. We can stop focusing on building the foundation and start focusing on the decisions that matter.”
With SAP BDC Connect and Snowflake working together, organizations have a new path forward—one that reduces complexity, accelerates delivery, and unlocks the full value of SAP data.
Want to learn more? Connect with the Hakkoda team to learn how you can activate your SAP data on Snowflake and start delivering value faster. You can also watch the whole webinar on demand here.
