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The SAP HANA Support Problem: What SAP Actually Sells You
SAP HANA was released in 2010 as an in-memory column-store database. SAP's commercial strategy from the outset was to make HANA a prerequisite — first for BW/4HANA, then for S/4HANA, then progressively for most analytic products. The result is a two-tier installed base: organisations that run HANA as the database layer under SAP ECC or BW, and organisations that have moved to S/4HANA and run HANA as the application and database tier.
The support complexity — and the TPS opportunity — sits primarily in the first group. Organisations running SAP ECC on HANA, SAP BW on HANA, or SAP HANA as a standalone analytical database are paying SAP standard support rates (22% of licence value/year) for a database engine that is stable, performing, and not materially changing. SAP's incentive is to use support renewal conversations to push these organisations toward S/4HANA. TPS removes that lever.
HANA 1.0 EOS: What SAP Told You vs. What Is True
SAP announced HANA 1.0 end of mainstream support in December 2020 and extended maintenance until December 2025. SAP's communication implied that running HANA 1.0 after this date was a critical risk. In practice, the database engine continues to operate identically. TPS providers support HANA 1.0 on all Service Pack Stacks (SPS) including SPS 12 and SPS 15 — the most widely deployed production configurations.
TPS Coverage: What Is Included in SAP HANA Database Support
TPS for SAP HANA covers the database engine layer. This is distinct from — and does not include — SAP application-layer support (ECC, BW, or S/4HANA application modules). Most organisations running HANA on TPS maintain SAP support for their application layer while reducing cost on the database tier, or move the entire stack.
Included Under HANA Database TPS
- HANA database engine — core in-memory column store, row store, and mixed OLAP/OLTP processing for your installed SPS level
- HANA System Replication (HSR) — primary/secondary replication, synchronous and asynchronous modes, failover procedures
- HANA Backup and Recovery — BACKINT interface support, log backup configuration, point-in-time recovery procedures
- HANA Smart Data Integration (SDI) and Data Provisioning Agent where used for CDC or ETL feeds
- HANA XS/XS Advanced — if deployed for custom application services running on HANA
- Security patches and critical CVE remediations — backported to your installed SPS level
- Performance tuning — column store unloads, memory management, SQL plan cache analysis, and HANA-specific optimisation
- HANA Studio / cockpit operational support — administration tooling issues and configuration
- Multi-tenant Database Container (MDC) — tenant database management, resource allocation, and isolation issues
- Integration support — JDBC/ODBC client libraries, SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) integration, and third-party ETL tool compatibility
- Sizing and capacity management — memory allocation analysis, column table growth modelling, and hardware sizing advice
Not Included in HANA Database TPS
- SAP application-layer support (ECC functional modules, BW InfoProviders, S/4HANA apps) — covered under separate SAP TPS or SAP standard support
- SAP HANA Cloud (SaaS product — cloud subscription, not on-premises licence)
- Net new feature development or SPS upgrades (TPS maintains your installed version)
HANA Version Matrix and TPS Availability
| HANA Version | SPS Range | SAP Mainstream EOS | SAP Extended EOS | TPS Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HANA 1.0 | SPS 06–SPS 12 | Dec 2020 | Dec 2025 | ✓ Full |
| HANA 1.0 | SPS 12–SPS 15 | Dec 2020 | Dec 2025 | ✓ Full |
| HANA 2.0 | SPS 00–SPS 04 | 2022–2024 | 2025–2026 | ✓ Full |
| HANA 2.0 | SPS 05 | 2025 | 2028 | ✓ Full |
| HANA 2.0 | SPS 06–SPS 07 | 2026–2028 | 2030+ | ✓ Full |
| HANA 2.0 | SPS 08+ | 2028+ | 2032+ | ✓ Full |
SPS = Service Pack Stack. SAP releases one SPS per HANA version approximately every 6 months. TPS is available for all production SPS levels. "EOS" indicates SAP's published end-of-support dates — TPS continues regardless of SAP's position.
What Would SAP HANA TPS Save Your Organisation?
Get a specific cost model for your HANA deployment — SPS level, hardware profile, and current support spend benchmarked against TPS pricing.
Request HANA TPS Assessment Download SAP Audit GuideTPS Cost Model: Four SAP HANA Profiles
| Profile | HANA Config | SAP Support / yr | TPS / yr | 3-Year Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midsize BW on HANA Pharma, BW 7.5 on HANA 2.0 SPS05, 512 GB RAM |
2 nodes, 512 GB | £88,000/yr | £35,200/yr | £158,400 |
| ECC on HANA production Manufacturing, ECC 6.08 on HANA 1.0 SPS12, 1 TB RAM |
Scale-up, 1 TB | £176,000/yr | £70,400/yr | £316,800 |
| Standalone HANA analytics Retail, HANA 2.0 SPS06 analytical appliance, 2 TB RAM |
Scale-up, 2 TB | £264,000/yr | £105,600/yr | £475,200 |
| Large ECC on HANA + HSR FS group, HANA 2.0 SPS05 primary + secondary, 4 TB total |
Scale-out, HSR, 4 TB | £528,000/yr | £211,200/yr | £950,400 |
S/4HANA Migration vs. TPS: The Commercial Reality
SAP's standard narrative is that every ECC-on-HANA organisation should be planning S/4HANA migration. The commercial reality is that S/4HANA migration for a typical mid-large enterprise costs £3M–£15M in SI fees, 3–5 years of elapsed time, and introduces significant operational risk. Our SAP Cloud Migration Cost Guide quantifies this in detail.
TPS on HANA is not an alternative to migration forever — it is a mechanism to move migration from a vendor-driven deadline to a business-driven timeline. Organisations on TPS regain control: they can plan a migration when the business case is genuinely positive, when the organisation has capacity, and when the S/4HANA product has matured sufficiently for their use case.
The "Unsupported Database" Misconception
SAP's support cessation date for HANA 1.0 was December 2025. After this date, SAP will not release new Support Packs or patches for HANA 1.0 via standard support channels. TPS provides an independent alternative: security patches backported to your installed SPS, performance tuning, and incident resolution — without requiring SAP's co-operation or a migration timeline.
Sector Perspectives
Manufacturing: ECC on HANA with Deep Customisation
Discrete and process manufacturers running SAP ECC on HANA have often made significant investments in custom ABAP — production planning enhancements, MES integrations, and industry-specific reporting built on top of the HANA data model. Migration to S/4HANA requires custom code remediation (average £1M–£5M for manufacturing ECC deployments). TPS on the HANA database layer stabilises the platform cost while the business evaluates a migration timeline on its own terms.
Financial Services: Risk and Regulatory Reporting on BW/4HANA
Banks and insurers running SAP BW on HANA for IFRS 17, Solvency II, or LCR/NSFR reporting face a specific challenge: the reporting platform is certified by internal audit and regulatory review, and any platform change requires re-certification. TPS on the HANA database layer maintains the certified platform without disruption, typically for 3–5 additional years while the wider regulatory reporting architecture is reviewed.
Retail and FMCG: Merchandise Planning on HANA Analytics
Retail organisations running SAP Assortment Planning, SAP Merchandise Planning, or SAP Customer Activity Repository (CAR) on HANA as a standalone analytical platform have licences and configurations that are independent of the ECC/S/4HANA application layer. These systems are often the last to be addressed in migration programmes — and the first where TPS delivers immediate, straightforward savings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TPS on HANA mean I can't upgrade to S/4HANA later?
No. TPS is not a permanent commitment. Most TPS contracts are annual, and clients can return to SAP support (with SAP's agreement) or proceed with migration at any point. TPS provides breathing room — it does not lock in a permanent position.
What if SAP audits my HANA licences while I am on TPS?
SAP licence audits are driven by your HANA licence entitlements, not by your support arrangement. Being on TPS does not increase audit risk. Our audit defence service and the SAP Audit Defence Playbook are relevant regardless of whether you are on SAP support or TPS.
Can TPS support HANA with HSR active — both primary and secondary?
Yes. System Replication is within TPS scope. Both the primary and secondary nodes are covered. Failover testing, replication lag investigation, and takeover procedures are all included.