explainer
What is SAP HANA?
SAP HANA is an in-memory database platform from SAP. It is one of the most widely deployed examples of the technology AIMDB works with, and it shows what that architecture looks like at scale.
An in-memory database
HANA stores data in memory rather than relying on disk for most operations, which is the same core idea behind in-memory database technology more broadly.
Built for analytics
It is designed to run complex queries and aggregations over large volumes of business data quickly, which is the kind of work enterprise analytics depends on.
Part of a platform
HANA sits inside SAP's business application ecosystem, so it is tied to the systems where a lot of enterprise data actually lives.
A concrete example
Studying a real system like this makes the theory concrete. You can see how an in-memory architecture changes what queries become practical.
the bigger picture
HANA is one example of a much wider category. If the architecture is new to you, start with what an in-memory database is, then come back here.