How Accurate is SAP on Only HANA Being an ACID Database?

ByShaun Snapp

Last Updated on March 3, 2021 by Shaun Snapp

Executive Summary

  • SAP proposes that the fact HANA is an ACID compliant database is a new thing for databases.
  • SAP is attempting to trick customers regarding fundamental concepts regarding databases.

Introduction

SAP has a long history of using the terms inaccurately, and they mostly never get called out in IT media outlets. In this article, we will evaluate the accuracy of this usage of something called ACID for databases.

Our References for This Article

If you want to see our references for this article and other related Brightwork articles, see this link.

Lack of Financial Bias Notice: We have no financial ties to SAP or any other entity mentioned in this article.

  • This is published by a research entity.
  • Second, no one paid for this article to be written, and it is not pretending to inform you while being rigged to sell you software or consulting services. Unlike nearly every other article you will find from Google on this topic, it has had no input from any company's marketing or sales department. 

The Statements About HANA and ACID Compliance

This is from SAP’s website.

ACID Compliance?

ACID stands for (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability). They are fundamental requirements of a database.

Every single one of the databases that HANA competes with is ACID compliant! And they have been for decades. This is equivalent to General Motors saying that its cars are better than competitors because they use spark plugs.

Why would SAP say such a thing? Most likely, because their readers do not know what ACID compliance is, they think it is different.

Ding Ding Ding!

We award SAP a Golden Pinocchio for making this proposal.

The comment is so divorced from reality and so false that there is no other conclusion than SAP is undoubtedly aware they are deceiving readers by publishing these statements.

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Conclusion

This is one of many statements meant to deceive readers about HANA. HANA is ACID compliant, but none of SAP’s competitors aren’t, and ACID stopped being an area of competition in databases decades ago. SAP goes further to imply that only HANA is ACID compliant. It depends upon the reading, but it is certainly intended to make it appear as if it is a differentiator.