SAP Data Services
by SAP · ETL & Data Extraction
SAP's on-premises ETL, data quality and text-data-processing platform for enterprise data.
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.
- Works with
SAPSAP S/4HANA
Oracle- Deployment
- On-premise
- Company size
- Enterprise
- Pricing
- Quote-based
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Walldorf, Germany
Overview
SAP Data Services is SAP's enterprise-class, on-premises platform for data integration, data quality, data profiling and text data processing. SAP positions it as part of the information management layer of SAP Business Technology Platform, used to extract, transform, cleanse and load structured and unstructured data across heterogeneous source and target systems. The product traces back to Acta Technology's ActaWorks, which became Business Objects Data Integrator after Business Objects' 2002 acquisition of Acta, was rebranded SAP BusinessObjects Data Services (BODS) once SAP acquired Business Objects in 2008, and is now sold simply as SAP Data Services, currently at the 2025 release.
The platform is built around a single Designer development interface, a metadata repository, a data connectivity layer, a runtime environment (Job Servers for batch processing and an Access Server for real-time, request-reply message brokering), and a web-based Management Console for administration, monitoring and metadata reporting. It ships native connectors for SAP applications (including SAP NetWeaver BW) and third-party sources, plus documented adapters and supplements for Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, Siebel, J.D. Edwards, Salesforce.com, MongoDB, OData, SuccessFactors, Google BigQuery and Apache Hadoop/HDFS. Data quality functionality covers profiling, cleansing, standardization, matching/deduplication, and address cleansing and geocoding via Cleansing Packages and address directories, with dashboards to show the downstream impact of data quality issues.
SAP Data Services installs on Windows or UNIX/Linux and is licensed and priced on a quote basis; the product page routes prospects to "Request a quote" rather than publishing list pricing. SAP cites Gartner recognition of SAP as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, the 2021 Magic Quadrant for EiPaaS, the 2020 Magic Quadrants for Metadata Management Solutions and Cloud Database Management Systems, and the 2022 Magic Quadrant for Data Quality Solutions.
Screenshots & demo
Screenshots sourced from SAP.
Features & capabilities
Data Integration & ETL
Core extract-transform-load engine for moving and reshaping enterprise data.
- Universal data access via built-in, native connectors to SAP and third-party sources and targets
- Graphical Designer for building data flows, mappings and control logic without hand-coded scripts
- Job Servers that execute, monitor and schedule batch data extraction, transformation and movement jobs
- Access Server providing real-time, request-reply message brokering for on-demand data services
- Parallel processing, grid computing and bulk data loading for high-volume workloads
- Central metadata repository with a Central Repository version-control system for team-based development
- ODP-protocol-based extraction from SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA that preserves SAP-specific data types and application semantics
Data Quality & Cleansing
Profiling, cleansing, standardization and matching to raise trust in enterprise data.
- Data profiling to assess source data quality before it moves downstream
- Data cleansing, standardization and matching to reduce duplicate records
- Address cleansing and geocoding using Cleansing Packages and address/geocoding directories
- Data quality dashboards showing the impact of quality issues across downstream systems and applications
- Centralized business-rule repository with object reuse for consistent data governance
Text Data Processing
Extraction of structured meaning from unstructured text.
- Native processing of unstructured text data to surface business insight
- Multi-language text extraction, with English support installed by default and additional languages selectable at install time
- Customizable extraction dictionaries and rules for entity and relationship extraction
Enterprise & Big Data Source/Target Connectivity
Documented adapters and supplements beyond core SAP connectivity.
- Supplement for Big Data covering Apache Hadoop and HDFS access
- Supplement for Google BigQuery
- Adapters for MongoDB, OData, Salesforce.com, Shapefile and SuccessFactors
- Supplements for Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, Siebel and J.D. Edwards (World and OneWorld)
- Supplement for SAP applications and SAP NetWeaver BW
Administration & Operations
Managing, securing and operating a Data Services landscape.
- Web-based Management Console for administration, analysis and metadata reporting
- Job Server / Access Server architecture supporting combined batch and real-time processing
- Integrator Guide and web-services/API access for third-party developer integration
- Runs on Windows and UNIX/Linux server platforms
- Sizing, performance-optimization and upgrade guides for landscape planning
Common use cases
- Extracting data from SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA via the ODP protocol into a data warehouse or SAP HANA
- Consolidating data from third-party enterprise applications (Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, Siebel, J.D. Edwards, Salesforce.com) into an SAP-centered landscape
- Running enterprise data quality and address-cleansing programs to deduplicate customer, vendor or material master records
- Loading Apache Hadoop/HDFS or Google BigQuery targets from on-premises or SAP sources for big-data analytics
- Supporting SAP S/4HANA migration and reconciliation projects with data extraction, comparison and load jobs
- Processing unstructured text content to extract structured entities for downstream analysis
- Building combined batch and real-time integration jobs in one Designer and operating them through a central Management Console
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- Combines ETL, data profiling, data quality/cleansing and text data processing in one licensed toolset with a single Designer interface, rather than separate point products
- ODP-protocol extraction from SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA that preserves SAP-specific data types and application semantics
- SAP cites Gartner Leader recognition across the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, 2021 Magic Quadrant for EiPaaS, and 2022 Magic Quadrant for Data Quality Solutions
- Broad documented adapter/supplement library spanning SAP applications, major enterprise apps (Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, Siebel, J.D. Edwards) and big-data/cloud targets (Hadoop, Google BigQuery)
- Long-lived, actively maintained product lineage (originally Business Objects Data Integrator/BODS) now on its 2025 release
Considerations
- Deployed as installed, on-premises server software (Windows/UNIX with Job Server, Designer and repository infrastructure) rather than a SaaS/no-code iPaaS
ERP integrations
Dedicated Supplement for SAP documents connectivity to SAP applications and SAP NetWeaver BW; extraction from SAP ECC and S/4HANA via ODP preserves SAP-specific data types and semantics.
SAP Community documentation describes application-datastore connectivity to S/4HANA equivalent to ECC datastore setup for extraction and migration/reconciliation scenarios.
Documented in SAP's official Supplement for Oracle Applications guide.
Pricing
SAP does not publish list pricing for Data Services; the product page offers only a "Request a quote" contact path. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- Self-managed on-premises install (Windows or UNIX/Linux)
- Mobile app
- No
About the vendor
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Walldorf, Germany
- Ownership
- Public (NYSE: SAP, XETRA: SAP)
Alternatives to SAP Data Services in ETL & Data Extraction
SAP Data Services — frequently asked questions
Is SAP Data Services cloud-based or on-premises?
It is an on-premises product, installed on Windows or UNIX/Linux servers. SAP's own product page lists "On-premises deployment" as a defining feature, and SAP publishes separate Installation Guides for Windows and UNIX.
Can SAP Data Services extract data from SAP S/4HANA?
Yes. It connects to SAP S/4HANA (and SAP ECC) using the ODP protocol through an application datastore, preserving SAP-specific data types and semantics, and is commonly used in S/4HANA migration and reconciliation projects.
What non-SAP systems does SAP Data Services connect to?
SAP publishes official supplements and adapters for Oracle Applications, PeopleSoft, Siebel, J.D. Edwards, Salesforce.com, MongoDB, OData, SuccessFactors, Google BigQuery and Apache Hadoop/HDFS, in addition to native SAP application and SAP NetWeaver BW connectivity.
How is SAP Data Services priced?
SAP does not publish pricing for Data Services. The product page directs prospects to request a quote, so cost is negotiated as part of an SAP contract.
What data quality capabilities does it include beyond ETL?
Beyond extraction and transformation, it includes data profiling, cleansing, standardization and matching to reduce duplicates, plus address cleansing and geocoding via Cleansing Packages, with dashboards showing the downstream impact of data quality issues.
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