SAP Cloud Platform (SCP) is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product that provides a development and runtime environment for cloud applications. SAP HANA (high-performance analytic appliance) is an in-memory database and application development platform for processing high volumes of data in real time. Using open-source and open standards, SAP HANA allows independent software vendors and developers to create and test HANA based cloud applications. The in-memory computing engine allows HANA to process data stored in RAM instead of reading data from the disk. This allows the application to obtain real time results for client operations and data analytics.

SAP HANA as a service refers to a fully managed SAP HANA service. It is a solution that delivers the development, test and live environment customers need for SAP HANA installed in a timely manner. The only thing the customer needs to do is to decide what kind of functionalities they require and where these should be stored. Other administrative tasks such as installation, backup and upgrade are also included in SAP HANA as a service. This service provides advantages by reducing project times due to its high availability rate and fast installation.