SAP has released two new applications – SAP Smart Meter Analytics software powered by SAP HANA and SAP COPA Accelerator software – to allow people to leverage vast amounts of information for analysis, planning and forecasting, according to the firm.

The applications join the SAP BusinessObjects Strategic Workforce Planning application, as part of the family of applications enabled by the SAP HANA platform.

SAP Smart Meter Analytics, powered by SAP HANA, aims to help utility companies to instantly turn ‘big data’ into insights that they can use to develop more tailored customer offerings. With the new in-memory offering, utility companies can help customers adopt more sustainable energy-use practices.

SAP COPA Accelerator software aims to improve the speed and depth of working with large volumes of financial data. With the SAP HANA platform, companies can now run complex analyses such as simulations and pattern recognition in seconds, SAP said.

Deployable as an appliance or delivered via the cloud, SAP HANA delivers single database with native support for row and columnar data stores; a data calculation engine; SQL and MDX interfaces and a unified information modeling design environment.

The application also delivers a data repository to simplify views of business information; data integration capabilities for accessing SAP – the SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse component, the SAP ERP application as well as non-SAP data sources – and integrated life-cycle management.

SAP Technology and Innovation executive board member Vishal Sikka said SAP HANA removes the inefficiencies and layers of complexity that have developed over time.