Let’s Talk Data: Data Professional Podcast | SAP

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Jul 2026

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Actionable guidance for and from professionals who make data work — delivering hard-earned technical lessons from engineers, scientists, architects, and analysts who design, operate, and scale real-world data, analytics, and AI systems. Expect deep, operational conversations on data strategy, platform architecture, modeling, engineering, governance, analytics, and AI you can apply to your own stack.

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August 18, 2026Episode 13026 min

SAP BW Modernization: Migrating to SAP Business Data Cloud

In this episode of Let’s Talk Data, host Venkata Giduthuri sits down with Justin Lynch, SAP Data Architect Program - Americas Regional Lead, to discuss the modernization journey with SAP Business Data Cloud for on-premises SAP BW, SAP BPC, SAP BusinessObjects, and SAP HANA systems to embark on the Autonomous Enterprise journey. The conversation specifically focuses on what it takes to modernize SAP BW with SAP Business Data Cloud. Justin outlines the importance of the modernization journey and how it differs from migration. The discussion highlights options for modernizing SAP BW to take advantage of the latest AI innovations in SAP Business Data Cloud. The key highlight is the process of readiness assessment, getting into the details of how the information is collected and analyzed, taking into consideration various complexities built by the customers over the years. Finally, Justin shares the benefits customers gain from the latest innovations in SAP Business Data Cloud after the migration, such as data products and knowledge graphs, which are the foundational elements of an autonomous enterprise platform. Whether you are a BW engineer, NetWeaver administrator, enterprise architect, data architect, or platform engineer, this episode offers valuable insights into how to choose the best path for modernization with SAP Business Data Cloud to build for AI-driven architectures. Key Topics of Discussion: Why Modernization with SAP Business Data Cloud: Explore why organizations are modernizing SAP BW and moving toward a more cloud-ready, AI-enabled data landscape. Options to Modernize SAP BW: Compare the lift-and-shift and greenfield approaches for moving SAP BW to Business Data Cloud. Getting Started with SAP BW Modernization: Learn how organizations can assess their current environment and determine the right modernization path. Readiness Assessment Insights: Understand what the SAP BDC assessment evaluates and how its findings help guide modernization decisions. Innovation Benefits with SAP Business Data Cloud: Discover how BDC enables new AI, data product, knowledge graph, and analytics capabilities. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect Justin Lynch Linkedin Connect With Venkata Giduthuri LinkedIn Links to CTA: https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud/sap-bw-migration.html https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud/sap-migration-assessment.html

July 28, 2026Episode 12933 min

Sustainability Analytics Unlocked: From out in the Field to into the Data

In this episode of SAP Let's Talk Data Podcast, host Corrie Birkenes is joined by Ridwan Bhuiyan, Vice President of Digital Products at Chubb, and Tina Rosario, Chief Data Officer at SAP, for an insightful conversation on how data is transforming sustainability, resilience, and business decision-making. Ridwan shares his unique journey from environmental science to leading digital transformation initiatives, explaining how data quality, governance, and collaboration became the foundation for solving complex business challenges. Together, he and Tina explore why successful sustainability programs depend on trusted, high-quality data rather than technology alone. They discuss breaking down organizational silos, treating data as a strategic product, and creating modern data foundations that empower better decisions across the enterprise. The conversation also highlights the growing importance of geospatial analytics, external data integration, and cross-functional collaboration to measure environmental impact and climate resilience. Finally, they examine the opportunities - and responsibilities - that come with AI, emphasizing the need to balance innovation with sustainable resource consumption and long-term thinking. Whether you're a data leader, sustainability professional, or executive looking to build a more resilient organization, this episode offers practical insights into using data to drive meaningful business outcomes while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. Key Topics of Discussion: Why sustainability data strategy doesn’t start with technology — it starts with evangelism and business buy-in How sustainability teams inherit downstream data quality challenges from procurement, operations, and energy systems The power of modern data platforms and data products to break sustainability out of the "ivory tower" report Geospatial analytics as a storytelling tool for climate resilience and vulnerability assessment What makes a great data and analytics leader — communication, consultative thinking, and comfort with iterative failure A thought-provoking closing debate on AI, data centers, and resource competition — and whether we’re consuming at a rate future generations can sustain Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect Ridwan Bhuiyan Linkedin Connect With Tina Rosario LinkedIn Connect With Corrie Birkeness LinkedIn Additional Resources: From Silos to Strategy: What 20 Years of SAP Data Management Taught One Practitioner: https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals To learn more about SAP Data and AI solutions, please check out SAP Business Data Cloud at https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud.html And to engage further, please join our Data Professionals Community on https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals Managing Sustainability Data Proactively: Corporate Sustainability Reporting (Directive) as a Driver: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/isj.70043 From Silos to Strategy: What 20 Years of SAP Data Management Taught One Practitioner: https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals To learn more about SAP Data and AI solutions, please check out SAP Business Data Cloud at https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud.html Chubb Resilience and Risk Consulting: https://www.chubb.com/us-en/business-insurance/services/resilience-services.html Ridwan's LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/ridwan-bhuiyan And to engage further, please join our Data Professionals Community: https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals

July 9, 2026Episode 12828 min

Data Strategy, Governance, & AI: The Blueprint for Becoming a Data-Driven Organization

What does it really take to become a data-driven organization? In this episode of Let's Talk Data, host Corrie Birkeness is joined by data strategy expert Shelly McQuigg and SAP Product Marketing Director Kara Reed for a practical discussion on building a successful data strategy that delivers measurable business value. Together, they explore why effective data strategies must begin with business outcomes—not technology—and how trusted, governed data is the foundation for analytics and AI success. Shelly and Kara share lessons from decades of experience leading enterprise data initiatives, including standardizing global KPIs, establishing executive sponsorship, and creating governance models that balance control with business agility. They explain why data professionals need both technical expertise and business knowledge to influence organizational change and drive adoption. The conversation also examines how modern data architectures, including data fabric, enable organizations to create a single definition of the truth without physically centralizing data. Finally, the discussion turns to AI, highlighting why data quality, governance, and trusted information have become more critical than ever before. Whether you're a data leader, architect, analyst, or executive, this episode provides actionable guidance for creating a scalable data strategy that supports business growth, operational efficiency, and trusted AI initiatives. Key Topics of Discussion: Building a business-first data strategy focused on corporate KPIs, measurable outcomes, and business value. The importance of data governance in creating trusted, standardized, and high-quality enterprise data. The evolving role of data professionals as business partners, strategists, and organizational influencers. Modern data architecture and data fabric, enabling a single definition of the truth across distributed systems. Preparing data for AI, emphasizing why governance, quality, and trusted data are essential for successful AI adoption. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Shelly McQuigg LinkedIn Connect With Kara Reed LinkedIn Connect With Corrie Birkeness Linkedin Additional Resources: To learn more about SAP Data and AI solutions, please check out SAP Business Data Cloud at https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud.html To engage further, please join our Data Professionals Community on https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals

June 8, 2026Episode 12740 min

Securing the Gold: AI Threats, Data Visibility, and Cybersecurity Best Practices

In this episode of Let’s Talk Data, host Daniel Dukes of SAP America is joined by Lisa Horwich, founder of Pallas Research and a leading B2B tech qualitative researcher who interviews CISOs, data architects, and security professionals to surface actionable insights for technology companies. Lisa and Daniel explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape- from AI-powered phishing and expanded attack surfaces to risks like prompt injection, jailbreaking, and data poisoning. They also tackle the persistent challenge of shadow data and data sprawl, where sensitive information lives outside sanctioned IT infrastructure, making it nearly impossible to classify and protect. The conversation covers the spectrum of security tools available to organizations, from point solutions to holistic Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platforms, and closes with key best practices: zero trust, least privileged access, multi-factor authentication, and using AI defensively to combat the very threats it enables. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect Lisa Horwich Linkedin Connect With Daniel Dukes LinkedIn Additional Resources: To find out more about Lisa and security research, visit Pallas Research To connect with others on the topic, check out the Data Professionals community SAP Trust Center: Data Protection & Privacy: SAP’s dedicated trust center resource covering data protection policies, privacy safeguards, and the security protocols SAP employs across its cloud ecosystem — directly relevant to the episode’s discussion of data visibility, shadow data, and keeping sensitive organizational data secure.

June 5, 2026Episode 12638 min

IBM’s Cloud ERP Transformation: Driving Business Value Through HCM, AI, and Enterprise Modernization

In this special episode of Let's Talk Cloud ERP, host Jennifer Frank McGrory welcomes IBM Consulting leaders Bill Pietrowski, Devraj Bardhan, and Jim Griffin to the podcast to discuss the latest developments in IBM's enterprise-wide cloud ERP transformation and the business value achieved since their last conversation. The team shares how IBM has generated more than $4.5 billion in savings through a transformation strategy centered on process simplification, operational efficiency, and SAP modernization. Listeners will hear how IBM continues to advance its clean-core approach across finance, procurement, supply chain, and other critical business functions while creating a more agile and connected enterprise. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Human Capital Management and the role of SAP SuccessFactors within IBM's broader business transformation. The guests explore how integrating HR with SAP S/4HANA has improved workforce planning, governance, employee experiences, and manager self-service while reducing HR operating costs and accelerating response times across the organization. The conversation also highlights IBM's AI-first strategy and how intelligent automation is being applied across HR, procurement, finance, and employee services. With more than 155 AI use cases deployed, IBM shares lessons learned around prioritization, change management, governance, and scaling AI responsibly to drive measurable business outcomes. Whether you're leading a cloud ERP initiative, modernizing HR operations, or evaluating enterprise AI strategies, this episode provides valuable insights from one of the world's largest transformation programs. Key Topics of Discussion: IBM's Cloud ERP Transformation Journey How IBM has generated more than $4.5 billion in value through process simplification, SAP modernization, clean-core principles, and enterprise-wide operational transformation. The Strategic Role of SAP SuccessFactors in Business Transformation Why IBM views Human Capital Management as a critical component of its ERP strategy and how integrating SAP SuccessFactors with SAP S/4HANA improves workforce planning, governance, and employee experiences. The "Eliminate, Simplify, Automate" Framework The framework IBM uses to evaluate business processes, reduce complexity, eliminate non-value-added activities, and prepare operations for automation and AI. Scaling AI Across the Enterprise Lessons from deploying more than 155 AI use cases across HR, procurement, finance, and supply chain, including how IBM prioritizes opportunities and measures business impact. Governance, Change Management, and the Future of Work How IBM balances innovation with governance, security, and data privacy while helping employees and managers adapt to new AI-powered workflows and digital ways of working. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Bill Piotrowski Linkedin Connect With Devraj Bardhan Linkedin Connect With Jim Griffin Linkedin Connect With Jennifer Frank McGrory LinkedIn Don’t stop here – discover more: Experience SAP Like Never Before: Cloud ERP Simulation Challenge: https://events.sap.com/noam-cloud-erp-sim-vew/en_us/home.html

May 21, 2026Episode 12536 min

SAP Analytics Cloud and IBCS: Best Practices for Executive Dashboards and Business Reporting

In this episode of the Let’s Talk Data Podcast presented by SAP, host Thierry Audas sits down with Jürgen Faisst and Kristian Rümmelin to explore how the International Business Communication Standards (IBCS) is transforming business reporting, dashboard design, and enterprise analytics. The discussion highlights why inconsistent dashboards and reporting standards create confusion, slow decision-making, and reduce trust in analytics — especially in the age of AI and generative AI. The guests explain how IBCS establishes a common visual language for business reporting by standardizing charts, tables, colors, variances, and data storytelling conventions. Listeners will learn how organizations can improve report comprehension, reduce interpretation errors, and accelerate executive decision-making using standardized analytics practices in SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Business Data Cloud. The episode also explores the newly approved ISO 24896 notation standard for business reporting and what it means for the future of AI-driven analytics. Practical guidance includes how to launch an IBCS initiative, build executive-ready dashboards, create reporting governance, and scale visualization standards across finance, supply chain, sales, and HR teams. 5 Key Topics of Discussion What Is IBCS and Why It Matters Understanding how standardized business reporting improves dashboard clarity, analytics consistency, and faster decision-making. The Role of AI in Business Reporting Why AI-generated analytics requires strong visualization standards and semantic consistency to avoid “scaling confusion.” SAP Analytics Cloud and IBCS Integration How SAP customers can operationalize IBCS standards using reusable templates, themes, dashboards, and reporting governance. ISO 24896 and the Future of Reporting Standards The impact of the new international standard for business reporting notation and its importance for enterprise analytics. Best Practices for Dashboard Design and Data Visualization Actionable strategies for CFO dashboards, KPI reporting, variance analysis, semantic consistency, and executive communication. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Jürgen Faisst Connect With Kristian Rümmelin Connect With Thierry Audas Additional Resources: www.ibcs.com www.ibcs.com/software/sap-analytics-cloud/

May 7, 2026Episode 12430 min

How SAP Business Data Cloud is Transforming Data Science w/ Databricks and AI

In this episode of Let’s Talk Data, host Jose Chicas sits down with Leona Hasani, Product Manager for SAP Business Data Cloud and former data scientist, to explore how modern data platforms are transforming the data science workflow. The conversation dives into the real-world challenges data scientists face—from fragmented data access and lack of business context to time-consuming data preparation and trust issues with datasets. Leona outlines the end-to-end data science lifecycle, emphasizing that up to 70% of a data scientist’s time is spent on data cleaning and preparation rather than modeling. She explains how SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC), combined with SAP Databricks, streamlines this process by providing ready-to-use, governed data products enriched with business context, definitions, and hierarchies. A key highlight is the concept of zero-copy data sharing, enabling real-time access to unified SAP and non-SAP data without duplication. This reduces latency, lowers costs, and ensures data consistency across teams. The discussion also explores how integrated tools like MLflow enhance model tracking, governance, and auditability—critical for enterprise and regulated environments. Through a practical use case—predicting purchase order delays—Leona demonstrates how BDC accelerates time-to-value by eliminating manual data extraction and enabling seamless model deployment back into business systems. Whether you’re a data scientist, engineer, or analytics leader, this episode offers valuable insights into building scalable, efficient, and business-aligned data workflows in today’s AI-driven landscape. Key Topics of Discussion: SAP Business Data Cloud for Data Scientists Explores how SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) empowers data scientists with governed, ready-to-use data products that include business context, improving efficiency and accelerating insights. Data Science Workflow Optimization & Automation Covers how modern tools reduce manual tasks like data access, cleaning, and preparation—allowing data scientists to focus more on modeling, analysis, and delivering business value. SAP Databricks Integration & Machine Learning at Scale Highlights the native integration of SAP Databricks within BDC, enabling scalable machine learning, AI workflows, and seamless access to enterprise SAP and non-SAP data. Zero-Copy Data Sharing in Enterprise Data Architecture Explains how zero-copy data sharing allows real-time access to data across systems without duplication, reducing costs, improving performance, and ensuring consistency. Data Governance, Data Trust, and Business Context in Analytics Focuses on the importance of trusted, well-defined data with embedded business semantics, enabling accurate analysis, better decision-making, and compliance in enterprise environments. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Leona Hasani Linkedin Connect With Jose Chicas LinkedIn Additional Resources: To learn more about SAP Data and Analytics solutions, please check out SAP Business Data Cloud at https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud.html • And to engage further, please join our Data Professionals Community on https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals • To see what's new and upcoming with all SAP solutions, please look at our roadmap explorer on https://pages.community.sap.com/topics/road-map-explorer

April 9, 2026Episode 12326 min

A Day in the Life of a Data Steward — Behind the Scenes of Trusted Data

What does a day in the life of a data steward really look like? This podcast pulls back the curtain on the people who keep enterprise data trustworthy, usable, and compliant. We will discuss how these data steward navigate through the rhythms of their day—triaging data incidents, curating metadata, negotiating business definitions, enforcing access controls, and coordinating fixes across engineering, analytics, and business teams. We explore both process realities and the best practices in place to ensure trust. Listeners will hear examples of the types of data sources stewards wrestle with and learn how stewards set and enforce quality rules, measure trust, and assign clear ownership to ensure accountability. From root-cause investigations and remediation workflows to balancing speed with governance, the podcast surfaces recurring pain points and pragmatic solutions, with real-world stories, lessons learned, and actionable tips for improving processes, tooling, and cross-team collaboration. Key Topics of Discussion: The evolving role of data stewards How data stewards act as “data guardians,” ensuring data is accurate, consistent, and usable across the business, and how the role is becoming more strategic over time. Cross-functional collaboration and breaking silos The importance of working across finance, IT, and other business units to treat data as a shared enterprise asset rather than something owned by one team. Data governance, prioritization, and business value How teams decide which data issues or projects to tackle first based on impact, business value, and dependencies across processes. Challenges: stakeholder management, education, and pushback The need to educate others about data, handle difficult conversations, and push back on requests that could harm data quality or long-term outcomes. Technology and tooling enabling data stewardship The role of tools like data catalogs, lineage tracking, master data governance (MDG), and unified data platforms in supporting transparency, quality, and scalability. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Corrie Birkeness Linkedin Connect With Ralitsa Dakova LinkedIn Connect With Grigor Kartev LinkedIn Connect With Tina Rosario LinkedIn Additional Resources: To learn more about SAP Data and Analytics solutions, please check out SAP Business Data Cloud at https://www.sap.com/products/data-cloud.html And to engage further, please join our Data Professionals Community on https://community.sap.com/t5/data-professionals/gh-p/data-professionals

March 3, 2026Episode 12221 min

Driving Business Value Through ERP Modernization: A Real Manufacturing Transformation Story

This episode of Let’s Talk Cloud ERP features Jennifer Frank McGrory in conversation with Lindsay Callaghan, Director of Business Systems at Rytec Corporation, a North American leader in high-speed, high-performance doors. The discussion explores how Rytec's ERP transformation journey has evolved within a long-standing SAP environment and how new business realities are shaping its future. Rytec has operated in a stable SAP system for over a decade, supported by a lean team and strengthened by a recent smart factory manufacturing transformation. As the company began planning its move toward SAP S/4HANA, it was acquired by Nucor in 2024—an event that increased the urgency for process visibility and strategic alignment. A major turning point was the use of SAP Signavio. Within 24 hours, Lindsay’s team gained clear, data-driven insight into real business processes, data gaps, and system flows. This shifted conversations away from opinion-based workshops and toward visual, fact-based discussions. As a result, meetings became more focused, resistance rooted in past ERP project fatigue decreased, and the organization could better determine which legacy processes should be improved or retired. Looking ahead, 2026 is set to be a pivotal year, with Rytec evaluating RISE with SAP and preparing for S/4HANA—emphasizing continuous improvement, strong partnerships, and process intelligence as keys to long-term success. Key Topics of Discussion: Fact-based transformation beats assumptions – Real process data from SAP Signavio replaced guesswork and opinion-driven workshops. A stable ERP foundation enables smarter modernization – Rytec’s long-running SAP system allowed for strategic planning toward S/4HANA rather than reactive change. Process visibility reduces resistance to change – Visual insights help business users understand impacts, shortening meetings and easing “ERP fatigue.” Transformation is a chance to eliminate legacy baggage – Data helps identify which processes add value and which are just being carried forward out of habit. Strong partners plus modern tools accelerate success – Combining SAP best practices, experienced partners, and process intelligence supports better decisions and continuous improvement. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Lindsay Callaghan Linkedin Connect With Jennifer Frank McGrory LinkedIn Don’t stop here – discover more: Experience SAP Like Never Before: Cloud ERP Simulation Challenge: https://events.sap.com/noam-cloud-erp-sim-vew/en_us/home.html

November 25, 2025Episode 12128 min

Bridging Research and Reality for Developers Using SAP HANA Cloud

In this episode of the SAP Let’s Talk Data podcast, SAP’s Lauren Wong sits down with Robin Bloor and Daniel Howard from Bloor Research to discuss findings from their recent study on SAP HANA Cloud and its role as a modern, in-memory cloud database for developers. Drawing from interviews with SAP customers across industries, the conversation uncovers real-world insights into how organizations are using SAP HANA Cloud to modernize applications, scale efficiently, and bring intelligence closer to their data. Robin and Daniel share developer perspectives on the platform’s most valued capabilities and discuss how these features are shaping productivity and performance outcomes for teams of all sizes. Together, they explore key trends revealed through the study, highlight the measurable benefits developers are achieving, and share their broader perspective on SAP HANA Cloud’s versatility as a foundation for building intelligent applications that adapt, learn, and innovate in real time. Key Topics of Discussion: About Bloor Research – An introduction to Bloor as a long-standing technology analyst firm, with Robin Bloor and Daniel Howard sharing their background in data, analytics, and database research. Inside the SAP HANA Cloud Study – A breakdown of the study’s goals, methodology, and findings, based on interviews with customers across automotive, financial services, and green energy sectors. Customer Use Cases and Outcomes – How organizations are adopting SAP HANA Cloud to support high-performance analytics, scalability, and modernization, including a financial services example using it for workload forecasting and optimization. Key Capabilities of SAP HANA Cloud – A look at the platform’s standout performance, multi-model support, reduced need for tuning, and the ability for small teams to manage large-scale environments efficiently. AI Readiness and Future Innovation – Insights into how customers are approaching AI, the role of vector and RAG capabilities, and how SAP HANA Cloud is positioned to support the next generation of intelligent data-driven applications. Subscribe to The Let’s Talk Data Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Connect With Robin Bloor Linkedin Connect With Daniel Howard LinkedIn Connect With Lauren Wong LinkedIn Don’t stop here – discover more: Read the InBrief report from Bloor Research for their perspective on SAP HANA Cloud for SAP and non-SAP customers https://bit.ly/4odk28k Learn more about Bloor Research: https://bit.ly/3LQGozb Join the SAP Community and get involved with other developers: https://bit.ly/4abD2Rc Learn more about SAP HANA Cloud: https://bit.ly/4oTy3Jv\