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Hekaton vs SAP HANA

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. SAP HANA: SAP's in-memory columnar HTAP database, the mandatory engine under S/4HANA.

key differences

  • SAP HANA is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hekaton (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in SAP HANA.
  • Only Hekaton has time travel.
  • Only SAP HANA has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, json, compression.

choose hekaton for

  • +High-throughput order, trading or betting transactions
  • +ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching
  • +IoT and sensor ingestion
  • +Replacing tempdb table variables and temp tables

best at · OLTP, Sessions, Cache

choose sap-hana for

  • +Running SAP S/4HANA and BW/4HANA
  • +Real-time operational reporting on ERP data
  • +Embedding analytics and ML (PAL/APL) in SAP business processes
  • +Grounding SAP Joule/AI scenarios with the vector and knowledge-graph engines

best at · HTAP, OLTP, OLAP

HekatonSQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL.
SAP HANASAP's in-memory columnar HTAP database, the mandatory engine under S/4HANA.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Columnar / OLAP, Document, Graph, Spatial, Vector
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Microsoft
SAP SE
First release
2014
2010
Latest version
–
HANA Cloud QRC 2/2026 (Jun 2026)
License
ProprietaryIncluded with Microsoft SQL Server licensing
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.5
39.7
Rank
#435
#48
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
2K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
In memory, Client server
In memory, Distributed, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Azure
AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
—
✓
Geospatial
—
✓
JSON
—
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
✓
In-memory
✓
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
✓
Encryption at rest
—
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
✓
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
T-SQL
SQL, SQLScript, openCypher
Client languages
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C, PHP
Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Go, C++, ABAP
Best for
OLTP, Sessions, Cache, IoT
HTAP, OLTP, OLAP, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Hekaton vs SAP HANA: FAQ

What is the difference between Hekaton and SAP HANA?

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. SAP HANA: SAP's in-memory columnar HTAP database, the mandatory engine under S/4HANA. SAP HANA is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hekaton (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in SAP HANA. Only Hekaton has time travel.

When should I choose Hekaton over SAP HANA?

Choose Hekaton for high-throughput order, trading or betting transactions; ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching; and IoT and sensor ingestion. Choose SAP HANA for running SAP S/4HANA and BW/4HANA; real-time operational reporting on ERP data; and embedding analytics and ML (PAL/APL) in SAP business processes.

Is Hekaton or SAP HANA more popular?

SAP HANA ranks #48 on the WhichDB Score (39.7/100) and Hekaton ranks #435 (3.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hekaton and SAP HANA open source?

No. Hekaton is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Included with Microsoft SQL Server licensing. No. SAP HANA is proprietary, closed-source software.