On the Integration of Google Cloud and SAP HANA for Adaptive Supply Chain in Retailing

Abstract

The retailing industry witnessed a significant shift in the past years, which introduced significant modifications in the standard procedures and regular practices of supply chains (SC). These necessary modifications and worldwide distress caused major disruptions and instabilities in SC. Organizations started developing digital-transformation strategies, which include the integration and analysis of external data sources to detect disruptions in SC to retain a competitive advantage in the market. Developing such strategies requires exploring current technologies and investigating the use of cloud capabilities for adaptive supply chain management (A-SCM). The lack of flexibility in strategic and operative supply chain practices causes a significant loss of optimization potential. Therefore, in this study, we investigate data sources and solution techniques that might be beneficial to developing A-SCM practices. Based on the conducted literature analysis and cloud technologies, we present a hybrid architecture for A-SCM, integrating Google Cloud technologies, SAP HANA, simulation, and optimization components.