The SQL which was in use till ECC was a classical SQL. This was a version of Open SQL which was widely accepted by industry in 1992. That is a lot of time! This syntax needed a renovation and SAP heard this at right time.
With the transition to S4 HANA, this was probably the perfect time to renovate SQL and introduce so-called NEW SQL. This was also necessary because HANA changed the way application logic to be written.
We are talking about Code Push Down feature of HANA. To leverage the best of HANA database, a supporting syntax was required with the capability to push application logic to database layer which was traditionally written on the application layer. This changed a lot of things and going to change a lot of things in coming days.
The need to Code Push Down didn’t just change SQL but also introduced new ABAP artifacts such as CDS(Core Data Services) and AMDP(ABAP Managed Database Procedures). Code Push Down is a major reason for ABAP’s renovation.
Performace Boost:
Example: Now MRP run doesn’t have to be a nightly job and available on the click! Now a report which used to run for hours is available in a matter of seconds.
Now ABAPers have got no excuse if a report is running for a lot of time. It has to be available on-demand and anytime. Now Business just can’t wait for making decisions!