About 1,800 consultants have already received HANA training since its general release one year ago. But the new program will provide a deeper level of engagement with SAP, according to an

"SAP will support this organization by providing HANA briefings, development and roadmap updates, access to resources, and joint coordination of activities at conferences and other virtual and in-person technical events," the blog states. In addition, SAP will solicit experts' input "regarding real-world HANA implementation experiences to use as input to guide development and product management for future patches and releases."

The program is also meant to help top HANA experts share their knowledge and experiences, according to the blog. Criteria for membership in the Distinguished Engineer Program will be released soon, it adds.

"I think SAP wants to create a culture of excellence around HANA and they're aware without skilled individuals around these projects, they'll face the same backlash they have historically on ERP [software implementations] and still do to some extent," said Jon Reed, an analyst who tracks SAP skills trends and is a close watcher of HANA's progress. Reed will serve as one of the leaders of the new program.

"When you look at the people who are going to add the most value to a HANA project now, it's people who have been through a proof-of-concept or a go live," and that remains a fairly small group, Reed said. Those who have merely gotten certified on HANA "can't be the quarterback" on a project," he added.