How to Create a Generic DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA with Examples

SAP BW/4HANA is a powerful data warehousing solution that enables you to access, analyze and report on data from various sources. One of the ways to extract data from a source system into SAP BW/4HANA is to use a DataSource. A DataSource is a set of fields that provide the data for a business unit for data access and extraction and data transfer into SAP BW/4HANA.

There are different types of DataSources, such as DataSources for transaction data, master data, attributes, texts and hierarchies. In this blog post, we will focus on how to create a generic DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA, which can be used for data transfer from SAP HANA or any other source system that does not provide a delta process.

What is a Generic DataSource?

A generic DataSource is a DataSource that uses a generic delta mechanism for data transfer.The generic delta is a delta calculation mechanism that can be used for data transfer from SAP HANA or any other source system that does not provide a delta process. Using a delta-relevant field whose value rises monotonously over time, the system determines which data to transfer at runtime.

For example, if a numerical pointer of this type of delta-relevant field exists, the system determines the data volume transferred in the delta mode by comparing the maximum value transferred with the last load with the amount of data that has since entered the system. Only the new data is transferred. An interval for the delta-relevant field is added to the request selections.

Using safety intervals at the upper or lower limit of this interval, you can ensure that data records that are created during an extraction process but cannot be extracted (because they could not be saved for example) are looked at during the next extraction.

The generic delta can be optimized for SAP HANA DataSources with connection type Local SAP HANA Database Schema with a table or a view as a source object, if specific prerequisites are met in terms of deletion, streaming and timestamps as numeric pointers.

How to Create a Generic DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA?

To create a generic DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA, you need to follow these steps:

1. In the SAP BW/4HANA Modeling Tools (Eclipse), create an SAP HANA DataSource with connection type Local SAP HANA Database Schema and choose a table or a view as the source object.
2. In the DataSource editor, open the Extraction tab page and choose the delta process Overwrite delta without deletions (BW local) or Pure additive delta (BW local) for your DataSource.
3. Expand the Delta Properties area on the Extraction tab page and enter the delta-relevant field type in the Generic Delta field. The following field types are available: numeric pointers, time stamps as numeric pointers, date fields and time stamps (short and long).
4. Enter the delta-relevant field in the Data Field field. The following entries depend on the delta-relevant field type: Numeric pointer and numeric pointers (timestamp): Lower Safety Interval and Upper Safety Interval; Date field: Lower Safety Interval; Time stamp (short and long): Lower Safety Interval and Upper Safety Interval.
5. Save and activate your DataSource.

Examples of Generic DataSources in SAP BW/4HANA

Here are some examples of generic DataSources in SAP BW/4HANA:

• A generic DataSource based on a table with a numeric pointer as the delta-relevant field:

• A generic DataSource based on a view with a timestamp as the delta-relevant field:

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have learned what is a generic DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA, how to create one and some examples of generic DataSources. We hope this post has been helpful for you to understand how to use generic DataSources in SAP BW/4HANA for data extraction from various sources.

Disclaimer: This content is generated by AI.