How to Create and Use Calculation Views in SAP BW/4HANA

SAP BW/4HANA is a modern data warehouse solution that simplifies and optimizes the way you manage and analyze your data. One of the features of SAP BW/4HANA is the calculation view, which is a type of SAP HANA view that can be used to model complex logic and calculations on SAP HANA database.

Calculation views are graphical or SQL-based views that can combine data from different sources, such as BW objects, SAP HANA tables, CDS views, etc. Calculation views can also apply filters, joins, unions, aggregations, calculations, etc. on the data.

In this blog post, you will learn how to create and use calculation views in SAP BW/4HANA, what are the benefits and challenges of doing so, and what are some sample calculation views for different scenarios.

Why create and use calculation views?

Calculation views have some advantages over other types of views or BW objects, such as:

They can leverage the power and features of SAP HANA database, such as parallel processing, columnar storage, built-in functions, etc.
They can provide a unified and consistent data model for different consumers, such as BW queries, SAP HANA native applications, SAP Analytics Cloud, etc.
They can simplify the data model and reduce the number of persistency layers in BW system.
They can enable mixed scenarios where data modeled in BW system can be merged with data modeled in SAP HANA with SAP HANA tools.

However, calculation views also have some limitations and challenges, such as:

They require SAP HANA database as the underlying database for BW system.
They require SAP HANA development tools (such as SAP Web IDE or Eclipse) for development and debugging.
They have different syntax and semantics than ABAP language or BW modeling tools, which requires learning and adaptation.
They have some restrictions on data types, variables, exceptions, etc.

Therefore, you should create and use calculation views only when the existing BW objects or other types of views are not sufficient or efficient for your data modeling or reporting needs. You should also consider the complexity and maintainability of your calculation views when creating them.

How to create and use calculation views?

You can create and use calculation views using the SAP HANA development tools (such as SAP Web IDE or Eclipse). The steps are as follows:

In the development tool, right-click on the package where you want to create the calculation view and choose New > Calculation View.
In the wizard, enter a name and a description for the calculation view. You can also choose a subtype (such as Cube or Dimension) and a type (such as Graphical or SQL Script) for the calculation view. Click Create.
The calculation view is created in the inactive version and is displayed in the editor. You can design your calculation view using graphical nodes (such as Projection, Join, Union, Aggregation, etc.) or SQL script statements (such as SELECT, FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, etc.) depending on the type of your calculation view. You can also define input parameters and variables for your calculation view.
To activate the calculation view, right-click on the calculation view name and choose Activate.

How to use calculation views in different scenarios?

Calculation views can be used in different scenarios in SAP BW/4HANA system, such as:

As sources for BW objects: You can use calculation views as sources for BW objects (such as DataStore objects [advanced], CompositeProviders, Open ODS views, etc.) to load and model data from SAP HANA database. You can also generate calculation views from BW objects (such as InfoObjects, DataStore objects [advanced], CompositeProviders, queries, etc.) to expose BW data to SAP HANA database. This enables mixed scenarios where data modeled in BW system can be merged with data modeled in SAP HANA with SAP HANA tools.
As sources for reporting tools: You can use calculation views as sources for reporting tools (such as SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform, SAP Lumira, etc.) to consume and visualize data from SAP HANA database. You can also use calculation views in combination with BW queries or CompositeProviders to provide a unified and consistent data model for different consumers.
As sources for SAP HANA native applications: You can use calculation views as sources for SAP HANA native applications (such as SAP HANA XS applications, SAP Fiori applications, etc.) to access and process data from SAP HANA database. You can also use calculation views to implement business logic and calculations on SAP HANA database.

Here are some examples of calculation views in different scenarios:

Example 1: Calculation view as a source for a DataStore object (advanced)

In this example, a calculation view is used as a source for a DataStore object (advanced) to load and model sales data from SAP HANA database. The calculation view combines data from different tables, such as sales order header, sales order item, customer master, product master, etc. The calculation view also applies filters, joins, unions, aggregations, calculations, etc. on the data.

Example 2: Calculation view as a source for a SAP Analytics Cloud story

In this example, a calculation view is used as a source for a SAP Analytics Cloud story to consume and visualize profit and loss data from SAP HANA database. The calculation view combines data from different sources, such as BW InfoObjects, CDS views, SAP HANA tables, etc. The calculation view also defines input parameters and variables for the user to interact with the data.

Example 3: Calculation view as a source for a SAP Fiori application

In this example, a calculation view is used as a source for a SAP Fiori application to access and process customer feedback data from SAP HANA database. The calculation view uses SQL script statements to implement complex logic and calculations on the data. The calculation view also uses built-in functions and features of SAP HANA database, such as text analysis, sentiment analysis, full-text search, etc.

Conclusion

In this blog post, you have learned how to create and use calculation views in SAP BW/4HANA system, what are the benefits and challenges of doing so, and what are some sample calculation views for different scenarios. Calculation views are graphical or SQL-based views that can be used to model complex logic and calculations on SAP HANA database.

Disclaimer: This content is generated by AI.