How to Create and Use DataSources from Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA

How to Create and Use DataSources from Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA

How to Create and Use DataSources from Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA

DataSources are objects that extract data from source systems and make it available for loading into SAP BW/4HANA. DataSources can be based on different types of sources, such as SAP applications, databases, files, web services, etc.

Open ODS Views are flexible data models that enable you to consume, combine and physically integrate data from various sources in SAP BW/4HANA without staging. Open ODS Views can access data from different types of sources, depending on the source type that you choose when creating the Open ODS View. The following source types are supported:

  • Database Table or View: This source type allows you to access data from any schemas on the SAP BW/4HANA SAP HANA database.
  • Database Table or View via HANA MDC: This source type allows you to access data from schemas of a tenant database of the SAP HANA system.
  • Virtual Table using HANA Smart Data Access: This source type allows you to access data from external sources connected to SAP HANA using Smart Data Access.
  • Big Data: This source type allows you to access data from a Hadoop cluster connected to SAP HANA using Spark SQL.
  • CDS View: This source type allows you to access data from ABAP Core Data Services views.
  • DataSource: This source type allows you to access data from DataSources in SAP BW/4HANA or other SAP applications using ODP contexts.
  • DataStore Object (Advanced): This source type allows you to access data from DataStore Objects (advanced) in SAP BW/4HANA.
  • Transformation: This source type allows you to access data from transformations in SAP BW/4HANA.

In this blog post, we will explain how you can create and use DataSources from Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA for different scenarios. We will also show you some real-life examples of DataSources based on Open ODS Views with different source types.

Why Create DataSources from Open ODS Views?

Creating DataSources from Open ODS Views can have several benefits, such as:

  • You can physically integrate external data sources into SAP BW/4HANA by loading data from Open ODS Views into DataStore Objects (advanced) or InfoCubes. This can help you to perform complex transformations or harmonization on the data before reporting or analysis.
  • You can reuse existing Open ODS Views as sources for new DataSources without the need to create new InfoObjects or mappings. This can save time and effort in data modeling and maintenance.
  • You can leverage the analytic metadata of Open ODS Views, such as field properties, semantics, associations, etc., for your DataSources. This can improve the consistency and quality of your data models.

How to Create DataSources from Open ODS Views?

To create a DataSource from an Open ODS View, you need to follow these steps:

  1. In the BW Modeling Tools of the HANA Studio, right-click on your Open ODS View and choose Create > DataSource.
  2. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your DataSource and choose Next.
  3. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your DataSource. For example, you can specify whether a field is a key field, whether it has an aggregation behavior, whether it has an extraction mode, etc. Choose Next.
  4. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.

You have now created a DataSource from your Open ODS View. You can use this DataSource as a source for loading data into SAP BW/4HANA using a Data Transfer Process (DTP).

Examples of DataSources Based on Open ODS Views with Different Source Types

In this section, we will show you some examples of how to create and use DataSources based on Open ODS Views with different source types in SAP BW/4HANA.

Example 1: DataSource Based on an Open ODS View with Source Type Database Table or View

In this example, we will create a DataSource based on an Open ODS View that accesses data from a database table that contains sales data from an external system. The table is located in a database schema of the SAP HANA database in SAP BW/4HANA.

The steps are:

  1. In the BW Modeling Tools of the HANA Studio, right-click on your InfoArea and choose New > Open ODS View.
  2. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your Open ODS View and choose Next.
  3. In the Source Object step, choose Database Table or View as the source type and enter the schema name and table name of your source object. Choose Next.
  4. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your source object. For example, you can specify whether a field is a characteristic or a key figure, whether it has authorization relevance, whether it has an association with an InfoObject or another Open ODS View, etc. Choose Next.
  5. In the Semantics step, choose the type of your Open ODS View (Facts, Master Data or Texts) and specify the key fields and the unit/currency fields if applicable. Choose Next.
  6. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.
  7. Right-click on your Open ODS View and choose Create > DataSource.
  8. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your DataSource and choose Next.
  9. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your DataSource. For example, you can specify whether a field is a key field, whether it has an aggregation behavior, whether it has an extraction mode, etc. Choose Next.
  10. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.

You have now created a DataSource based on an Open ODS View with source type Database Table or View. You can use this DataSource as a source for loading data into SAP BW/4HANA using a DTP.

Example 2: DataSource Based on an Open ODS View with Source Type CDS View

In this example, we will create a DataSource based on an Open ODS View that accesses data from a CDS view that defines a data model for customer data in an SAP S/4HANA system using the ODP context ABAP Core Data Service.

The steps are:

  1. In the BW Modeling Tools of the HANA Studio, right-click on your InfoArea and choose New > Open ODS View.
  2. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your Open ODS View and choose Next.
  3. In the Source Object step, choose CDS View as the source type and enter the name of your CDS view. Choose Next.
  4. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your CDS view. For example, you can specify whether a field is a characteristic or a key figure, whether it has authorization relevance, whether it has an association with an InfoObject or another Open ODS View, etc. Choose Next.
  5. In the Semantics step, choose the type of your Open ODS View (Facts, Master Data or Texts) and specify the key fields and the unit/currency fields if applicable. Choose Next.
  6. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.
  7. Right-click on your Open ODS View and choose Create > DataSource.
  8. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your DataSource and choose Next.
  9. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your DataSource. For example, you can specify whether a field is a key field, whether it has an aggregation behavior, whether it has an extraction mode, etc. Choose Next.
  10. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.

You have now created a DataSource based on an Open ODS View with source type CDS View. You can use this DataSource as a source for loading data into SAP BW/4HANA using a DTP.

Example 3: DataSource Based on an Open ODS View with Source Type Virtual Table using HANA Smart Data Access

In this example, we will create a DataSource based on an Open ODS View that accesses data from a virtual table that connects to an Oracle database using HANA Smart Data Access.

The steps are:

  1. In the SAP HANA Studio, create a remote source that connects to your Oracle database using HANA Smart Data Access.
  2. Create a virtual table that maps to a table or view in your Oracle database using HANA Smart Data Access.
  3. In the BW Modeling Tools of the HANA Studio, right-click on your InfoArea and choose New > Open ODS View.
  4. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your Open ODS View and choose Next.
  5. In the Source Object step, choose Virtual Table as the source type and enter the schema name and table name of your virtual table. Choose Next.
  6. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your virtual table. For example, you can specify whether a field is a characteristic or a key figure, whether it has authorization relevance, whether it has an association with an InfoObject or another Open ODS View, etc. Choose Next.
  7. In the Semantics step, choose the type of your Open ODS View (Facts, Master Data or Texts) and specify the key fields and the unit/currency fields if applicable. Choose Next.
  8. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.
  9. Right-click on your Open ODS View and choose Create > DataSource.
  10. In the wizard, enter a name and description for your DataSource and choose Next
  1. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your DataSource. For example, you can specify whether a field is a key field, whether it has an aggregation behavior, whether it has an extraction mode, etc. Choose Next.
  2. In the Summary step, review your settings and choose Finish.

You have now created a DataSource based on an Open ODS View with source type Virtual Table using HANA Smart Data Access. You can use this DataSource as a source for loading data into SAP BW/4HANA using a DTP.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have explained what Open ODS Views are, how they work, and how you can use them for different scenarios in SAP BW/4HANA. We have also shown you some real-life examples of Open ODS Views based on different source types, such as database tables, views, CDS views and virtual tables.

Open ODS Views are powerful and flexible data models that enable you to consume, combine and physically integrate data from various sources in SAP BW/4HANA without staging. They can help you to simplify and speed up your data modeling and reporting processes.

We hope you have found this blog post useful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Disclaimer: This content is generated by AI.

Tags: ,