How to Extract Data from ABAP CDS Views in SAP S/4HANA to SAP BW/4HANA

How to Extract Data from ABAP CDS Views in SAP S/4HANA to SAP BW/4HANA

How to Extract Data from ABAP CDS Views in SAP S/4HANA to SAP BW/4HANA

ABAP CDS views are a powerful way to model and access data in SAP S/4HANA, using the native capabilities of SAP HANA. They provide a semantic layer on top of the database tables, with features such as associations, aggregations, calculations, annotations, and access control. ABAP CDS views are also the basis of the Virtual Data Model (VDM) in SAP S/4HANA, which exposes the business entities and processes for operational analytics and transactions.

But what if you want to use ABAP CDS views as a source of data for your SAP BW/4HANA system? How can you extract data from ABAP CDS views in SAP S/4HANA to SAP BW/4HANA? And what are the benefits and challenges of this approach?

In this blog post, we will answer these questions and show you how to use ABAP CDS views for data extraction in SAP BW/4HANA. We will also share some best practices and tips to optimize your data models and performance.

Why Use ABAP CDS Views for Data Extraction?

Using ABAP CDS views for data extraction has several advantages over traditional methods, such as:

  • Reusability: You can leverage the existing ABAP CDS views in SAP S/4HANA, which are aligned with the business logic and semantics of the applications. You don’t need to create or maintain additional extractors or transformations.
  • Consistency: You can ensure that the data and metadata are consistent and synchronized between SAP S/4HANA and SAP BW/4HANA, as they are based on the same source of truth. You don’t need to worry about data quality or integrity issues.
  • Flexibility: You can use any ABAP CDS view as a data source, regardless of its type or category. You can also create custom ABAP CDS views to meet your specific requirements or scenarios.
  • Performance: You can benefit from the parallel processing and in-memory capabilities of SAP HANA, which can improve the data extraction speed and efficiency. You can also use features such as partitioning, dynamic tiering, or currency conversion to optimize your data models.

However, using ABAP CDS views for data extraction also comes with some challenges and limitations, such as:

  • Complexity: You need to understand and manage the dependencies and relationships between different ABAP CDS views, as well as the annotations and features that affect the data extraction. You also need to consider the compatibility and interoperability of different versions and releases of SAP S/4HANA and SAP BW/4HANA.
  • Security: You need to ensure that the access and authorization rights are properly defined and enforced for both ABAP CDS views and SAP BW/4HANA objects. You also need to comply with the data protection and privacy regulations that apply to your data sources and targets.
  • Scalability: You need to monitor and tune the performance and resource consumption of your data extraction processes, especially when dealing with large volumes or complex calculations. You also need to plan and execute your data loading strategies and schedules accordingly.

Therefore, using ABAP CDS views for data extraction should be done with careful planning, design, and optimization, to ensure that you achieve your business goals and requirements.

How to Use ABAP CDS Views for Data Extraction?

To use ABAP CDS views for data extraction in SAP BW/4HANA, you need to follow these steps:

  1. In SAP S/4HANA, identify or create the ABAP CDS view that you want to use as a data source. The ABAP CDS view must have the corresponding analytics annotations that enable it for data extraction. These annotations are:
    • @Analytics.dataCategory: This defines the type of the ABAP CDS view, which can be #FACT, #DIMENSION, or #CUBE.@Analytics.dataExtraction.enabled: This enables the ABAP CDS view for data extraction via Operational Data Provisioning (ODP).@Analytics.dataExtraction.delta.byElement: This defines the delta field for delta-enabled ABAP CDS views.
    For example, this is a sample ABAP CDS view with analytics annotations:

2. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new source system of type ODP – ABAP CDS Views (ODP_CDS). This source system allows you to connect to the SAP S/4HANA system and access the ABAP CDS views that are enabled for data extraction.

3. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new DataSource based on the ABAP CDS view that you want to use as a data source. The DataSource will automatically inherit the metadata and semantics of the ABAP CDS view, such as the fields, descriptions, units, and hierarchies. You can also modify or enhance the DataSource as needed.

4. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new InfoProvider that will store the data extracted from the ABAP CDS view. The InfoProvider can be any type that is supported by SAP BW/4HANA, such as an Advanced DataStore Object (ADSO), a CompositeProvider, or an Open ODS View.

5. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new transformation that will map and transform the data from the DataSource to the InfoProvider. The transformation will automatically propose the mapping rules based on the field names and types. You can also modify or enhance the transformation as needed.

6. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new Data Transfer Process (DTP) that will load the data from the DataSource to the InfoProvider. The DTP will automatically determine the extraction mode based on the delta field of the ABAP CDS view. You can also modify or enhance the DTP as needed.

7. In SAP BW/4HANA, execute the DTP to extract and load the data from the ABAP CDS view to the InfoProvider. You can also schedule the DTP to run periodically or triggered by events.

8. In SAP BW/4HANA, create a new query on top of the InfoProvider and use it for reporting and analysis.

Conclusion

ABAP CDS views are a powerful and flexible way to extract data from SAP S/4HANA to SAP BW/4HANA. They allow you to reuse and leverage the existing data models and semantics in SAP S/4HANA, without creating or maintaining additional extractors or transformations.

In this blog post, we have explained how to use ABAP CDS views for data extraction in SAP BW/4HANA, as well as some benefits and challenges of this approach. We have also shown you how to create and use ABAP CDS views, DataSources, InfoProviders, transformations, and DTPs in SAP BW/4HANA.

We hope you have found this post useful and informative.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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