How to Use Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA for Data Integration and Reporting

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. These data models allow you to access external data sources without the need to create InfoObjects, which can save time and effort in data modeling.

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

What are Open ODS Views?

Open ODS Views are SAP BW/4HANA metadata objects that provide a structure description with attributes (fields) and data types. They represent a view on a source object and add analytic metadata to this source.

Supported source objects are:

• Database tables or views
• DataSources (for direct access)
• CDS views
• Virtual tables using HANA Smart Data Access

The Open ODS View does not have separate storage for transaction data or master data. This means persistency and analytic modeling are decoupled for the Open ODS View.

You can create an Open ODS View with minimum effort for a source object and assign properties to the fields of the Open ODS View. For example, you can specify whether a field should be interpreted as a characteristic or a key figure, the aggregation behavior for key figures, the authorization relevance for characteristics, etc.

You can also link a field of type characteristic to an InfoObject or another Open ODS View using associations. This allows you to inherit properties from the associated object, such as the technical name, the master data attributes and texts, the reporting properties, etc.

An Open ODS View modeled in this way makes data available for consumption (for example, with a query). The view can be enhanced stage by stage for further integration into BW.

How to Use Open ODS Views in SAP BW/4HANA?

Open ODS Views can be used in various ways in SAP BW/4HANA, such as:

• Consume external data without staging: You can use Open ODS Views to access data from external sources without the need to create InfoObjects or persist the data in SAP BW/4HANA. This is useful for ad-hoc reporting or analysis on external data sources that do not require complex transformations or harmonization.
• Combine external data with SAP BW/4HANA: You can use Open ODS Views to combine data from external sources with data from SAP BW/4HANA models. This is useful for enriching your existing data models with additional information or dimensions from external sources. You can use Composite Providers to join or union multiple Open ODS Views or other SAP BW/4HANA models.
• Physically integrate external data (staging): You can use Open ODS Views to physically integrate data sources into SAP BW/4HANA by creating DataSources for them. This is useful for loading external data sources into SAP BW/4HANA for further processing or transformation. You can use DataStore Objects (advanced) as the persistence layer for the Open ODS Views.

Examples of Open ODS Views Based on Different Source Types

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

Example 1: Open ODS View Based on a Database Table

In this example, we will create an Open ODS View based on 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.

You have now created an Open ODS View based on a database table. You can use this Open ODS View as a source for a query or a Composite Provider.

Example 2: Open ODS View Based on a DataSource

In this example, we will create an Open ODS View based on a DataSource that extracts data from an SAP ECC system using the ODP context DataSources/Extractors. The DataSource is already available 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 DataSource as the source type and enter the name of your DataSource. Choose Next.
4. In the Field Properties step, assign properties to each field of your DataSource. 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.

You have now created an Open ODS View based on a DataSource. You can use this Open ODS View as a source for a query or a Composite Provider.

You can also create a DataSource for your Open ODS View and load data from your DataSource into SAP BW/4HANA using a DataStore Object (advanced) as the persistence layer.

Example 3: Open ODS View Based on a CDS View

In this example, we will create an Open ODS View based on 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.

You have now created an Open ODS View based on a CDS view. You can use this Open ODS View as a source for a query or a Composite Provider.

Example 4: Open ODS View Based on a Virtual Table

In this example, we will create an Open ODS View based on a virtual table that accesses data from 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.

You have now created an Open ODS View based on a virtual table. You can use this Open ODS View as a source for a query or a Composite Provider.

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, DataSources, 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.

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