How to Use SDA/SDI for Data Extraction into SAP BW/4HANA

SAP BW/4HANA is a next-generation data warehouse solution that can leverage the power of SAP HANA to provide fast and flexible analytics and reporting. But how can you get the data from your SAP or non-SAP source systems into SAP BW/4HANA? One of the options is to use SDA/SDI (Smart Data Access/Smart Data Integration), a set of technologies that enable virtual or physical data integration from various sources.

In this blog post, we will explain what SDA/SDI are, how they work, and how you can use them to extract data from your source systems into SAP BW/4HANA. We will also share some tips and best practices for optimizing your SDA/SDI performance and data quality.

What are SDA/SDI?

SDA and SDI are two complementary technologies that allow data access and integration from different sources into SAP HANA or SAP BW/4HANA. They both use adapters to connect to various source systems and provide a unified interface for data consumption.

SDA is a technology that enables virtual data access from remote sources without physically moving the data. SDA uses a trigger-based replication approach to pass data from the source system to the target system. This means that whenever a query is executed on the target system, a trigger is activated and the query is sent to the source system. The source system returns the query results to the target system, where they are processed and displayed.

SDI is a technology that enables physical data integration from remote sources by moving the data into SAP HANA or SAP BW/4HANA. SDI uses a flow-based replication approach to pass data from the source system to the target system. This means that whenever a change occurs in the source system, a flow is activated and the change is captured and sent to the target system. The target system receives the change and applies it to the target tables.

SDA and SDI have several benefits, such as:

They support various types of sources, such as SAP systems (S/4HANA, ECC, BW, etc.), non-SAP systems (Oracle, SQL Server, etc.), or file systems (CSV, XML, etc.).
They support various types of data, such as transactional data, master data, text data, or hierarchy data.
They support various types of extraction methods, such as full load, delta load, real-time load, or scheduled load.
They support various types of scenarios, such as virtual access for small data volumes or low latency requirements, physical integration for large data volumes or complex transformations, or hybrid scenarios for mixed requirements.

How to Use SDA/SDI for Data Extraction into SAP BW/4HANA?

To use SDA/SDI for data extraction into SAP BW/4HANA, you need to have your source system and your SAP BW/4HANA system connected via an adapter. Depending on the type of your source system and your extraction scenario, you can use different types of adapters, such as:

ABAP adapter: This is an adapter that allows you to connect to an SAP ABAP-based system (such as S/4HANA or ECC) and extract data using ODP (Operational Data Provisioning) providers (such as DataSource/ extractors or ABAP CDS views). You can use transaction RSDS in the source system to create or maintain a DataSource/ extractor. You can also use Eclipse IDE to create or maintain an ABAP CDS view with the corresponding analytics annotations for use in SAP BW/4HANA.
HANA adapter: This is an adapter that allows you to connect to an SAP HANA-based system (such as S/4HANA or BW) and extract data using HANA information models (such as calculation views or analytic views). You can use SAP HANA Studio to create or maintain a HANA information model with the corresponding analytics annotations for use in SAP BW/4HANA.
Database adapter: This is an adapter that allows you to connect to a non-SAP database system (such as Oracle or SQL Server) and extract data using SQL queries or stored procedures. You need to install the corresponding database drivers on your SAP HANA or SAP BW/4HANA system and configure the connection parameters for your source system.
File adapter: This is an adapter that allows you to connect to a file system (such as CSV or XML) and extract data using file paths or URLs. You need to configure the connection parameters for your file system and specify the file format and delimiter.

Once you have your source system and your SAP BW/4HANA system ready, you can follow these steps to create an Open ODS view and start replicating data:

Log in to your SAP BW/4HANA system and call transaction RSA1 to open the Data Warehousing Workbench.
In the Modeling tab, navigate to InfoProvider > InfoObjects > InfoObject Catalogs.
Right-click on the InfoObject catalog where you want to create your Open ODS view and select Create Open ODS View.
Enter a name and a description for your Open ODS view and click on Continue.
In the General tab, select Data Type as Characteristic or Key Figure according to your requirement.
In the Master Data/Texts tab, select With Master Data if you want to store master data for your Open ODS view.
In the Business Explorer tab, select Query-relevant if you want to use your Open ODS view in queries.
In the Extraction tab, select Smart Data Access or Smart Data Integration as Source System Type according to your scenario.
Click on the magnifying glass icon next to Source System to select your source system from the list of available systems.
Click on the magnifying glass icon next to Adapter Name to select your adapter from the list of available adapters in your source system. You can filter the list by context, such as ABAP, HANA, Database or File.
Click on the magnifying glass icon next to Object Name to select your object from the list of available objects in your source system. You can filter the list by type, such as DataSource/ extractor, ABAP CDS view, HANA information model, SQL query, stored procedure, file path or URL.
Click on Save and Activate to create and activate your Open ODS view.
Right-click on your Open ODS view and select Manage to open the Data Management screen.
In the Data Management screen, click on the Load icon to start loading data from your source system into your Open ODS view. You can choose between Full Load or Delta Load according to your requirement.
You can monitor the load status and performance by using transaction RSMO or RSPC in your SAP BW/4HANA system. You can also use SAP HANA Studio to view the loaded data in your Open ODS view.

Tips and Best Practices for SDA/SDI

Here are some tips and best practices for using SDA/SDI for data extraction into SAP BW/4HANA:

Before replicating data, make sure that your source system and target system have compatible data types and structures. You can use transaction RSDRI_ODP_CHECK in your SAP BW/4HANA system to check the consistency of data definitions between source and target systems.
To improve the performance of SDA/SDI, you can increase the number of parallel processes and package size according to your system resources and network bandwidth. You can also use compression techniques such as SID generation or data aging to reduce the data volume and memory consumption.
To ensure the data quality and integrity of SDA/SDI, you can use transaction RSDRI_ODP_REPAIR in your SAP BW/4HANA system to repair any inconsistencies or errors in the data replication. You can also use transaction RSDRI_ODP_COMPARE in your SAP BW/4HANA system to compare the data between source and target systems.
To avoid unnecessary replication of data, you can use filters to only replicate the data that you need for your SAP BW/4HANA scenarios. You can also use transaction RSDRI_ODP_DELETE in your SAP BW/4HANA system to delete the data that you no longer need from target system.

Conclusion

SDA and SDI are two complementary technologies that enable virtual or physical data integration from various sources into SAP BW/4HANA. By using SDA/SDI, you can leverage the power of SAP HANA to gain insights from your data in real time or on a schedule.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand how to use SDA/SDI for data extraction into SAP BW/4HANA. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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