Understanding Physical and Logical Partitioning in SAP BW/4HANA Modeling

Understanding Physical and Logical Partitioning in SAP BW/4HANA Modeling

SAP BW/4HANA is a modern data warehouse solution that leverages the power of SAP HANA to provide high-performance, flexible, and simplified data modeling and analysis. One of the key aspects of SAP BW/4HANA modeling is the partitioning of the data objects, such as Advanced DSOs, InfoCubes, and Semantically Partitioned Objects (SPOs). In this blog post, we will explain what partitioning is, why it is important, and how to implement it in SAP BW/4HANA modeling with examples.

What is Partitioning?

Partitioning is a technique that divides a large data object into smaller parts based on certain criteria. Partitioning can be done at two levels: physical and logical. Physical partitioning is done at the database level, where the data object is split into separate physical tables. Logical partitioning is done at the application level, where the data object is divided into logical partitions that are transparent to the database.

Why Partitioning?

Partitioning has several benefits for data modeling and analysis, such as:

It improves the performance and scalability of the system. By partitioning the data object, you can optimize the storage and processing of the data. You can store the data in a compressed and aggregated form, while keeping the details in a separate partition. You can also distribute the data across different servers or nodes to improve the load balancing and parallel processing. This will help you to handle large volumes of data efficiently and effectively.
It facilitates the analysis and reporting of the data. By partitioning the data object, you can enable different types of analysis and reporting on the data. You can use the partitions as dimensions or attributes to slice and dice the data. You can also use the partitions as hierarchies or classifications to drill down or roll up the data. This will help you to gain insights and intelligence from the data.
It simplifies the maintenance and administration of the data. By partitioning the data object, you can reduce the complexity and overhead of managing the data. You can easily add, delete, or modify partitions without affecting the rest of the data object. You can also perform backup and recovery operations on individual partitions instead of the whole data object.

How to Partition Data Objects in SAP BW/4HANA Modeling?

SAP BW/4HANA provides various modeling objects and options to partition data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling:

Advanced DSOs: Advanced DSOs are persistent objects that store master or transactional data in SAP BW/4HANA. They can be partitioned by using a time characteristic as a partitioning criterion. For example, you can partition an Advanced DSO by 0CALMONTH or 0FISCPER. The partitioning option can be accessed from Extras -> DB Performance -> DB Partitioning in the Advanced DSO settings. You can specify a time range for each partition, such as 01.2020 to 12.2020. The system will automatically create two extra partitions for data that is less than or greater than the specified time range.
InfoCubes: InfoCubes are persistent objects that store aggregated transactional data in SAP BW/4HANA. They can be partitioned by using a characteristic as a partitioning criterion. For example, you can partition an InfoCube by 0PLANT or 0MATERIAL. The partitioning option can be accessed from Extras -> DB Performance -> DB Partitioning in the InfoCube settings. You can specify a value range for each partition, such as 1000 to 1999 or A000 to Z999. The system will automatically create two extra partitions for data that is less than or greater than the specified value range.
Semantically Partitioned Objects (SPOs): SPOs are logical objects that combine master or transactional data from different sources into a single view. They can be partitioned by using any characteristic as a partitioning criterion. For example, you can partition an SPO by 0COUNTRY or 0COMP_CODE. The partitioning option can be accessed from Extras -> Semantic Partition Definition in the SPO settings. You can specify a value list for each partition, such as US, CA, MX or 1000, 2000, 3000. The system will automatically create an underlying Advanced DSO or InfoCube for each partition.

Examples of Partitioning Data Objects in SAP BW/4HANA Modeling

Let’s look at some examples of how to partition data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling using the above-mentioned modeling objects and options:

Example 1: You want to create a data model for analyzing the sales performance of your products by customer and region. You have the following sources of data:
- A table in SAP HANA that contains the transactional data of sales orders, such as order number, order date, product ID, customer ID, quantity, and amount.
- A file that contains the master data of products, such as product ID, product name, product category, and product price.
- A web service that contains the master data of customers, such as customer ID, customer name, customer address, and customer segment.
To partition the data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling, you can follow these steps:
- Create InfoObjects for the characteristics and key figures of the sales orders, such as order number, order date, product ID, customer ID, quantity, and amount.
- Create an Open ODS View on the table in SAP HANA that contains the transactional data of sales orders. Map the fields of the table to the corresponding InfoObjects.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the Open ODS View to persist the transactional data of sales orders in SAP BW/4HANA. Partition the Advanced DSO by 0CALMONTH with a time range of 01.2020 to 12.2020.
- Create an Open ODS View on the file that contains the master data of products. Map the fields of the file to the corresponding InfoObjects.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the Open ODS View to persist the master data of products in SAP BW/4HANA.
- Create an Open ODS View on the web service that contains the master data of customers. Map the fields of the web service to the corresponding InfoObjects.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the Open ODS View to persist the master data of customers in SAP BW/4HANA.
- Create a CompositeProvider on the Advanced DSOs that store the master data and transactional data. Join them by using the product ID and customer ID as join keys. Add the relevant characteristics and key figures to the output of the CompositeProvider.
By following these steps, you have partitioned the data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling. You can now use the CompositeProvider as a source for analysis and reporting on the sales performance of your products by customer and region.
Example 2: You want to create a data model for analyzing the profitability of your projects by project manager and department. You have the following sources of data:
- A source system such as SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA that contains the transactional data of projects, such as project ID, project name, project manager ID, department ID, start date, end date, budget, and actual cost.
- An internal table that contains the master data of project managers, such as project manager ID, project manager name, project manager email, and project manager phone number.
- An internal table that contains the master data of departments, such as department ID, department name, department location, and department head.
To partition the data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling, you can follow these steps:
- Create InfoObjects for the characteristics and key figures of the projects, such as project ID, project name, project manager ID, department ID, start date, end date, budget, and actual cost.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the source system that contains the transactional data of projects. Map the fields of the source system to the corresponding InfoObjects. Partition the Advanced DSO by 0FISCPER with a time range of 001.2020 to 012.2020.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the internal table that contains the master data of project managers. Map the fields of the internal table to the corresponding InfoObjects.
- Create an Advanced DSO on the internal table that contains the master data of departments. Map the fields of the internal table to the corresponding InfoObjects.
- Create a Semantically Partitioned Object (SPO) on the Advanced DSOs that store the master data and transactional data. Partition the SPO by 0DEPARTMENT with a value list of DEP1, DEP2, DEP3. The system will automatically create an underlying InfoCube for each partition.
By following these steps, you have partitioned the data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling. You can now use the SPO as a source for analysis and reporting on the profitability of your projects by project manager and department.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have explained what partitioning is, why it is important, and how to implement it in SAP BW/4HANA modeling with examples. We have also shown how to use various modeling objects and options such as Advanced DSOs, InfoCubes, and Semantically Partitioned Objects (SPO) to partition data objects in SAP BW/4HANA modeling. By partitioning data objects, you can improve the quality, performance, scalability, and analysis of your data warehouse solution.

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. Thank you for reading!

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