The inbound layer serves as the entry point for data from various source systems. Local tables can be used to store these data, but can of course also be used in other layers. Let's explore the settings of local tables in SAP Datasphere and how they can be used for importing of CSV files.
Creating Local Tables
The Data Builder offers the following options to create a local table:
- Create a table in the Data Builder editor.
- Create a table by importing a CSV file.
- Create a table as the output of a flow.
- Import a table from a connection or other source in the Sources tab of the Source Browser in any of the Data Builder editors.
In addition to working with tables in the Data Builder, you can also:
- List, create, read, update, and delete them using the command line interface.
- Export and import them via CSN files.
- Export and import them via the secure transport app.
As properties of the table you can define:
Business name and Technical name.
Semantic Usage.
Storage: the values can be "Disk" or "In-Memory".
Note
For local tables created in a space with SAP HANA Cloud data lake storage, the value is "File".Delta Capture: If you enable the option Delta Capture, it tracks the delta changes that are made in the table adding two delta capture columns: Change Type and Change Date. A prerequisite for this option is that at least one key column is specified. The option Delta Capture cannot be changed after deployment.
Business Purposes: To provide a description, purpose, contacts, and tags to help other users understand your entity.
Associations: To create an association to another data entity and define a semantic relationship between them.
For columns in a table you can specify the following properties:
Set one or more columns as primary key.
Define the Business Name: A descriptive name to help users identify the object.
Define the Technical Name: The name used in scripts and code.
Data Type.
Default Value.
These are the ways to add data to the table:
Import a CSV file.
Run a flow.
Import from a connection.
Import from a CSN file.
Importing CSV Files to Local Tables
In SAP Datasphere, the Data Builder provides a CSV file upload function by default.
You can use the Import CSV File option for manual uploads (under 25MB). For this feature, no connection has to be defined.
It automatically creates a table with derived columns based on file structure. You can apply various data wrangling and transformation rules, such as concatenate, split, extract, replace, change or filter.
To load data into an existing table (without transformations), use Upload Data From CSV File in the table editor.
Note
For larger or automated loads, a generic SFTP connection has to be set up to connect to and access files on a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server.
