Scenario Overview
In the next step of the data flow we define a DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA.
DataSource: terminology and use cases
A DataSource is created in SAP BW/4HANA and defines which of the source fields from the ABAP CDS View are required for extraction to SAP BW/4HANA. The ABAP CDS View is a reusable object that can serve multiple DataSources. Each DataSource can process different selections of fields. Not all DataSources require all of the available fields.
A DataSource does not persist loaded data, but passes it directly to the next layer. A DataSource is a meta data layer where the technical details of each field are stored, such as type, length, and conversion details. A DataSource also defines whether delta loading (load only changes) is supported.
A DataSource is an important part of the data flow and is usually the first object in the flow on the SAP BW/4HANA side. Some DataSources are classified to be used in master data loading, other ones are classified to be used in transactional data loading. A DataSource passes data from the ABAP CDS View to the next layer, which is usually a DataStore Object (advanced). Although similar in concept, different types of DataSources are provided to connect to all types of sources, such as SAP ABAP systems, File systems, non-SAP databases, etc.
A DataSource is always created for a specific source system. In SAP BW/4HANA we define a source system by providing connection details. There is a fixed list of source system types that you can create. The most popular of these is SAP ABAP systems. This source system type covers SAP Business Suite and SAP S/4HANA and any other SAP system that is built using ABAP. Once a source system is defined we can then create our first DataSource.
DataSource: system settings
In our scenario the DataSource ZP_EPM_CDSV_SO_1_DShas been created and connects to a transactional data ABAP CDS View that provides sales data. The DataSource has been created for the source system with the technical name T41_CDS to extract ABAP CDS Views from SAP S/4HANA system which has the system id (SID) T41.
You can start the following demo to explore the settings of the DataSource in SAP BW/4HANA: