Introducing a Data Warehousing Scenario

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Identify a data warehousing scenario to be implemented in SAP BW/4HANA

Data Warehousing Scenario in SAP BW/4HANA: Starting Point

Scenario: Starting Point

In this learning journey, a data warehousing scenario is used to explain the possibilities and usage of SAP BW/4HANA. Let's kick off with the starting point:

The scenario covers data related to cost centers. Cost centers can be considered as departments in an organization, where costs occur related to offered services, for example IT department or canteen. In source systems master data (texts and attributes of cost centers) and transactional data (postings to cost centers) are stored.

In the scenario, data from three source systems is used, where the cost centers are defined using different technical names and length:

  • Flat File (plan transactional data of cost centers),

    Technical name /BIC/U00_COSTC, length 13 (for example T410000004100)

  • SAP S/4HANA (attributes and texts of cost centers and actual transactional data of cost centers),

    Technical name KOSTL, length 10 (for example 0000004100)

  • SAP HANA (attributes and texts of cost centers and actual transactional data of cost centers),

    Technical name COSTCENTERNE, length 13 (for example 1230034021000)

SAP BW/4HANA is used to combine and harmonize these data, separating master data storage and transactional data storage, but offering reporting on transactional data enriched with master data.

To reach this, we'll have to model objects in SAP BW/4HANA which can store master data and transactional data. We will also discuss how to extract the data from SAP S/4HANA, from a flat file and from SAP HANA and how to get this data loaded by creating data flows. Finally, a report should be available showing harmonized cost center transactional data enriched with cost center master data from these three sources.

Note
During the learning journey you'll see many objects, including "##". These placeholders are used in Instructor Led Training and SAP Learning System Access. These '##' placeholders are then replaced by 01, 02, 03, et cetera to enable multiple users doing the exercises. The demos and videos in this learning journey are done with 08, for example U08_COSTC.

Source Data

Watch the following video to get a short overview of the source data from flat files, SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA that will be used in the scenario.

Data Warehousing Scenario in SAP BW/4HANA: End Point

At the end of this scenario, all elements in the next picture will have been built. You will probably notice many objects, which need explanation. It's not needed to understand this picture right now. In the lessons of this learning journey we'll explain this scenario step by step. However, at this point, it would already be interesting to have a look at the desired outcome of the final SAP BW/4HANA reporting result.

At the end of this learning journey, a Query is opened in SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office to analyze the data, which originate from three source systems. Before a Query can be created, many steps need to be taken, like modeling objects, loading and harmonizing data, et cetera.

In the next lesson we will start with the first step: InfoObjects in SAP BW/4HANA, but first take the quiz.

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