Introducing Open ODS Views

We now have the experience of integrating source data in SAP BW/4HANA based on InfoObjects and data persistence. This is not always needed for data integration into SAP BW/4HANA. Field-based modeling means that you can integrate data into SAP BW/4HANA with considerably lower effort than before. Whether data is loaded into SAP BW/4HANA or resides outside it, you can model and operate on field-level data without the need of defining InfoObjects in advance. To integrate source data, even data persistence in SAP BW/4HANA is not a prerequisite. This makes the integration of any data much easier.

How is this achieved? Using Open ODS Views enable flexible integration by defining data models on top of raw source data without the need to create InfoObjects and without loading data.

In our scenario, two tables in SAP HANA represent cost center master data (CC_MD01) and cost center actual postings (CC_TD01). We'll create Open ODS Views on these two tables.

The Open ODS View is a standard SAP BW/4HANA meta data object that provides a structure description with attributes (fields) and data types. It represents a view on a source and adds analytic meta data to this source. The Open ODS View does not have separate storage for transactional data or master data.

Using an Open ODS View, you can model master data attributes, texts, and transactional data. Hierarchies are not supported. Each Open ODS View is defined as being used for handling facts, master data, or texts.

Although modeling with InfoObjects guarantees a high level of consistency, adjusting existing models that are used for reporting and analysis is challenging. Modeling with Open ODS Views is considerably more flexible and supports agility. It might help to think of modeling with Open ODS Views as lightweight modeling. Although an Open ODS View does not require InfoObjects, they can be optionally mapped to the fields to provide access to shared master data.

You can quickly create an Open ODS View with minimum effort. You simply choose a source, select the required fields and assign properties to the fields. When defining the structure of the Open ODS View, you specify whether a specific field should be interpreted as a Key Figure or Characteristic.

An Open ODS View provides access to source data for consumption (for example, with a Query). The journey from source data to Query is now much shorter with Open ODS Views. Open ODS Views can be consumed by other SAP BW/4HANA models, such as a CompositeProvider to develop hybrid models that combine virtual and persistent data.

We recommend Open ODS Views in cases where the format of the external data is suitable for integration into a data flow – when an external data model displays a pure fact view or a pure dimension view. A prerequisite for the integration into an SAP BW/4HANA data flow is that the source model must be divided into facts, master data, and texts. Based on these units that can be replicated, Open ODS Views allow you to model reporting views on data.

The following source objects can be used for an Open ODS View:

• SAP HANA database table or view (on SAP HANA of the SAP BW/4HANA application)

• SAP HANA database table or view (on other tenants of the same SAP HANA platform)

• Remote sources (using Smart Data Access or Smart Data Integration on SAP HANA)

• SAP BW/4HANA DataSource of type ODP or SAP HANA with direct access enabled (e.g. CDS Views)

• Big Data (data of a Hadoop cluster, which is connected via a Big Data source system (and therefore via a remote source with the Spark SQL DESTINATION or VORA (ODBC) adapters) to the SAP HANA database of SAP BW∕4HANA

• DataStore Object (advanced): we explain this in "Using Open ODS Views in Modeling Scenarios"

• Transformation: we explain this in "Using Open ODS Views in Modeling Scenarios"

On the General tab, you define the name and description of the Open ODS View. Depending on the semantics of the Open ODS View, it will also contain one of the semantic tabs Facts, Master Data and/or Texts.

Source fields can be selected to be part of the Open ODS view. You define basic semantics for each field of an open ODS View, such as currency, unit of measure etc. This provides meta data that is used by reporting tools and this might be enough for basic reporting. So the fields of an Open ODS View are organized in folders like Characteristics, Key Figures, Currency and Unit.

Semantics can be defined for fields of the type characteristic and for fields with the type key figure.

You can define associations between Open ODS Views. For example, you can associate a sales fact Open ODS View with a customer and product master data Open ODS View to develop a virtual star schema.

However, it is also possible to associate each field of the Open ODS View with an existing InfoObject. For example, you can associate the Open ODS View field item with the InfoObject 0MATERIAL. You do this so that the field item can then use the master data and meta data of the InfoObject. For example, the field item provides only the material number from the raw data. The associated InfoObject can provide the text description for each item value. Also the attributes of 0MATERIAL can be used by the field to enhance the reporting options. The authorizations of the associated InfoObject can also be used by the fields.

You can associate certain fields of your Open ODS View with SAP BW/4HANA InfoObjects, which offers the following properties of InfoObjects which can be inherited:

• BI Clients settings

• Hierarchies

• Texts

• Master data attributes

• Master data navigational attributes

• SAP BW/4HANA Analysis authorizations

As with an InfoObject, the Open ODS View can combine language-independent semantics for the attribute keys with language-dependent semantics for texts. You can add extra semantics for an Open ODS View that you created with one of the two other semantics (texts or attributes).

When you use associations on fields of the type characteristic, you can link an Open ODS view to master data and texts of other Open ODS views or InfoObjects. This allows you to inherit properties from the associated object, assign additional key fields (compounding), and use texts and navigation attributes of the associated objects in Queries on the Open ODS view.

In the case of fields with the type key figure, you can add associations to InfoObjects. This is particularly relevant if you want to reuse formulas or variables (defined on the associated InfoObject) in Queries.

For every field in an Open ODS view field and the view navigation attributes, InfoObject names are used in the InfoProvider view and in the Query. The InfoObject names are derived according to specific rules.