Identifying Key Aspects of SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics

Before you learn about data modeling in SAP BW/4HANA, it's important to have an overview of the modeling approaches in SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA. This overview can reduce the need to build modeling scenarios in SAP BW/4HANA or can just enrich the modeling options in SAP BW/4HANA.

We start with an overview of SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics, also mentioning the role of ABAP CDS views. These views are important, because they can be used in multiple scenarios like analytics and extraction of SAP S/4HANA data.

Next, a short overview of SAP HANA modeling is covered to learn about its typical advantages related to (agile) data modeling.

Then, a short summary of the key features of SAP BW/4HANA is covered.

Finally, modeling approaches with SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA, and SAP BW/4HANA are compared to indicate their pros and cons for scenarios in data modeling.

With the integration of analytics features in SAP S/4HANA, you can benefit from:

• Various analysis options in an environment with a simplified data model.
• A new user experience.
• Advanced processing.
• Deployment options suitable to your business needs.

Often, transactions and analytics are handled separately. However, business processes usually consist of a recurring sequence of transactions and analytics, so that analytics are embedded in the daily work with transactional data.

To fulfill these needs, SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics offers the following:

• Multidimensional reports.

• Smart Business Runtime Environment

• Analytical apps based on Analysis Path Framework (APF).

• Query Browser

• Analytical Fiori applications.

• Custom View app.

• Custom Analytical Queries app.

• APF Configuration Modeler application.

• Manage KPIs and Reports

• View Browser

All the analytical tools consume ABAP core data services (CDS views), which make up the Virtual Data Model (VDM) of SAP S/4HANA. In addition, to use CDS views of type analytical queries, you must set up the Analytic Engine, which is used to evaluate and apply analytical queries at runtime.

The user can use the SAP Fiori launchpad to access both transactional and analytical applications coming from the SAP S/4HANA system. The user can navigate between the applications, which enables insight to action in real time without the need for data replication.

SAP S/4HANA provides a virtual data model (VDM) based on many views related to each other. It's stable, extensible, and available for reuse. "Virtual" refers to the fact that the VDM semantic model differs from the traditional persistent model of database tables, which makes it simpler and easier to understand.

SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics consists of an increasing number of available queries on ABAP CDS Views.

A core data services (CDS) view is an object with a technical name that contains SQL code to access data directly. It may be enhanced with further information on how to handle and enrich the data. The SAP application server (ABAP layer) handles CDS Views. This can be an SAP source system, or SAP BW/4HANA.

ABAP CDS views can be used for multiple purposes, like analysis (SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics), virtual access, or extraction of SAP S/4HANA data. The possibilities differ with the settings of the annotations in the definition of the ABAP CDS view.

Let's have a look at the figure above how annotations tell the consuming application how to handle the content:

• @EndUserText.label: the label which is shown in the UIs (a prerequisite for generic UI consumption)

• @Analytics: { dataCategory: #FACT }: used by BI Tools, identifies transactional data (includes at least one measure)

• @Semantics.currencyCode: indicates that this element is a currency code

• @Semantics.amount.currencyCode: indicates where to find the currency

• @DefaultAggregation: #SUM: specifies the default aggregation behavior for BI tools (other options are AVG, MIN, MAX, …)

The following types of ABAP CDS entities are supported:

• ABAP CDS Views
• ABAP CDS Table Functions