Creating DataSources

Before you can fill the tables that correspond to the InfoObjects or ADSOs, you need to create a connection to the source system. For our scenario, data will be loaded from SAP S/4HANA.

Note

The datasource must be defined in the SAP source system. S-API datasources must be released for ODP. ABAP CSD views must have the annotation @analytics.dataExtraction.enabled:true. For delta loads, additional properties must be defined.

With SAP BW Bridge, Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) is the central infrastructure for data extraction and data replication from SAP (ABAP) applications to SAP BW∕4HANA. Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) allows data compression before the data load. This means, data extraction is fast. Moreover, extracted data is stored in an Operational Delta Queue (ODQ) in the source system that guarantees that subsequent records are passed on in the correct sequence. The data, which is highly compressed, is retained in the delta queue for a specified time period in case the subscriber wants retrieve the data records again. A target application (referred to as a subscriber), such as SAP BW Bridge, retrieves the data from the delta queue and continues processing the data. Therefore, you first define the source as an ODP source system of SAP BW Bridge.

Then, you need to define a DataSource in such a source system. Remember the terminology: A DataSource is a set of fields that provide the data for a specific business object, such as product attributes. From a technical perspective, the DataSource is designed in the source system as a flat structure of logically-related fields.

DataSources supply the metadata description of source data.

The following types of DataSource exist:

DataSource for transaction data,
DataSources for segmented data,
DataSource for master data,
- DataSource for attributes,
- DataSource for texts,
- DataSources for hierarchies. (For hierarchies, a DataSource consists of several structures.)

In SAP BW Bridge, you define a BW DataSource as a reference to the DataSource in the SAP source system. If you do not need all its fields, you can remove fields from a BW DataSource in SAP BW Bridge.

This diagram shows the definitions of a DataSource. From bottom to top, you see the following objects: A datasource for texts in the SAP S/4HANA source system. Action Replicate or Create Datasource. The generated copy in SAP BW Bridge. A second step Change, Activate. The active version in SAP BW Bridge in which one text field was removed.

These are the steps to make a DataSource available in SAP BW Bridge:

From the source system in SAP BW Bridge or from one of its application components, choose Replicate.
Mark the Datasources you need and choose OK.
Open the BW Datasource and adjust what should be adjusted
Activate the BW Datasource

Launch the following video to see how to proceed in the system.