Getting Started
One of the key areas for innovation in SAP BW/4HANA is the extended and simplified integration of external non-SAP data. To enable this, SAP BW/4HANA includes the technologies explained in the previous lesson, SAP HANA Smart Data Access (SDA) and SAP HANA Smart Data Integration (SDI) which play a significant role in the provisioning of data from non-SAP data sources.
Within these SAP HANA technologies, SAP BW/4HANA provides a new way to directly access, or to persist, the data coming from various sources into SAP BW/4HANA virtually, in batch mode, or real-time. To leverage the full advantages of SAP HANA, and to simplify and unify existing source systems, a new type of DataSource has been introduced. Under the new source system SAP HANA with its three subtypes:
- SAP HANA - Local Database Schema (HANA_LOCAL): Provides access to non-BW external schemas on the same SAP HANA database on which the SAP BW/4HANA application is deployed.
- SAP HANA - Smart Data Access (HANA_SDA): Leverages the customer-defined remote connections based on eitherSDA or SDI to access data on remote sources outside the local SAP HANA database.
- SAP HANA - Tenant Database Schema (HANA_MDC): Provides access to other schemas on other tenants on the SAP HANA database, in case of a multi-tenant deployment.The name of the source system subtype HANA_SDA might be misleading as it seems to refer to SAP HANA Smart Data Access only. This is due to historical reasons as SAP HANA Smart Data Access was the first and thus name-giving technology. In fact, both connection techniques are equally available here: SAP HANA Smart Data Access (SDA) and SAP HANA Smart Data Integration (SDI).
Comparing SAP NetWeaver BW 7.5 with SAP BW/4HANA
The SAP HANA source system types in SAP BW/4HANA replaces former SAP BW source systems DB Connect and UD Connect. SAP BW 7.5 connections set up as SAP HANA (HANADB)are mapped to the three successor SAP HANA source system types automatically during an in-place conversion.
BW Source System Type HANA_LOCAL (SAP HANA Local Database Schema)
This SAP BW/4HANA source system type provides access to other schemas on the same SAP HANA database where the SAP BW/4HANA application is deployed on.
To set this up, follow these steps:
In SAP BW/4HANA, first define a Source System of Type HANA_LOCAL:
Then define an Open ODS Viewreferring to a database table (see example below), a database view, a virtual table, or an XSC calculation view situated in a local data base schema.
Or define an Open ODS View referring to an XSA calculation view in an HDI Container.
In the case where data is to be loaded and transformed into master data bearing characteristic InfoObject or into DataStore Object (advanced), define a BW Data Source instead of an Open ODS View, either referring to a database table, a database view, a virtual table, or an XSC calculation view in a local data base schemaor referring to an XSA calculation view in an HDI Container.
Note
The BW DataSource can also be used for an Open ODS View to benefit from the potentially richer semantic of a BW DataSource compared to a DB table.
Scenarios for HANA_LOCAL:
BW Source System Type HANA_SDA (SAP HANA Smart Data Access)
The new source system type enables users to access SAP HANA SDI and SAP HANA SDA with a large number of delivered database drivers and adapters. The so-called SAP HANA federation framework, managed by the HANA Indexserver delegates SDA, requests to the corresponding ODBC driver or, in case you use an SDI adapter, to the SDI Adapter Framework in the EIM DP-Server. This way SAP BW/4HANA is enhanced with a new ability to leverage these interfaces from the native SAP HANA Platform, and connect to SAP HANA sources as well as many other databases and applications.
All SDA or SDI interfaces can be set up and maintained from the SAP BW/4HANA application in the standard way. This is based on BW Source Systems, BW DataSources, Transformations, DTPs, and data targets like Open ODS Views or Advanced DSOs. Not only do they enlarge the scope of the source data to be integrated into SAP BW. They also add real-time streaming options.
The process is the following:
- In SAP HANA: Set up the Remote Source connection either on an SDA driver or SDI adapter
- In SAP BW/4HANA: Create a New Source System of Connection Type: SAP HANA Smart Data Access referring to the Remote Source of step (1).
- InSAP BW/4HANA: Consume this remote source in either an Open ODS View for direct virtual access or define a BW DataSource and classical data flow on top of it (master data bearing characteristic InfoObject or DataStore Object (advanced), Transformation and DTP).
Note
The BW DataSource can also be used for an Open ODS View to benefit from the potentially richer semantic of a BW DataSource compared to a DB table.
Scenarios for HANA_SDA
Watch the following demos to learn about the different scenarios for HANA_SDA: