Unified Solution – SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics & SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA!
SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics together with SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA (SAP BW on HANA) provides the best-of-breed suite of analytical services and enables you to drive your business in real-time on the next generation of platform, SAP HANA.
Whether you need, consolidated, de-normalized reporting on data collected from several SAP / non-SAP applications and for data governance OR
real-time reporting on data from one single SAP S/4HANA component.
Whether you need, aggregated reporting or on historical data, that might not be online in the underlying SAP Business System OR
bringing reporting within SAP S/4HANA to the next level.
Analytics services provided on the SAP HANA platform will meet and exceed your requirements:
Now let us have a closer look at the data perspective!
When a BW system is running on an SAP HANA database, the BW data is stored in a special schema known as the BW-managed schema and is exposed via InfoProviders (e.g. DataStore Objects, InfoObjects, etc.).
In other (remote) SAP HANA schemas, data can be stored in SAP HANA tables and accessed via HANA views which are based e.g. on Core Data Services (CDS) technology.
You can make data available from any SAP HANA database schema of your choice in BW. You can also make BW data (data from the BW-managed schema in the SAP HANA database) available in a different SAP HANA schema. To do so you can use virtual access methods such as Open ODS Views (using HANA Smart Data Access for remote scenarios) and data replication methods like SAP LT Replication Server.
In this blog we focus on integrating data from the SAP S/4HANA Analytics schema with corresponding data in BW using the example of ERP – Sales & Distribution. And with that we will answer the following core questions:
- Will SAP S/4HANA Analytics support all my reporting requirements?
- How can I align this with my EDW strategy and (e.g. non-SAP) data?
Overview of Scenarios:
Scenario A (HANA Smart Data Access & Modeling via Open ODS):
Transactional and master data via S/4HANA Analytics consumed by BW
(Consumption of SAP S/4HANA Analytics transactional and master data views by Open ODS Views in BW)
Scenario B (Modeling-free only in embedded case):
Transactional data provisioning via S/4HANA Analytics Open CDS View in BEx Query
(Consumption of SAP S/4HANA Analytics Open CDS views in BW via ODP Transient Provider)
Other possible scenarios:
Loading of data into BW using Interface Layer of S/4HANA Analytics as data source (Extract data from S/4HANA Analytics interface views into BW)
The following guide gives an overview of different SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics & SAP BW Data Integration scenarios and shows how to implement them. The focus is on integrating data provided by SAP S/4HANA Analytics with corresponding data in SAP BW using the example of ERP – Sales & Distribution:
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-68337
Dear Matthias,
Thanks for sharing the document. It is very informative, indeed. A good document normally raises questions, too 🙂
I got a few questions that might bother others, too:
Thanks in advance for your insights!
Dmitry
Hi Dmitry,
thanks for the feedback! Now here are the answers to your questions:
a) SAP HANA Live belongs to the Suite on HANA context and can be used in that context. And SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics is used for operational reporting in the SAP S/4HANA context. The SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics content is based on ABAP Core Data Services (CDS) views. Furthermore it is possible to use calculation views for SAP S/4HANA (on-premise edition) but there is no predefined content available.
b) Embedded analytics in SAP S/4HANA means the following:
c) You should understand that CDS is the technology used in SAP S/4HANA and related future developments, while HANA Live is part of Suite on HANA. In general HANA modeling skills e.g. building calculation views are valid for HANA native and HANA datamart scenarios.
d) There is no successor of HANA Live. However HANA live will receive further investments but the majority of investments will go into SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics content.
Best,
Matthias
I think currently CDS view can be consumed in Lumira by Universe, if I don't have BW. Direct CDS datasource is not available in Lumira. Pls clarify.
Thanks,
Subbu
HI Subbu,
CDS views are ABAP views I.e. based on Netweaver. For now the consumption of CDS views in Budiness Objects tools through SAP BW I.e. Embedded BW as part S4HANA Netweaver stack. It means when you create CDS view as a cube based system automatically icreates a transit provider and BW query in embedded BW system which we consume in Lumira, Design studio and Analysis office. Hence no IDT universe for CDS Views And also no direct WEBI support for CDS VIEWS, I think we need to use either BICS or MDX universe for WEBI If required. By the by this is only for operational reporting not applied for EDW scenarios with BW 7.5 or BW4HANA.
There are reasons why SAP is going with this approach
> Same approach for transactions and reporting I.e. ABAP and NW
> Common SAP security Roles and profiles for reports and transactions no sox complains
> Single point of truth for all operational reporting including third party reporting tools like Business objects
CDS view treated as a semantic layer for all operational reports in S4HANA.
Thanks,
KIshore
Very good document for all those who are working on BW and want to upgrade themselves.
Warm Regards
Saad
It looks like SAP made a decision of the future of SAP HANA Live
quote from https://uacp.hana.ondemand.com/http.svc/rc/PRODUCTION/pdfa4322f56824ae221e10000000a4450e5/1511%20000/en-US/SIMPL_OP1511.…
"SAP HANA Live provides reporting capabilities for Business Suite and Suite on HANA customers. A strategic decision was taken to switch the technology from Calculation Views to CDS Views with SAP S/4HANA. Reporting scenarios built with the SAP HANA Live content in Business Suite, Suite on HANA, or Simple Finance installations have to be rebuilt manually with CDS Views in SAP S/4HANA.
Hello Matthias,
Does the embedded analytics in S/4 HANA by itself allow the creation of BW artifacts like openODS, ADSO and composite provider? Or do we need BW on HANA installed as well to create these artifacts?
Hi Benedict,
Yes you have an option of using embedded BW i.e. BW is part of Netweaver.
Thanks,
Kishore
Hello,
From where can we receive a list Calculation views/Analytical views , BI Contents related to S/4 HANA finance.
It would be great if you share the link for the same.
Regards
Akshay
.