SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics – A detailed Walkthrough (Part 2)
Hi All,
S/4HANA is steadily gaining shape in the market and so is the S/4HANA Embedded Analytics.
Part1 of the Blog can be found here –>
Part3 of the Blog can be found here –>
SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics – A detailed Walkthrough (Part 3)
Part4 of the Blog can be found here –>
SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics – A detailed Walkthrough (Part 4)
Part5 of the Blog can be found here –> SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics – A detailed Walkthrough (Part 5)
Part6 of the Blog can be found here –> https://blogs.sap.com/2017/06/30/sap-s4hana-embedded-analytics-a-detailed-walkthrough-part-6/
Part7 of the Blog can be found here –> https://blogs.sap.com/2017/11/23/sap-s4hana-embedded-analytics-a-detailed-walkthrough-part-7/
Introduction:
What is S/4HANA Embedded Analytics?
It is a set of Analytical Features integrated in SAP S/4HANA, that enables users to perform real time analytics on the live transactional data. It comes with a set of inbuild representations of operational data, called VDM (Virtual Data Models) which will allow users to arrive at better decisions from the available data.
SAP Best Practices for Analytics with S/4HANA: (RDS now be renamed as Best Practices) (Available in SMP since March 7th 2016– http://service.sap.com/analyticswiths4h) (V1.0)
SAP Best Practices for analytics with SAP S/4HANA provides a comprehensive portfolio of analytical content based on SAP S/4HANA. It provides guidance on how to get started with SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics and how to integrate with best in class analytical platform and solutions from SAP for ex: SAP BI platform, SAP BW etc.
3 Options/Scopes:
1) Embedded Analytics with SAP S/4HANA (Mandatory)
2) Integration between SAP S/4HANA and SAP BO (Optional)
3) Integration between SAP S/4HANA and SAP BW (Optional)
My Personal opinion here is with SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics, SAP BW (Embedded BW) has got a lot of significance.
CDS Annotations:
I am not going to take you through the entire Annotations topic here but would rather concentrate on the ANALYTICS ANNOTATIONS:
It enables the analytic manager for multidimensional data consumption, performing data aggregation, and slicing and dicing data.
Some Relevant Analytical Annotations are as following:
a) Analytics.dataCategory
By specifying the data category, the developer can give directives and hints, for example, tell the analytic manager how to interpret individual entities.
Possible values are:
@Analytics.dataCategory: #DIMENSION, #CUBE, #FACT, #AGGREGATION LEVEL
b) Analytics.query
Query view classification. By tagging the CDS view, the developer can specify which views will be exposed to the analytic manager.
Possible values are:
@Analytics.query: true, false
c) Analytics.dataExtraction.enabled
Application developers can use this annotation to mark views that are suitable for data replication (for example, delta capabilities must be provided for mass data)
@Analytics.dataExtraction.enabled : true, false
d) Analytics.hidden
You can use this flag to decide whether the entity should be visible to analytic clients.
@Analytics.hidden: true, false
e) Analytics.planning.enabled
You can use this annotation to define an input-enabled analytic query
@Analytics.planning.enabled : true, false
f) Analytics.writeBack.className
Only relevant for Analytics.dataCategory: #CUBE or Analytics.dataCategory: #FACT.
Disclaimer : The above contents are extracted from help.sap.com
Its Worth Noting that all S/4HANA CDS views are automatically exposed as a ODP transient Info Provider/Bex Queries.
We would be leveraging this functionality extensively in the subsequent sections.
3.A) SAP BW Bex Query
Select Search for the required Object(Transient Provider View)
{
Hope you remember that we had defined the SQL View name of the CDS with the annotation @Analytics.datacategory : CUBE is IFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG. (in Part 1 of this Blog Series)
The Transient Provider naming convention is 2C*.
So Prefix 2C with the SQL view and search with that in Bex Query designer:
(2CIFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG)
}
The Step by Step process for exposing CDS View to Bex have been explained in the below Blog:
http://scn.sap.com/community/bw-hana/blog/2016/02/10/expose-cds-views-to-sap-bw-bex-query-designer
3.B) RSRT in BW:
Select Search for the required Object(Transient Query View)
{
Hope you remember that we had defined the SQL View name of the CDS with the annotation @Analytics.query: true is CFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG. (in Part 1 of this Blog Series)
The Transient Provider naming convention is 2C*.
So Prefix 2C with the SQL view and search with that in Bex Query designer:
(2CCFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG)
}
4) SAP Lumira
Open Lumira from your Desktop.Click New –>
Some times, the BW Connector will not be available (Like Below Screen)
For Solving that, Go to the Extensions:
Search for SAP BW Data Acquisition Connector
Download and Restart Lumira
After Reloading you can see the connection “Download from SAP BW”.
Click on that and Press Next:
Connect to Local BW System (Embedded BW in S/4 HANA System).
Provide the credentials of S/4HANA System and Proceed.
Select Search for the required Object(Transient Query View)
{
Hope you remember that we had defined the SQL View name of the CDS with the annotation @Analytics.query: true is CFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG. (in Part 1 of this Blog Series)
The Transient Provider naming convention is 2C*.
So Prefix 2C with the SQL view and search with that in Bex Query designer:
(2CCFIDAYSSLSOUTSTG)
}
Select and Proceed.
The Parameters defined in CDS will appear here (above screen)
Provide the Parameters and Press OK
Drag the Required Dimensions and Measures and Press Create.
You will see that the Dataset is getting created.
Arrange the Dimensions and Measures.
This Completes the S/4HANA Embedded Analytics – Lumira Scenario.
Hope you are already aware that now we don’t have Publish to Lumira option. Instead publish it to the SAP BI Platform (out of Scope in this blog).
Thanks for going through the Document. Do let me know your Reviews and Suggestions.
BR,
Prabhith
Hi Prabith ,
do you see any performance issue while using BEx query designer on top of CDS views?
What is the use case for Bex query designer Vs AO for office tool connecting directly to CDS Views?
Thanks
Hi Prabith,
Really helpful information. Thanks ...
I understand approach of consumption of CDS View in BW then Creating Bex Query.
My question is Can we consume CDS View Directly into Design Studio 1.6 Sp1.?
and if it is what is best practice.
Please help me on this.
Thanks..
Best Regards,
AtulK
Hey Chetan,
To this date the tools are very different. BEx is still (10 years now) packed with cool things like Variables (with possibility of customer exits, authorization relevance), RKF/CKF, reusable structures, etc., whereas Analysis (be that Office or OLAP) is still a "naked" Analytic tool, where you often-case start from scratch.
So, I would expect (in a few years from now) CDS editor being in part a "new BEx", or they may merge the two. But that's my personal opinion...
So it doesn't matter if you use CDS views or Cubes, it's more a question what you are after
Dmitry
www.bi-consulting.eu
Great information Thanks
Through SDN, you have been teaching us a lot of new concepts.
Thanks a ton..
Hi Prabith, I enjoy reading your blog. Thanks a lot!
If I may suggest, do you mind walking us through the various VDM's delivered with 1511 FPS2? Like a part 4 of this blog 🙂
SAP talks a lot about a few thousand of those, but not much can be found to date... Something similar to BI Content with Query / InfoCube definition would be a top of what I would expect
Cheers,
Dmitry
www.bi-consulting.eu
HI,
Thanks for document, I really appreciate your efforts. Still some clarity missing
CDS semantic layer that means a common layer for all reporting example S4HANA Embedded tools or Business Objects Suite like Limura, Design Studio and Analysis Office.
by looking at this Webi won't work here.
Key user/Power user on S4HANA options
> Query designer
> KPI Module APP's
End user options in S4HANA
> Query browser ->
Whatever we creat in Query Designer we consume here or do we have specific syntax at CDS layer or not? Is this connection is Native NW SQL connection Or not?
> Multi dimenstional Analysis -
Is there specific CDS syntax and what is Key User tool relevant and what type of connection NW MDX or NW SQL??
> Business Cockpits SAME QUESTION similar to Multi dimensional
> Analytical Fiori App's I think this required Sap Gateway 3.0 Odata service.
I think for business objects we don't need Key user tools, CDS view layer if you define Cube relavent then system automatically creates transit provider and query in embedded BW which we can consume in business objects tools.
Plz correct me if I'm wrong.
Hi All,
I did further analysis I want to share my thoughts around this.
As everyone know S4HANA with Embedded Analytics has multiple options.
CDS view's are common semantic Layer.
S4HANA operational reporting options.
I think with BW4HANA SAP will be replacing the Transit provider with Composite providers and also releasing the common connector i.e. HTTP INA.
Eventually SAP S4HANA/BW4HANA will be having two connectors through Net-Weaver stack for operational and strategy.
BW4HANA and HTTP INA (MDX) connector can read data from
For Native HANA we always have option of SQL (JDBC/ODBC). In short Cal View's can be read by using SQL, HTTP INA (MDX) or Odata.
Thanks,
Kishore
Hi,
How about HANA Live for a sidecar HANA box?
Earlier we used to have HANA Live which gave us calculation views, but now with S4HANA CDS views, has HANA Live upgraded as well ? I mean is there a HANA Live version which can be deployed on a Native HANA box which gets data from S4HANA?
Reg
Deb
Hi,
It does not make much sense the HANA Live sidecar model. S4 HANA box itself has plenty/beauty business content (reports, KPIs, analytical, managerial) in the S4 Embedded Analytics. It would be redundant the side car model, also the S4 HANA / HANA philosophy try to avoid as much as possible the duplication - replication old concept from BW days. The S4 HANA queries/ODS artifacts/CDS views content is enough and is optimized to run on top of HANA, HANA Live is not optimized, even tought is possible the technical connection. The old HANA Live VDM models are best known as CDS Calcuation Views in S4 and runs better than the old HANA Live VDM models. The VDMs were tought to be compatible with old ECC Tables/Data models, but are not optimized to run with the new S4 HANA model tables i.e. ACCDOCA new FI table.
Reg,
Juan Monroy