Mechanism to bring your custom CDS view from S4HANA Cloud into SAP Analytics Cloud using Import Data Connection.

Pre-requisites:

One need to ensure you have successfully established the data import connection by integrating S4HANA CLOUD with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC going forward). Kindly refer to the scope item 1YB for the setup instruction

Once you have established the import connection by integrating the two solutions, you should be able to see the Business Objects from S4HANA Cloud reflecting in SAC.

Here is a glimpse of the connection details for import connection established successfully between S4HCloud tenant and SAC:

Fig1:

You can confirm this with the following steps:

ü Login to your SAP Analytics Cloud Tenant

ü Click the Main Menu ( )

ü Createà Model

ü Click ‘Get data from a Data Source’

ü Select SAP S4HANA from Acquired data

ü Select the Import connection you just created from the drop-down option and select the radio button ‘Create a new query’ and click ‘Next’.

You will notice the list of API ODATA service fetched from the S4HC tenant as depicted in the figure below:

Fig2:

Business Context:

If you need access to data in your system in a way the system does not offer so far, you can create your own data access by making use of a custom Core Data Services view (custom CDS view).

The purpose of my blog here is to bring in a specific ODATA connection that are not part of the standard list available during the Import Data Connection from S4HC to SAC. You can review the complete list standard ODATA service in the set-up instruction (page 3)

In my use case I want to import ODATA services for Statistical Key Figures, Consolidated Financial Statement Item and Consolidation Group Reporting Cube(from S4HC) as they are not part of the standard ODATA Service.

Solution:

To import the ODATA services for the custom CDS views, I will create custom CDS view one by one for the one’s that I want to expose it to SAC by check marking the External API options (and select the relevant fields as appropriate to get a meaningful data). Publish the custom CDS views.

Now, I have three custom CDS Views- YY1_CFSItem_SAC, YY1_CNSLDTNGRPRPRTC and YY1_SKF_SAC

Now, I will go ahead and create a custom Communication Scenario based on the custom CDS view I created (as they are all API enabled)

Please note that, demoing how to create Custom CDS view, Custom Communication Scenario, Communication Arrangement, Communication system and Communication user is out of scope in this blog as we have numerous platforms explaining the same. As a reference you could find here one such explanations

I have now created a new Communication Scenarios based on the three Custom CDS View I built earlier, and I named the scenario: YY1_ODATA_CONSOLIDATION_SAC and subsequently I created a communication arrangement as well and named it YY1_ODATA_CONSOLIDATION_SAC.

Communication System and Communication User:

Now here is the turning point, it is extremely important to note that we will not be creating a new communication system (and subsequently the Communication user) instead, we will be linking our newly created Communication Arrangement to the existing communication system and its corresponding Communication User that were created while creating the import connection for establishing the integration between SAC and S4HANA Cloud.

To give a little bit more background, our intention here is bring in a specific ODATA services that are not part of the existing Import Data Connection from S4HC to SAC. Hence, we will use the same import connection user credentials to add the new ODATA service we created. Here are the representational steps:

Fig3: Custom Communication Scenario Published with the three Custom CDS views and creating a Communication Arrangement

Fig4: Select the Communication system that was used for import connection.

So, in this case, I will link my Communication arrangement to the communication system SAP_COMM_USER_0087 and thereby I will be able to get the new custom Objects to reflect along with the ODATA services in the import connection.

Fig6: Communication Arrangement is Active

Now, in your SAC tenant, go to the import connection you have already set up; here are the steps:

1. Go to Menu

2. Connection

3. Select your import connection (in my case it will be S4ODATACON)

4. Click the pencil button on top right corner to edit the connection

5. Enter the password for the communication user you have already set up.

[By performing these steps, you should be able to see your newly created ODATA service]

Here is a pictorial representation of the steps mentioned above

Fig7:

Conclusion:

You will notice, we have three new Custom Objects (highlighted in Green) imported via ODATA service along with the standard objects that are already part of the existing (standard) ODATA services that comes along with the Import Connection.

This is a common scenario for customers who’ve purchased both S4HANA Cloud and SAC tenant.

I hope this helps and can be a reference for your work as well when a such a requirement comes along the way.

All my Best,

Amith Nair