Within this blog post, you will find the features that are offered in the SAP Datasphere catalog. This blog is supported with examples from a guided experience of SAP Datasphere. To start your guided experience of SAP Datasphere, click this link.
We will explore in this article about different options available under the catalog and how can they be utilized to make the most of this useful feature SAP Datasphere has to offer.
Note: Tag Hierarchies and Monitoring options are not available under guided experience.
The catalog gives a single view of all the data artifacts which are in the system. It is used to discover, organize and curate the data based on business needs. There are different kinds of objects under the catalog like assets, terms, and KPIs; each will be explored below.
What is an Asset?
Assets include a list of all the data objects which are created either under data builder or business builder like local table, view, data flow, or a story from SAP Analytics Cloud, etc. In a catalog, there is a filter option on the right-most corner where you can filter by asset type, exposed/not exposed option, and system type.
Many other advanced filter options are also available.
What's inside an Asset?
Once the asset is published to the catalog users can discover, evaluate, and open to start using them. Once the asset is selected we can see the following fields under it as shown in the below:
3. Terms, Tags, and KPIs: With every asset, there are associated terms, tags, or particular KPIs based on business needs. These are created and then linked to the asset which will then appear under each asset.
So, a catalog is a one-stop shop to see all the associated information for any asset created in the system. Since this blog is written using the guided experience of Datasphere so there is limited functionality but in a full version, there is an option to edit, open or publish an asset. It can also be marked as a favorite by clicking a 'star' icon on the very right side.
How to create a KPI?
A key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a quantitative measure to evaluate progress toward any target. It helps to keep a performance tracker to make analytical decisions. In the catalog, there is an option to 'Create and Manage' terms and KPIs.
Example: A KPI named 'Sales Growth' is created in the system and below is the explanation of the different fields required to create this KPI.
2. Categories: KPIs can be divided into different categories to make them easier to search/filter. Different categories can be assigned to KPIs based on their business use.
3. Keywords: These are tags used for classification and are assigned by the user but are not mandatory.
4. Status: It shows if a particular KPI is published or not and the next part shows how and when it is created or modified.
5. Definition: This is the main body of the KPI where the user will define the type (quantitative /qualitative) and if any units are associated with that KPI. We can also set a threshold based on the value of that KPI but it's also optional. Next is the calculation of the KPI if it is based on any formula. 'Detailed documentation' is a mandatory field so that technical and business follow the same KPI definition and then can be used in reporting layer accordingly.
6. Relationships: This tab shows in which assets this KPI is being used and the user can even open these assets directly from this page. For now, users have to add these relationships manually but it is expected in future releases that this step would automate.
How to create a Term?
Since one of the use cases of the catalog is data literacy. Terms and glossary are used for data enrichment and classification. The main objective of maintaining a catalog is to get a simplified view of data landscapes assisting technical and business people to have common ground in understanding data.
A glossary is like a dictionary where one can find terms and its definition. Different options are there under create and manage terms.
When creating a term system will ask to select a glossary. Users can create different glossaries (Sales, Financial, HR, etc.) and assign terms to them.
The term includes its description, categories, keywords, and synonyms which have a similar concept as explained above in KPI creation. The definition field is mandatory and it is a complete explanation of that term and should be clear and crisp. The relationship tab shows in what assets this term is being used.
In the end, I would like to appreciate Ramoji Sabnekar who provided me guidance on this topic and helped me to provide resources to document this blog.
Please provide feedback on the above post and share your thoughts or questions in the comments.
Best regards,
Fatima Nasir
We will explore in this article about different options available under the catalog and how can they be utilized to make the most of this useful feature SAP Datasphere has to offer.
Note: Tag Hierarchies and Monitoring options are not available under guided experience.
The catalog gives a single view of all the data artifacts which are in the system. It is used to discover, organize and curate the data based on business needs. There are different kinds of objects under the catalog like assets, terms, and KPIs; each will be explored below.
What is an Asset?
Assets include a list of all the data objects which are created either under data builder or business builder like local table, view, data flow, or a story from SAP Analytics Cloud, etc. In a catalog, there is a filter option on the right-most corner where you can filter by asset type, exposed/not exposed option, and system type.
Many other advanced filter options are also available.
What's inside an Asset?
Once the asset is published to the catalog users can discover, evaluate, and open to start using them. Once the asset is selected we can see the following fields under it as shown in the below:
1. Overview: Under the asset name is its data type with status and system information. Under properties are the asset name, name of space, dates when and who created/changed this asset, and its semantic usage. Source descriptions can also be added to make it more meaningful. This overview information makes it super helpful for anyone who is planning to utilize any asset.
3. Terms, Tags, and KPIs: With every asset, there are associated terms, tags, or particular KPIs based on business needs. These are created and then linked to the asset which will then appear under each asset.
So, a catalog is a one-stop shop to see all the associated information for any asset created in the system. Since this blog is written using the guided experience of Datasphere so there is limited functionality but in a full version, there is an option to edit, open or publish an asset. It can also be marked as a favorite by clicking a 'star' icon on the very right side.
How to create a KPI?
A key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a quantitative measure to evaluate progress toward any target. It helps to keep a performance tracker to make analytical decisions. In the catalog, there is an option to 'Create and Manage' terms and KPIs.
Example: A KPI named 'Sales Growth' is created in the system and below is the explanation of the different fields required to create this KPI.
1. Description: It is a one-liner in layman's English telling the user what this KPI is meant for.
2. Categories: KPIs can be divided into different categories to make them easier to search/filter. Different categories can be assigned to KPIs based on their business use.
3. Keywords: These are tags used for classification and are assigned by the user but are not mandatory.
4. Status: It shows if a particular KPI is published or not and the next part shows how and when it is created or modified.
5. Definition: This is the main body of the KPI where the user will define the type (quantitative /qualitative) and if any units are associated with that KPI. We can also set a threshold based on the value of that KPI but it's also optional. Next is the calculation of the KPI if it is based on any formula. 'Detailed documentation' is a mandatory field so that technical and business follow the same KPI definition and then can be used in reporting layer accordingly.
6. Relationships: This tab shows in which assets this KPI is being used and the user can even open these assets directly from this page. For now, users have to add these relationships manually but it is expected in future releases that this step would automate.
How to create a Term?
Since one of the use cases of the catalog is data literacy. Terms and glossary are used for data enrichment and classification. The main objective of maintaining a catalog is to get a simplified view of data landscapes assisting technical and business people to have common ground in understanding data.
A glossary is like a dictionary where one can find terms and its definition. Different options are there under create and manage terms.
When creating a term system will ask to select a glossary. Users can create different glossaries (Sales, Financial, HR, etc.) and assign terms to them.
The term includes its description, categories, keywords, and synonyms which have a similar concept as explained above in KPI creation. The definition field is mandatory and it is a complete explanation of that term and should be clear and crisp. The relationship tab shows in what assets this term is being used.
In the end, I would like to appreciate Ramoji Sabnekar who provided me guidance on this topic and helped me to provide resources to document this blog.
Please provide feedback on the above post and share your thoughts or questions in the comments.
Best regards,
Fatima Nasir
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