SAP HANA Native Modeling

Learn more about SAP HANA native modeling in this book excerpt from SAP BW on SAP HANA.

SAP HANA native modeling relates to the activities associated with creating views on top of database tables to depict desired business scenarios or address reporting requirements.

Figure 2.3 demonstrates SAP HANA studio’s modeler perspective and how a user would view his or her home screen. Notice the list of views that can be created. These views are information views in SAP HANA and can be created, changed, and deleted via the SAP HANA modeler perspective.

Figure 2.3: SAP HANA modeler perspective

Information views are therefore logical, non-materialized structures acting as a semantic layer over the SAP HANA index server, allowing reporting tools to access data stored within SAP HANA tables.

SAP HANA tables are organized by schemas under the catalog folder. Schemas are groups of tables, database views, and procedures of a database. Schemas can be seen as the blueprints of the database and are commonly used to restrict access to certain database content. The association of users to schemas results into proper segregation of access to content groups

Information views are organized by packages under the content folder. They organize data as per business needs and do not follow technically defined schemas. An information view, for example, could be created associating tables from sales and finance schemas to address reporting needs of a sales department. An information view like this would probably be stored under a package with a suggestive name such as “Order to Cash Analysis” package.

In a nutshell, SAP HANA tables are organized by schemas under the catalog folder representing the technical view of the database. Information views are organized by packages under the content folder representing the business view of the database contents. Figure 2.4 demonstrates the file structure within SAP HANA studio.

Figure 2.4: SAP HANA studio catalog and content folders

The catalog, therefore, is the usual workspace for SAP HANA developers. A dedicated SAP HANA perspective named SAP HANA development is available for such users. The focus for SAP HANA modelers on the other hand is centered on the content folder. It is under this folder that information views can be maintained to slice, filter, and join SAP HANA tables to address specific business requirements. Three types of information views can be created within the content folder: attribute views, analytical views, and calculation views.

Keep reading in SAP BW on SAP HANA by Christian Savelli.

Explore the fundamentals of data warehousing on SAP HANA and identify what is different about running in an SAP HANA environment. Readers can utilize this handbook prior to or post migration to maximize their ROI. Review data loading methods and virtualization options. Walk step by step through external data integration in SAP BW 7.4 including enhanced composite providers, open ODS views, and virtual tables.

Explore the new reporting options for SAP BW on SAP HANA and look at changes to the BI analytical engine, calculated key figures, and query connections to SAP BusinessObjects tools. Dive into data architecture and learn more about virtualization options for enterprise data warehouse in conjunction with SAP HANA. Get detailed instructions for upgrading, maintaining, and running SAP BW on SAP HANA including service packs, transports, and admin functions. Learn more about modeling in SAP BW enabled by SAP HANA in regards to moving from LSA to LSA++. By using practical examples, tips, and screenshots, the author brings readers up to speed on running SAP BW on SAP HANA.

– Tips for upgrading, maintaining, and running BW on HANA
– Data loading methods and real-time data acquisition
– New reporting paradigm for BW on HANA
– HANA data architecture

Christian Savelli is a Senior Information Engineer and Business Intelligence Solution Architect with multiple SAP certifications and several published articles in international BI journals. With more than two decades of IT experience he has managed, led and delivered multiple BI project initiatives for major companies across the Americas, Europe, and Australia.