Consuming Hana models in BW

See more in our couse BW4HANA – an Introduction

There are many ways in which we can use hana models as infoproviders in BW and built reports on them for the data analysis.

Here in this post we will discuss below-

• Transient Providers
• Virtual Cube as Infoprovider
• Virtual master data

Transient Providers

Here, hana models like analytical views and calculation views are source of data. In BW, we define analytical index on top of these sources in transaction code RSDD_HM_PUBLISH. System creates a transient provider with name @3ABC where ABC is the name of the hana view.

Then we can define queries directly on top of the transient provider.

All the fields of the hana view are available in the query. This is called field based modeling.

You can define reports on transient provider and it will display data against these fields. There is no need to create any infoobject in BW side.

In some cases where you want to use infoobjects in report based on transient provider, you can map those infoobjects to the fields of the hana view in the transient provider.

In this way, the attributes of the infoobjects can also be used in the query.

These attributes are available as only ‘display’ attributes in the query.

Advantages:

No need to create infoobjects in BW system, a transient provider shows the field names from the hana view in the report.

This is good when hana view contains many fields, we don’t need to create infoobjects for each field.

Disadvantages:

The mapped infoobject attributes can only be used as display attributes in the query. It is not possible to use navigation attributes in transient provider.

Even if infoobject has navigation attributes, these will be only display attributes in the transient provider.

Note: This limitation is taken care in new version where we use only composite providers

You cannot transport transient provider. You have to include all the table entries for the transient provider in the transport request (tables of name RSLTIP*)

Please see the video to get more clarity on how to create transient provider

Virtual Providers

Here we should have the infoobjects created in the BW system corresponding to the hana view which we want to use.

Then create a virtual provider in BW, select type based on hana view. In the dimensions, map the characteristics and key figures to the fields of the hana view by right click – Infoprovider properties.

Activate the virtual provider.

Now access this infoprovider in query designer and built queries on top of it.

Advantages:

Navigation attributes can be used in queries based on virtual provider.

Virtual providers can be transported across systems

Disadvantages:

For every field, you need to create an infoobject in BW.

Virtual Master data

Attribute views can be used to define virtual master data in BW side and reporting can be done based on these.

Create an infoobject, in the ‘Master data Texts’ tab, scroll down and select Master data read access as ‘SAP HANA View’

Assign the hana view fields to the attributes of the infoobject.

Activate the infoobject, go to maintain master data.

You can see the data of the attribute view in the master data maintenance of the infoobject, though we didn’t load any data to infoobject in BW. Hence this is Virtual master data.

Please go through the step by step video below to get more clarity on the topic-

Steps for transient provider

in HANA modeling perspective, connect to your HANA database

Open BW modeling perspective
Login to your BW project
Attach HANA system to your BW project

Go to Hana modeling perspective
Now check in HANA contentfolder that your views are active

Come to BW modeling perspective
right click on infoarea – select create composite provider (for newest version)
for older version
login to SAP GUI – BW system
go to tcode RSDD_HM_PUBLISH
create analytical index by selecting package name and HANA view

Note the name of the transient provider (@3XXX where XXX is the name of the HANA view)

Open query designer
select above transient provider and create query, check the data is same as in hana view

come back to RSDD_HM_PULISH tcode
assign an existing infoobject to one of the fields of the transient provider, save/activate
Go to query designer, create new query on top of same transient provider

Observe that all the attributes of the infoobject mapped are available as display attributes in the query

Steps for Virtual Provider

in HANA modeling perspective, connect to your HANA database

Open BW modeling perspective
Login to your BW project
Attach HANA system to your BW project

Go to Hana modeling perspective
Now check in HANA contentfolder that your views are active

Come to BW modeling perspective
right click on infoarea – select create composite provider (for newest version)
for older version
login to SAP GUI – BW system
go to tcode RSA1 – infoprovider tab
Right click and select create virtual provider

Select type of Virtual provider as based on HANA view

Define dimensions and include infoobjects already create in BW system

Right click on infoobject and select ‘infoprovider properties’, map it to HANA view field

Similarly assign all the infoobjects to respective HANA view field

In the Navigation attributes folder, check the box for navigation attributes required.

Activate your virtual provider.

Open query designer.

Define a query on this virtual provider.

Note: Observe that the navigation attributes are available to be used.

Steps for Virtual Master data

in HANA modeling perspective, connect to your HANA database

Open BW modeling perspective
Login to your BW project
Attach HANA system to your BW project

Go to Hana modeling perspective
Now check in HANA contentfolder that your views are active

Come to BW modeling perspective
right click on infoarea – select create infoobject, here master data will taken from attribute view of hana system.

Go to ‘master data/texts’ tab in infoobject edit screen and select SAP HANA view in Read access.

Assign the attribute names to the HANA view fields.

Activate the infobject.

Now go to master data maintenance screen of the infoobject.

You can see the data from the attribute view as the master data of this infoobject.

See more in our couse BW4HANA – an Introduction