SAP Business Intelligence (SAP-BI) is a comprehensive suite designed to help organizations analyze and report on business data effectively. Central to the SAP BI architecture are InfoCubes and Data Store Objects (DSOs) — two key types of data containers that store and organize data for reporting and analysis.
This article delves into what InfoCubes and DSOs are, their differences, roles, and how they fit into SAP BI’s data warehousing framework.
An InfoCube is a multidimensional data model used primarily for analytical reporting in SAP BW (Business Warehouse). It is designed as a star schema composed of:
A Data Store Object (DSO) is a data container that stores detailed, consolidated, and cleansed data at the transactional level in SAP BW. DSOs are primarily used for data staging, cleansing, and storing granular records before loading into InfoCubes or reporting layers.
| Feature | InfoCube | Data Store Object (DSO) |
|---|---|---|
| Data Model | Multidimensional star schema | Flat or normalized table structure |
| Data Granularity | Aggregated data for analysis | Detailed transactional data |
| Data Manipulation | Read-only after load | Allows updates, corrections, deletions |
| Use Case | Analytical reporting | Data staging, cleansing, consolidation |
| Performance | Optimized for fast querying | Optimized for data integrity and flexibility |
| Aggregation Support | Built-in aggregation capability | No built-in aggregation |
In a typical SAP BI data flow:
This layered architecture ensures data quality and performance by separating transactional data handling (DSOs) from analytical processing (InfoCubes).
SAP BW supports different DSO types:
With the advent of SAP HANA and SAP BW/4HANA, the role of InfoCubes is evolving:
Understanding the distinction and complementary roles of InfoCubes and Data Store Objects is fundamental for effective SAP-BI data modeling. DSOs provide the groundwork by cleansing and consolidating granular data, while InfoCubes empower users with fast, multidimensional analytical capabilities. Mastery of these objects enables SAP BI professionals to design robust data warehousing solutions that deliver timely and accurate business insights.