Subject: SAP-BW-4HANA
Category: Data Modeling and Advanced Analytics
SAP BW/4HANA stands at the crossroads of traditional data warehousing and modern data platform capabilities. While BW/4HANA provides comprehensive data modeling, integration, and management features, it also tightly integrates with SAP HANA’s native capabilities, such as Calculation Views and other native modeling artifacts. Leveraging these native HANA views alongside BW/4HANA’s robust data warehouse functionality unlocks new potentials for real-time analytics, flexibility, and performance.
This article explores how SAP BW/4HANA can be effectively used with SAP HANA native views and Calculation Views to drive advanced data processing and analytics.
SAP HANA native views are data models created directly in the SAP HANA database using the SAP HANA Studio or SAP Web IDE. Calculation Views are one of the most powerful types of native views, allowing complex data modeling with graphical or SQL scripting to combine, transform, and aggregate data from multiple tables.
Calculation Views support:
SAP BW/4HANA supports seamless integration with SAP HANA native views, enabling BW models to consume Calculation Views as data sources. This hybrid approach enables:
Open ODS Views in BW/4HANA allow direct consumption of external data sources, including Calculation Views, without persisting data inside BW. They serve as a virtual layer bridging BW and native HANA models.
CompositeProviders in BW/4HANA enable combining data from various InfoProviders and Open ODS Views (which can include Calculation Views), allowing complex reporting scenarios.
BW/4HANA supports federated data access, where Calculation Views act as live data sources, enabling real-time analytics with minimal latency.
A retail company wants to combine historical sales data stored in BW/4HANA with real-time promotion data stored in an external system accessible via Calculation Views. By modeling the external data in a Calculation View and exposing it through an Open ODS View, the company can create a CompositeProvider that merges both datasets, enabling dynamic and up-to-date sales reporting with promotional impact analysis.
SAP BW/4HANA’s ability to leverage SAP HANA native Calculation Views bridges traditional data warehousing with modern data platform innovations. This integration offers enhanced performance, flexibility, and real-time capabilities, making it a strategic asset for enterprises aiming to maximize their data’s value.
By carefully designing hybrid data models that combine BW/4HANA’s robust data management with SAP HANA’s native processing power, organizations can achieve greater agility and superior analytics outcomes in today’s fast-paced business environments.
Author:
SAP BW/4HANA and SAP HANA Data Modeling Specialist
Date: May 2025