SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (SAP DWC) is a versatile, cloud-native platform designed to integrate, model, and analyze data from various sources. While it offers powerful built-in functions for data transformation and modeling, there are many scenarios where business logic requires more flexibility or reuse across multiple models. This is where custom functions come into play.
Creating custom functions in SAP DWC allows developers and data modelers to encapsulate reusable logic, promote consistency, and simplify complex transformations within data flows and views.
Custom functions are user-defined functions that extend the standard function library available in SAP DWC. They enable users to implement specific business rules, calculations, or transformations that are not readily available through built-in functions.
These functions can be created using SQLScript, SAP HANA’s powerful procedural language, which is supported within SAP DWC.
Log into your SAP Data Warehouse Cloud tenant and navigate to the Modeler environment where you create and manage your data models.
SAP DWC allows you to define SQL functions via the SQL Console or within the graphical modeling interface using Table Functions or Scalar User-Defined Functions (UDFs).
Example of a simple scalar function:
CREATE FUNCTION my_schema.CALCULATE_DISCOUNT(price DECIMAL(15,2), discount_rate DECIMAL(5,2))
RETURNS DECIMAL(15,2)
LANGUAGE SQLSCRIPT
SQL SECURITY INVOKER
AS
BEGIN
RETURN price * (1 - discount_rate / 100);
END;
This function calculates a discounted price given a price and discount rate.
Execute the SQL script to register the function within the SAP DWC database schema.
Once deployed, your function can be called within SQL views, calculated columns, or graphical views that allow SQL expressions.
Example:
SELECT product_id, price, my_schema.CALCULATE_DISCOUNT(price, 10) AS discounted_price
FROM sales_data;
A function that converts amounts between currencies based on current exchange rates stored in a table.
Format customer IDs or product codes according to specific business rules.
Calculate fiscal periods, working days, or aging buckets used in financial reports.
Creating custom functions in SAP Data Warehouse Cloud empowers organizations to embed bespoke business logic directly into their data models, enhancing flexibility, maintainability, and consistency. Leveraging SQLScript within SAP DWC unlocks advanced transformation capabilities beyond the standard function library, enabling tailored analytics solutions that align perfectly with business needs.
By following best practices, you can build robust custom functions that serve as the foundation for scalable, high-quality data warehousing and analytics.