In today’s data-driven world, organizations rely on integrating, processing, and orchestrating data across a variety of systems—cloud, on-premise, structured, and unstructured. SAP Data Intelligence is a powerful solution that enables intelligent data integration, orchestration, and governance across complex data landscapes. At the core of any data pipeline is the ability to connect to data systems. This starts with creating data sources in SAP Data Intelligence.
This article explores the process, types, and best practices for creating data sources in SAP Data Intelligence to streamline your enterprise data integration efforts.
A data source in SAP Data Intelligence represents a connection to a system or service that stores or processes data. This includes databases, data lakes, APIs, cloud services, SAP systems, and more. Defining data sources is the foundational step before you can ingest, explore, transform, or operationalize data within SAP Data Intelligence.
SAP Data Intelligence supports a wide variety of source systems, including:
SAP Sources
Non-SAP Databases
Cloud and Big Data
APIs and Streaming Sources
Each type requires specific configurations, protocols, and authentication methods, which SAP Data Intelligence accommodates through a rich set of connectors and adapters.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating data sources using SAP Data Intelligence Modeler or Connection Management tools.
Click on + Add Connection.
Choose a Connection Type (e.g., SAP HANA, ABAP, Amazon S3, REST, etc.).
Provide the required configuration details such as:
After creation, data sources can be used in various scenarios:
Use Descriptive Naming Conventions
Name connections clearly (e.g., S4HANA_EU_PROD, Azure_ADLS_Test) to simplify maintenance.
Centralize Credential Management
Use SAP’s Credential Store or Secrets Management to handle authentication securely.
Test Regularly
Periodically validate data source connectivity, especially when dealing with cloud or firewall-protected environments.
Use Parameterization in Pipelines
For reusable pipelines, define data source parameters as variables to support multi-environment deployment (e.g., DEV, QA, PROD).
Monitor Performance and Access Logs
Use SAP Data Intelligence monitoring tools to track connection issues or slow data access patterns.
Creating and managing data sources in SAP Data Intelligence is a foundational skill for anyone working with data integration and orchestration in a modern enterprise. Whether connecting to SAP systems, third-party databases, cloud storage, or APIs, SAP Data Intelligence offers a flexible, secure, and scalable way to unify your data landscape. By understanding the process and applying best practices, organizations can ensure reliable and efficient data connectivity that powers downstream analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence.