In the SAP landscape, managing and migrating development objects across different system environments is a critical aspect of maintaining consistency, quality, and compliance. For SAP HANA Live scenarios, Core Data Services (CDS) views form the backbone of data modeling and reporting. Transporting CDS views efficiently from development to quality assurance and production systems is essential to ensure smooth operations and timely delivery of business insights.
This article explores the best practices and mechanisms for transporting CDS views within SAP HANA Live environments.
Core Data Services (CDS) views are semantically rich data models defined using SQL-based syntax. They expose complex business logic and calculations directly on top of SAP HANA database tables and views, enabling real-time reporting and analytics.
In typical SAP system landscapes, multiple systems are used for development, testing, and production. Transporting CDS views ensures that:
- New or updated CDS views developed in the development system are moved reliably to other environments.
- Changes are controlled and tracked for audit and compliance.
- Consistency of metadata and business logic is maintained across systems.
Most CDS views in SAP HANA Live are created in the ABAP layer (ABAP CDS views), especially in S/4HANA environments. These views are part of the ABAP development objects and are transported using the ABAP Transport System (CTS).
Process:
- CDS views are created or modified in the ABAP Development Tools (ADT) in Eclipse.
- Changes are assigned to a Transport Request (Change Request).
- Transport Requests are released and imported into subsequent systems (Quality, Production) using the standard transport management process.
- During import, the CDS views are activated automatically.
For native HANA CDS views (calculation views or graphical views created in HANA Studio or SAP Web IDE), transport is done using SAP HANA Transport Container (HTC) or through Transport Organizer (CTS+).
Process:
- Develop native CDS views in the HANA development environment.
- Assign views to a transport request in HANA Transport Container.
- Export the transport request and import it into the target HANA system.
- Activate views post-import to make them available.
¶ Dependency Handling
- CDS views often depend on other CDS views or database objects.
- Transport sequences must maintain dependencies; dependent objects should be transported before or together with dependent CDS views.
- Transport tools typically handle this automatically, but manual checks are recommended.
¶ Version Control and Activation
- Transported CDS views may require activation in the target system.
- Ensure that all related objects (data dictionary objects, roles, authorizations) are transported together.
- Annotations within CDS views (such as UI hints, authorization checks) are part of the view definition and transported automatically.
- Ensure that any external metadata (e.g., text elements) are included in the transport.
- Use Change Management Processes: Follow SAP best practices by creating, testing, and releasing transport requests in a controlled manner.
- Test in Quality Systems: Always validate CDS views in a QA environment after transport to detect issues early.
- Maintain Clear Naming Conventions: Helps in identifying and tracking CDS views and their versions across transports.
- Monitor Transport Logs: Check transport logs for errors or warnings to ensure successful import.
- Coordinate Cross-Team Transports: Since CDS views may have cross-dependencies, coordinate with other teams to avoid conflicts.
Transporting CDS views is a critical step in delivering consistent, reliable, and up-to-date real-time reporting capabilities in SAP HANA Live environments. Whether working with ABAP CDS views or native HANA views, leveraging SAP’s transport mechanisms ensures efficient movement of development objects across landscapes.
By understanding the transport process, managing dependencies, and adhering to best practices, SAP professionals can facilitate smooth deployments, minimize errors, and accelerate the delivery of business insights.