In the modern SAP landscape, enabling real-time analytics embedded directly into business applications has become a critical success factor. Core Data Services (CDS) Views provide a powerful framework to embed analytics seamlessly within SAP applications, driving better business decisions without compromising performance or user experience. This article explores how embedding analytics with CDS Views works and why it is a game-changer in SAP HANA environments.
Core Data Services (CDS) Views are a semantic layer on top of the database tables, enabling the definition of rich, reusable data models directly within the SAP HANA database or ABAP stack. Unlike traditional database views, CDS Views support complex business logic, associations, annotations, and calculations—all declaratively defined and optimized for in-memory processing.
CDS Views empower developers to create analytical models that can be consumed by various SAP tools and applications without additional ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
CDS Views can be exposed as OData services automatically using SAP Gateway. This facilitates seamless integration into SAP Fiori applications or any UI that supports OData consumption. The analytics embedded in the app reflects the live state of the database, enabling operational reporting alongside transactional processing.
Annotations in CDS Views guide the UI rendering engines to display data intuitively. For example, annotations specify which fields are dimensions, measures, or attributes, how tables are sorted, or which charts to use. This declarative UI integration simplifies front-end development and maintenance.
CDS Views can serve as direct data sources for SAP Analytics Cloud, enabling advanced visualizations and planning functionalities without duplicating data. Embedded analytics flows naturally from transactional systems to strategic dashboards.
Embedding analytics using CDS Views bridges the gap between transactional data and real-time business intelligence within SAP landscapes. It provides a unified, performant, and maintainable approach to delivering insights directly to end users where they need them—inside their everyday SAP applications.
By harnessing the power of CDS Views, organizations can achieve faster decision-making, enhance user experience, and drive business agility in the digital era.