In the era of diverse data sources and complex IT landscapes, organizations face the challenge of accessing and analyzing data spread across multiple heterogeneous systems. SAP HANA Data Federation addresses this challenge by enabling seamless integration and real-time access to remote data without the need for physical data movement. This article explores the concept of data federation in SAP HANA, its architecture, benefits, and practical use cases.
SAP HANA Data Federation is a data virtualization technique that allows SAP HANA to create a unified view of data stored in external sources without physically replicating it into the HANA database. Instead of copying data, SAP HANA accesses and queries the remote data in real time, providing up-to-date information while reducing storage costs and latency associated with data replication.
SAP HANA implements data federation through Remote Sources and Virtual Tables:
Remote Sources:
A configuration in SAP HANA that defines the connection details and metadata of an external data source, such as another database, Hadoop system, or cloud storage.
Virtual Tables:
Representations in SAP HANA that map to tables in the remote source. Virtual tables behave like regular database tables but do not contain actual data; they fetch data on demand from the source system when queried.
When a user queries a virtual table, SAP HANA translates the query, pushes down processing as much as possible to the remote source, and retrieves only the required data, minimizing network traffic and enhancing performance.
SAP HANA supports data federation with various data sources, including:
Real-Time Access:
Provides live access to external data without delay.
Reduced Storage Needs:
No need to physically store replicated copies of external data inside SAP HANA.
Simplified Data Architecture:
Unifies data access across diverse systems through a single SAP HANA interface.
Query Pushdown:
Offloads query processing to source systems, optimizing performance.
Flexibility:
Supports various sources and use cases without extensive ETL processes.
Hybrid Reporting:
Combine SAP HANA data with external operational systems for integrated reporting.
Data Virtualization in Big Data:
Access Hadoop or cloud-stored data alongside SAP HANA data in a unified model.
Proof of Concept and Agile Development:
Quickly integrate new data sources without long replication cycles.
Define a Remote Source:
Use SAP HANA Studio or SAP HANA Cockpit to configure the connection to the external system.
Create Virtual Tables:
Import metadata from the remote source to create virtual tables in SAP HANA.
Build Calculation Views or SQL Queries:
Combine virtual tables with local SAP HANA tables for reporting and analytics.
Optimize Performance:
Monitor and tune query pushdown and network usage for efficient data access.
A company wants to analyze customer data stored in an Oracle database together with sales data in SAP HANA. By creating a remote source connection to Oracle and importing the relevant customer tables as virtual tables, analysts can join customer and sales data directly in SAP HANA without data duplication, enabling real-time insights.
SAP HANA Data Federation is a powerful capability that enhances the agility and efficiency of data access in complex IT landscapes. By enabling real-time, virtual integration of heterogeneous data sources, it empowers organizations to make faster, informed decisions without the overhead of data replication. For SAP professionals, mastering data federation opens doors to modern data architectures that are flexible, scalable, and cost-effective.