techbytes

Rank Node : We have new node type introduced in calculation views, Rank Node. This serves the same purpose of Exceptions from Bex. Instead of swamping  user with lot of data, we could restrict to display only TOP N values. The value of N could be fixed or based on a input parameter. In addition to Calculated, Restricted Attributes/ Measures , Rank node will further enhance OLAP toolkit of HANA Appliance. Temporal Join : ABAP vs HANA Native Data Types :   Every table in SAP will have two definitions. ABAP run time object and Database Object. From SE11, we can navigate to both and you can spot differences between them. reason being, ABAP Language  comes with some native data types. Examples being DATS, TIMS, CUKY, UNIT, CURR etc. These data types will mapped onto underlying Database native data types. Hence we have two representations of same object. Database interface helps us in converting Open SQL queries into underlying Database SQL. Lets shift our focus to Impo...

Analytic views comes with constraint that Measures should be coming from a single of Data foundation, although data foundation could contain any number of tables joined. Previously, we used model multiple Analytic views and combine them using JOIN node of an calculation view, in order to facilitate to Measures from multiple tables.  Star Join solves this by allowing measures coming from multiple tables. So we don't have to use multiple Analytic view to achieve this.  However Analytic views comes enriched with master data through Attribute views. To compensate this, We have Calculation Dimensional Models introduced. These artifacts are same as  Attribute views, but can only be used in a Star Join. So this solves out Master data enrichment issue while using Star Join. Introduction of Star Join Node and Calculation Dimensional Models  certainly introduces more uses cases for Calculation views and avoids scenario of creating multiple Analytic views for e...

Most of customer's Use-case for HANA appliance is BW on HANA Database(HDB). This is the entry point of HANA into most of the customers Landscape. Here I will quickly try to cover what's new with BW 7.3 and 7.4 on HANA. Migrating BW onto HANA can be primarily seen from two perspectives. 1. Copying data from legacy DB to HANA 2. SAP BW application server migration onto HDB Here I am referring to migration with minimum system downtime. We will initally copy data into HANA and when everything is ready, will take down BI system down. Then migrate application servers too onto HANA. This ensures minimum service disruption time. Database Migration : Mass copying of data from Legacy into HDB, in general will be handled by in house BASIS team or your HANA hardware vendor can help in DB migration. In the Software Update Manager( SUM ),  we have Database Migration Option( DMO ). This makes our job easier to copy data foot print. However also note that, due to HANA Column stora...

BW on HANA We have 4 ways to make use of HANA data in BW. 1.        Virtual providers Virtual providers which are actually meant for real-time reposting based on data from OLTP systems directly (the whole data loading into Datasource, DTP execution and loading into infosource happens just right when query is executed in real time) can be used for consuming analytic/calculation views in BW. When we create virtual providers we have new option “Based on HANA”, which will ask you to input schema name and model name. Once model is selected then we start with modelling process in workbench. We have to select characteristics, key figures for our virtual info provider. Then we can map these to fields from HANA model (F4 help is provided). Here by providing BW Infoobjects will can make use of BW master data while reporting.  That’s all and virtual provider is ready for consumption using reporting tools. 2.        Transi...