SAP HANA allows you to perform real-time analysis on data in SAP systems as well as non-SAP systems. SAP HANA uses in-memory technology that stores data in columnar form as opposed to the traditional row store databases. This type of format allows for faster data processing, better compression, and faster query response time on very large volumes of data.

When used as a database, SAP HANA replaces the traditional relational database management system (RDBMS) as the database back end for SAP applications, such as with the newly released SAP NetWeaver BW powered by SAP HANA. Used as an appliance, SAP HANA acts as a platform on which you can build various applications.

Components of SAP HANA

When you buy SAP HANA 1.3, you receive the following components:

• The In-Memory Computing Engine (IMCE), which includes:

-          Calculation engine

-          Relational engines

-          SQL and MDX interfaces

-          Persistence layer

-          Disk storage

-          Other administrative modules, such as authorization manager, metadata manager, and replication server.

• SAP HANA Studio, which facilitates modeling and administration. SAP HANA Studio is a client tool that connects to the IMCE.

SAP HANA Studio

SAP HANA Studio facilitates replication, modeling, and administration of data in the SAP HANA database. SAP HANA Studio is an Eclipse-based data modeling platform. You can access SAP HANA Studio via Start Menu > SAP in-memory computing > Studio.

The SAP HANA Studio is organized based on various perspectives. Perspectives are predefined, delivered user interface (UI) layouts customized based on type of use. For example, the Administration Console is the perspective used for administrating loads and systems, whereas the Information Modeler perspective is used for data modeling and provisioning.

The default perspective is the Administration Console. You can change the perspective by using the menu option Window > Open Perspective (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Change perspectives within SAP HANA Studio

Before you start building models, you need to configure SAP HANA Studio to the SAP HANA Server. You can add a system via the context menu by right-clicking in the Navigation pane on the left of the screen and choosing Add System (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Adding a new system to SAP HANA

Enter the system host name and instance number in the pop-up window that appears (Figure 3). Click the Next button.

Figure 3

Enter a host name and instance number

In the next pop-up window, enter the user name and password and click the Finish button (Figure 4). The user name SYSTEM is the default built-in system administrator. Log in to the system the first time with this user name. The password is specified during installation.

Figure 4

Enter a user name and password

You can add multiple systems to SAP HANA Studio.

Once you enter the user credentials, the system is added to the navigation pane. The name of the system consists of three parts:

• SAP HANA system
• User name
• Description

Once you add the system to SAP HANA Studio, you see two folders under the system entry: Catalog and Content. The Administration Console shows details about the SAP HANA server (e.g., memory, CPU, performance, alerts, logs), as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5

Various details about the SAP HANA server

Methods Behind Data Provisioning

Three methods for data provisioning in SAP HANA include using:

• Data Services
• SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) Replication Server
• Sybase Replication Server

Data Services is an ETL tool that connects and extracts data from various source systems to SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP HANA. The Data Services application can extract data from non-SAP sources or SAP NetWeaver BW sources. It is primarily used when real-time data is not a criterion. By comparison, the SLT Replication Server is used when the source is an SAP ERP system and real-time data is a concern.

I now explain detailed steps to provision data using Data Services and the SLT Replication Server.

Using Data Services

The steps involved in setting up data provisioning using Data Services are as follows:

1. Create a connection to the SAP target system from Data Services (source for SAP HANA)
2. Import the metadata of the source data into SAP HANA
3. Import the metadata definition back into Data Services
4. Create and schedule a Data Services job to load data to SAP HANA

Let’s look at these steps in more detail.

Step 1. Create a Connection to the SAP Target System from Data Services

Access the Data Services Designer via menu Programs > SAP BusinessObjects Data Services 4.0 SP1 > Data Services Designer (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Open the Data Services Designer

Enter your user credentials, select the required repository, and click the OK button (Figure 7).

Figure 7

Select a repository to use

Create a new DataStore by following menu path DataServices Designer > DataStores. Select SAP Applications as the DataStore type, and enter the SAP host name and user credentials (Figure 8).

Figure 8

Parameters for creating a new DataStore

Step 2. Import the Metadata of the Source Data into SAP HANA

In SAP HANA Studio, you need to configure the import server (Figure 9). First enter the address of the Data Services server and the repository name. Click the OK button.

Figure 9

Configure the import server

Next, select the Import option under the Content heading, and click Source Objects under the Information Modeler folder in the quick launch area (Figure 10). Click the Next button.

Figure 10

Select import options

Select the target system you want to build the models on from the list, and click the Next button (Figure 11).

Figure 11

Choose a target system

Figure 12

Select a source connection and objects

To create a new connection, click the Manage Connections button and enter the data in the required fields shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13

Create a new connection

Figure 14

Choose the tables to import

Figure 15

Validate the selected objects

Figure 16

Successful import of metadata

At the bottom of the next screen, you can view the logs for the jobs that imported the metadata (Figure 17). You can find the tables under the Tables sub-folder in your schema under the Catalog folder. In this example, STUDENTxx is the name of the schema.

Figure 17

Data listed in the Job Log and Tables folder

Step 3. Import the Metadata Definition Back into Data Services

To import the metadata definition to Data Services, create a new DataStore with the parameters shown in Figure 18. Click the OK button.

Figure 18

Create a new DataStore

To import tables from SAP HANA, right-click the Import By Name option within the Navigator pane on the left side of the screen and specify the table name (Figure 19).

Figure 19

Select the Import By Name option

Figure 20

Import the metadata of table T850

The chosen table is now imported to the DataStore (Figure 21).

Figure 21

Imported metadata of the SAP HANA table

Step 4. Create and Schedule a Data Services Job to Load Data to SAP HANA

The final step is to create a simple Data Services job to load data to SAP HANA, which is a common Data Services activity (Figure 22).

Figure 22

The created Data Services data flow

Use the SLT Replication Server

As I mentioned earlier, another option for data provisioning is to use the SLT Replication Server. The SLT Replication Server enables real-time data replication to SAP HANA while converting data to SAP HANA’s database format. The SLT Replication Server schedules data replication in intervals and offers the flexibility to select only relevant tables.  

The SLT Replication Server consists of the following components:

• Source system

- Database trigger — Selects relevant tables for replication

- Read modules — Collect data changes

- Logging tables — Store relevant changes

• SLT Replication Server

- Write modules — Write data to SAP HANA           

- Controller modules — Map metadata between a source and SAP HANA, and trigger write modules

The SLT Replication Server doesn’t have to be a separate server. You can run it on any SAP NetWeaver 7.02 ABAP system, which in turn runs on SAP Kernel 7.20EXT.

To configure the SLT Replication Server for data provisioning, follow these steps:

1. Use transaction code LTR to maintain SLT Replication Server configurations. Run Tx. LTR and click the Create button to create the schema (Figure 23).

Figure 23

Create a schema in the SLT Replication Server

Figure 24

Enter a schema name

Figure 25

Enter parameters to create a schema

Figure 26

Select Data Provisioning in the Information Modeler

Figure 27

Select a source system

Figure 28

Choose tables to replicate

Figure 29

Status of a replication

You now have successfully completed data provisioning for SAP HANA using both Data Services and the SLT Replication Server. 

Rakesh Kalyankar

Rakesh Kalyankar is an SAP NetWeaver BW- and HANA-certified lead and architect, working with SAP Global Delivery in Bangalore, India. He speaks regularly at events, such as SAP TechEd and BIIG. He is also an SAP trainer and writes frequently about SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP HANA topics. Prior to his starting his consulting work, he was part of the SAP NetWeaver BW research and development team at SAP Labs, and he has worked on the development life cycles of SAP NetWeaver BW releases, including versions 7.30 and 7.03.

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You may contact the author at rakesh.kalyankar@gmail.com.

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