SAP Data & Analytics: S/4HANA On-Prem / Cloud Data Extraction Quick Start Guide

Introduction

S/4HANA has the capability to extract data to an external analytics platform via CDS views.

Your use case could be that you need to get datasets into an analytic platform like SAP Datasphere or a Datalake solution within Microsoft Fabric.

This quick guide I've written up provides a quick summary of what Core Data Services (CDS) extraction views are, how to find and use them and a round up of SAP resources you will find important on your data extraction journey.

What does a CDS Extraction View Look Like?

To determine if a CDS view is enabled for data extraction, you can check the annotation properties of the CDS view

• Open ABAP Development Tools (ADT) in Eclipse
• Locate and open the CDS view you want to check
• Look for the @Analytics.dataExtraction.enabled annotation in the CDS view definition. If the annotation is present and set to true, it indicates that the CDS view is enabled for data extraction.

CDS Data extraction annotations have a rich set of features that you can check out if you plan to build your own.

How do I find CDS Extraction Views in the System?

To find out what standard CDS Data Extractors are available there are a few ways to find out. It's important to note that you should always consider CDS Data Extraction views that are set to "Released" status by SAP.

Release contracts help to ensure that CDS views are:

• Tested and approved before they are released to production environments
• Ensure that CDS views are released in a consistent manner, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.

For more information on why you should use released CDS views refer to my previous article on the topic.

Method 1: Run CDS view I_DataExtractionEnabledView

If you're technically inclined, you can run the following CDS view in your S/4HANA system to get a list of standard views that are ready for data extraction.

CDS View Name	Status
I_DataExtractionEnabledView	Released

Method 2: Use View Browser to find Data Extraction Enabled CDS Views

1. Navigate to View Browser app
2. Select "Released Views" in drop down
3. Search CDS views for annotation: @Analytics.dataextraction.enabled:true

If you want to expand your search into Delta Capabilities, you can use the following annotations as a search example:

1. Optional: Search CDS views based on Date/Timestamp Delta for annotation: @Analytics.dataextraction.delta.byElement:
2. Optional: Search CDS views based on Change Data Capture for annotation: @Analytics.dataExtraction.delta.changeDataCapture:

CDS Delta Capabilities

The data lake prefers incremental datasets so Delta capture change is required.
There are two types of delta changes in CDS views:

• Date/Timestamp
• Delta Capture Change

Please familiarize yourself with the following annotations in this SAP Blog: https://blogs.sap.com/2019/12/16/cds-based-data-extraction-part-ii-delta-handling/

There are special considerations for CDS delta change capture.

What happened to BW Extractors and are they still a legitimate option?

In SAP Note 2500202 which is the master note for extraction strategy in S/4HANA and is constantly kept up to date.

This is SAP's over-arching guidance document and should be weighted heavily when making a selection on a data extractor as CDS view alternatives are replacing BW extractors in many scenarios.

Additional Reading

Here's a few great blog posts I found handy as part of researching this topic:

SAP Community - Delta Extraction and Real-Time Streaming ODP (CDS to BW)

• This blog post explores the integration between Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) and CDS views for delta extraction and real-time streaming to SAP BW.
• It discusses the advantages of using CDS views as a data source and covers the configuration steps required for delta extraction.
• The post also highlights the real-time streaming capabilities and the benefits of combining CDS views and ODP for efficient data transfer to SAP BW.

SAP Community - How to Create Delta-Enabled BW Datasource based on ABAP CDS Views

• This blog post provides a step-by-step guide on creating delta-enabled BW data sources using ABAP CDS views.
• It explains the concepts of delta extraction and the requirements for enabling delta functionality in BW.
• The post walks through the necessary annotations and coding techniques to implement delta extraction in ABAP CDS views, ensuring the extraction of only changed data.

SAP Community - CDS-Based Data Extraction Part I - Overview

• Part I of this blog series offers an overview of CDS-based data extraction.
• It covers the fundamentals of CDS views, their benefits, and the role they play in data extraction scenarios.
• The post highlights the use of annotations in CDS views for data extraction, including enabling delta extraction and handling hierarchies.

SAP Community - CDS-Based Data Extraction Part II - Delta Handling

• Part II of the blog series focuses on delta handling in CDS-based data extraction.
• It delves into the various techniques and annotations used to identify and extract only the delta changes in the data.
• The post discusses delta markers, timestamp-based delta extraction, and the use of system fields for capturing delta information.

SAP Community - CDS-Based Data Extraction Part III - Miscellaneous

• Part III of the blog series covers additional aspects and considerations related to CDS-based data extraction.
• It explores topics such as performance optimization techniques, handling large volumes of data, data validation, and monitoring.
• The post provides insights and best practices to enhance the overall data extraction process using CDS views.

What next?

In my next blog post, I take a look at how these CDS extractors work in the context of the ODQ/ODP framework.

🙋🏻‍♂️ I might need additional help!

If your organization needs a helping hand on any SAP technology topics, please feel free to reach out to me at ben@ben-kwong.com