Data Modeling in SAC and HANA tables

[former_member700960]

Hello all,
so far I have loaded some (>20) HANA tables via ODBC into Microsoft Power BI. There I can connect the different tables via the data model.
How is the data modeling done in SAC?

I can't join all tables together in one Calculation View?

BR Felix

[mfoeken]

Hi Felix,

I suggest you create multiple calculation views (if one is not possible) and use blending in SAP Analytics Cloud to combine data from multiple calculation views in a story. More information on supported scenarios can be found here: SAP Analytics Cloud Support Matrix.

Kind regards,

Martijn van Foeken | Interdobs

[Vitaliy-R]

Hi Felix. It is not clear from your questions if you are looking how to do basic modeling workflow in Analytics Cloud with SAP HANA as a source (live or not), or if you are looking how to do modeling specifically for 20 tables and if it should be done in HANA calcviews or in SAC modeling?

Regards.

[former_member700960]

Thanks for your quick replies!

vitaliy.rudnytskiy : In fact, I am trying to understand how the general modeling in SAC is done with a HANA DB as source. Ideally via a live connection and without data redundancy.

With the most popular BI tools, creating a data model is a very important step, if not the most important. Of course, I can connect individual tables and/or calculation views with each other by using blending in SAP Analytics Cloud as foekenm mentioned, but this looks very rudimentary to me.

In my concrete example there are several fact tables with different granularities. Is it really best practice to use multiple calculation views and connect them in SAC?

[mfoeken]

Hi Felix,

I don't know the data model that you want to build but resolving the challenge of connecting fact tables with different granularities should be done in HANA. It's recommended to great one calculation view and create a single model in SAC for consumption.

Kind regards,

Martijn van Foeken | Interdobs

[andreasja_schneider]

Hello.

I believe the OP asked with respect to flexibility, not with a focus on performance.

E.g. it would be nice if I could create an SAC model using multiple SAP HANA Live connections in order to create a star model so to speak; one SAP HANA Live query returning the facts, additional SAP HANA Live queries returning dimensions with their detail info, e.g. supplier, customer, order details, etc.

Sadly, this does not seem to be possible within an SAC model at this time for live data sources (be that SAP HANA or SAP BW data sources). 😕

Now, why would I want that?
Answer: Offering flexibility in SAC/Frontend, this way I can create multiple SAP Live connections providing Dimensions (similar to Public Dimensions when using acquired data in an SAC model), and keep that central.

Then depending on my business requirements I add the corresponding fact table (e.g. sales order, business performance, financial data, supply chain/inventory data) as facts via a separate HANA Live queriy and can this way create multiple, tailored SAC models (one for sales, one for financial data, etc.) and still have my dimensions managed in a central place.

Note: This is possible with acquired data using PUBLIC Dimensions, but not with Live data connections when building an SAC model.

[Vitaliy-R]

Last week there were webinars by radim.bacinschi and the team presenting some good practices (especially from the performance pov), incl. live connection to SAP HANA. You can watch them on-demand: https://blogs.sap.com/2021/08/12/webinar-series-performance-best-practices-and-troubleshooting-tips-...