S/4HANA Cloud: Embedded Steampunk: C1 Released Contract

[Juwin]

Hi Team,

I am trying to understand some details on C1 release contracts. There are many cases where objects are only released for Key User Apps and not for Cloud Developments.

☑ Use in Cloud Development

☑ Use in Key User Apps

Lets take the example of some CDS views (link1,link2). Although documentation says, they are Released, they are still restricted to be used in Cloud Developments. Suppose I build a Custom CDS View using Key User Apps using these Standard Views, SAP restricts those Custom CDS Views also not to be used in Cloud Development Environment. So, in short, SAP has restricted the access to these standard views completely from Cloud Development Environment, although the status of the view says Released.

Imagining the definition: Key User Extensions are meant to be done by Key Users (i.e Key Functional Consultants or Key Business Users) and Cloud Developments are meant to be done by ABAP developers. These checkboxes indicate to me that SAP somehow trusts the Key Users to use the CDS Views appropriately and efficiently, and doesn't trust the ABAP developers at all !!!

In my past experience, I have seen the so called Key Users using SQVI to build queries with unimaginable join/selection conditions, to the point where sometimes it even takes down the entire system. Hence, these questions:

1. What is the rationale of releasing more objects for Key Users than Cloud Development?

2. Why are custom objects, not allowed to be used in other custom objects?

I would have imagined SAP releasing some objects for Cloud Development first and then a smaller subset of that for Key Users. SAP has attempted to do the reverse here with Embedded Steampunk!!

Thanks

Juwin

[OwenLiu]

a.rother

[OwenLiu]

thomas.schneider

[PrasanthM]

Hi Juwin,

You can request for an API to be released for cloud development via the customer influencer portal here https://influence.sap.com/sap/ino/#/campaign/2759.

Additionally, you can find the list of CDS views released across LOBs here https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_CLOUD/0f69f8fb28ac4bf48d2b57b9637e81fa/5418de55938d1d22e1000000....

andreas.riehl, tagging you for your expert opinion on this query.

Thanks and Regards,

Prasanth

[Juwin]

Hi Prasanth,

Releasing objects only for Key Users and not for Cloud development, I feel is a mistake. That's what I tried to point out in my question. I know about the other resources that you have shared.

Thanks

[Marissa]

We helped you to accept the answer, since there were no updates after 7 days.

You can unaccept it anytime if you have further questions.

[ThomasSchneider · Accepted solution]

Hi Juwin,

there are some classed of CDS views which must only be released for key user apps and not for Cloud development. Examples:

- Analytical queries: they are used in key user tools only, there is no use case for using them in Cloud development

- CDS views for data replication: they are used by the data replication tool, no use case for using them in Cloud development

This means for these use cases, developers should go "down" to the underlying (released) CDS views and build the developer scenario on top of these.

But for a large number of CDS views, you are right, they have not been released yet. I can only encourage you to address this via the customer influence portal (see comment above).

Best regards, Thomas

PS: I do not understand the statement "Why are custom objects, not allowed to be used in other custom objects?"

[ChristianFi · Accepted solution]

I would like to stretch the question a little bit to data elements and other objects which are released for "use in key user app".

We would like to encourage our developer (S/4 2022 on prem) to use ABAP Language Version "Cloud Development" as a general rule. Now lots of data elements like KDAUF are released for "Use in Key User App" but not for "Use in Cloud Development".

I know that could be solved via the CEI but should we really apply for each data element individually?

The idea of a wrapper as we suggest, when it comes to classes or CDS Views does not make sense in my opinion because this would simply lead to clones of data elements.

From my point of view everything which is released for "Use in Key User App" should be accessible as well in the Developer Extensibility. (Where) am I wrong?

[felix_wente · Accepted solution]

Hello Christian,

no, your are absolutely right. Whenever possible, we try to follow the principle of parity. This means, we release key user artefacts for developer extensibility and vice versa. For data elements we decided to drive this with 2308 release.

Nevertheless when a particular data element is missing, you might use the CEI channel.

Kind regards,

Felix

[AndreasRiehl]

Hello Juwin,

The decission if and how to release a SAP VDM view is individually taken by the responsible application teams. As Developer Extensibility is relatively new, the amount of released views will still grow over time.

As Prasanth mentioned, you can request the release of SAP VDM Views that you need for the usage in either Key User Extensibility or Developer Extensibility via the Influence Campaign 2759, which triggers the evaluation by the application team.

Regarding your second question: Can you add some more details to it? Key User Custom CDS Views can be used in other Key User Custom CDS Views. Also can the developer CDS Views be used in Key User CDS Views as soon as the developer did release it accordingly (C1 releasing is possible for customers in ADT as well - Prasanth described this in his comment to Joey).

Best Regards,
Andreas

[Juwin]

Thanks for your response.

Regarding 2nd Question: How do I use a Custom Key User CDS view within a Custom Developer CDS view?

I totally understand that the number of views will increase over time. But still once the team took the decision to release the Views for Key User extensions, why are they still restricted from Developer Extensions?

[AndreasRiehl]

The release decision for key users and developers is/was not taken at the same time. As the key user extensibility is much longer in the game, the applications did release their views (for key users) based on the demand there. The option to release a view for developer extensibility came later and the need to release views for it is just rising now and the release decision for developer extensibility will even be added to views that have only been released for key users as of now.

The goal is in the end to have more flexibility in the developer extensibility than in the key user extensibility. Therefore also the same data should be accessible for the developer in the end. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that the data can be read through the same data sources (although, I think it should be the common case).

So yes, the amount of released data sources will still grow, even data sources that are currently released for key users only may still be released for developers. But: There are still situations where data sources are only intended for key user development (see examples in Thomas comment).

2nd Question: Okay, got it. This is indeed not intended. Key User Content cannot be used by developers. First of all, this is the "natural" way, that developers provide the data sources for key users and end users as they have much more flexibility and an extended responsibility for their content (maintenance, stability, ...). Secondly opening this up would allow bypassing the release decision.

[JoeyLi]

Hi Jusin,

Vice versa, I experienced similar situation. Activated custom CDS in ADT cannot be found in App: Custom CDS Views.

But however, to your situation, you can do all the work in ADT as a workaround.

Best Regards,

[PrasanthM]

Hi Joey,

Activated custom CDS views in ADT will be visible in the key user system, after you add a C1 release contract for 'Use in Key User Apps'. The CDS view will be then visible in the Custom CDS view app in Dev 100.

You can do this by right clicking on the custom CDS view in ADT and select API State -> 'Add Use System-Internally(Contract C1)'

Best Regards,

Prasanth

[JoeyLi]

HI Prasanth, I tried this yesterday in the system but cannot see the CDS in the App. (DEV100 or 080). Is there any additional annotation required? (No problem to see it in APP:view browser)

[Juwin]

Hi Joey,

As I mentioned in question, the object is not released for use in Cloud development . Hence, I can't do all my work on ADT.

Thanks

[I056086]

Hello Joey,

You can add C1 release contract to custom CDS views developed in ADT and they will be visible in Custom CDS View app. Thats possible even in S4HANA public cloud.

Best Regards,

Mohit

[JoeyLi]

Thanks Mohit, I tried and it works. It does not show on the list but can be the data source.