Advantages of CDS views without HANA database.

[Former Member]

Hi guys,

I am just wondering is there any advantage of developing ABAP CDS view without having a HANA database. Does it have any performance improvement?

[pavankumar_hukkeri]

CDS has evolved into different variants, but the ABAP developer should chiefly be concerned with two specific ones…The lesser used option is HANA CDS, the database language that can be used to create tables, views, and structures on the HANA database itself. Views created in HANA can be consumed from the Netweaver AS using Native SQL. The second and most important variant of CDS that should concern ABAPers is the ABAP CDS. While significant differences have evolved between the two variants — for example, SAP HANA-based CDS obviously operates on SAP HANA, while ABAP-based CDS operates on most major database platforms as well as SAP HANA, and each has a different type of repository for development objects — both variants pursue the same goal: to represent central data definitions as a common basis for application development of all kinds.

Core Data Services, in both of its variants , offers an easy to understand reusable tool to help achieve code push down. It may take a bit of a learning curve to move logic down to the database level, but CDS Views offer a nice way to abstract that code-pushdown process and mask it behind something all developers are familiar with in OPEN SQL. The dual benefit of simpler and faster code makes the discipline well worth the effort.

If we are on a system with SAP HANA underneath you can and should use CDS views and go for the code pushdown.

If you are developing on a customer system with a non-HANA DB underneath CDS views are not the preferred choice. If the customer is likely to switch to SAP HANA or S/4HANA soon, it might make sense to think about applying them. Nevertheless, you have to test the things very accurately and in case the performance. Be aware that the tests have to be done on the same database type as on the productive system – otherwise, maybe there is a big surprise after go-live.

If the customer has no plans to move to SAP HANA, I would not recommend making use of them. The potential problems that can arise are not worth it.

If you develop products/add-ons as a partner that have to run on any DB, the choice is simple: do not use them!

In SAP HANA the usage of CDS views is quite safe and you should go for it to provide a future-proof development.

[Former Member]

Thank you! The information you provided did answer my question. I appreciate your help.