Real Time Analytics with SAP HANA

Table of Contents

Real Time Analytics with SAP HANA

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

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Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Downloading the color images of this book

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Kickoff – Before We Start

Introducing SAP HANA SQL

Classical SQL

The SAP HANA SQLscript

Why SQLscript?

How different is an SQLscript in SAP HANA from classical SQL queries?

When should we use SQLscript?

Procedures

Creating with the SQL editor (in SAP HANA Studio)

Procedure creation using the wizard

JOINS in SAP HANA

Unions versus JOINS

Self-study questions

Summary

2. SAP HANA Data Modeling Approach

Row and column storage in SAP HANA

Choosing the right table

Basic architecture of the SAP HANA engine

Different modeling artifacts in SAP HANA

Modeling principles

SAP HANA Studio

Perspectives in SAP HANA Studio

Adding our system to SAP HANA Studio

The system view

Different schemas in SAP HANA

Creating package and delivery unit

Deleting packages

Delivery units

Self-study questions

Summary

3. Different Ways of SAP HANA Data Load

Loading data from Flat file in SAP HANA

Real-time replication via SAP SLT (System Landscape Transformation) Replication Server

Loading data with SAP Direct Extractor

Application server configuration

Creating a DXC schema and user in SAP HANA

Loading data in SAP HANA with Data Services Workbench

SAP Replication Server

Smart Data Access

Self-study questions

Summary

4. Creating SAP HANA Artifacts Attribute Views and Analytical Views

Steps to adjust preferences

Creating attribute views

Defining attribute and key attribute

Creating time attribute views

Creating analytical views

Creating other elements

Calculated attribute

Calculated measures

Calculated columns

Creating variables

Self-study questions

Summary

5. Creating SAP HANA Artifacts – Analytical Privileges and Calculation Views

Creating a restricted measure and a calculated measure

Creating filters

Steps for creating a filter

Creating input parameters and variables

Creating calculation views

Analytical privileges

Self-study questions

Summary

6. Understanding Text Search and Hierarchies in SAP HANA

Creating and using Full Text Search

Enabling the search option

Creating hierarchies

Creating a level hierarchy

Creating a parent-child hierarchy

Self-study questions

Summary

7. Using Decision Tables and Transporting SAP HANA Content

What is a decision table?

Why use decision tables?

Transport management in SAP HANA

SAP HANA application lifecycle manager

Transporting a delivery unit with HALM

Export and import – moving SAP HANA content manually

Currency conversion in SAP HANA

Self-study questions

Summary

8. Consuming SAP HANA Data Models

Connecting to the SAP HANA database

Reporting tools for SAP HANA

Analysis for Office

SAP Business Objects Analysis for OLAP

Using Microsoft Excel as a reporting tool

Summary

9. An Introduction to Application Function Library

Application Function Library

Predictive Analysis Library

Calling PAL functions

Business Function Library

Self-study questions

Summary

Index

Real Time Analytics with SAP HANA

Real Time Analytics with SAP HANA

Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: October 2015

Production reference: 1261015

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

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Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78217-411-0

www.packtpub.com

Credits

Author

Vinay Singh

Reviewers

Yatindra Mehta

Joselyn Quintero Veliz

Commissioning Editor

Kunal Parikh

Acquisition Editor

Reshma Raman

Content Development Editor

Anand Singh

Technical Editor

Utkarsha S. Kadam

Copy Editors

Kausambhi Majumdar

Merilyn Pereira

Alpha Singh

Project Coordinator

Paushali Desai

Proofreader

Safis Editing

Indexer

Rekha Nair

Graphics

Jason Monteiro

Production Coordinator

Melwyn Dsa

Cover Work

Melwyn Dsa

About the Author

Vinay Singh has MBA and BE (CS) degrees and is a SAP HANA/BI architect at Freudenberg Sealing Technology, Germany, working in the SAP Analytics area. He has nearly 10 years of SAP experience in the field of SAP product development and consulting. Before joining Freudenberg, he worked with companies such as SAP Labs, Adobe, and T-systems, which gave him a good mix of product development and consulting experience.

He has been an author and coauthor on numerous articles in various journals and has officially reviewed a couple of books on SAP Analytics topics. He is also a visiting faculty at Hochschule Furtwangen University, BW, where he teaches SAP HANA under the SAP UCC program.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the help that I had with the preparation of this text.

The first mention goes to my wife, Minal, for her understating of the time I was spending on the book and her time-to-time feedback.

Many individuals have provided comments at various stages on portions of this book. Thanks to my parents, Naveen Rai, Soraya Dastager, Taha Mahmoud, and Shehab Hindam for their continuous support and encouragement and Bhavesh Ratnam, George Varghese, Munmun Singhania, and Kamalbasha Shafi for their direct / indirect contribution to the various chapters of the book. Special thanks to Joselyn Quintero and Yatindra Mehta for finding time to review the book and help make it better. I would like to appreciate and thank my publishing team and graphics team for their splendid work.

Finally, I sincerely thank my editors who worked closely with me: Anand Singh, Utkarsha S. Kadam, and Reshma Raman, without whom the book would not have been possible.

About the Reviewers

Yatindra Mehta is a SAP HANA architect and expert employed with SAP labs. He has been working in the SAP domain for around 10 years. He has executed various projects for manufacturing, retail, automotive, and telecommunications customers. He has served various prestigious customers in his career such as Siemens(SHC), T-COM, and Toyota to name a few. Currenlty, he works on the SAP HANA technology and helps customer leverage the SAP HANA technology, SLT, and so on.

I would like to thank Vinay, who gave me this opportunity to review his book. This is a really wondeful book, written precisely for learners in a simple and arcticulated way. Also, I would like to thank the publishers for publishing this amazing book.

Joselyn Quintero Veliz is a Venezuelan financial expert and SAP Financials senior consultant, with professional experience in the technology, oil, construction, manufacturing, and banking industries. Managing both business and technology environments, she is able to transform financial requirements into successful IT solutions. She possesses a certification of In-Memory Technology Databases for SAP HANA, issued by the Hasso Plattner Institute in Postdam, Germany.

Currently, Joselyn works as a freelance SAP process excellence senior consultant, helping companies take advantage of the latest SAP technologies to reach ambitious business goals.

In her free time, Joselyn spreads her personal financial knowledge across Latin America, through her website http://www.joselynquintero.com/. Joselyn also works in philanthropic initiatives as a Spanish translator at Animal Foundation Platform, promoting the ethical treatment of, and reducing the violence against, stray animals.

I want to first thank the author of the book for sharing valuable knowledge in these pages, providing useful information for people around the world. Secondly, I'd like to thank Packt Publishing for promoting high-level knowledge, and for inviting me to be part of this project. Last, but not least, I appreciate my family and friends for their support and patience and for not being there during the hours this book required my focus. We worked as a team, and we got it!

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Preface

Real-time analytics is revolutionizing the way we interact with customers, partners and system in totality. The continuous evolution of technology is changing the way we do business. Uncertainty and change in the global marketplace is driving new ideas and innovation. Competing in this new hyper-connected and digitized