SAP Datasphere introduced in 2023 advanced catalog functions aimed at making data more accessible and enhancing data-driven insights (initial announcement). This capability enables the management, organization and augmentation of metadata extracted from multiple SAP data sources. It aids in the discovery of curated data assets and lets users and data stewards search for and classify these assets. Additionally, the catalog allows to enhance assets with business metadata, supporting organizations in their data governance initiatives. Initially, it integrates with sources like SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, and SAP Datasphere BW Bridge (feature overview), pulling metadata from various assets within these systems.
SAP BW/4HANA as a comprehensive data warehouse enriched with massive content of business logic and semantics is a crucial element for our customers to unlock the full potential of advanced analytics, machine learning and informed decision-making at scale.
We are very happy today to announce that we are expanding the coverage of SAP Datasphere catalog metadata harvesting with the support of SAP BW/4HANA allowing our customers to run accurate, contextualized, and trustworthy data analysis.
Configuring Connection to SAP BW/4HANA
First let’s have a look at how we configure SAP Datasphere to connect and retrieve metadata from a SAP BW/4HANA system. This will require to create a live connection as well as reuse this live connection to create a remote system connection entry point for the catalog. Let’s start by creating the live connection.
Click System and then Configuration.
In the Data Integration tab, you need to create a live data connection of type tunnel to the SAP BW/4HANA system to import the assets metadata. This live connection can be further reused either in Space Management to import models in modeller or in the remote systems for the metadata extractions for the catalog.
Click “Manage Live Data Connections”.
Click “+” to create a new live connection, this will guide you to create this connection with a wizard-like experience.
This will require to fill in the following mandatory information:
Host URLHTTPS PortClient IdUser Name and Password
Once this live connection is created, we can now directly use it to create a remote system for the purpose of metadata harvesting.
Let’s click on Catalog & Marketplace and then Metadata Extractions.
Click “+” to create a new remote system.
And now select the newly introduced entry “SAP BW/4HANA”
Select the Live Connection you just created before and then create this new remote connection.
Now we can edit the remote connection you just created to specify which Info Areas and sub info areas we want harvest the metadata from.
You can also switch to the Source Systems for information to see which source systems are involved in the retrieved metadata.
From then, we can synchronize the extraction of the metadata or define a scheduling job as usual with any of the remote systems the SAP Datasphere catalog can connect to.
The metadata for all the objects associated to the selected Info Areas will be available in the catalog. This includes the following type of containers or assets:
Info AreasSource SystemsAdvanced Datastore ObjectsInfo ObjectsData SourceInfo SourcesComposite ProvidersTransformationsBW Query ElementsOpen ODS ViewsOpen Hub DestinationsData Transfer ProcessesAggregation Levels
Exploring SAP BW/4HANA metadata
We can now explore the metadata available in the catalog from the BW/4HANA system we synced with by clicking “Catalog & Marketplace” and then “Search”.
We can select the container that corresponds to our BW/4HANA system we harvested the metadata from.
And then expand and navigate through the different Info Areas or Source Systems as containers.
You can also filter by the different types of assets available
Click “Show More” to see the entire list of supported objects that can help you refine what you are searching for.
Opening any of the asset gives access to the technical metadata as well as the column details. Any of the existing feature to enrich the assets with business metadata such as descriptions, business glossary terms, KPIs, and Classification Tags can be used to further enhance the metadata for the SAP BW/4HANA harvested metadata as described in this blog.
Lineage and Impact Analysis graph is available for any of the assets from BW/4HANA when applicable which allows to understand how the objects are created and how they are used, but also offers easy navigation to other assets in the catalog.
By leveraging SAP Datasphere catalog with metadata harvested from SAP BW/4HANA, organizations can ensure that their data is not only accessible but also meaningful and reliable, driving informed decision-making and powering advanced analytics and AI initiatives.
What’s Next?
We will continue to extend the coverage of the SAP metadata we can harvest to continuously support organizations on their data governance journey.
I also want to share some additional resources for you around SAP Datasphere:
Join SAP Datasphere community to see what’s new, ask questions, share your feedback, and more. SAP Datasphere product overview Documentation for SAP Datasphere catalog
SAP Datasphere introduced in 2023 advanced catalog functions aimed at making data more accessible and enhancing data-driven insights (initial announcement). This capability enables the management, organization and augmentation of metadata extracted from multiple SAP data sources. It aids in the discovery of curated data assets and lets users and data stewards search for and classify these assets. Additionally, the catalog allows to enhance assets with business metadata, supporting organizations in their data governance initiatives. Initially, it integrates with sources like SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, and SAP Datasphere BW Bridge (feature overview), pulling metadata from various assets within these systems.SAP BW/4HANA as a comprehensive data warehouse enriched with massive content of business logic and semantics is a crucial element for our customers to unlock the full potential of advanced analytics, machine learning and informed decision-making at scale.We are very happy today to announce that we are expanding the coverage of SAP Datasphere catalog metadata harvesting with the support of SAP BW/4HANA allowing our customers to run accurate, contextualized, and trustworthy data analysis.Configuring Connection to SAP BW/4HANAFirst let’s have a look at how we configure SAP Datasphere to connect and retrieve metadata from a SAP BW/4HANA system. This will require to create a live connection as well as reuse this live connection to create a remote system connection entry point for the catalog. Let’s start by creating the live connection.Click System and then Configuration.In the Data Integration tab, you need to create a live data connection of type tunnel to the SAP BW/4HANA system to import the assets metadata. This live connection can be further reused either in Space Management to import models in modeller or in the remote systems for the metadata extractions for the catalog.Click “Manage Live Data Connections”.Click “+” to create a new live connection, this will guide you to create this connection with a wizard-like experience.This will require to fill in the following mandatory information:Host URLHTTPS PortClient IdUser Name and PasswordOnce this live connection is created, we can now directly use it to create a remote system for the purpose of metadata harvesting.Let’s click on Catalog & Marketplace and then Metadata Extractions.Click “+” to create a new remote system.And now select the newly introduced entry “SAP BW/4HANA”Select the Live Connection you just created before and then create this new remote connection.Now we can edit the remote connection you just created to specify which Info Areas and sub info areas we want harvest the metadata from.You can also switch to the Source Systems for information to see which source systems are involved in the retrieved metadata.From then, we can synchronize the extraction of the metadata or define a scheduling job as usual with any of the remote systems the SAP Datasphere catalog can connect to.The metadata for all the objects associated to the selected Info Areas will be available in the catalog. This includes the following type of containers or assets:Info AreasSource SystemsAdvanced Datastore ObjectsInfo ObjectsData SourceInfo SourcesComposite ProvidersTransformationsBW Query ElementsOpen ODS ViewsOpen Hub DestinationsData Transfer ProcessesAggregation LevelsExploring SAP BW/4HANA metadataWe can now explore the metadata available in the catalog from the BW/4HANA system we synced with by clicking “Catalog & Marketplace” and then “Search”.We can select the container that corresponds to our BW/4HANA system we harvested the metadata from.And then expand and navigate through the different Info Areas or Source Systems as containers.You can also filter by the different types of assets availableClick “Show More” to see the entire list of supported objects that can help you refine what you are searching for.Opening any of the asset gives access to the technical metadata as well as the column details. Any of the existing feature to enrich the assets with business metadata such as descriptions, business glossary terms, KPIs, and Classification Tags can be used to further enhance the metadata for the SAP BW/4HANA harvested metadata as described in this blog.Lineage and Impact Analysis graph is available for any of the assets from BW/4HANA when applicable which allows to understand how the objects are created and how they are used, but also offers easy navigation to other assets in the catalog.By leveraging SAP Datasphere catalog with metadata harvested from SAP BW/4HANA, organizations can ensure that their data is not only accessible but also meaningful and reliable, driving informed decision-making and powering advanced analytics and AI initiatives.What’s Next?We will continue to extend the coverage of the SAP metadata we can harvest to continuously support organizations on their data governance journey.I also want to share some additional resources for you around SAP Datasphere: Join SAP Datasphere community to see what’s new, ask questions, share your feedback, and more. SAP Datasphere product overview Documentation for SAP Datasphere catalog Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles
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