Field Experience and Practical Fixes
As part of a recent RISE upgrade of our SAP S/4HANA system, we encountered several issues in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) that required careful analysis and remediation. This blog captures the key challenges we faced, how we diagnosed them, and the practical solutions that helped us stabilize SAC post-migration.
For context, our SAC tenant is connected to the S/4HANA system using an Import Connection, and CDS views serve as the primary data source for all models and stories.
Data Source Schema Changes Leading to Mapping Errors
One of the first issues we observed post-upgrade was a schema mismatch error in SAC, typically displayed as “The schema of the data source has changed. Unable to map ‘XYZ’”. This is a common scenario after system upgrades and usually indicates changes in the underlying data source.
In our case, the RISE upgrade introduced structural changes in the CDS views, which caused existing import jobs in SAC to become incompatible with the updated schema. Although the models and stories were intact, the import jobs could no longer recognize certain fields.
Based on SAP Note 3339716, the resolution was to re-create the import jobs so that SAC could re-read and align itself with the updated CDS structures. Once recreated, the mappings were correctly refreshed and the imports executed successfully.
Data Queries Returning Empty Result Sets
Another critical issue we faced was SAC import jobs completing successfully but returning empty datasets. Initial checks on the SAC side showed no configuration errors, which pointed us toward the S/4HANA backend.
During a RISE upgrade, hierarchy-related tables are migrated from legacy tables to new ones. Some examples include:
HRRP_DIRECTORY → HRRP_DIR_NHRRP_ATTR_NODE → HRRP_ATTR_NODE_N
In our experience, the migration steps responsible for transferring data into these new tables had either not been executed or had failed, leaving the new hierarchy tables empty. As a result, CDS views dependent on these tables returned no data, and SAC imports had nothing to load.
As per SAP Note 3527602, this issue can be resolved by ensuring successful execution of the following migration steps:
CL_SDM_HRRP_DIRECTORYCL_SDM_HRRP_DIRECTORYTCL_SDM_HRRP_ND_CONVERT
Alternatively, the HRRP_REP report can be run to manually replicate the hierarchies. Once the hierarchy data was restored, the SAC imports immediately began returning valid results.
Data Format Inconsistencies and Unexpected Zero Values After Import
Not all issues manifested as failed import jobs. In some cases, the imports completed successfully, but the data itself was in incorrect format or populated with zero values.
This proved to be one of the more subtle but impactful issues. Since there were no structural changes in certain CDS views, the import jobs did not fail outright. However, post-migration changes—such as modified calculation logic, altered joins, or updated underlying tables—affected how data was returned.
One of the best examples to explain this is WBS Element which usually has two formats – external format, which may be in the form of WBS01-01-1-1 and internal format which may exist in the form of WBS010111. In our context, prior to migration the fields which were returning the data in the external format, post migration started returning data in internal format, which caused master data discrepancies in the SAC system.
To address this, we performed a detailed validation by:
Comparing pre- and post-migration data directly in S/4HANAReviewing CDS view logic and associations for any functional changesRevalidating measures, transformations, mappings and aggregations within SAC
This step was crucial to ensure reporting accuracy, as such issues can easily go unnoticed until business users start questioning the numbers.
Conclusion: Key Learnings from the RISE Migration
From our experience, a RISE upgrade can have significant downstream impacts on SAP Analytics Cloud, even when SAC itself has not changed. Many of the issues are not outright failures but subtle data and structure inconsistencies that require careful investigation across both SAC and S/4HANA.
Our key takeaways:
Always expect CDS view changes after a RISE upgrade and plan to re-create SAC import jobsValidate hierarchy migrations early, especially when analytics depend on hierarchical reportingDo not rely solely on job success status—data validation is just as important as technical executionClose collaboration between Basis, ABAP, and Analytics teams significantly reduces resolution time
Proactively reviewing these areas post-migration can help avoid reporting disruptions and ensure a smooth transition for business users relying on SAC for decision-making.
Field Experience and Practical FixesAs part of a recent RISE upgrade of our SAP S/4HANA system, we encountered several issues in SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) that required careful analysis and remediation. This blog captures the key challenges we faced, how we diagnosed them, and the practical solutions that helped us stabilize SAC post-migration.For context, our SAC tenant is connected to the S/4HANA system using an Import Connection, and CDS views serve as the primary data source for all models and stories.Data Source Schema Changes Leading to Mapping ErrorsOne of the first issues we observed post-upgrade was a schema mismatch error in SAC, typically displayed as “The schema of the data source has changed. Unable to map ‘XYZ’”. This is a common scenario after system upgrades and usually indicates changes in the underlying data source.In our case, the RISE upgrade introduced structural changes in the CDS views, which caused existing import jobs in SAC to become incompatible with the updated schema. Although the models and stories were intact, the import jobs could no longer recognize certain fields.Based on SAP Note 3339716, the resolution was to re-create the import jobs so that SAC could re-read and align itself with the updated CDS structures. Once recreated, the mappings were correctly refreshed and the imports executed successfully. Data Queries Returning Empty Result SetsAnother critical issue we faced was SAC import jobs completing successfully but returning empty datasets. Initial checks on the SAC side showed no configuration errors, which pointed us toward the S/4HANA backend.During a RISE upgrade, hierarchy-related tables are migrated from legacy tables to new ones. Some examples include:HRRP_DIRECTORY → HRRP_DIR_NHRRP_ATTR_NODE → HRRP_ATTR_NODE_NIn our experience, the migration steps responsible for transferring data into these new tables had either not been executed or had failed, leaving the new hierarchy tables empty. As a result, CDS views dependent on these tables returned no data, and SAC imports had nothing to load.As per SAP Note 3527602, this issue can be resolved by ensuring successful execution of the following migration steps:CL_SDM_HRRP_DIRECTORYCL_SDM_HRRP_DIRECTORYTCL_SDM_HRRP_ND_CONVERTAlternatively, the HRRP_REP report can be run to manually replicate the hierarchies. Once the hierarchy data was restored, the SAC imports immediately began returning valid results.Data Format Inconsistencies and Unexpected Zero Values After ImportNot all issues manifested as failed import jobs. In some cases, the imports completed successfully, but the data itself was in incorrect format or populated with zero values. This proved to be one of the more subtle but impactful issues. Since there were no structural changes in certain CDS views, the import jobs did not fail outright. However, post-migration changes—such as modified calculation logic, altered joins, or updated underlying tables—affected how data was returned.One of the best examples to explain this is WBS Element which usually has two formats – external format, which may be in the form of WBS01-01-1-1 and internal format which may exist in the form of WBS010111. In our context, prior to migration the fields which were returning the data in the external format, post migration started returning data in internal format, which caused master data discrepancies in the SAC system.To address this, we performed a detailed validation by:Comparing pre- and post-migration data directly in S/4HANAReviewing CDS view logic and associations for any functional changesRevalidating measures, transformations, mappings and aggregations within SACThis step was crucial to ensure reporting accuracy, as such issues can easily go unnoticed until business users start questioning the numbers.Conclusion: Key Learnings from the RISE MigrationFrom our experience, a RISE upgrade can have significant downstream impacts on SAP Analytics Cloud, even when SAC itself has not changed. Many of the issues are not outright failures but subtle data and structure inconsistencies that require careful investigation across both SAC and S/4HANA.Our key takeaways:Always expect CDS view changes after a RISE upgrade and plan to re-create SAC import jobsValidate hierarchy migrations early, especially when analytics depend on hierarchical reportingDo not rely solely on job success status—data validation is just as important as technical executionClose collaboration between Basis, ABAP, and Analytics teams significantly reduces resolution timeProactively reviewing these areas post-migration can help avoid reporting disruptions and ensure a smooth transition for business users relying on SAC for decision-making. Read More Technology Blog Posts by Members articles
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