When accessing SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) through a web browser, several external URLs are involved.
At a high level, these can be categorized into static content delivered via CDN and dynamic, tenant-specific metadata.
Static Content: Assets and SAPUI5 via Akamai CDN
By default, SAC loads static resources such as:
Assets
SAPUI5 libraries
These resources are delivered through the Akamai Content Delivery Network (CDN).
Because they are static and globally distributed, they are highly optimized for performance and reuse.
Dynamic Content: Tenant-Specific Metadata
In addition to static content, SAC also retrieves metadata associated with the customer tenant, such as:
User- and role-related metadata
Model and story metadata
Session-related configuration data
These requests are typically served directly from SAP data centers rather than CDN.
A Common Question: “How Much Data Is Downloaded Every Time?”
A frequent question arises around the relative data volume downloaded from:
Akamai CDN (static content) versus
SAP data centers (dynamic metadata)
This question often includes the phrase “data downloaded every time”, which can be interpreted in multiple ways and is sometimes misunderstood.
Why “Downloaded Every Time” Is Misleading
In practice, data is not downloaded on every access in the literal sense:
Browser caching plays a critical role
Cached data may reside in memory cache or disk cache
Even when cached, loading data from cache still incurs some processing time, but it does not involve network download
As a result:
Static content served via Akamai CDN is rarely re-downloaded
Dynamic metadata is also not fully re-downloaded on every request, but fetched incrementally and conditionally based on session state and cache validation
What HAR File Analysis Typically Shows
When analyzing real-world HAR (HTTP Archive) files, a consistent pattern emerges:
In terms of request volume and payload size,
static content delivered via Akamai CDN accounts for the majority of data transferred
Dynamic metadata requests are generally smaller in size and more selective
This means that, from a network and performance perspective, Akamai-delivered static resources dominate the overall traffic profile, especially during initial access or first-time load scenarios.
Regional Tenants and Legal Entities
This observation has an important architectural implication.
For customers operating multiple legal entities across regions, there is often concern that:
“Separating tenants by region may negatively impact network traffic or performance.”
However, given that:
The majority of transferred data is static and CDN-delivered
Static content is shared and globally optimized
Understanding how SAC content is delivered—and how browser caching actually works—helps clarify common misconceptions around “repeated downloads.”
Tenant-specific metadata represents a smaller portion of total traffic
There is no inherent disadvantage—from a data transfer or performance standpoint—in operating multiple regional tenants, when required for legal, regulatory, or organizational reasons.
When accessing SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) through a web browser, several external URLs are involved.At a high level, these can be categorized into static content delivered via CDN and dynamic, tenant-specific metadata.Static Content: Assets and SAPUI5 via Akamai CDNBy default, SAC loads static resources such as:AssetsSAPUI5 librariesThese resources are delivered through the Akamai Content Delivery Network (CDN).Because they are static and globally distributed, they are highly optimized for performance and reuse.Dynamic Content: Tenant-Specific MetadataIn addition to static content, SAC also retrieves metadata associated with the customer tenant, such as:User- and role-related metadataModel and story metadataSession-related configuration dataThese requests are typically served directly from SAP data centers rather than CDN.A Common Question: “How Much Data Is Downloaded Every Time?”A frequent question arises around the relative data volume downloaded from:Akamai CDN (static content) versusSAP data centers (dynamic metadata)This question often includes the phrase “data downloaded every time”, which can be interpreted in multiple ways and is sometimes misunderstood.Why “Downloaded Every Time” Is MisleadingIn practice, data is not downloaded on every access in the literal sense:Browser caching plays a critical roleCached data may reside in memory cache or disk cacheEven when cached, loading data from cache still incurs some processing time, but it does not involve network downloadAs a result:Static content served via Akamai CDN is rarely re-downloadedDynamic metadata is also not fully re-downloaded on every request, but fetched incrementally and conditionally based on session state and cache validationWhat HAR File Analysis Typically ShowsWhen analyzing real-world HAR (HTTP Archive) files, a consistent pattern emerges:In terms of request volume and payload size,static content delivered via Akamai CDN accounts for the majority of data transferredDynamic metadata requests are generally smaller in size and more selectiveThis means that, from a network and performance perspective, Akamai-delivered static resources dominate the overall traffic profile, especially during initial access or first-time load scenarios. Regional Tenants and Legal EntitiesThis observation has an important architectural implication.For customers operating multiple legal entities across regions, there is often concern that:“Separating tenants by region may negatively impact network traffic or performance.”However, given that:The majority of transferred data is static and CDN-deliveredStatic content is shared and globally optimizedUnderstanding how SAC content is delivered—and how browser caching actually works—helps clarify common misconceptions around “repeated downloads.”Tenant-specific metadata represents a smaller portion of total trafficThere is no inherent disadvantage—from a data transfer or performance standpoint—in operating multiple regional tenants, when required for legal, regulatory, or organizational reasons. Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles
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