5.2 Modeling Objects
It helps to look at the past to better understand the present. Such is the case with modeling with SAP BW/4HANA. A quick comparison between the modeling objects available in the SAP BW application and those in SAP BW/4HANA may help illustrate the level of modeling simplification achieved with the latter.
For greenfield projects, this comparison may not be relevant, but for brownfield projects it can assist in determining objects to convert and those that need to be retired and replaced.
The main objects supporting data modeling in SAP BW/4HANA are InfoObjects, Open ODS views, Advanced DSOs, and CompositeProviders. The main purpose of each element is master data storage, virtualization, data persistency, and logical layer, respectively.
Table 5.1 lists each object and its main modeling purpose in SAP BW/4HANA.
| SAP BW/4HANA Object | Main Modeling Purpose |
|---|---|
| InfoObjects | Master data |
| Open ODS Views | Data virtualization |
| Advanced DSOs | Data persistency |
| CompositeProviders | Logical layer |
Table 5.1 SAP BW/4HANA Modeling Objects and Their Modeling Purposes
SAP BW applications have similar modeling requirements, achieved via classical objects such as InfoCubes, DSOs, InfoSets, MultiProviders, Virtual Cubes, Hybrid Providers, and Persistent Storage Areas (PSAs).
Table 5.2 lists the modeling objects available in SAP BW applications and their main modeling purposes.
| SAP BW Object | Main Modeling Purpose |
|---|---|
| InfoObjects | Master data |
| DSOs | Data persistency |
| InfoCubes | Data persistency |
| Hybrid Providers | Data persistency with real-time option |
| PSAs | Inbound data persistency layer |
| InfoSets | Logical layer (join) |
| MultiProviders | Logical layer (union) |
| Virtual Cubes | Virtualization |
Table 5.2 SAP BW Modeling Objects and Their Modeling Purposes
The larger number of modeling objects within SAP BW was a result of many years of development based on relational database technology concurrent with the evolution of the data warehouse concept itself.
SAP BW/4HANA, on the other hand, represents a fresh start. In terms of modeling, this translates into major simplification by means of a reduced number of objects required to cover key aspects of data warehousing: master data, data persistency, logical layer, and virtual integration.
A simple way of demonstrating the simplification represented by SAP BW/4HANA is to align the modeling objects from SAP BW with the SAP BW/4HANA objects based on their modeling purposes (see Table 5.3).
| SAP BW Object | SAP BW/4HANA Object |
|---|---|
| InfoObjects | InfoObjects |
| DSOs | Advanced DSOs |
| InfoCubes | |
| Hybrid Providers | |
| PSAs | |
| InfoSets | CompositeProviders |
| MultiProviders | |
| Virtual Cubes | Open ODS Views |
Table 5.3 Comparing SAP BW and SAP BW/4HANA Modeling Objects
SAP BW/4HANA modeling objects were designed to pack together features that belonged to different SAP BW objects. For example, Advanced DSOs can act as InfoCubes or as DSOs, depending on the settings chosen during their definition.
This and other features of SAP BW/4HANA modeling objects are described in detail in the subsequent sections of this chapter. InfoObjects, as holders of master data and usually used as building blocks for defining other data providers, are the first objects discussed (see Section 5.3).