In this blog, we will describe the process of identifying and adjusting the correct pieces from SAP BTP in order to solve a specific customer request. This process starts from fully understanding the business needs. Then, how this translates to different SAP BTP components, in order not only to answer the current requirement but also and the future ones.

Business Case

A self service mechanism was requested by a customer (mainly from business users) in order to quickly create or edit new derived time dependent measures. This mechanism will help them to take faster and better business decisions. The key points driving the provided solution were mainly two, who will use it (Business users) and how / where (from reporting layer).

Below is a sample data set of the raw data ,masked for the needs of this blog. Each row represents a value (Measure_Value column) of a specific measure (Measure_ID column) during time (Date column). Starting from these measures, business users wanted to create new derived time depended measures either for checking the calculation of existing reports or for new needs. These could be due to any change on their business topology during time or to any new or updated rule that needs to be implemented.

Raw Data

SAP SAC Story

In order to provide a user friendly environment where business users will describe the new formula of measures, a csv file was decided to be used. Every new measure (Measure Column) corresponds to a specific formula (Formula_Measure column) for a certain period of time (Valid_From & Valid_To columns).

Csv file

Then, this csv is uploaded to DWC

The logic of these new derived measures are been processed to SAP HANA CLOUD HDI through a procedure. The following blogs are particularly helpful:

Develop on SAP Data Warehouse Cloud using SAP HANA Deployment Infrastructure(HDI)

SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC) integrated with SAP SQL data warehousing – accessing DWC consumable models as Source

The results of this procedure are loaded to a SAP DWC View (Analytical Dataset) in order to be consumed on SAC.

SAC Story

This process can be repeated numerous times. Every time that a new csv is uploaded then automatically the SAC report corresponds to the new formulas.

Key points

Decoding the request, we concluded to the following

• Since this process will be used by Business users, a user friendly environment should be provided to them. This corresponds to SAP DWC, the first piece from SAP BTP.
• All the manual investigations will take place to a reporting layer, SAP Analytics Cloud was chosen as the next piece.
• In order to define new time dependent derived measures (or edit), uploading a csv file as local table on SAP DWC was decided.
• All the process of creating these measures should happen to a procedure which will have as input the uploaded csv file / existing measures and as output a calculation view. HDI Container which exists on the underlying SAP HANA CLOUD of SAP DWC was chosen as the final piece.

Summary

In a summary, by understanding the business needs and knowing the capabilities of SAP BTP, then adjusting the different pieces is really easy. This E2E solution is not only serving the current requirement but it could be a starting point for future implementations by simple adding more SAP BTP components.