SAP HANA

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What is the advantage of SLT replication?

Advantages:
SAP LT uses trigger based approach. Trigger-based approach has no measureable performance impact
in source system.
It provides transformation and filtering capability.
It allows real-time (and scheduled) data replication, replicating only relevant data into HANA from SAP
and non-SAP source systems.
It is fully integrated with HANA Studio.
Replication from multiple source systems to one HANA system is allowed, also from one source system
to multiple HANA systems.
Is it possible to use a replication for multiple sources and target SAP HANA systems?
Yes, the SAP LT Replication Server supports both 1:N replication and and N:1 replication.
Multiple source system can be connected to one SAP HANA system.
One source system can be connected to multiple SAP HANA systems. Limited to 1:4 only.

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Qs. Is there any pre-requisite before creating the configuration and replication?
For SAP source systems:
DMIS add-on must be installed in SLT replication server.
An RFC connection between the SAP source system and the SAP LT Replication Server has to be
established.
User for RFC connection must have the role IUUC_REPL_REMOTE assigned.
Do not use a DDIC user for RFC connection.
For non-SAP source systems:
DMIS add-on is not required.
A database user has to be created with appropriate authorizations in advance and establish the
database connection by using transaction DBCO in the SAP LT Replication Server.
Ensure the database-specific library components for the SAP 7.20 REL or EXT kernel are installed in
the SAP LT Replication Server.
Qs. What is Latency?

It is the length of time to replicate data (a table entry) from the source system to the target system.

What is Schema?
A database schema is a way to logically group objects such as tables, views, stored
procedures etc. Think of a schema as a container of objects.
Types of Schemas
There are 3 types of schemas.
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User Defined Schema

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System Defined Schema

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SLT Derived Schema

User Defined Schema:
These are created by user (DBA or System Administrator)
SLT Derived Schema:
When SLT is configured, it creates schema in HANA system. All the tables replicated into
HANA system are contained in this schema
System Defined Schema:
These schemas are delivered with the SAP HANA database and contains HANA system
information. There are system schemas like _SYS_BIC, _SYS_BI, _SYS_REPO,
_SYS_STATISTICS etc.
SYS_BIC:
This schema contains all the columns views of activated objects. When the user activates
the Attribute View/Analytic View/Calculation View/Analytic Privilege /Procedure, the
respective run-time objects are created under _SYS_BIC/ Column Views.
_SYS_REPO:
Whatever the objects are there in the system is available in repository. This schema contains
the list of Activated objects, Inactive Objects, Package details and Runtime Objects
information etc.
Also _SYS_REPO user must have SELECT privilege with grant option on the data schama.
Read more about "GRANT SELECT PRIVILEGE ON _SYS_REPO"
_SYS_BI:This schema stores all the metadata of created column Views. It contains the
tables for created Variables, Time Data (Fiscal, Gregorian), Schema Mapping and Content

Mapping tables.
_SYS_STATISTICS:
This schema contains all the system configurations and parameters.
_SYS_XS:
This schema is used for SAP HANA Extended Application Services.
What is currency conversion ??
To do currency conversion we need to have tcurr, tcurc, tcurx,tcurf,tcurt,tcurv tables and
we can't create currency conversion on top of attribute view as it is made to define
attribute properties not for measures.
What are the different engines available in HANA?
In HANA there are mainly 3 types of engines.

Join Engine: used for attribute views

OLAP engine: used for analytic views

Calculation Engine: used for calculation views

Text Join in SAP HANA:

Text Join is used to fetch the description based on user's session language. Once we
implement the text join in SAP HANA, it automatically find out user's language and give
description in that language.

Can we call an analytic view or calculation view inside another calculation view?
Yes. We can call all the views (attribute, analytic and calculation view) inside a calculation
view.
Note: Calculation views are composite views and can be used to combine other views. It can
consume other Analytical, Attribute, other Calculation Views & tables. It can perform complex
calculations not possible with other views.
Qs. What are the different types of calculation view? Which one would you prefer?
There are 2 types of calculation view possible.
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Graphical calculation view

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Scripted calculation view

Graphical calculation views are created using the graphical editor. Scripted calculation views
are created using SQL Editor.
Graphical based calculation views offer better performance compared to SQL based
calculation views.But in scenarios where graphical calculation views cannot implement
business logic, we need to use scripted calculation view. Complex calculations which are not
possible thru graphical approach, can be created using SQLScript.
3. Explain what is schema mapping?
Schema mapping is done when the physical schema in the target system is not the same
as the physical schema in the source system.
As mentioned earlier, suppose we are moving components from Development System
(DEV) to Production System (PROD).
The tables in DEV reside in DEV_SCHEMA and the same tables reside in PROD system
in PROD_SCHEMA schema. If an attribute view is transported from DEV to PROD, it will
not work because the schema name is referenced in the definition of attribute view. In
order for the promoted objects to work in PROD, schema mapping needs to be set up in
the target system.
What is the system table used to save metadata and other information of Schema
Mappings?
The mapping between authoring and physical schemas is stored in the configuration table
_SYS_BI.M_SCHEMA_MAPPING.
Whats the purpose of Generating Time Data?
Generate Time Data option under Quick Launch helps the user to generate the Time data so
that it can be used for the creation of Time based Attribute Views.
When you click Generate Time Data, you will be provided with two options
Gregorian: Mainly the data will be generated based on From and To years along with the

granularity (Hour, Minute, Second, Day, Month) mentioned.

Fiscal: In this case, the time data will be generated based on the variant defined (some
companies may use their own time period).
Standard tables T005T, T005U, T009 and T009B in SAP HANA are required if you go for
FISCAL type.
Qs. In which configuration tables the generated time data information will be stored in
HANA?
For Gregorian calendar type
M_TIME_DIMENSION_YEAR
M_TIME_DIMENSION_MONTH
M_TIME_DIMENSION_WEEK
M_TIME_DIMENSION
For Fiscal
M_FISCAL_CALENDAR
All these tables are under schema _SYS_BI.
What is the difference between attribute and measure?
Columns of modeling view can be classified as Attribute or Measure.
Attribute: Non-measurable, Descriptive data, such as customer ID, city, and country
Measure: Quantifiable data, such as revenue, quantity sold and counters.
What is a Private Attribute in HANA?
Private attributes are the attributes used inside a modeling views and cannot be used
outside the view. These are used in a modeling view to customize the behavior of an

attribute for only that view.

What are the different types of measures in modelling view?
There are 3 types of measures in HANA:

Simple Measure:
Simple Measure is a measurable analytical element that is derived from the data foundation.
Calculated Measure:
Calculated Measures are created using some calculation on top of an existing measures or
attributes.
Private Measures:
Private Measures are measures used inside a modeling views and cannot be used outside
the view.
What is the difference between Variable and Input parameter in HANA?
Variables are bound to columns and are used for filtering using WHERE clauses. As such,
they can only contain the values available in the Columns they relate to. Variables do not
impact the execution
HANA Input parameters used to manipulate the execution based on user input. Sometimes
you might not want a variable to just restrict the data of a view. But you also want to take
input from the user and process it, returning dynamic data based on the user selection.
Input Parameters makes this possible.
To know more about Variables and Input Parameter,
Qs. In which configuration table you can find the variables information?
There are 4 system tables under the schema _SYS_BI which contains information about
Variables.
BIMC_VARIABLE
BIMC_VARIABLE_ASSIGNMENT
BIMC_VARIABLE_VIEW
BIMC_VARIABLE_VALUE
Qs. What are the different types of Input parameters supported?
The following types of Input parameters are supported.

Currency:
Use this during currency conversion where the end user should specify a
source or target currency.
Date:
Use this to retrieve a date from the end user using a calendar type input box.
Static List:
Use this when the end user should have a set list of values to choose from.
Attribute Value:
When an Input Variable has this type, it serves the same purpose as a normal
Variable.
None:
If none of the above applies you do not have to specify an Input Variable type.
The Type can be left blank.
How do we pass input parameters from SQL query?
The value of Input Parameter is passed using PLACEHOLDER clause.
For example:
('PLACEHOLDER' = ('$$Param1$$', 'value'))
Qs. What are the factors that affect currency conversion?
Currency conversion is performed based on source currency, target currency,
exchange rate, and date of conversion. You can select currency from the
attribute data used in the view. Currency conversion is enabled for Analytic
view and Calculation views.
Qs. What is the prerequisite for doing the currency conversion?
You need to import tables TCURC, TCURF, TCURN, TCURR, TCURT, TCURV,
TCURW and TCURX.
What happens when you activate an object in HANA?

When we activate an object, it becomes available for reporting and analysis.

After successful activation of a view, a run time object is created in _SYS_BIC
schema.
For example, suppose there is a calculation view CV_VIEW1 in package
MyPackage. After activating this view, a run time object (column view) will
be created in _SYS_BIC schema with name MyPackage/CV_VIEW1. This
column view is used when we do the data preview of calculation view.
How do we control row-level access in HANA?
Analytic privilege can be used to maintain row-level access. It is used to grant
different users access to different portions of data in the same view
depending on their business role.
What is the difference among Raw Data, Distinct values and Analysis
while doing the Data Preview?
Raw Data: It displays all attributes along with data in tabular format.

Distinct Values: It displays all attributes along with data in graphical format.
Analysis: It displays all attributes and measures in graphical format.

Qs. What is Hierarchy? What are the types of hierarchy supported in

HANA?
Hierarchies are used to structure and define the relationships among
attributes in a modeling view.
Organizations define hierarchies for information classification, allowing roll-up
and drill-down analysis. For example, a sales organization might allocate a
sales person to a country and a country to a region. Sales data can then be
aggregated and analyzed by region, country, or sales person.

There are two types of hierarchies:

Level Hierarchies are hierarchies that are rigid in nature, where the root and
the child nodes can be accessed only in the defined order. For example,
organizational structures, and so on.
Parent/Child Hierarchies are value hierarchies, that is, hierarchies derived
from the value of a node. For example, a Bill of Materials (BOM) contains
Assembly and Part hierarchies, and an Employee Master record contains
Employee and Manager data. The hierarchy can be explored based on a
selected parent; there are also cases where the child can be a parent.
TYPES DATA MODELING VIEWS
1) Attribute Views : In the language of SAP Netweaver Business
Warehouse , attribute views are like Dimension, but with difference is that
attribute views are fully reusable throughout the system and not stuck up to a
single model. Simplifying, these are views on one or more table that can be
reused for different purpose.
Example : An attribute view "FLIGHT" can show together Airline Code, Airline
Connection Number and flight Date into one Object. This attribute view can
be used in analytical and calculation views where entities are relevant.
Generally attribute views represent master data.But, however technically
there is no restriction and its possible to make attribute views on transaction
data.
2) Analytical Views : Again, in the language on SAP BW analytical views
can be roughly compared with Info Cubes or Info Sets in SAP ERP. As same it
joins together one central fact table with contains transaction data to report
on, with number of tables or attribute views. You can create variables in an
analytical view.

3) Calculation views : Calculation views can be referred as combination of

tables, attributes views and analytical views to deliver a complex business
requirement. They offer to combine different analytical views into one source
of data for reporting.

RS_ORDER:

The following actions can be used in RS_ORDER:

Action

Description

Code
T
L

Create table without loading any data

Load (w/o Replication)

Start Replication (includes the initial load)

C
S

Stop Load or Replication (also if status still on scheduled)

Suspend/Pause Replication (only possible for tables with replication in process)

Resume/Continue Replication (only possible for tables suspended before)

M
Q

Activate Delta Recording (activate trigger without starting replication)

Start Replicate Process (without initial load; prerequisite: delta recording has been
activated before)

Frequently using TCodesHana, bi powered by Hana:

1. LTR: for creating new configuration
2. LTRC: monitoring configuration
3. NEWLTRS, OLDIUUC_REPL_CONTENT: for transformations
4. RSDD_HM_PUBLISH: for creating transit provider.
5. SE11: for transporting views table name (This Are the Table Names
whichhas the backend tables of transit provider RSLTIP, RSLTIP*)

SAP HANA has mainly 3 types of engines that are used based on the views
required by the model.
Join Engine:
Used when querying an Attribute View
The join engine is also used, when you run plain SQL.
OLAP Engine:
Used for Analytic view (without calculated columns).
Calculation Engine:
Used for Analytic views with calculated attributes and Calculation
views.
What are Transformation rules?

A rule specified in the Advanced Replication settings transaction for source tables
such that data is transformed during the replication process. Example you can
specify rule to
Convert fields
Fill empty fields
Skip records
What is advanced replication settings (transaction IUUC_REPL_CONT)?
The Advanced Settings (transaction IUUC_REPL_CONT) allows you to define and
change various table settings for a configuration such as:
Partitioning and structure changes for target tables in HANA
Table-specific transformation and filter rules
Adjusting the number of jobs (and reading type) to accelerate the
load/replication process
What is Configuration and Monitoring Dashboard?
It is an application that runs on SLT replication server to specify configuration
information (such as source system, target system, and relevant connections) so
that data can be replicated.

It can also use it to monitor the replication status (transaction LTR).

Status Yellow: It may occur due to triggers which are not yet created
successfully.

Status Red: It may occur if master job is aborted (manually in transaction

SM37).

Will the table size in SAP HANA database and in the source
system the same?
No.
As HANA database supports compression, the table size in SAP HANA
may be decreased.
Does SLT for SAP HANA support data compression like SAP
HANA database?
Yes, this is automatically covered by the RFC connection used for data
replication from the SAP source system.
Qs. When to go for table partitioning?
If the table size in HANA database exceeds 2 billion records, split the
table by using portioning features by using Advanced replication
settings (transaction IUUC_REPL_CONT, tab page IUUC_REPL_TABSTG).
How to avoid unnecessary logging information from being
stored?
Pause the replication by stopping the schema-rel
ated jobs.