Data Extraction from SAP Source Systems 

Purpose

Extractors are part of the data retrieval mechanisms in the SAP source system. An extractor can fill the extraction structure of a DataSource with the data from SAP source system datasets.

With a metadata upload, the DataSource is replicated with its relevant BI properties .

For the data transfer to the input layer of BI, the Persistent Staging Area (PSA), define the load process with an InfoPackage in the Scheduler. The data load process is triggered by a request IDoc to the source system when the InfoPackage is executed. We recommend the execution of process chains.

Process Flow

There are application-specific extractors, each of which is hard-coded for the DataSource that was delivered with BI Business Content, and which fill the extraction structure of the DataSource. 

In addition, there are generic extractors with which you can extract more data from the SAP source system and transfer it into BI. Only when you call up the generic extractor by naming the DataSource does it know which data is to be extracted, and from which tables it should read it from and in which structure. This is how it fills different extraction structures and DataSources.

You can run generic data extraction in the SAP source system application areas such as LIS, CO-PA, FI-SL and HR. This is how LIS, for example, uses generic extraction to read info structures. DataSources are generated on the basis of these (individually) defined info structures. We speak of customer-defined DataSources with generic data extraction from applications.

Regardless of application, you can generically extract master data attributes or -texts, or transaction data from all transparent tables, database views or SAP query functional areas or using the function module. You can generate user-specific DataSources here. In this case, we speak of generic DataSources.

The DataSource data for these types are read generically and transferred into BI. This is how generic extractors allow the extraction of data that cannot be made available within the framework of Business Content.

For more information, see the implementation guide to data extraction from SAP source systems. You get there through the Data Warehousing Workbench in the source system tree Your Source System ® Context Menu (right mouse button) ® Customizing the Extractors (transaction SBIW in the source system).

PlugIn for SAP Systems

BI-specific source system functions, extractors and DataSources are delivered for specific SAP systems by plug-ins.

Communication between the SAP source system and BI is only possible if the appropriate plug-in is installed in the source system.