Creating DataSources for Data Transfer with SAP Data Services

You are in the Data Warehousing Workbench in the Data Services source system tree.

1. In the context menu for the Data Services source system, choose Display DataSource Tree.

2. In the DataSource tree, select the application component that you want to create the DataSource in and choose Create DataSource in the context menu.

   If necessary, create a suitable application component.

3. On the next screen, enter a technical name for the DataSource, select the type of DataSource and choose Copy.

   The DataSource maintenance screen appears.

4. Go to the General tab page.

   1. Enter descriptions for the DataSource (short, medium, long).

   2. If required, specify whether the DataSource builds an initial non-cumulative and has the ability to return duplicate data records in a request.

   3. Specify whether you want to generate the PSA for the DataSource in the character format. If the PSA is not typed it is not generated in a typed structure but is generated with character-like fields of type CHAR only. CHAR

      Use this option if conversion during loading causes problems, for example because there is no appropriate conversion routine, or if the source cannot guarantee that data is loaded with the correct data type.

      After activating the DataSource, you can then load data into the PSA and correct it there.

5. Go to the Extraction tab page.

   1. Define the delta process for the DataSource.

   2. Direct access to data is not supported for data transfer with Data Services.

   3. Real-time data acquisition is not supported for data transfer with Data Services.

   4. The system displays Load using RFC from Data Services as the adapter for the data transfer.

      Note

      If you are not using any particular datastore and did not select any datastores when creating the source system, but join various source tables in the Data Services system instead, Load Using RFC from Third-Party System is set as the adapter. In this case, do not select a source object. Proceed as when transferring standard staging BAPIs.

   5. Under Source Object, select the table to load the data from. You have the following options:

      1. : Enter a character string to search for in the source. You can run wildcard searches by entering *. Select a table from the hitlist and choose Apply.

      2. : The system displays all tables found in the source. Expand the root node, select the table and choose Apply Entry.

      3. : The system displays all objects that have been imported from the source to the source data store. Select a table and choose Apply.

         To find the table, the BW system calls the Data Services system by RFC.

   6. Make the settings for the conversion language and the number format (thousand separator and character used to represent a decimal point) if necessary. In the default setting, these settings are taken from the master data records of the user that is used to run the conversion exit.

      Note

      Data Services can deliver data in the SAP internal format. In this case, the settings described above are not necessary.

6. Go to the Proposal tab page.

   The BW system requests the field list of the source table from Data Services and displays this as a proposal for the DataSource's field list.

   In the table of proposed fields, use Copy to Field List to select the fields you want to copy to the DataSource's field list. In the default setting, all fields are selected.

   Note

   By pressing , you can refresh the proposed field list.

7. Go to the Fields tab page.

   Here you edit the fields that you have taken over from the Proposal tab page to the DataSource's field list.

   If the system detects changes between the proposal and the field list when switching from the Proposal tab to the Fields tab, a dialog box is displayed where you can specify whether you want to copy changes from the proposal to the field list.

   1. Under Transfer, specify the decision-relevant DataSource fields that you want to be available for extraction and transferred to BW.

   2. Change the data type of the field if necessary.

   3. Specify the key fields of the DataSource.

      These fields are generated as a secondary index in the PSA. This is important to ensure good performance for data transfer process selections, in particular with semantic grouping.

   4. Specify whether lowercase is supported.

   5. Specify whether the source provides the data in the internal or external format.

      Note

      Data Services can deliver data in the SAP internal format.

   6. If you choose the external format, make sure that the output length of the field (external length) is correct. Change the entries if necessary.

   7. If necessary, specify a conversion routine that converts data from an external format into an internal format.

   8. Select the fields that you want to be able to set selection criteria for when scheduling a data request using an InfoPackage. Data for this type of field is transferred in accordance with the selection criteria specified in the InfoPackage.

   9. Choose the selection options (such as EQ, BT) that you want to be available for selection in the InfoPackage.

   10. Under Field Type, specify whether the data to be selected is language-dependent or time-dependent, as required.

8. Check, save and activate the DataSource.

The DataSource is created and is visible in the Data Warehousing Workbench in the DataSource overview for the Data Services source system in the application component. When you activate the DataSource, the system generates a PSA table and a transfer program.

In SAP Data Services Designer, you now see that the table has been imported to the repository (if it had not already been imported to the datastore when the DataSource was created).

You can now create an InfoPackage. You define the selections for the data request in the InfoPackage. The data can be loaded into the inbound layer of the BW system, the PSA.