1. Core Concepts
What is SAP Datasphere?
- SAP Datasphere = SAP’s unified data management + data warehousing + data modeling platform in SAP BTP.
- Successor to SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC).
- Combines semantic modeling + virtualization + governance + cataloging.
Key Layers
- Data Integration Layer – Data flows, connections, replication.
- Data Modeling Layer – Views, entities, analytical models.
- Business Modeling Layer – BW-like semantics.
- Consumption Layer – BI tools like SAC, Power BI, Tableau.
2. Key Components
a) Spaces
- Logical containers for data modeling.
- Allow quota management (memory, storage).
- Enable decentralized modeling and data governance.
b) Connections
- Connect to SAP & non-SAP sources:
- SAP S/4HANA
- SAP BW/4HANA
- SAP ECC
- JDBC, OData, Data Federation
- Types: Cloud, On-Premise via DP Agent, Live, Remote Table Replication
c) Data Builder
Used for:
- Creating Tables, Views, Graphical Views, SQL Views
- Remote tables
- Data Flows
- Business entities
d) Business Builder
- Semantic modeling layer for:
- Business Entities
- Business Data Models
- Analytical Models
- Uses rich metadata: consumption behavior, measures, attributes.
e) Datasphere Catalog
- Enterprise-wide metadata discovery
- Lineage and impact analysis
- Classification & governance integration
3. Datasphere vs BW/4HANA
| Feature | SAP BW/4HANA | SAP Datasphere |
|---|---|---|
| Modeling | Rigid / IT-driven | Federated & business-driven |
| Storage | Requires data loading | Supports virtualization via remote tables |
| Semantics | InfoObjects, ADSOs | Business Entities, BDM |
| Integration | Mostly SAP | SAP + Non-SAP cloud-native |
| Consumption | BEx/SAC | SAC, Power BI, Tableau, Python |
4. Datasphere Modeling
Model Types
- Tables
- Views
- Graphical
- SQL
- Analytical Models (replacement for BW Queries)
- Business Entities
- Relational Datasets
Key Concepts
- Remote Table: Virtualized data from source.
- Replication Flow: Load + sync data into Datasphere.
- Data Flow: ETL transformation pipeline.
- Analytical Model = Measures + Associations + Dimensions.
5. Integration
SAP S/4HANA → Datasphere
- Live access via InA protocol
- Remote tables via ODP
- Replication flows (Change Data Capture)
SAP BW → Datasphere
- BW Bridge
- Import InfoProvider metadata
- Migrate BW queries → Datasphere Analytical Models
3rd Party Tools
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Databricks
- Snowflake
- JDBC / OData connections
6. Security & Governance
- Role-based privileges
- Space-level access
- Connection credential policies
- Data masking
- Lineage tracking
Key Objects:
- Technical Roles (Admin, Modeler, Viewer)
- Business Roles
- Row-level security in Analytical Models
7. Performance Optimization
- Push-down of SQL to remote sources
- Use of caching
- Denormalizing models where necessary
- Using replication for high-performance analytical workloads
- Optimized joins using associations instead of unions
- Columnar in-memory storage
8. Common Real-Time Scenario Questions
1. How do you model data from multiple SAP/Non-SAP systems?
- Use Remote Tables → Combine with Graphical or SQL Views → Publish as Business Entity → Build Analytical Model.
2. How to migrate BW models to Datasphere?
- Use BW Bridge
- Migrate InfoProviders → Build semantic layer in Business Builder
- Replace BEx Queries with Analytical Models
3. When to choose replication vs virtualization?
- Replication: High performance reporting, heavy transformations
- Virtualization: Real-time data access, minimal storage
4. How does Datasphere ensure governance?
- Metadata catalog
- Data lineage
- Classification & tagging
- Semantic-rich Business Entities
9. Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions
- What is SAP Datasphere?
- Explain Spaces and why they are used.
- Difference between Data Builder and Business Builder.
- What is an Analytical Model?
- What are Remote Tables?
- What is BW Bridge?
- Difference between Datasphere and BW/4HANA.
- What is a Replication Flow?
- When to use Data Flow vs Replication Flow?
- How do you implement row-level security?
- What is the role of the Catalog?
- What are Business Data Models?
- Difference between associations and joins.
- How does Datasphere integrate with SAC?
- Explain Data Federation vs Data Replication.
- How do you optimize model performance?
- SAP Datasphere vs SAP HANA Cloud.
- Explain semantic modeling in Datasphere.
- What is change data capture (CDC) in Datasphere?
- Steps to build an end-to-end data pipeline.
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