Scenario
You ingest data from:
- SAP S/4HANA
- SAP ECC
- Non-SAP systems
Now you must design models for analytics.
👉 Question: Should everything be directly exposed to business users?
Answer: No. That’s where Technical Models and Business Models differ.
🔹 1️⃣ Technical Models (Foundation Layer)
✅ Purpose
Designed for:
- Data preparation
- Transformation
- Cleansing
- Joins
- Harmonization
✅ Characteristics
- IT-owned
- May contain raw/replicated tables
- Complex joins
- Intermediate calculations
- Not directly exposed to business
✅ Example
- Join ACDOCA + master data
- Clean currency formats
- Apply transformation logic
Think of it as:
“Engineering layer”
🔹 2️⃣ Business Models (Semantic Layer)
✅ Purpose
Designed for:
- Business consumption
- KPI exposure
- Reporting
- Self-service analytics
✅ Characteristics
- Business-friendly names
- Defined measures (Revenue, Margin)
- Controlled dimensions
- Aggregation logic
- Security applied
✅ Example
Instead of:
- ACDOCA, BKPF, BSEG
Business sees:
- Revenue
- Cost
- Profit by Region
Think of it as:
“Consumption-ready layer”
🧱 Layered Architecture View
Source Systems ↓ Data Replication ↓ Technical Model (Joins, Transformations) ↓ Business Model (KPIs, Dimensions) ↓ SAP Analytics Cloud / APIs
⚖️ Key Differences
| Technical Model | Business Model |
|---|---|
| IT-focused | Business-focused |
| Complex joins | Simplified view |
| May expose raw fields | Only meaningful attributes |
| Not user-facing | Directly consumed |
| Performance optimization focus | Semantic clarity focus |
⚠️ Common Mistake
❌ Exposing Technical Models directly to SAC
Leads to:
- Confusion
- KPI inconsistency
- Performance issues
🧠 Architect-Level Insight
In BDC:
- Technical models ensure performance & correctness
- Business models ensure trust & usability
- Clear separation improves governance & scalability
🎯 30-Second Interview Answer
In SAP Business Data Cloud, Technical Models are IT-owned data preparation layers used for transformations, joins, and harmonization, while Business Models are semantic, consumption-ready models exposing standardized KPIs and dimensions to end users. This separation ensures performance optimization, governance, and consistent enterprise reporting.