In this post, we would scratch the surface of CDS Views in S/4 HANA. In the subsequent post in the series, we would dig deeper into this new concept and its practical usage and technicalities.
We all know SAP is offering S/4HANA Product as:
- On-premise
- Cloud version
In S/4HANA On-Premise system, we can access all the database tables to fetch the data and display the data in any format just like we used to do before in ABAP.
But in S/4HANA Cloud System, we won’t be having access to the database tables. Only the Standard CDS views delivered by SAP are available, which are developed on top of the database tables.
What are CDS views?
CDS (Core Data Services) views are built on top of the existing database tables and views, to provide an efficient way of data modeling.
Apart from the Standard CDS Views offered by SAP, one can create their own Custom CDS Views by combining (joining) various relevant CDS views.
If you have access to S/4HANA Cloud System, you can see the Custom CDS Views Fiori App which can be used to create the custom CDS views and also to access all the standard CDS views provided by SAP.
Sample screenshot from the S/4HANA Cloud system Fiori Launchpad where you can find the Apps is shown below:
Note: You need to have the Business role BR_ADMINISTRATOR, assigned to your user in order to access these Custom CDS View App.
If you do not have access to S/4HANA Cloud system, you can get the 14-day free trial version from SAP, by registering in the URL given below:
Free Trial S/4 HANA Cloud System
Once you register you can access the S/4HANA Cloud System Fiori Launchpad, and appreciate the look and feel of all Fiori Apps delivered by SAP along with detailed explanation of each component.
Please Note: The Custom CDS View App is NOT part of the free trial account offering. You can access it only if you have a licensed system.
- When you first log into your trial S/4 HANA Cloud System, you would be greeted with the below screen.
- By default, you would have a My Learning Tile. You can go through the materials regarding SAP S4/HANA.
- You can click Home any time to see all the Fiori apps listed, as shown below.
- Execute any App and play around to see the functionality of each.
HOW IS CDS VIEWS DIFFERENT BETWEEN ON-PREMISE AND S/4 HANA ON CLOUD?
- If you are using the S/4HANA On-Premise System, you can access all the CDS Views released by SAP either from Fiori Launchpad or from Eclipse or HANA Studio, by adding the system in ABAP Development Perspective, as shown in the below figure:
- But, if you are using the S/4HANA Cloud System, you can access the CDS Views only from Fiori Launchpad, as shown below.
Just like standard Fiori Apps, SAP is continuously releasing new Standard CDS Views in their quarterly releases, based on the requirement and the road-map they follow.
Recommendation: SAP recommends using only released CDS Views, since they may change (add/remove fields) the structure of the CDS View over a period of time before making the View as released.
