Highest data quality, a Single Source of Truth and immediate access for the entire organisation through our data platform
Vivara
SAP S/4HANA Power BI dashboard
We make SAP S/4HANA data accessible via CDS views, a connector or a data platform, with a single Power BI model on top. We’ve previously made SAP data accessible for Vivara.
Every day, the data platform we built for Vivara pulls data from SAP and other sources
Vivara wanted its data available in one central location, with the highest data quality. Our data platform pulls data daily from sources such as SAP, Magento and Sharepoint and stores it in Azure Databricks. The case study does not say which SAP product Vivara uses.
How does SAP S/4HANA data get into Power BI, and will that route hold up?
Finance and supply chain teams want to see the same figures in Power BI as they do in SAP. There are several documented routes: CDS views via OData, Power BI’s SAP connectors, or a data platform. The right choice depends on data volumes, access permissions and what SAP allows.
CDS views, a data platform and a single model for finance and logistics
CDS views as a source
We use S/4HANA CDS views as a source and, where needed, publish them as an OData service via SAP Gateway.
A data platform in between
For large volumes, we first load S/4HANA data into a data platform. Our platform for Vivara, for example, retrieves data from SAP daily.
One set of definitions
We define revenue, margin, inventory and open items once in the model, both by company code and on a consolidated basis.
The same access rights as in SAP
If you cannot see a company code in SAP, you cannot see it in Power BI either. We manage this with row-level security.
We agree the extraction route with the SAP administration team before we start building
-
Agree the route
Together with your SAP administration team, we choose the route: OData on CDS views, an SAP connector or a data platform.
-
Source and model
We make the views accessible, build the model and check the figures against the reports in SAP.
-
Go live with ongoing management
The load schedule, gateway, permissions and monitoring go live, with a designated owner on both the SAP and Power BI sides.
Does our SAP landscape justify a separate Power BI layer alongside S/4HANA?
A good fit if
You run S/4HANA with multiple company codes or use it alongside other data sources, and your organisation already works with Power BI and Microsoft 365.
Not a good fit if
The analyses within SAP are sufficient and no one needs SAP data alongside other sources. In that case, a second reporting layer mainly adds maintenance work.
What determines the scope
How many company codes and modules are included, whether standard CDS views are sufficient or custom views are needed, the data volumes, the extraction method and who manages the model.
Does SAP allow this extraction?
Microsoft points to SAP Note 3255746 in its documentation, which blocks calls from external tools to the ODP RFC API. SAP or your SAP partner can answer licensing questions; we choose an approach that complies with those requirements.
OData on CDS views, a SAP connector in Power BI, or a data platform first?
OData on CDS views
Choose this if you need a limited number of views and your SAP team can publish and manage services in SAP Gateway.
A SAP connector
Choose this if you already use SAP BW or can connect directly to SAP HANA. Power BI has connectors for both.
A data platform
Choose this if SAP is one of several data sources and you want to build up historical data. Our advice: decide how to extract the data together with your SAP administration team, as you would when setting up an Azure data platform.
We’ve previously made SAP data accessible through a data platform with Power BI on top
Data Science Lab has worked with data and AI since 2016 and is a Databricks Partner and Microsoft Partner. For Vivara, we built a data platform using SAP among other sources; for Ammega, we built Power BI dashboards and a Power BI app.
Your SAP landscape and preferred extraction route are the focus of our first conversation
Stef Stoelwinder
Business DevelopmentStef is your first point of contact. In our first conversation, we’ll discuss your SAP landscape, the reports you need and which extraction route is right for your organisation.
E-mail info@datasciencelab.nl
Phone +31 (0)20 3636 724
Which S/4HANA figures would you like to see alongside your other data sources in Power BI?
Describe your SAP landscape, the modules and the reports you currently produce. We’ll reply by email or suggest an initial meeting.
Message sent
Thanks for your message. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
There are three documented routes: publish CDS views as an OData service and read them with Power BI’s OData connector; use Power BI’s SAP HANA or SAP BW connector; or first retrieve the data through a data platform. We choose a route with your SAP administrators and build the model around it.
From business question to report: see Power BI dashboards.
CDS views are data models in the ABAP component of S/4HANA. Add the annotation OData.publish: true and activate the view, and the system creates the runtime objects for SAP Gateway. You can then register and test the service.
According to Microsoft, ABAP CDS views are the new standard for extracting data from SAP S/4HANA.
For SAP HANA, there is a database connector that requires an SAP HANA ODBC driver and supports import or DirectQuery. For SAP BW, there are Application Server and Message Server connectors, which require SAP .NET Connector 3.0 or 3.1. You can read OData services with the OData connector.
If SAP runs on-premises, the connection goes through an on-premises data gateway.
Microsoft reports that, for the SAP CDC connector in Azure Data Factory, this SAP Note blocks calls from external tools to the ODP RFC API, including calls from that connector. Microsoft advises reading the note before installing it.
As an alternative, Microsoft mentions a Copy Job in Fabric with an ABAP add-on, which does not use the ODP RFC API. Direct licensing questions to SAP or your SAP partner.
When you need to refresh large tables frequently, retain historical data or combine SAP with other sources, as Vivara does with SAP, Magento and Sharepoint. Power BI then reads from the platform rather than directly from SAP.
Read how we set up such a platform under data and AI platform.
The data-loading step connects using a SAP user account. Choose a technical account with only the read permissions the reports need. In Power BI, row-level security ensures that a controller sees only their own company codes.
We cover permissions for each workspace and app under Power BI consultant.
Typically, profit and loss and balance sheets by company code, outstanding receivables, inventory and turnover rates, sales by customer and item, and purchases by supplier — often alongside data from other systems. See also the financial dashboard in Power BI.
For smaller environments, read about SAP Business One and Dynamics NAV in Power BI.
When people already use the analyses in SAP itself and nobody needs SAP data alongside other sources. Or when master data is structured differently across company codes: get those foundations right first; see data quality.
If a lighter solution is enough, we’ll say so.