Building a reporting system based on SAP HANA
Introduction
The article shows the experience of using the SAP HANA platform to optimize the reporting system of a large construction company. The project was implemented by specialists Return on Intelligence (ROI) - SAP business partner. ROI is an international high-tech services company. We provide technology solutions consulting, systems integration and commercial software development. Our solutions provide maximum growth, competitive advantages, increased profits and reduced complexity of business processes.
For 15 years, more than 200 international companies operating in the fields of insurance, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications and the public sector have become our clients.
The company brings together more than 800 professionals working in development centers in St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Riga and Dnepropetrovsk. Headquarters Return on Intelligence is located in the United States.
Return on Intelligence works in cooperation with SAP, which is confirmed by the presence of SAP PartnerEdge Partner, VAR-reseller and Consulting Services Partner statuses. As a member of the SAP PartnerEdge partner program (modeling, development, sale, implementation, maintenance and support of SAP solutions), Return on Intelligence, Inc. (ROI) is involved in developing solutions that enable customers to acquire and retain a significant competitive advantage in their industry. Using best practices, industry models, methods, tools, technologies and frameworks enables ROI clients to rethink and improve their way of doing business.
SAP's focus on technology, industry and region is fully consistent with our skills, priorities and strengths.
• We are a global partner in implementing SAP Camilion, SAP Claims and FS-CD insurance solutions.
• Our company is a global expert in the field of insurance.
• We are insurance advisory analytics experts (BOBJ and HANA)
• We have highly qualified software developers who provide product development services directly to SAP
1. SAP HANA Platform: Technical Information - Overview
SAP HANA is a modern in-memory platform for real-time analytic and transactional applications. SAP HANA enables organizations to analyze business transactions using a large amount of diverse, detailed data. The first implementations of SAP applications based on SAP HANA showed that the system response time when business users work is a fraction of a second, which opens up new business opportunities.
SAP HANA takes full advantage of state-of-the-art hardware technologies, combining data storage across columns, mass-parallel processing (MPP) and in-memory calculations thanks to an optimized software structure.
The SAP HANA software package is a flexible, multi-purpose and data source-independent software package based on “In-memory” technology, which integrates SAP software components optimized for the hardware of the world's leading vendors - SAP partners - Cisco, Dell, IBM, HP, Fujitsu and Hitachi Data Systems.
')
Through a combination of online data analysis and online transaction processing technologies in a single SAP HANA database, you can create a complete infrastructure for processing corporate data received from transactional systems, business analysis, decision support and planning systems. Real-time analytic and real-time operational applications, including scheduling, can be performed in conjunction with other operations.
2. Business is a problem
The customer of the solution is a large construction company with a net income of more than $ 70 million per year. The company has been on the market for over 100 years and provides services in various sectors of the economy. The main areas of work: infrastructure work, energy and mining industry. Over its long history, the company has built a large network of customers and suppliers. As a result of the vigorous activity, a large number of heterogeneous information systems appeared within the company, which ceased to perform their main task - to speed up and simplify the work of the company's employees. During the restructuring of the IT infrastructure, it was decided to create a centralized reporting system. At the time of integration, the customer already had other SAP products: ERP, CRM, SRM, BW, and it’s quite logical that when choosing a solution, the choice was on the SAP technological stack of products.
The existing infrastructure was complex and was characterized by the following:
1. lack of master data
2. 4 separate reporting systems without a single entry point
3. over 600 different reports with overlapping areas and inconsistent data
4. low productivity
5. the increasing complexity and cost of support
3. Technology and architecture
The main business processes and reporting system, in general, are uniform in most companies, in particular, if a solution from SAP is used as a process management system and interaction with partners.
The following products were selected for solving the problems of storage, transfer, preparation and presentation of data:
1) SAP HANA
2) SAP Business Object (BObj) Data Services as an ETL tool and data quality control tool
3) SAP BObj Rapid Marts as a metadata layer for standard reports
4) SAP BObj BI 4.1 as the main visualization tool.
The primary task was to build the main data warehouse (Data Warehouse) in which the master data should be stored in the organization of quality, data integrity and reconnection - checking the correctness / consistency of the transfer. It is worth noting that SAP HANA was used to create a master data warehouse only for information that is not stored in ERP and BW for various reasons, for example, data obtained from systems of partner companies that are not directly related to the organization’s operations, but are interesting from an analytic point of view ... Thus, all the necessary data could be obtained from two sources: SAP HANA and SAP BW (SAP BW would be configured to use SAP HANA as an internal repository).
All data has been transferred, consolidated and verified; it is time to create metadata models that are understandable and convenient for use by business professionals.
A reflection of the business model speaking to users in a business language is universes. To accelerate integration, most universes for the reporting system were delivered through SAP Rapid Marts. Rapid Marts automatically generates universes for standard processes and reports based on SAP system configurations and data. For data that was uploaded to HANA from 3 systems, universes were built manually through the SAP BObj Information Design Tool. IDT is a special tool from SAP that allows you to create the necessary links between the data required for reporting, as well as select and redefine the fields of the storage tables into clear expressions in a convenient graphical interface.
It is clear that standard Rapid Marts universes could not cover all needs and were decently complemented by the development team. Company-specific facts and measurements were made.
4. Results and benefits
After 8 months of development, results appeared in the form of optimized processes, a consistent data warehouse, as well as decision-making tools in the form of beautiful graphs, interactive reports and information panels. BObj BI Web Intelligence and Dashboard Designer with the ability to create interactive reports and dashboards of varying complexity and having all the necessary tools, such as detailing, consolidation, creating parameterized sections, were chosen as visualization systems.
As a result, about 400 reporting forms were built in various views with the ability to access through the corporate portal, a reporting system with the additional advantages of self-parameterization, and a new way of accessing the reporting system through mobile devices appeared.
My impression of the approach and use of components during implementation is more positive.
1. HANA integrates perfectly with all used SAP components.
2. The absence of an additional ETL process for building a multidimensional model. At HANA, it was implemented logically and was executed almost instantly due to its architecture, which reduced the data latency to zero. And also did not create new data.
3. Analytical models (Analytical views) were built on the HANA platform, which allowed using data in the reporting system directly, almost without changing the metadata model.
4. All data required for reporting is available in SAP BObj and is easy to associate.
5. “Heavy” calculations were transferred from the BI platform to SAP HANA, which performs such calculations several times faster.
6. Filtering is one of the main operations when generating reports; SAP HANA works much faster due to column data storage.
Certain difficulties that we encountered during the data preparation and deployment of the infrastructure, such as the coordination of the granularity of various sources, the lack of some specific functionality in the reporting system that was present in the old systems, the organization of the testing process, should be noted. However, these difficulties did not affect the final result and overall customer satisfaction.
To summarize, I believe that for a business that thinks about the performance of its reporting systems, modern in terms of design, fast and convenient reporting system, it is worth looking at the advantages offered by HANA in combination with visualization tools.
Additional information on the technologies and programs used can be found on the following resources:
http://go.sap.com/partner.html - SAP Affiliate Portal
http://hana.sap.com/ - SAP HANA portal
http://go.sap.com/solution/platform-technology/business-intelligence.html - SAP BusinessObjects
http://www.sap.com/pc/tech/data-warehousing/software/netweaver-business-warehouse/index.html -SAP BW
www.sap.com/pc/tech/enterprise-information-management/software/data-services/index.html - SAP Data Sevices
http://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center - SAP Developer Center
The article shows the experience of using the SAP HANA platform to optimize the reporting system of a large construction company. The project was implemented by specialists Return on Intelligence (ROI) - SAP business partner. ROI is an international high-tech services company. We provide technology solutions consulting, systems integration and commercial software development. Our solutions provide maximum growth, competitive advantages, increased profits and reduced complexity of business processes.
For 15 years, more than 200 international companies operating in the fields of insurance, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications and the public sector have become our clients.
The company brings together more than 800 professionals working in development centers in St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Riga and Dnepropetrovsk. Headquarters Return on Intelligence is located in the United States.
Return on Intelligence works in cooperation with SAP, which is confirmed by the presence of SAP PartnerEdge Partner, VAR-reseller and Consulting Services Partner statuses. As a member of the SAP PartnerEdge partner program (modeling, development, sale, implementation, maintenance and support of SAP solutions), Return on Intelligence, Inc. (ROI) is involved in developing solutions that enable customers to acquire and retain a significant competitive advantage in their industry. Using best practices, industry models, methods, tools, technologies and frameworks enables ROI clients to rethink and improve their way of doing business.
SAP's focus on technology, industry and region is fully consistent with our skills, priorities and strengths.
• We are a global partner in implementing SAP Camilion, SAP Claims and FS-CD insurance solutions.
• Our company is a global expert in the field of insurance.
• We are insurance advisory analytics experts (BOBJ and HANA)
• We have highly qualified software developers who provide product development services directly to SAP
1. SAP HANA Platform: Technical Information - Overview
SAP HANA is a modern in-memory platform for real-time analytic and transactional applications. SAP HANA enables organizations to analyze business transactions using a large amount of diverse, detailed data. The first implementations of SAP applications based on SAP HANA showed that the system response time when business users work is a fraction of a second, which opens up new business opportunities.
SAP HANA takes full advantage of state-of-the-art hardware technologies, combining data storage across columns, mass-parallel processing (MPP) and in-memory calculations thanks to an optimized software structure.
The SAP HANA software package is a flexible, multi-purpose and data source-independent software package based on “In-memory” technology, which integrates SAP software components optimized for the hardware of the world's leading vendors - SAP partners - Cisco, Dell, IBM, HP, Fujitsu and Hitachi Data Systems.
')
Through a combination of online data analysis and online transaction processing technologies in a single SAP HANA database, you can create a complete infrastructure for processing corporate data received from transactional systems, business analysis, decision support and planning systems. Real-time analytic and real-time operational applications, including scheduling, can be performed in conjunction with other operations.
2. Business is a problem
The customer of the solution is a large construction company with a net income of more than $ 70 million per year. The company has been on the market for over 100 years and provides services in various sectors of the economy. The main areas of work: infrastructure work, energy and mining industry. Over its long history, the company has built a large network of customers and suppliers. As a result of the vigorous activity, a large number of heterogeneous information systems appeared within the company, which ceased to perform their main task - to speed up and simplify the work of the company's employees. During the restructuring of the IT infrastructure, it was decided to create a centralized reporting system. At the time of integration, the customer already had other SAP products: ERP, CRM, SRM, BW, and it’s quite logical that when choosing a solution, the choice was on the SAP technological stack of products.
The existing infrastructure was complex and was characterized by the following:
1. lack of master data
2. 4 separate reporting systems without a single entry point
3. over 600 different reports with overlapping areas and inconsistent data
4. low productivity
5. the increasing complexity and cost of support
3. Technology and architecture
The main business processes and reporting system, in general, are uniform in most companies, in particular, if a solution from SAP is used as a process management system and interaction with partners.
The following products were selected for solving the problems of storage, transfer, preparation and presentation of data:
1) SAP HANA
2) SAP Business Object (BObj) Data Services as an ETL tool and data quality control tool
3) SAP BObj Rapid Marts as a metadata layer for standard reports
4) SAP BObj BI 4.1 as the main visualization tool.
The primary task was to build the main data warehouse (Data Warehouse) in which the master data should be stored in the organization of quality, data integrity and reconnection - checking the correctness / consistency of the transfer. It is worth noting that SAP HANA was used to create a master data warehouse only for information that is not stored in ERP and BW for various reasons, for example, data obtained from systems of partner companies that are not directly related to the organization’s operations, but are interesting from an analytic point of view ... Thus, all the necessary data could be obtained from two sources: SAP HANA and SAP BW (SAP BW would be configured to use SAP HANA as an internal repository).
All data has been transferred, consolidated and verified; it is time to create metadata models that are understandable and convenient for use by business professionals.
A reflection of the business model speaking to users in a business language is universes. To accelerate integration, most universes for the reporting system were delivered through SAP Rapid Marts. Rapid Marts automatically generates universes for standard processes and reports based on SAP system configurations and data. For data that was uploaded to HANA from 3 systems, universes were built manually through the SAP BObj Information Design Tool. IDT is a special tool from SAP that allows you to create the necessary links between the data required for reporting, as well as select and redefine the fields of the storage tables into clear expressions in a convenient graphical interface.
It is clear that standard Rapid Marts universes could not cover all needs and were decently complemented by the development team. Company-specific facts and measurements were made.
4. Results and benefits
After 8 months of development, results appeared in the form of optimized processes, a consistent data warehouse, as well as decision-making tools in the form of beautiful graphs, interactive reports and information panels. BObj BI Web Intelligence and Dashboard Designer with the ability to create interactive reports and dashboards of varying complexity and having all the necessary tools, such as detailing, consolidation, creating parameterized sections, were chosen as visualization systems.
As a result, about 400 reporting forms were built in various views with the ability to access through the corporate portal, a reporting system with the additional advantages of self-parameterization, and a new way of accessing the reporting system through mobile devices appeared.
My impression of the approach and use of components during implementation is more positive.
1. HANA integrates perfectly with all used SAP components.
2. The absence of an additional ETL process for building a multidimensional model. At HANA, it was implemented logically and was executed almost instantly due to its architecture, which reduced the data latency to zero. And also did not create new data.
3. Analytical models (Analytical views) were built on the HANA platform, which allowed using data in the reporting system directly, almost without changing the metadata model.
4. All data required for reporting is available in SAP BObj and is easy to associate.
5. “Heavy” calculations were transferred from the BI platform to SAP HANA, which performs such calculations several times faster.
6. Filtering is one of the main operations when generating reports; SAP HANA works much faster due to column data storage.
Certain difficulties that we encountered during the data preparation and deployment of the infrastructure, such as the coordination of the granularity of various sources, the lack of some specific functionality in the reporting system that was present in the old systems, the organization of the testing process, should be noted. However, these difficulties did not affect the final result and overall customer satisfaction.
To summarize, I believe that for a business that thinks about the performance of its reporting systems, modern in terms of design, fast and convenient reporting system, it is worth looking at the advantages offered by HANA in combination with visualization tools.
Additional information on the technologies and programs used can be found on the following resources:
http://go.sap.com/partner.html - SAP Affiliate Portal
http://hana.sap.com/ - SAP HANA portal
http://go.sap.com/solution/platform-technology/business-intelligence.html - SAP BusinessObjects
http://www.sap.com/pc/tech/data-warehousing/software/netweaver-business-warehouse/index.html -SAP BW
www.sap.com/pc/tech/enterprise-information-management/software/data-services/index.html - SAP Data Sevices
http://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center - SAP Developer Center
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/252539/
All Articles