1.HANA Architecture:
- Application Layer: comprises of SAP HANA Studio, SAP BW Studio, SAP BO Products, other client, administration and developer tools based on eclipse. Admin services like start stop DB service, system monitoring, system parameter settings, user management store, configure of audit logs.
- External Components: Data replication(SAP BODS, SAP SLT(SAP Landscape Transformation), R system(server for R language). Replicates data in real time from any sap system to HANA and is a trigger based tool.
- Data Preparation: it supports access to data models, client package for MS excel, data is accessed via Excel, UI for information access, browser based search tool for tables and data models. Information composer for creation of simple analytical views.
- HANA Components: SAP HANA client interface, Software update manager(SUM is an engine to connect HANA database to SAP support), SAP host agent, SAP HANA database R client. HANA is a relational database RDBMS and has good recovery and backup options, it supports SQL standards and ensures ACID(Atomic, Consistent, Isolated, Durable)principles for executed transactions.
- Hana Client Interface: connector via network protocol, supporting ODBC and JDBS for SQL based access. Supporting OBDC for MDX based access, Supporting Http access via XS engine as well.
- HANA Functional Libraries: its based on C++ application function libraries(AFL) and additional manual installation. Used for doing further analytics on top of data.
- Life Cycle Management: on site configuration tool for installation of HANA system and for transportation. Sap host agent for central monitoring, SUM for deploying SPS and patches, support for remote OSS access.
- HANA Support: SAP support, SAP service marketplace this is used for keeping the software updated.
2. Evolution of HANA and S/4 HANA
- 2011: SAP HANA(In memory database platform)
- 2012: SAP Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA(Real-time Analysis and Real-time Reporting)
- 2013: SAP Business Suite Powered by SAP HANA(ERP on HANA, Real time business, OLAP and OLTP, Enterprise cloud)
- 2014: SAP simple finance powered by SAP HANA(Instant financial insight, no aggregations, single source of truth)
- 2015: SAP S/4 HANA(Simplified data model, New user experience, Advanced processing, Choice of deployment). It is a 4th gen product named as S/4 where S stands for simplified.
- Versions are 1511, 1610, 1709, 1809, 1909(here 19 is 2019 and 09 is month September)
3. Simple Finance and Simple Logistics:
- In order to enhance finance and logistics and the overall ERP SAP brought out Simple Finance and Simple Logistics as part of their initial release. In later releases, more and more modules were added Simple Finance and Simple Logistics were later called as S/4 Finance and S/4 Logistics.
- The number of system tables, their structure and names has significantly changed.
- Changes in table structure of S/4 HANA:
No Pool / Cluster tables — All tables are transparent tables.
No Aggregate Tables
No Index tables - Less number of tables which might have more columns and less redundant data.
- The old table names can still be used and are present as consumption views only.
- To get the actual benefit of S/4 HANA, we need to use new table names and hence this affects the ABAP code.
4. Detailed Architecture of S/4 HANA
- Server is the Hardware part and it has 4 engines i.e the software part that runs on particular hardware part. Index is the most important engine.
- The Architecture is a combination of database and application layer, hence its called as HANA platform.
- Hybrid Transactional and Analytical Applications. Eg Smart business cockpit and Analytical apps and BI clients. Eg SAP Lumira [Goes to Application layer(Core data services/HANA views)]
- HANA Database(Physical Tables) receives details from hybrid transactional and analytical applications.
5. Features of S/4 HANA
- Simple Data Model: data structure is changed header table and line item data is present.
- Modern User Experience: use FIORI as frontend for user
- Innovative Business Solutions: SAP Leonardo where IOT and ML, Blockchain is combined.
- Choice of Deployment: any deployment model can be used on-premise, hybrid or cloud
- Non-disruptive journey: There is a way out to convert data from ECC to S/4 without losing the existing data of the business.
6. Terms used in S/4 HANA
- Business Suite on HANA(i.e. SOH(Suite on HANA): ECC is used on S/4 HANA.
- HANA Live — We can use built in views of SOH to create Standard Reports.
- Web IDE — FIORI/UI5/HANA/SAP Cloud Platform(SCP)(FrontEnd)
- Full Stack — Web IDE
- HANA Express(Student-Free)/Standard/Platform(Minimized) /Enterprise(Corporate)-DB Editions-1610
- SAP Leonardo — Big Data, IoT, ML, AI, Analytics, Blockchain, DT(Design Thinking)
- For all API’s refer: api.sap.com — Leonardo Services
-Sanjana