In today’s data-driven business landscape, managing and making sense of vast amounts of information scattered across various systems and data sources plays a crucial role in an organization’s success.
This is where SAP Smart Data Integration (SDI) sets itself apart.
This article will discuss the key features and capabilities of SAP Smart Data Integration, the main things to consider when implementing the SDI solution, and where our team of SAP consultants can come in to help.
Read on to learn more!
What is SAP SDI (Smart Data Integration)?
SAP Smart Data Integration (SDI) is an extract, transfer, load (ETL) tool designed to help users support data transformation, integration, and replication tasks more efficiently and connect data from a wide range of source systems in one place — the SAP HANA database.
With its unified framework for connecting and extracting data from separate data sources, such as data lakes, databases, and streaming platforms, organizations can integrate data from various sources into their SAP system in real-time, with improved accuracy and reliability.
The SAP HANA Smart Data Integration tool makes it easier for organizations to access, view, and cleanse data from multiple data sources, gain more holistic insight into smart data quality management processes, and integrate data across the entire SAP environment for better connection, collaboration, and visibility.
Step-by-Step Guide to Implement SDI with SAP HANA Cloud
- Install, configure, and register the DP Agent in the HANA system.
- Select a SPA HANA Data Provisioning Adapter to connect different areas of your SAP HANA Cloud environment.
- Add a remote source to the cloud environment and access through the Database Explorer tool.
- Create user-provided services to access virtual tables and the classic schema in the SAP HANA Cloud environment.
- Outline virtual tables and flow graphs to better visualize the data sources.
- Create and schedule a replication task if no transformation of data occurs.
- Leverage SDI replication tasks and flow graphs to replicate the data physically.
Key Features of the SAP Smart Data Integration Tool
Here are a few of the main features that make SAP Smart Data Integration worthwhile for customers:
- Real-time data provisioning, bulk data movement, and federation tools
- Built-in adapters and a software development kit (SDK) to build custom adapters
- Transformations in SAP Web IDE and SAP HANA Web-based Development Workbench to configure real-time or batch data transformation scenarios
- Data provisioning agents to host provisioning adapters and enable data federation, transformation, and federation for SAP HANA on-premise and cloud deployments
- Monitoring agents to oversee remote subscriptions, data loads, and data transformations
- Replication Editor to set up batch or real-time data replication scenarios in an easy-to-use web application, like SAP Web IDE or the Web-based Development Workbench
10 Things to Consider When Configuring Data Integration
1) Privilege and Role Assignment
This involves adding roles and privileges to user profiles to assign tasks and provide the right resources for users to perform such tasks and complete objectives.
2) Data Provisioning Server Configuration
By enabling the Provisioning Server, users can establish specific configuration parameters and leverage multiple configuration options to initiate SAP HANA Smart Data Integration functions.
3) Data Provisioning Delivery Unit Deployment
Users can download the Data Provisioning Delivery Unit and deploy it across the system to acquire and manage proxy, monitoring, and administration applications and facilitate better communication between all areas of the SAP environment.
4) Data Provisioning Agent Installation
Organizations can manage and maintain secure connectivity between the SAP HANA system and their other on-premise or cloud-based solutions with a functional DP Agent.
5) Data Provisioning Agent Configuration
Before users can use Data Provisioning Adapters to connect data sources or create remote sources, they must configure the Data Provisioning Agent to meet requirements and align with predefined configuration parameters.
6) Data Provisioning Adapter Registration
Once the Provisioning Agent has been configured, users must register their adapters to ensure proper assignment and connection to source systems.
7) Remote Source Creation
By leveraging SAP HANA Smart Data Integration tools, users can set up an adapter to establish connections to the source database and a remote source to configure and maintain the connection between systems.
8) Data Provisioning Monitoring Setup
After SAP HANA Smart Data Integration has been configured and installed, companies must complete multiple tasks to enable monitoring user interfaces for remote subscriptions and Data Provisioning Agents and assign roles to users responsible for performing such tasks.
9) Enterprise Semantic Service Enablement
With Enterprise Semantic Services, users can leverage an application programming interface (API) connection to search for run-time objects and publication artifacts based on metadata in SAP HANA.
10) SAP HANA SDI REST API Enablement
Users can leverage the pre-built SAP HANA Smart Data Integration REST API to process data, facilitate interactive data transformation processes, and execute and monitor flow graphs.
SAP SDI vs SAP SDQ — What’s the Difference?
On the one hand, SAP HANA Smart Data Integration provides a unified framework for extracting and connecting data from traditional and modern source systems to give organizations a more comprehensive view of their data and optimize business processes across the board.
On the other hand, SAP Smart Data Quality (SDQ) focuses on ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data by providing features that collect, cleanse, and validate data and enhance consistency across multiple smart data quality sources.
How Can We Help?
Whether you need help designing a smart data integration path that meets your needs, an extra hand managing and supporting high-volume data loads across teams, or additional support configuring your SDI Data Provisioning Server to ensure requirements are met, Surety Systems is here to help.
Our team of senior-level, US-based SAP consultants has you covered! From data management to data replication, integration, configuration, and everything in between, our expert consultants have the skills and experience you need to tackle any project and support your team through it all.
Contact us today for more information!
