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Real Time Analytics with SAP Hana

Chapter 1. Kickoff – Before We Start

This chapter intends to provide context and background to set the base with which we can manipulate the datasets to be used for data modeling. This section tries to act as a refresher that should help you understand and pick up modeling topics faster in upcoming chapters.

We start the chapter with Structured Query Language (SQL)—how we can use it for controlling and manipulating the SAP HANA database objects and data. Then we move on to create SQLscript and learn how to use it effectively. We will also discuss creation and call of procedure step by step in this chapter, which is a good tool for the upcoming topics. We will end the chapter with a detailed discussion on JOINS and how it can be used for connecting tables in SAP HANA.

After completing this chapter you will be able to:

Understand and use SAP HANA SQL statements
Create SQLscript and use it
Create and call a procedure
Connect tables using SAP HANA specific JOINS

Introducing SAP HANA SQL

As stated, you will not learn SQL as a whole new concept, but will just revise the traditional SQL concepts at a glance and focus on a few new topics that are of importance from SAP HANA perspective. Our key focus here will be on the SAP HANA SQL script, creating procedures, and learning to create SAP HANA specific JOINS.

Classical SQL

SQL is used to retrieve, store, and manipulate data in the database. SQL can be studied under three subheads:

These subheads are explained as follows:

DDL: These statement that are used to define the data: create, alter, drop tables
DML: These statements are used to manipulate the data, select, deselect, insert, and update
DCL: These statements that are used to control the table, grant, and revoke

The followings are the elements of SQL:

Identifiers: These are used to represent names in SQL statements including table/view name, column name, username, role name and so on. There are two types of Identifiers: ordinary and delimited.

Data types: These define the characteristics of the data and its value. Data types in SQL are as follows:

Categories	Data type
Numeric	`float`, `real`, `integer`, `decimal`, `double`, `tinyint`, `small int`, and `small decimal`
Large	`blob`, `clob`, `nclob`, and `text`
Binary	`varbinary`
Character string	`varchar`, `nvarchar`, `alphanum`, and `shorttext`.
Date	`time`, `date`, `secondtime`, and `timestamp`

Expressions: These are clause evaluated to return values. We have different types of expressions in SQL. For example, if…then…..else (case expression) or nested queries (Select (Select ……)).
Functions: These are used in expressions for retrieving information from the database. We have a number of functions and data type conversion functions. The number functions take numeric values or alphanumeric/strings with numeric character values and return numeric values, whereas, data type conversion functions are used to convert arguments from one data type to another. For example, to_alphanum, concat, current_date, and so on.
Operators: These are used for value comparison, assigning values, or can also be used for calculation. We have different types of operators like Unary, Binary, arithmetic, and string operators to name a few. For example, +, =, subtraction, and or.
Predicates: A predicate is specified by combining one or more expressions or logical operators and returning one of the following logical or truth values: true, false, or unknown. Examples are null, in, and like.

In the upcoming chapters, we will learn how to work with SAP HANA studio and open SQL editor, so as to complete the concepts. I will show you how we work with the preceding SQL concepts. For our examples and exercises, we will use the following tables. We will create more tables in further chapters as we progress.

The following table shows you the sales_facts:

`PRODUCT_KEY`	`REGION_KEY`	`AMOUNT_SOLD`	`QUANTITY_SOLD`
`01`	`100`	`50000`	`500`
`02`	`200`	`60000`	`600`
`03`	`300`	`20000`	`200`

The following table shows you the CUSTOMERS data:

`CUSTOMER_KEY`	`CUST_LAST_NAME`	`CUST_FIRST_NAME`
`C1`	`Mehta`	`Yatin`
`C2`	`Aguirre`	`Tomas`
`C3`	`Huber`	`Ralf`

The following is a REGION table:

`REGION_ID`	`REGION_NAME`	`SUB_AREA`
`100`	`Europe`	`Germany`
`200`	`Asia`	`Japan`
`300`	`US`	`Northfields`

The following table shows you details of the PRODUCT table:

`PRODUCT_KEY`	`PRODUCT_NAME`
`01`	`GasKit`
`02`	`RubberWasher`

Let's see how we can create the preceding tables in SAP HANA:

In SAP HANA studio, right-clicking on your schema (here, HANA_DEMO) will display Open SQL Console; click on it.

We will cover some of the following SQL queries to create the tables:

Create a schema first, if it hasn't already been created for you—HANA_DEMO; you can choose any name.

A database schema is the skeleton structure that represents the logical view of the entire database (objects such as tables, views, and stored procedures). It defines how the data is organized and how the relations among them are associated. It formulates all the constraints that are to be applied on the data, whereas Table is one of the objects contained in schema. It is a set of data elements (values) that is organized using a model of vertical columns (which are identified by their name) and horizontal rows:

CREATE SCHEMA "HANA_DEMO";
GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA HANA_DEMO TO _SYS_REPO WITH GRANT OPTION; if you do not run Grant , later when you will activate your views it will give you erros.

The following command creates the SALES_FACTS table:

CREATE  COLUMN TABLE "HANA_DEMO"."SALES_FACTS"(
"PRODUCT_KEY" INTEGER NOT NULL,
"REGION_KEY" INTEGER NOT NULL,
"AMOUNT_SOLD" DECIMAL NOT NULL,
"QUANTITY_SOLD" INTEGER NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY ("PRODUCT_KEY","REGION_KEY") );

The following command creates the CUSTOMER table:

CREATE  COLUMN TABLE "HANA_DEMO"."CUSTOMER"(
"CUSTOMER_KEY" VARCHAR(8) NOT NULL,
"CUST_LAST_NAME" VARCHAR(100) NULL,
"CUST_FIRST_NAME" VARCHAR(30) NULL,
PRIMARY KEY ("CUSTOMER_KEY ") );

The following command creates the PRODUCTS table:

CREATE  COLUMN TABLE "HANA_DEMO"."PRODUCTS" (
"PRODUCT_KEY" INTEGER NOT NULL,
"PRODUCT_NAME" VARCHAR(50) NULL,
PRIMARY KEY ("PRODUCT_KEY") );

The following command creates the REGION table:

CREATE  COLUMN TABLE "HANA_DEMO"."REGION"(
"REGION_ID" INTEGER NOT NULL,
"REGION_NAME" VARCHAR(100) NULL,
"SUB_AREA" VARCHAR(30) NULL,
PRIMARY KEY ("REGION_ID") );

The following are sample insert queries:

insert into "<YOUR SCHEMA>"."TABLE NAME" values(columns1,Columns2,..,); 
insert into "HANA_DEMO"."SALES_FACTS" values(01,100,50000,500); 
insert into "HANA_DEMO"."PRODUCTS" values(01,'GasKit');
insert into "HANA_DEMO"."REGION" values(01,'Europe','Germany');

Tip

I am inserting single values, but you can insert or re-run the query with different values or download the Excel file from our website for demo data.

After executing the scripts, you should have three tables created. If there are no tables, try right-clicking on your schema and then refresh it.
In the following screenshot, you can see the tables we just created under the HANA_DEMO schema:

Tip

We need to Grant schema SELECT rights to _SYS_REPO user.

In SQL, the editor of our schema needs to execute the following command line:

GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA <YOUR SCHEMA> TO _SYS_REPO WITH GRANT OPTION;
GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA HANA_DEMO TO _SYS_REPO WITH GRANT OPTION

If we miss this step, an error will occur when you activate your views later.

The SAP HANA SQLscript

In the following section, we will learn about the SAP HANA SQLscript and see the additional capabilities it brings along with it.

Why SQLscript?

SQLscript is a collection of extensions in Structured Query Language (SQL). The main motivation for SQLscript is to push data intensive application logic into the database, which was not being done in the classical approach where the application logic is mostly executed in an application layer.

We have the following extensions for SQLscript:

Extension	Usage
Datatype extension (create/drop type)	This allows definition of table type without corresponding tables
Procedural extension (create procedure)	This is an imperative construct to push data intensive logic into the database
Functional extension (create function)	This creates side-effect free scalar or table functions, which can be used to express and encapsulate complex data flows

How different is an SQLscript in SAP HANA from classical SQL queries?

Let's do a comparative study between an SQLscript in SAP HANA and classical SQL queries to find out what the point of differences are, as shown in the following table:

SQLscript in SAP HANA	Classical SQL
Multiple result sets can be returned	Query returns only single result set
More database intensive, codes are executed at DB layer, gives better performance	Limited executions at DB layer resulting in multiple access to and from database, relatively slow performance
Control logics such as if/else and business logics like currency conversion can be easily expressed	SQL queries do not have such features
Gives more flexibility to developer to use imperative and declarative logics together	No such flexibility with SQL queries
Supports local variables for intermediate result sets with implicit types	Globally visible views need to be defined even for intermediate result sets or steps
Parameterization of views is possible	Parameterization of views is not possible

The following figure shows you a graphical comparison of the classical approach and the SAP HANA approach:

How different is an SQLscript in SAP HANA from classical SQL queries?

Procedures

Procedures are reusable processing blocks that are implemented using the SQLscript, which describes a sequence of operations on data passed as input and database tables. It can be created as read-only (without side-effects) or read-write (with side-effects).

Procedures can have multiple input parameters and output parameters (can be scalar or table types).

There are three different ways to create a procedure in HANA:

Using the SQL editor (in SAP HANA Studio)
Using the Modeler wizard in the modeler perspective (in SAP HANA Studio)
Using the SAP HANA XS project in the SAP HANA Development perspective (in SAP HANA Studio), which isn't discussed in this chapter

Creating with the SQL editor (in SAP HANA Studio)

The following syntax is used to create procedure via the SQL editor:

CREATE PROCEDURE {schema.}name 
            {({IN|OUT|INOUT} 
                        param_name data_type {,...})} 
            {LANGUAGE <LANG>} {SQL SECURITY <MODE>} 
            {READS SQL DATA {WITH RESULT VIEW <view_name>}} AS 
BEGIN 
... 
END

Tip

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files from your account at http://www.packtpub.com for all the Packt Publishing books you have purchased. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you.

The parameters are for:

Reads SQL Data: This defines a procedure as read-only.
Language: This specifies the implementation. SQLscript is the default language.
With result view: This is used to create a column view for the output parameter of the type table.

Let's create a procedure where we will pass discount as the input parameter and get the sales report as the output parameter. We use the same tables that we created previously:

CREATE PROCEDURE HANA_DEMO."PROC_EU_SALES_REPORT"(
            IN DISCOUNT INTEGER,
            OUT OUTPUT_TABLE HANA_DEMO."EU_SALES" )
LANGUAGE SQLSCRIPT SQL SECURITY INVOKER AS
/*********BEGIN PROCEDURE SCRIPT ************/
BEGIN
Pvar1 = SELECT T1.REGION_NAME, T1.SUB_AREA, T2.PRODUCT_KEY, T2.AMOUNT_SOLD
            FROM HANA_DEMO.REGION AS T1
            INNER JOIN
            HANA_DEMO.SALES_FACT AS T2
            ON T1.REGION_KEY = T2.REGION_KEY;

Pvar2 = SELECT T1.REGION_NAME, T1.SUB_AREA, T1.PRODUCT_KEY, T1.AMOUNT_SOLD, T2.PRODUCT_NAME
            FROM :Pvar1 AS T1
            INNER JOIN
            HANA_DEMO.PRODUCT AS T2
            ON T1.PRODUCT_KEY = T2.PRODUCT_KEY;

OUTPUT_TABLE = SELECT SUM(AMOUNT_SOLD) AS AMOUNT_SOLD, SUM(AMOUNT_SOLD - (AMOUNT_SOLD * :DISCOUNT/ 100)) AS NET_AMOUNT,
            PRODUCT_NAME, REGION_NAME, SUB_AREA
            FROM :Pvar2 
            GROUP BY PRODUCT_NAME, REGION_NAME, SUB_AREA;
END;

We can call the previously created procedure with the following CALL statement:

CALL HANA_DEMO."PROC_SALES_REPORT" (8, null);

You can see the created procedure below our schema under the Procedure... folder.

Creating with the SQL editor (in SAP HANA Studio)

Procedure creation using the wizard

Choose the package in which you want to create the procedure and right-click on it.

A new screen will pop up; fill in the details and click on Confirm:

The SQL console opens with default syntax; we need to put our logic in between BEGIN and END.

The following is a sample logic with which I am creating the Procedure:

On the left-hand side of the screen, you can see the output pane:

Click on it and select New…:

Define the columns which we used in the preceding procedure:

Similarly, perform the same steps for input parameters as well:

Now the procedure is ready to be called via the CALL statement.

Once we build our concept about different views, then one question that will definitely come to our mind is, should we use calculation views (not yet discussed) or procedures. We will discuss this once we have discussed the calculation view in Chapter 5, Creating SAP HANA Artifacts – Analytical Privileges and Calculation Views.

JOINS in SAP HANA

To address some specific business cases and have improved execution, SAP HANA introduces some additional JOINS on top of existing SQL JOINS. These SAP HANA specific JOINS are as follows:

Referential JOIN
Text JOIN
Temporal JOIN
Star JOIN
Spatial JOIN

Let's see the scenarios when we should consider using these SAP HANA specific JOINS :

Type	Scenario / use case	Remarks
Referential JOIN	Facts with matching dimensions only where referential integrity is ensured.	It's the default join type in SAP HANA. Facts returned are dependent on queried attributes.
Text JOIN	Multi language table.	Needs a language column. Behaves as the left outer join.
Temporal JOIN	A key date within a validity period.	Acts as a referential join.
Star JOIN	Star schema scenarios.	Needs data organized in a star schema. All attributes and hierarchies are included.
Spatial join	Geospatial data.	Only available in calculation views.

Key benefits

This book will help you to process analytical and transactional data in real time with the help of SAP HANA.

Walk through the steps of the data modeling process and build various data models and artifacts in SAP HANA Studio.

Packed with rich examples and use cases that are closely focused on developing real-time applications.

Description

SAP HANA is an in-memory database created by SAP. SAP HANA breaks traditional database barriers to simplify IT landscapes, eliminating data preparation, pre-aggregation, and tuning. SAP HANA and in-memory computing allow you to instantly access huge volumes of structured and unstructured data, including text data, from different sources. Starting with data modeling, this fast-paced guide shows you how to add a system to SAP HANA Studio, create a schema, packages, and delivery unit. Moving on, you’ll get an understanding of real-time replication via SLT and learn how to use SAP HANA Studio to perform this. We’ll also have a quick look at SAP Business Object DATA service and SAP Direct Extractor for Data Load. After that, you will learn to create HANA artifacts—Analytical Privileges and Calculation View. At the end of the book, we will explore the SMART DATA access option and AFL library, and finally deliver pre-packaged functionality that can be used to build information models faster and easier.

What you will learn

Get to grips with the basic building blocks of Analytics/Data models in the SAP HANA environment.

Discover various schemas, modeling principles, Joins, and the architecture of the SAP HANA engine.

Build data models and artifacts in Sap HANA Studio.

Design decision tables and understand the concept of transport management in the SAP HANA landscape.

Work with the different views in SAP HANA Studio.

Explore full-text search and fuzzy search in SAP HANA.

Create your own scenarios and use cases using sample data and code.

What do you get with Print?

Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped

Paperback book shipped to your preferred address

Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats

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DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

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George Nov 30, 2015

Being a HANA Administrator I found this book to be quite useful , especially when you are looking for step by step information without depending on multiple sources when time comes for troubleshooting or performance improvement. Also, it goes into details which helped me to understanding how to play with tables.Finally, the book goes into detail advanced topics with solving.We expect you to write more books on different topics .Highly recommended for starters or intermediate developers/designers of a Data Warehouse

Amazon Verified review

SuJo Dec 25, 2015

Buy this book, it's def 5/5 material. Right now Packt has it on sale for $5!!! You can't go wrong! I've used Elastic and Redis, but this was the first time I worked with SAP HANA. Absolutely brilliant model and it works well. This book guides you along the way the entire time, the author knows the subject matter extremely well and it really shines in the quality of this book. Seriously you can't beat this title for $5! Grab your copy today and learn how to utilize SAP HANA over the weekend.

Taha M. Mahmoud Nov 26, 2015

Real Time analytic-es is one of the most attractive BI topics nowadays. This was impossible or very expensive at near past; but we can use advanced technologies like SAP HANA to achieve this dream.I was a student for the Author "Vinay Singh" by attending one of the Official SAP training. I have to say that Vinay is a very knowledgeable person who have a great skills to teach and being one whom working in SAP Labs and one of the early first people whom get the chance to see how SAP HANA started and evolved. So, I was very interested to read this book.The author did a really very good job here as he started with some introductory chapters to setup the basics which required to understand the remaining chapters. Topics like difference between traditional database and in-memory database, joins, union, procedures and scripts in SAP HANA are discussed in the first chapter. The author moves to explain SAP HANA Studio and and different modeling techniques like (attribute views, analytical views and calculation views). After that; the author start talking about data loading and how we can use replication techniques like SAP HANA SLT to instant data replication into SAP HANA.I really liked the self-study questions which added by end of each chapter; this is an amazing way to help understanding topics and do more re-search. Finally; I would like to thank the Author for his effort and looking for more great SAP HANA Books

Tarek Assem Feb 04, 2016

This book is a gold mine, it has everything you might need to understand regarding real time analytics as well as the way HANA made the term "Real Time" even more realistic! Well written and easy to understand. Thanks Vinay!

Amazon Customer Nov 15, 2015

One of the best.

Real Time Analytics with SAP Hana: Enhance your SAP HANA skills using this step-by-step guide to creating and reporting data models for real-time analytics

What do you get with Print?

Real Time Analytics with SAP Hana

Chapter 1. Kickoff – Before We Start

Introducing SAP HANA SQL

Classical SQL

Tip

Tip

The SAP HANA SQLscript

Why SQLscript?

How different is an SQLscript in SAP HANA from classical SQL queries?

When should we use SQLscript?

Procedures

Creating with the SQL editor (in SAP HANA Studio)

Tip

Procedure creation using the wizard

JOINS in SAP HANA

Unions versus JOINS

Self-study questions

Summary

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