Step by Step process of getting data from SAP S4 CDS view to Analysis for Office

1. Prepare the CDS View in S/4HANA

• Identify or Create: Find the standard CDS view with the data you need or create a custom one.
• Annotations are Key: For Analysis for Office, these annotations are important:
  • @Analytics.query: true (Marks it as analyzable)
  • @OData.publish: true (Exposes it as an OData service)
  • @Consumption.filter (Allows filtering in Analysis for Office)
• Activate and Publish: Activate the CDS view and publish it as an OData service. This usually involves defining a service and binding it to the view.

2. Set Up Analysis for Office

• Install and Configure: Ensure Analysis for Office is installed and connected to your S/4HANA system. This might involve setting up a connection string in the Analysis for Office settings.
• Connection to S/4HANA: In Analysis for Office, establish a connection to your S/4HANA system. You'll need the system details (server, client, etc.) and your user credentials.

3. Access the CDS View

• Data Source in Analysis for Office: Open a new workbook in Analysis for Office. Go to "Data Source" -> "From SAP Server" -> "Connect to SAP S/4HANA."
• Browse and Select: Navigate through the available data sources (this might involve entering your S/4HANA system details again). Find and select the OData service that corresponds to your CDS view.

4. Design Your Report

• Insert Data: Once the CDS view is selected, choose the data you want to include in your report. You can drag and drop fields to create rows, columns, and filters.
• Data Refresh: Analysis for Office allows for real-time data refresh. You can refresh the data in your report to reflect the latest information from the CDS view.
• Formatting and Analysis: Use Analysis for Office's features to format the report, add calculations, create charts, and perform other analyses.

5. Enhancements (Optional)

• Prompts: Use @Consumption.filter annotations in your CDS view to define prompts (input parameters) that users can fill in within Analysis for Office to filter the data dynamically.
• Variables: Analysis for Office supports variables, allowing you to create more flexible and interactive reports.

Important Notes:

• Performance: For large datasets, consider optimizing the CDS view with appropriate aggregations and filters to improve performance in Analysis for Office.
• Security: Ensure proper authorization is in place to control access to the CDS view and the data it exposes.
• Data Types: Be mindful of data type compatibility between the CDS view and Analysis for Office.
• Troubleshooting: If you encounter issues, check the Analysis for Office logs and the SAP S/4HANA system logs for error messages.

By following these steps, you can effectively leverage the data in your SAP S/4HANA CDS views to create insightful reports and analyses in Analysis for Office.