Thursday, June 3, 2021

Self-Service Semantic Layer for SAP Analytics

APOS Live Data Gateway expands live data connectivity options for SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP S/4HANA, including a wide variety of non-SAP data sources. Connecting to these data sources via the Live Data Gateway creates a self-service semantic layer.

The diagram shows only a fraction of the non-SAP data sources that APOS Live Data Gateway can connect SAP Analytics to. See a complete list of data sources here.

To build a truly self-service oriented analytics platform, you must overcome the barriers created by the need for technical knowledge of the platform’s structure and workings. These need to be as transparent as possible for your less technical users. By removing such barriers, you can broaden your user base and create extended analytics value.

Watch the video below for a better understanding of how APOS Live Data Gateway’s Semantic Layer simplifies live data connectivity for non-SAP data sources, and how non-technical users can use the Gateway’s web-based interface to create APOS Views to assist them in their discovery and visualization.

The APOS Live Data Gateway uses layers to enable this connectivity. A Data Virtualization Layer provides connectivity to the various data sources. A Semantic Layer lets you determine which tables and fields in the data sources to expose. The APOS Live Data Gateway’s Semantic Layer is a business layer that enables self-serve analytics. It includes APOS Views on data sources, which shield users from the complexities of the data source. These views can be re-used and shared amongst your user base, greatly simplifying discovery and visualization for your less technical users.

If you have the technical skills, you can build APOS Views using freehand SQL queries, and less technically skilled users can use Semantic Layer Views, and it is these APOS Views that truly enable self-serve analytics.