Think of data as a valuable resource in modern enterprises, often hidden away within legacy ERP systems like SAP. Many organizations want to make the most of this data for AI, business intelligence (BI) and analytics initiatives. Traditionally, extracting and integrating data often required specialized technical skills, which could be a barrier for some teams. 

Now, there’s a solution that simplifies the process — no-code data integration. This technology allows businesses to easily extract, process and analyze SAP data without deep technical expertise. By using SAP OData and the Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) framework, enterprises can seamlessly replicate data and make real-time decisions with minimal complexity.

In this blog, we explore key methods for extracting data, focusing on how change data capture (CDC) and no-code solutions can streamline SAP data integration. We’ll also share a real-world example of how businesses can analyze stock and inventory using OData-based replication.

Many businesses struggle to extract SAP data efficiently, especially when integrating it with non-SAP systems. The traditional approach often feels like trying to solve a complex puzzle. Enter no-code platforms: the game-changer that makes this process straightforward. These platforms allow organizations to connect to SAP ERP (S/4HANA, ECC, CRM) and extract the needed data without writing complex code.

Effective Ways to Extract Data:

1. Real-Time Data Streaming: Imagine having a constant flow of live data from SAP ERP, IoT devices and other third-party applications right into your cloud databases and data lakes. It’s like having a real-time feed that keeps your insights fresh and up to date.
2. Change Data Capture (CDC) and Batch Processing: Just like keeping track of the latest changes in a document, businesses can capture incremental data changes from SAP using ODP-based replication. This ensures your data stays consistent, no matter where it’s accessed.
3. OData for API-Driven Access: By using the SAP OData protocol, accessing data becomes consistent and straightforward. It allows seamless API integration with BI and analytics tools, standardizing how data is shared and utilized.

Imagine having a smart assistant in your data management toolkit that understands your business needs and supports your analytics efforts. That’s the role of OData paired with the ODP framework in managing SAP data. They provide a scalable and efficient mechanism for extracting data from SAP, keeping all business logic intact. This approach supports both full and incremental data extraction, making it ideal for enterprise analytics.

How OData and ODP Work Together:

• ODP Providers present SAP data in a structured way. They make the data extraction process efficient, utilizing OData services.
• Operational Delta Queues (ODQ) ensure that only changed data is transferred, boosting the efficiency of data replication.
• OData APIs provide standardized access to SAP data, seamlessly integrating it with cloud platforms and data warehouses.

Best Practices for OData-Based SAP Data Integration:

• Adopt change data capture (CDC) to ensure your data replication is as efficient as possible.
• Regularly monitor and manage delta queues using SAP ODQ tools to help maintain streamlined operations.
• Protect your API-based transfers with encryption.
   

Picture an enterprise with sprawling warehouse operations that needs to keep a finger on the pulse of stock levels across each location. The ability to accurately analyze these figures not only ensures smooth operations but also drives strategic decision-making. This scenario is about how SAP data can play a central role in making that happen.

Solution Overview

The goal was clear: extract SAP inventory master data and stock movement records, then integrate them with external data sources to uncover insights that matter.

Steps to Implement OData-Based Data Replication:

1. Configure ODP data sources: Begin by preparing the groundwork in SAP, enabling data extraction from your inventory sources. This sets the stage for pulling the necessary information.
2. Establish an OData connection: Like opening a secure channel, you configure authentication settings for secure access using methods such as BASIC or OAUTH. This ensures that the pathways to access your data are both safe and streamlined.
3. Extract inventory master data: Utilize delta-enabled OData services to ensure that only the latest, most relevant inventory data is captured. This keeps your analysis current without overwhelming you with unnecessary details.
4. Extract stock movement data: Implement proper mechanisms for full extraction, allowing for a complete view of how stock travels over time.
5. Transform and join data to provide a unified view of stock levels across warehouses.
6. Load data into a cloud warehouse for analysis using BI tools like Power BI or Tableau.

As illustrated in Figure 1, this approach of querying SAP data for insights ensures that SAP data is efficiently extracted, transformed and analyzed alongside other enterprise datasets.

As enterprises embrace AI and BI-driven initiatives, the need for seamless SAP data integration has never been greater. OData-based replication enables businesses to:

• Enhance decision-making by merging SAP data with third-party systems (e.g., Workday, ServiceNow).
• Automate data pipelines for real-time updates.
• Power AI and GenAI applications by providing clean, structured data for model training.

Empowering Businesses with No-Code SAP Data Integration

SAP remains a cornerstone of enterprise operations, but extracting and leveraging its data for analytics shouldn’t be complex. With the advent of no-code data integration platforms, complemented by the capabilities of OData and ODP frameworks, businesses are empowered to transform their raw data into actionable insights seamlessly.

Here’s how these innovations can benefit enterprises:

• Unlock Dark Data: No-code platforms simplify the extraction of valuable data buried within SAP systems, allowing businesses to harness information that was previously difficult to access.
• Enable Real-Time and Incremental Data Replication: Organizations can maintain the currency and consistency of their data through real-time and incremental data replication.
• Support AI, BI and Next-Gen Analytics: By leveraging clean and structured data, businesses are poised to drive AI and business intelligence initiatives, paving the way for advanced analytics and insights.

Adopting no-code solutions shifts the focus from tackling technical challenges to fostering strategic innovation, enabling companies to turn their vast data resources into a decisive competitive advantage.

Learn more about No-Code SAP Data Integration here.