Module 20: Advanced CDS Views

Advanced CDS views build on CDS fundamentals and introduce analytics, consumption, authorization, and database-side extensibility.
This module explains how CDS becomes the central data model for reporting, Fiori, and RAP.

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1. Analytical CDS Views

What is an Analytical CDS View?

Analytical CDS views are designed for:

• Reporting
• Aggregations
• KPIs
• Analytical engines (Embedded Analytics)

They leverage HANA’s OLAP capabilities.

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1.1 Analytical Annotations

@Analytics.dataCategory: #CUBE
@Analytics.query: true
define view Z_CDS_SalesCube
  as select from zsales
{
  key company,
  key year,
      SUM( amount ) as total_amount
}
group by company, year

Data Categories

Category	Meaning
#DIMENSION	Master data
#CUBE	Fact / transactional data
#QUERY	Analytical query

Analytics Layering

• Cube → Aggregated data

• Query → End-user consumption

2. Consumption CDS Views

What is a Consumption View?

Consumption views sit at the top of the CDS hierarchy and are used by:

• Fiori apps

• OData services

• RAP BO projections

They are UI-oriented, not DB-oriented.

2.1 Consumption View Example

@VDM.viewType: #CONSUMPTION
@EndUserText.label: 'Sales Overview'
@OData.publish: true
define view Z_CDS_SalesCons
  as select from Z_CDS_SalesCube
{
  company,
  year,
  total_amount
}

Design Rule

Consumption views should contain no complex logic — only projection and UI annotations.

3. Authorization Checks in CDS

CDS supports data-level authorization.

3.1 Authorization Annotation

@AccessControl.authorizationCheck: #CHECK
define view Z_CDS_SecureSales
  as select from zsales
{
  company,
  amount
}

3.2 DCL (Data Control Language)

Authorization logic is defined separately using DCL.

define role Z_SALES_AUTH {
  grant select on Z_CDS_SecureSales
    where company = aspect pfcg_auth( 'Z_COMP', 'ACTVT' );
}

Why CDS Authorization Matters

• Centralized

• DB-level filtering

• Automatically applied to OData & RAP

4. CDS Table Functions

What is a CDS Table Function?

A CDS table function:

• Returns a table

• Is implemented using AMDP (SQLScript)

• Enables complex DB-side logic

4.1 CDS Table Function Definition

define table function Z_TF_SalesAgg
  returns {
    company : bukrs;
    total   : abap.curr(15,2);
  }
  implemented by method
    zcl_sales_amdp=>get_data;

4.2 AMDP Implementation (Preview)

METHOD get_data
  BY DATABASE FUNCTION
  FOR HDB
  LANGUAGE SQLSCRIPT
  OPTIONS READ-ONLY.

  RETURN
    SELECT company,
           SUM(amount) AS total
      FROM zsales
      GROUP BY company;

ENDMETHOD.

When to Use Table Functions

• Logic not possible in CDS

• Complex calculations

• Procedural DB logic

5. CDS vs AMDP (Very Important)

Aspect	CDS	AMDP
Nature	Declarative	Procedural
Language	CDS DDL	SQLScript
Portability	High	Low (HANA-only)
Complexity	Medium	High
Use Case	80–90% scenarios	Edge cases

SAP Recommendation

Use CDS first. Use AMDP only when CDS is not sufficient.

6. Layered CDS Architecture (Best Practice)

Basic CDS (Tables)
   ↓
Composite CDS (Joins / Associations)
   ↓
Analytical CDS (Cubes / Queries)
   ↓
Consumption CDS (UI / OData / RAP)

Interview Gold

Mention CDS layering to demonstrate architectural maturity.

7. Common Mistakes

Avoid These

• Putting business logic in consumption views

• Overusing AMDP

• Skipping authorization annotations

• Creating monolithic CDS views

• Treating CDS like Open SQL

8. Summary

• Analytical CDS enables reporting & KPIs

• Consumption views serve UI & RAP

• CDS authorizations enforce data security

• Table functions handle complex DB logic

• CDS is preferred over AMDP

• Layered CDS design is critical

9. Practice Exercises

• Create an analytical cube CDS.

• Build a consumption view on top.

• Add CDS authorization with DCL.

• Implement a CDS table function.

• Decide CDS vs AMDP for a scenario.

10. What’s Next?

➡️ Module 21: AMDP (ABAP Managed Database Procedures)

Learning Tip

Advanced CDS knowledge separates developers from architects.