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17.7 BW/4HANA Model Transfer

1. Why model transfer exists​

SAP Datasphere supports importing existing SAP BW/4HANA models to reuse metadata and data in supported scenarios.

Current SAP documentation states that the Import Entities wizard can import supported BW/4HANA InfoProviders and analytic queries, with model-transfer capabilities depending on the source release.

2. What transfer means​

Model transfer is not necessarily a database copy.

Think:

Existing BW model
      |
metadata / supported model transfer
      |
Datasphere
      |
new semantic / consumption architecture

3. Validate supported release​

Current documentation explicitly notes support boundaries for certain BW/4HANA import scenarios.

Never build a migration plan around an assumed universal import capability.

Check:

  • BW/4HANA release,
  • object type,
  • transfer method,
  • supported metadata,
  • semantic behavior,
  • unsupported features.

4. Query reuse​

Analytic queries can be imported in supported scenarios.

This can accelerate modernization, but query import does not automatically produce an ideal enterprise semantic architecture.

Review:

  • filters,
  • variables,
  • calculated measures,
  • restricted measures,
  • hierarchies,
  • authorizations,
  • consumer behavior.

5. Migration principle​

Use transfer to reduce migration risk.

Do not use transfer as an excuse to preserve every historical design forever.

Exercise​

Select one BW/4HANA CompositeProvider and one query.

Create a migration assessment:

  • transferable metadata,
  • unsupported behavior,
  • target Datasphere model,
  • consumer dependencies,
  • validation plan.