16.7 Extractors, ODP & Legacy Patterns

1. Why legacy knowledge matters

Architects working in SAP landscapes will encounter:

• classic DataSources,
• SAPI extraction,
• ODP contexts,
• BW extractors,
• SLT,
• CDS-based extraction.

The goal is not to prefer old technology.

The goal is to understand migration paths and constraints.

2. SAPI extractor mental model

Historically, SAP applications exposed extraction DataSources consumed by BW and other integration technologies.

ODP provides a modern provisioning framework around supported providers and delta processing.

3. CDS versus extractor

For S/4HANA on-premise integration, current SAP Datasphere documentation recommends ABAP CDS views over SAPI extractors where appropriate.

But extractor-based patterns can still matter when:

• an existing DataSource is the supported interface,
• a CDS replacement is unavailable,
• migration requires coexistence,
• historical semantics depend on the extractor.

4. SLT positioning

SLT is a replication technology with a different architectural role from CDS semantic extraction.

Think:

CDS / ODP
= business-oriented extraction contract

SLT
= table-level replication technology

The two should not be treated as interchangeable.

5. Migration pattern

A legacy-to-modern migration can use:

Legacy extractor
      |
      v
ODP-based integration
      |
      +--> coexistence
      |
      v
CDS-based target pattern
      |
      v
Retire legacy path

The actual path depends on source release and supported interfaces.

6. Decision table

Requirement	Candidate
Business-semantic S/4 extraction	CDS
Existing supported DataSource	ODP/DataSource
Table-level replication requirement	SLT-supported pattern
Historical BW integration	BW/ODP
Real-time operational requirement	Supported real-time connection pattern

These are starting points, not automatic decisions.

Architect exercise

Your enterprise has 200 existing SAPI extractors.

Classify them into:

• retain,
• modernize to CDS,
• replace with another supported interface,
• retire.

Define the assessment criteria.