Unit 3: Analytical Processing with SAP HANA

Figure 50: Modeling Cubes

Reporting tools can directly access this type of calculation view. They can also be accessed
via SQL.
To get started, set the data category to CUBE.
Do not select the Star Join flag.
You then select the table, or tables, which are to be included in the model. Typically, you
choose a transaction table so that you have columns from which you can define attributes
and measures. It is possible to include more than one table. For example, you may need to
include a header and a line item table to form the complete picture of a sales transaction. In
this case, you simply join the tables using a JOIN node. You can also merge transaction tables
using a UNION node.
Then, select the columns from the tables that are to be exposed. You can optionally set filters
and define additional calculated columns.
Then, rename any columns to provide meaningful names to the business user.

Modeling Star Schemas

Now we come to the most powerful of all the calculation views: the Cube type, but with an
additional setting — star join. This is how we model a star schema. This is based on the cube
type of calculation view, but with one or more dimension calculation views joined to the
model. This provides a very powerful and flexible data model that enables drill-down, slice and
dice analysis over any combination of attributes and measures. Adding dimensions
dramatically enhances the analysis possibilities over simply cube type calculation views.

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