Introduction: Why Talk About Core Data Services Again?
For finance departments seeking real-time dashboards, traditional BW extractors quickly reach their refresh-rate limits. Core Data Services (CDS) form the foundation of SAP S/4HANA’s Virtual Data Model; by bringing business logic closer to the HANA database, they eliminate replication and accelerate decision-making. Designed as an SQL extension, CDS creates semantic models directly within the ERP system to meet both real-time analytical and transactional needs simultaneously.
The result: simplified data flows, automated reporting, and reduced IT dependency for finance teams.
What if your KPIs were calculated where your data already resides — instead of in a spreadsheet?
Understanding Core Data Services
Definition
Core Data Services are a declarative modeling framework. They extend SQL to define data models enriched with annotations (e.g., @Analytics.query:true) and link business logic, authorizations, and virtual views — all without duplicating data.
Role in SAP S/4HANA
In SAP S/4HANA, CDS serves as the backbone of the new ABAP Programming Model. Logic executes directly in the HANA database using code push-down. Each view is exposed as an OData service for SAP Fiori, and the same model supports both transactional applications and embedded analytics.
Breaking Down CDS Structure
Data Organization
Within the Virtual Data Model of Core Data Services, data follows a three-layer architecture that ensures clarity and reusability.
- Basic Views — directly query physical tables; you get raw extraction without transformation, ideal for source tracing.
- Composite Views — combine several Basics using associations to build a complete business model while centralizing join logic.
- Consumption Views — built on top of Composites, they are exposed as OData services for SAP Fiori or SAP Analytics Cloud; the same object also feeds a BW transient provider for financial reporting.
Each layer accepts annotations describing security, currency, or units, preventing duplication of UI-level rules. This clear separation between extraction, aggregation, and consumption makes the model modular: replace a Basic View without affecting upper layers, reducing maintenance and securing audit compliance.
Why multiply BW cubes and Excel macros when this hierarchy delivers ready-to-use, always-up-to-date indicators?
Tables & Dimensions
In Core Data Services, each view structures your business tables before they are exposed in the HANA database:
- Basic Views: point directly to a physical table and serve as the master & transaction layer, where each field is exposed without transformation.
- Composite Views: aggregate several Basics via associations to create a coherent analytical model.
- Consumption Views: based on Composites, instantly exposed as OData services for SAP Fiori or SAP Analytics Cloud.
CDS Views accept annotations enriching security, currency, and unit handling — without duplicating logic in the UI layer.
Checklist: Validate Your CDS Model
- Does each Basic View target only one table?
- Do your associations cover all business keys?
- Are your Consumption Views properly exposed as OData services?
This hierarchy eliminates BW cubes and Excel macros — your indicators remain current with no redundant replication.
Key Features
Automated Reporting & KPIs
Finance departments now demand daily reporting — without scripts or Excel templates. With Core Data Services, analytical annotations instantly transform a Consumption View into a ready-to-use OData service. The same view simultaneously powers SAP Fiori KPI tiles and SAP Analytics Cloud models — with no need for data conversion or copying.
Measures are computed directly in the HANA database; this in-memory execution eliminates aggregation delays and enables truly real-time financial reporting. Annotations also handle security, so each KPI inherits access rights without additional front-end coding.
This unifies transactional and analytical layers, removes ETL pipelines, and frees finance teams for higher-value analysis.
Extraction & Delivery
In Core Data Services, every Consumption View automatically publishes an OData service; your teams can instantly use it in SAP Fiori or any REST client.
Security annotations enforce access control without UI-level code, and dedicated UI annotations automatically format measurement units and currencies.
How many manual workflows will you eliminate when your indicators update automatically without ETL?
Checklist: Operational Considerations
- Does the OData service scope cover finance only?
- Are UI annotations properly configured for measurement units and currency codes?
- Are authorization rules (e.g., CFO role) active within security annotations?
Tangible Benefits for CFOs
Cost & Process Optimization
Under pressure to close books without IT overload, finance leaders find Core Data Services to be an immediate lever.
CDS Views make financial data available in real time; analysis runs in-memory with no exports or delays. By centralizing all business logic in a single layer, teams drastically reduce report maintenance: no duplicated queries or macros to synchronize. Semantic models enforce a single definition of accounts and control aggregation keys, which improves data quality and eliminates discrepancies between balance sheet and P&L.
The result: simplified closing, shorter validation cycles, and sustainably lower reporting costs.
Real-Time Decisions & Alerts
Facing ever-faster decision cycles, CFOs rely on Core Data Services. In-memory processing instantly recalculates income statements or balance sheets, without BW exports. Exposed as OData services, CDS Views automatically refresh SAP Fiori KPI tiles and trigger alerts when thresholds are breached.
No more replication to BW: indicators come straight from the HANA database, reducing latency and infrastructure load.
The outcome: proactive dashboards where teams detect cash-flow tensions earlier and focus their energy on strategic financial analysis.
Conclusion: Leverage Core Data Services Today
Adopting CDS means gaining a unified model, reliable data, standard exposure to SAP Fiori tools via OData, and truly real-time financial reporting.
By structuring your Basic, Composite, and Consumption Views, you simplify data governance and gain a lasting competitive edge. Why wait to create your first view and measure, by the next close, the ROI of faster reporting cycles?