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4 Basic Random HANA Questions

Former Member
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First, I would like to apologise if my questions sound too basic, I'm still new and trying to understand HANA.

1) HANA database will be physically located in memory, or I guess we can say CPU. When I think of database I always think server. Can it be called HANA server?

2) Can reporting be done in HANA? Does HANA provide a tool within it's application that can do reporting? Or is another reporting tool needed like BWA, BO, BI, etc? If so, which are compatible with HANA?

3) Architecture Question:

a) When data is submitted in R/3 (ex. sales order), the data is stored on R/3 server, then replicated in near real time via Sybase to HANA database? Is this how it works?

b) Why is Sybase a server, Is the data being replicated stored on Sybase server first before being transferred to HANA database? If so, there are 2 servers (R/3 & Sybase) and 1 Memory (HANA)?

4) Inside In-Memory Computing Studio, Modeling is where the tables are chosen to be replicated. If I chose table XYZ to be replicated in SAP HANA, will the replication automatically create a copy of the table in SAP HANA?

5) Is there a need to learn any ABAP/4 to be involved in HANA? Can I be an expert in HANA without knowing ABAP/4?

Thanks in advance, and again I apologies for my noobish questions.

Accepted Solutions (1)

Accepted Solutions (1)

Vitaliy-R
Developer Advocate
Developer Advocate
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Here are random answers:

1) Yes, there is HANA server (hardware machine(s)) and HANA database server (software). HANA server has RAM (lots of it), SSDs and traditional HDD storage. HANA db uses all of those, including CPU cache of course.

2) You can report using SBO BI or MS Excel (please see earlier thread on this forum). You can use HANA studio for preview of tables/views content, but it isnot reporting tool per se.

3) Data can be replicated using SAL LT Replicator (ABAP-based), SBO DataServices and in some cases using Sybase Replication Server. Please have a look at recently recorded webinar at http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/khnc

4) That's the idea. Details depend on the replication mechanism chosen.

5) No, but it does not hurt to know ABAP. You would need to learn HANA-specific language called "SQLScript" if you go deep into HANA-based development.

Regards,

-Vitaliy

Edited by: Vitaliy Rudnytskiy on Aug 15, 2011 12:10 AM

Former Member
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Thanks so much for a reply, just have 3 follow up questions.

1)Why is traditional HDD storage needed for HANA? For backup?

2)Little confused about why there are 2 HANA servers. Why have a HANA server without CPU, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of HANA?

3) Microsoft Excel can connect directly to HANA? Can preview data in HANA studio and spit it out in Excel? Simple as that?

Vitaliy-R
Developer Advocate
Developer Advocate
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1) Persistent storage is required to recover data after planned or unplanned downtime

2) No confusion. We just need to be precise if we talk about hardware server or server component of HANA database software. Please note that HANA db can run in distributed manner on multi-hardware-servers configuration (still single appliance).

3) Excel connects directly to HANA db server without studio in between. It uses ODBO (or ODBC for hard-core geeks), but obviously user needs to have login and authorizations.

Cheers.

Former Member
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Thanks sooooo much for explaining Vitaliy!!

I clicked on Solved Problem!

😃

Edited by: Mickster on Aug 15, 2011 12:22 PM

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