For data modeling in HANA, there are three types of views defined – Attribute View, Analytic View, and Calculation View. Each of these views processes the data catering to specific needs for optimal performance and workability.

Attribute View: It deals with how the data is supposed to be structured and what is a viable hierarchy that would affect the data population in the database. This capsulation of master data is pivotal in organizing the information.

Analytic View: To aggregate a large volume of data Analytic View is used. These aggregates are not saved. They can be determined in real-time in memory due to incredible speed HANA provides.

Calculation View: To implement a complex logic on data on an attribute or analytic view, Calculation View is used. This is a flexible way of presenting the calculated data after aggregation or grouping.

Example –

Consider a sales transaction. VBAK table is updated with the data. Using Sales Order Number, VBAK can be tallied with many other tables like VBRK. Using Attribute View, joins can be established between fields of different table and create a master data table for users’ consumption.

But this information might not be very helpful for people who need aggregated numbers because individual numbers don’t mean much. For this purpose, Analytical Views are needed.

Now, consider a situation where the total volume of goods sold or total VAT paid over a period is needed. This is a calculation requirement for a particular set of qualifiers. It is resolved in real using Calculation View.

 

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