Technote: Azure Data Factory supports extraction of SAP data sources via ODP

SAP systems offer advanced interfaces, which on the one hand provide delta mechanisms. On the other hand, these bring together a wide variety of base tables in order to simplify processing. This functionality can be accessed with the help of Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services and the 3rd party component XtractIS from Theobald. We have used this technology successfully many times in the last 10 years (e.g. BRITA).

In the SAP world, DeltaQs have meanwhile evolved into Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) (cf. SAP)), which provides most data sources and also supports extraction via additional providers. For example, CDS View and HANA Views can also be used as sources.

In the month of July, a big innovation is coming to the Azure Data Platform for our customers. Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Data Flows, the PaaS components on the Azure Platform for orchestrating and processing data transformations, will get support for Operational Data Provisioning (ODP). This makes it possible for the first time to connect SAP based on SAP Datasources to an Azure Data Platform without any 3rd party software, simplifying the process and saving costs. The ADF component is currently still in preview, but our first tests make us hopeful to be able to offer a free and native alternative in the future.

An interesting video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-k0vbN7K_4. The documentation for the new component is available at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/sap-change-data-capture-introduction-architecture .