SAP Core Data Services (CDS) Views: A Modern Approach to Data Modeling and Performance Optimization in SAP Ecosystem

SAP Core Data Services (CDS) Views represent a new approach to data modeling in large enterprises. They can outperform regular SQL Views by pushing code down to the SAP HANA in-memory database. However, due to their unique syntax and query performance tuning, developers must learn ABAP CDS, CDS Annotations, and how to leverage SAP HANA in-memory features. If a CDS View is not properly designed, performance can degrade significantly. Code pushdown, while beneficial, can become a drawback if developers do not follow best practices when creating CDS Views. Additionally, debugging CDS Views presents challenges. Unlike traditional ABAP programs, ABAP Debugger breakpoints cannot be used, requiring SAP ABAP developers to learn tools like the SAP HANA SQL Analyzer and other Performance Trace utilities. Another consideration is that CDS Views are not fully backward compatible with legacy SAP ERP (ECC) systems. To unlock their full potential, including features like CDS Table Functions, companies need SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA. Therefore, organizations must weigh the disadvantages before implementing CDS Views. They should carefully assess the cost and effort required to move processing to the database level while ensuring performance gains. Keywords—SAP Core Data Services, CDS Views, HANA, ABAP, Performance Optimization, Analytics