Access Remote Sources with SAP HANA Database Explorer

1. From the SAP HANA Cloud Central, open the SAP HANA database explorer and execute the following SQL statements to create the tourist_reviews table.

   If needed, first create a schema and user.

   SQL

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   CREATE SCHEMA HOTELS;
   CREATE USER USER1 PASSWORD Password1 no force_first_password_change;
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SCHEMA HOTELS TO USER1;
   

   SQL

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   SET SCHEMA HOTELS;
   CREATE COLUMN TABLE TOURIST_REVIEWS(
       review_id INTEGER GENERATED BY DEFAULT AS IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
       review_date DATE NOT NULL,
       destination_id INTEGER,
       destination_rating INTEGER,
       review VARCHAR(500) NOT NULL
   );
   
   INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS(review_date, destination_id, destination_rating, review) VALUES('2019-03-15', 1, 5, 'We had a great day swimming at the beach and exploring the beach front shops.  We will for sure be back next summer.');
   INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS(review_date, destination_id, destination_rating, review) VALUES('2019-02-02', 1, 4, 'We had an enjoyable meal.  The service and food was outstanding.  Would have liked to have slightly larger portions');
   

2. The result can be seen below.

   SQL

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   SELECT * FROM TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   

   

3. To create a remote source from SAP HANA, express edition to SAP HANA Cloud, open the SAP HANA database explorer from the SAP HANA, express edition.

   This step is optional for SAP HANA Cloud Trial users if you do not have an SAP HANA, express edition database. If you do not have an SAP HANA, express edition database, proceed to the next step which is Connect from SAP HANA Cloud to SAP HANA Cloud, data lake Relational Engine.

   In a SQL console, enter the SQL statement below after adjusting the ServerNode.

   SQL

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   CREATE REMOTE SOURCE REMOTE_HC ADAPTER "hanaodbc" CONFIGURATION 'ServerNode=XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX.hana.prod-ca10.hanacloud.ondemand.com:443;driver=libodbcHDB.so;dml_mode=readwrite;sslTrustStore="-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----"' WITH CREDENTIAL TYPE 'PASSWORD' USING 'user=User1;password=Password1';
   CALL PUBLIC.CHECK_REMOTE_SOURCE('REMOTE_HC');
   

   Alternatively, you can create a remote source manually by right-clicking Remote Sources and select Add Remote Source.

   

   Add a source name and specify the server, port, and credentials (USER1, Password1). The Extra Adapter properties can be retreived by copying the sslTrustStore in the SQL query above.

   

   Additional details can be found at CREATE REMOTE SOURCE Statement.

   The ServerNode can be copied from SAP HANA Cloud Central by choosing Actions > Copy SQL Endpoint.

   

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   If the above command fails, one reason might be that an allowlist has been set on the SAP HANA Cloud instance. This can be seen by choosing Actions > Edit.

   

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   The public root certificate of the certificate authority (CA) that signed the SAP HANA Cloud instance’s server certificate is required in the sslTrustStore parameter. For more information, see Secure Communication Between SAP HANA Cloud and JDBC/ODBC Clients.

4. After executing the create remote source SQL statement, the result can be seen in the Remote Sources folder, as shown below. You may need to press the refresh button.

   

5. A virtual table named vt_tourist_reviews will be created in SAP HANA, express edition. This will enable access to the tourist_reviews table that was created in SAP HANA Cloud. This can be visualized as follows:

   

   Open the SAP HANA database explorer from the SAP HANA, express edition.

   If needed, create the HOTELS schema and a user who can access the schema.

   SQL

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   CREATE USER USER1 PASSWORD Password1 no force_first_password_change;
   CREATE SCHEMA HOTELS;
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SCHEMA HOTELS TO USER1;
   

6. Right-click the remote source named REMOTE_HC and choose Open.

7. Set the Schema to be HOTELS and press the Search button.

   Check the TOURIST_REVIEWS checkbox and press the Create Virtual Object(s) button.

   

8. Set the Object Name to be VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS and the Schema to be HOTELS.

   Press the Create button.

   

   Alternatively, the virtual table can also be created with the SQL statement below.

   SQL

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   CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS AT "REMOTE_HC"."HC_HDB".HOTELS."TOURIST_REVIEWS";
   

   Additional details can be found at CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE Statement.

9. Open the virtual table VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS and notice that its type is virtual.

   

10. Perform queries against the local tables, the remote table, and perform a federated query that contains both local and remote tables.

    SQL

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    SELECT * FROM HOTELS.RESERVATION;
    SELECT * FROM HOTELS.CUSTOMER;
    SELECT * FROM HOTELS.VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS;
    SELECT C.NAME, TR.REVIEW, REVIEW_DATE
    FROM
        HOTELS.RESERVATION AS R JOIN
        HOTELS.VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS AS TR
        ON TR.REVIEW_DATE = R.ARRIVAL JOIN
        HOTELS.CUSTOMER AS C
      ON C.CNO = R.CNO;
    

    

    Notice the executed time is greater when the data is retrieved from a virtual table.

    

11. Add a new review.

    SQL

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    INSERT INTO HOTELS.VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS(review_id, review_date, destination_id, destination_rating, review) VALUES(3, '2020-08-21', 1, 5, 'The harbour cruise was fantastic.  It was great to see the city from a different viewpoint');
    SELECT * FROM HOTELS.VT_TOURIST_REVIEWS;
    

    Notice that the virtual table is editable.

A benefit of a virtual table is that there is no data movement. There is only one location where the data is persisted. As seen above, this can lead to longer query times when accessing remote data.

SAP HANA Cloud, data lake can be used to store large amounts of data that is not accessed and updated as frequently as data in an SAP HANA database. The following steps create the table tourist_reviews in SAP HANA Cloud, data lake Relational Engine and access the table from the associated SAP HANA database instance.

1. If needed, in SAP HANA Cloud Central, add an SAP HANA Cloud, data lake instance to your SAP HANA Cloud instance, by choosing Actions > Add Data Lake.

   

2. Open the database explorer with a connection to the data lake by choosing Open in SAP HANA Database Explorer.

   

3. Execute the following SQL to create a table named tourist_reviews in the data lake Relational Engine.

   If needed, first create the required schema and role.

   SQL

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   --Create a schema for the sample hotel dataset 
   CREATE SCHEMA HOTELS;
   --Create USER1 and grant privileges 
   CREATE USER USER1 IDENTIFIED BY Password1;
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SCHEMA HOTELS TO USER1;
   
   SET SCHEMA HOTELS;
   
   CREATE TABLE TOURIST_REVIEWS (
       REVIEW_ID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
       REVIEW_DATE DATE NOT NULL,
       DESTINATION_ID INTEGER,
       DESTINATION_RATING INTEGER,
       REVIEW VARCHAR(500) NOT NULL
   );
   
   INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS(REVIEW_ID, REVIEW_DATE, DESTINATION_ID, DESTINATION_RATING, REVIEW) VALUES(1, '2019-03-15', 1, 5, 'We had a great day swimming at the beach and exploring the beach front shops.  We will for sure be back next summer.');
   INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS(REVIEW_ID, REVIEW_DATE, DESTINATION_ID, DESTINATION_RATING, REVIEW) VALUES(2, '2019-02-02', 1, 4, 'We had an enjoyable meal.  The service and food were outstanding.  Would have liked to have slightly larger portions');
   

   

   For additional details consult CREATE TABLE Statement for Data Lake Relational Engine.

4. In the SAP HANA database connection, create a remote source from the HANA database to the data lake Relational Engine. Be sure to replace the host and password values.

   If you have not already done so, ensure that you have added USER1 to your SAP HANA data lake database, as shown in Step 1.

   SQL

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   CREATE REMOTE SOURCE HC_DL
   	ADAPTER "IQODBC"
   		CONFIGURATION 'Driver=libdbodbc17_r.so;host=XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX.iq.hdl.trial-XXXX.hanacloud.ondemand.com:443;ENC=TLS(tls_type=rsa;direct=yes)'
   			WITH CREDENTIAL TYPE 'PASSWORD'
   				USING 'user=USER1;password=Password1';
   CALL PUBLIC.CHECK_REMOTE_SOURCE('HC_DL');
   

   

5. After pressing refresh, notice that under remote sources, there is a remote source HC_DL.

   

6. Right-click on HC_DL and choose Open. Create a virtual table in SAP HANA Cloud named VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS in the schema HOTELS that maps to the newly created table in SAP HANA Cloud, data lake Relational Engine.

   

   This can be visualized as follows:

   

   Alternatively, the following SQL statement can be used to create the virtual table.

   SQL

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   CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS AT HC_DL.iqaas.HOTELS.TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   

   It is also possible to create the remote table and virtual table together in the same statement.

   SQL

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   CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS (
     REVIEW_ID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
     REVIEW_DATE DATE NOT NULL,
     DESTINATION_ID INTEGER,
     DESTINATION_RATING INTEGER,
     REVIEW VARCHAR(500) NOT NULL
   ) AT HC_DL.iqaas.HOTELS.TOURIST_REVIEWS WITH REMOTE;
   INSERT INTO VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS VALUES(1, '2019-03-15', 1, 5, 'We had a great day swimming at the beach and exploring the beach front shops.  We will for sure be back next summer.');
   INSERT INTO VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS VALUES(2, '2019-02-02', 1, 4, 'We had an enjoyable meal.  The service and food were outstanding.  Would have liked to have slightly larger portions');
   

7. Query the local SAP HANA table and the equivalent SAP HANA Cloud, data lake Relational Engine table.

   SQL

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   SELECT * FROM TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   SELECT * FROM VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   

   

8. Add a new review.

   SQL

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   INSERT INTO VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS VALUES(3, '2020-08-21', 1, 5, 'The harbour cruise was fantastic.  It was great to see the city from a different viewpoint');
   SELECT * FROM VT_DL_TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   

   Notice that the remote data source is updateable. Data stored in an SAP HANA Cloud, data lake is stored on disk, which has cost advantages compared to memory storage. SAP HANA Cloud, data lake can also be used to store large amounts of data.

   Another approach is to use a relational container. For additional details see Manage Relational Containers in Data Lake Relational Engine (SAP HANA DB-Managed). An example follows.

   SQL

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   CALL SYSHDL.CREATE_CONTAINER('HOTELS_CONTAINER', 'DBADMIN');
   CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE TOURIST_REVIEWS (
     REVIEW_ID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
     REVIEW_DATE DATE NOT NULL,
     DESTINATION_ID INTEGER,
     DESTINATION_RATING INTEGER,
     REVIEW VARCHAR(500) NOT NULL
   ) at "SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER_SOURCE"."<NULL>"."SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER"."TOURIST_REVIEWS" WITH REMOTE;
   INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS(REVIEW_ID, REVIEW_DATE, DESTINATION_ID, DESTINATION_RATING, REVIEW) VALUES(1, '2019-03-15', 1, 5, 'We had a great day swimming at the beach and exploring the beach front shops.  We will for sure be back next summer.');
   CALL SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER.REMOTE_EXECUTE('INSERT INTO TOURIST_REVIEWS VALUES(2, ''2019-02-02'', 1, 4, ''We had an enjoyable meal.  The service and food was outstanding.  Would have liked to have slightly larger portions'')');
   --GRANT SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER_ROLE TO USER1;
   --CONNECT USER1 PASSWORD Password1;
   SELECT * FROM SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER.TOURIST_REVIEWS;
   CALL SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER.REMOTE_EXECUTE('DROP TABLE SYSHDL_HOTELS_CONTAINER.TOURIST_REVIEWS;');
   --CONNECT DBADMIN PASSWORD Hana1234;
   CALL SYSHDL.DELETE_CONTAINER('HOTELS_CONTAINER');
   

The Cloud Connector enables communication from the SAP BTP running in the public internet to securely connect to a configured on-premise system such as SAP HANA, express edition.

1. Enable the Cloud Connector connectivity in SAP HANA Cloud Central: Actions > Manage Configuration > Edit.

   

2. Download the Cloud Connector. The software needs to run on a machine that can access your on-premise SAP HANA instance. In this example, the Cloud Connector is running on Windows and is accessing an SAP HANA, express edition database running in a VM on the same machine.

3. As described at Installation on Microsoft Windows OS, a Java JDK is required.

   The following commands were used to start the Cloud Connector.

   Shell (Microsoft Windows)

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   set PATH=<Java Installation Directory\bin>;C:\Windows\System32
   set JAVA_HOME=<Java Installation Directory>
   cd C:\SAP\CC
   go.bat
   

   

   It may take a while to start the Cloud Connector and a line such as Cloud Connector 2.17.0 started will appear as shown above when it is started.

4. In a browser, open the URL https://localhost:8443.

   The initial user name and password are Administrator and manage.

5. Configure the Cloud Connector to connect to the Cloud Foundry subaccount.

   

   The location ID is used when multiple Cloud Connectors are connected to the same subaccount

   ---

   If you are an SAP employee, you may need to enter your password + a time-based passcode as the password.

   The region and subaccount ID can be found in the SAP BTP cockpit.

   

   The screen below shows a successful connection.

   

   For additional details, see Initial Configuration.

6. Configure the Cloud Connector to connect to the on-premise database.

   Select Cloud To On-Premise and press the + icon.

   Select SAP HANA for the back-end type.

   Select TCP for the protocol.

   Specify the host and port for the SAP HANA, express database.

   The virtual name and port can be different.

   

   Once the cloud connector has been installed and configured to connect to a BTP subaccount, it will appear as shown below in the SAP BTP Cockpit.

   

7. In the SAP HANA database explorer connected to SAP HANA Cloud, right-click Remote Sources and select Add Remote Source.

   

   Specify the server, port, extra adapter properties, credentials (User1, Password1) and if a Location ID was specified in step 5, add scc_location_id=<locationid>' to the Extra Adapter Properties.

   

   Alternatively, in a SQL console, enter the SQL statement below after adjusting the ServerNode.

   SQL

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   CREATE REMOTE SOURCE REMOTE_HANA_EXPRESS
   	ADAPTER "hanaodbc"
   		CONFIGURATION 'ServerNode=hxehost:39015;use_haas_socks_proxy=true;driver=libodbcHDB.so;'
   			WITH CREDENTIAL TYPE 'PASSWORD'
   				USING 'user=User1;password=Password1';
   CALL PUBLIC.CHECK_REMOTE_SOURCE('REMOTE_HANA_EXPRESS');
   

   Additional details can be found at Create an SAP HANA On-Premise Remote Source.

8. After executing the create remote source SQL statement, the result can be seen in the Remote Sources folder, as shown below. You may need to press the refresh button.

   

9. Right-click the remote source named REMOTE_HANA_EXPRESS and choose Open.

10. Set the Schema to be HOTELS and press the Search button.

    

    Notice that it is possible to create virtual tables to access the data from the on-premise system in SAP HANA Cloud.

    This can be visualized as follows:

    

For further information, see Data Replication and Data Virtualization, Access Data Across Your On-Premise and Cloud Data Sources, and Getting Started with SAP HANA Cloud | Remote Data Source.

Congratulations! You have now used remote sources to access data running on a different SAP HANA instance and on an SAP HANA Cloud, data lake Relational Engine.