SAP Data Services is a software application optimized for integrating and transforming data. It is the ideal platform for developing and executing workflows to extract SAP data from several sources that include data stores, web services, applications, and databases. After data is extracted, it can be processed, integrated, and transformed for real-time business analytics, thereby helping organizations to take critical operational decisions.

What is the SAP Extractor

Previously known as the BW Extractor, the SAP Extractor is typically used to extract SAP data. A management feature of SAP, it extracts data from source systems and later stores it in business intelligence systems or downstream data warehouses. SAP launched the Extractor with the goal of inputting extracted data into the SAP BW application. The SAP Extractor can even be used for integrating data when an SAP customer is not using the Business Warehouse of SAP.  

SAP data is commonly used for services where applications are permitted to Query Data Services. This feature leads to faster response to batch processing (previously known as data transformation) based on a pre-defined workflow. Since the SAP Extractor is a program in SAP ERP, it can be triggered to extract SAP data for transfer to BW. The data extraction source can either be a standard DataSource or a customized DataSource that provides details of full load delta processes of various types.

The SAP BW remotely controls the data transfer part of the program, with the SAP extractor playing a critical role in populating the delta queue with delta-type new and changed records. This data can be transferred to SAP BW via a simple data transfer remote call.

It is necessary to define the load process with an InfoPackage in the scheduler to extract SAP data and transfer it to the input layer of SAP Business Warehouse, also called the Persistent Staging Area (PSA). When the InfoPackage is to be implemented with process chains used for executions, the data load process is triggered by a request IDoc to the source system. 

Functioning Of The SAP Extractor

Extractors that extract SAP data are application-specific. The BI Content of the Business Warehouse is delivered after the extractors are hard-coded for the Data Source. However, it is necessary that Extractors match the structure of the Data Source. Further, different types of Extractors can be used to extract SAP data for onward movement to the BW.

SAP Extractors are fully automated and can identify which data needs to be extracted and the tables where data is in read-only form after the generic extractor names the Data Source. An Extractor consisting of related database views, master data attributes or texts, SAP query functional areas, or transaction data from all transparent tables may be used to extract SAP data. The Data Source can generically read and transfer data to the BW for all these data types.

The SAP Extractor is a standout among competitors in this niche because of its several cutting-edge features as an ERP product.