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8 Defining Web-based Data Access
SAP HANA extended application services (SAP HANA XS) provide applications and application developers with
access to the SAP HANA database using a consumption model that is exposed via HTTP.
In addition to providing application-specific consumption models, SAP HANA XS also host system services that
are part of the SAP HANA database, for example: search services and a built-in Web server that provides access
to static content stored in the SAP HANA repository.
The consumption model provided by SAP HANA XS focuses on server-side applications written in JavaScript and
making use of a powerful set of specially developed API functions. However, you can use other methods to
provide access to the data you want to expose in SAP HANA. For example, you can set up an ODATA service or
use the XML for Analysis (XMLA) interface to send a Multi-dimensional Expressions (MDX) query. This section
describes how to set up a service that enables you to expose data using OData or XMLA.
8.1 Data Access with OData in SAP HANA XS
In SAP HANA Extended Application Services (SAP HANA XS), the persistence model (for example, tables, views,
and stored procedures) is mapped to the consumption model that is exposed to clients - the applications you
write to extract data from the SAP HANA database.
You can map the persistence and consumption models with OData, a resource-based Web protocol for querying
and updating data. An OData application running in SAP HANA XS is used to provide the consumption model for
client applications exchanging OData queries with the SAP HANA database.:
You can use OData to enable clients to consume authorized data stored in the SAP HANA database. OData
defines operations on resources using RESTful HTTP commands (for example, GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE)
and specifies the URI syntax for identifying the resources. Data is transferred over HTTP using either the Atom
(XML) or the JSON (JavaScript) format.
Applications running in SAP HANA XS enable accurate control of the flow of data between the presentational
layer, for example, in the Browser, and the data-processing layer in SAP HANA itself, where the calculations are
performed, for example, in SQL or SQLScript. If you develop and deploy an OData service running in SAP HANA
XS, you can take advantage of the embedded access to SAP HANA that SAP HANA XS provides; the embedded
access greatly improves end-to-end performance.
8.1.1 OData in SAP HANA XS
OData is a resource-based web protocol for querying and updating data. OData defines operations on resources
using HTTP commands (for example, GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE) and specifies the uniform resource
indicator (URI) syntax to use to identify the resources.
Data is transferred over HTTP using the Atom or JSON format:
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Note: OData makes it easier for SAP, for partners, and for customers to build standards-based
applications for many different devices and on various platforms, for example, applications that are based
on a lightweight consumption of SAP and non-SAP business application data.
P U B L I C
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SAP HANA Developer Guide
Defining Web-based Data Access