datasphere-connections - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: datasphere-connections description: SAP Datasphere connections skill for creating and managing data source connections. Use when configuring connections to SAP systems (S/4HANA, BW, ECC), cloud databases (BigQuery, Redshift, Azure SQL), or other data sources for use in views, data flows, and replication.

SAP Datasphere Connections

Skill for creating and managing connections to data sources in SAP Datasphere. Connections enable access to SAP and non-SAP systems for data federation, replication, and ETL operations.

Navigation Overview

Path: Left Menu → Connections → #/connections

Connections are space-scoped - you must select a space before viewing or creating connections.

Connection Types (35 Available)

SAP Sources

Connection Type	Features	Use Case
SAP ABAP	Remote Tables, Replication, Data Flows	Connect to SAP ERP systems
SAP S/4HANA Cloud	Remote Tables, Replication, Data Flows	S/4HANA Cloud integration
SAP S/4HANA On-Premise	Remote Tables, Replication, Data Flows	On-prem S/4HANA systems
SAP BW	Remote Tables, Model Import	BW/4HANA integration
SAP BW/4HANA Model Transfer	Model Import	Import BW models
SAP ECC	Remote Tables, Replication	Legacy ECC systems
SAP HANA	Remote Tables, Replication, Data Flows	Direct HANA connectivity
SAP SuccessFactors	Data Flows	HR data integration
SAP Fieldglass	Data Flows	Vendor management data
SAP Marketing Cloud	Data Flows	Marketing data
SAP Signavio	Data Flows	Process mining data
Cloud Data Integration	Data Flows	SAP CDI sources

Cloud Databases

Connection Type	Features	Use Case
Google BigQuery	Remote Tables, Data Flows	GCP analytics
Amazon Redshift	Remote Tables, Data Flows	AWS data warehouse
Amazon Athena	Remote Tables, Data Flows	S3 query service
Microsoft Azure SQL Database	Remote Tables, Data Flows	Azure SQL
Microsoft Azure Data Lake Gen2	Data Flows	Azure storage
Microsoft Azure Blob Storage	Data Flows	Azure blobs
Microsoft OneLake	Data Flows	Fabric integration
Oracle	Remote Tables, Data Flows	Oracle databases

Storage & Streaming

Connection Type	Features	Use Case
Amazon S3	Data Flows	AWS object storage
Google Cloud Storage	Data Flows	GCP object storage
Generic SFTP	Data Flows	File transfers
Apache Kafka	Data Flows	Event streaming
Confluent	Data Flows	Managed Kafka

Generic Connectors

Connection Type	Features	Use Case
Generic JDBC	Remote Tables, Data Flows	Any JDBC source
Generic OData	Remote Tables, Data Flows	OData services
Generic HTTP	API Tasks	REST APIs
Open Connectors	Data Flows	Third-party via SAP Open Connectors

Creating a Connection

Step-by-Step Process

Navigate to Connections
- Left Menu → Connections
- Select target space from the space cards
Start Connection Wizard
- Click + dropdown → Create Connection
- Wizard opens with 3 steps
Step 1: Choose Connection Type
- Use filters to narrow options:
  - Features: API Tasks, Data Flows, Model Import, Remote Tables, Replication Flows
  - Categories: Cloud, On-Premise
  - Sources: Non-SAP, Partner Tools, SAP
- Click on desired connection type tile
Step 2: Configure Connection Properties
- Connection Details:
  - Category (Cloud/On-Premise)
  - Host (server address)
  - Port (service port)
- Authentication: Select method
  - User Name and Password
  - X.509 Client Certificate
  - OAuth 2.0
- Features:
  - Remote Tables: Enable/disable virtual access
  - Data Provisioning: Direct or via DP Agent
  - Data Access: Remote, Replication, or both
- Click Next Step
Step 3: Enter Name and Description
- Business Name (display name)
- Technical Name (system identifier)
- Description (optional)
- Click Create

Authentication Methods

Method	When to Use
User Name and Password	Basic auth, service accounts
X.509 Client Certificate	Certificate-based, high security
OAuth 2.0	Cloud services, SSO integration
SAP Assertion Ticket	SAP-to-SAP trusted communication

Managing Connections

Connection Actions

Action	Description
Edit	Modify connection properties
Delete	Remove connection (requires no dependencies)
Validate	Test connection connectivity
Pause	Temporarily disable replication
Restart	Resume paused replication

Connection Status

Connected: Active and working
Disconnected: Configuration issue or source unavailable
Paused: Manually paused replication

Remote Tables

When a connection supports Remote Tables:

In Data Builder:
- Open a space in Data Builder
- Click Sources panel
- Expand connection to see available tables
- Drag table to canvas → creates Remote Table
Remote Table Options:
- Federation: Virtual access (query on demand)
- Replication: Copy data to local storage
- Snapshot: Point-in-time copy

Replication Settings

Real-Time: Continuous change capture
Scheduled: Periodic full/delta loads
Manual: On-demand refresh

SAP Open Connectors

For third-party data sources not directly supported:

Navigate to Connections → SAP Open Connectors tab
Click Integrate your SAP Open Connectors Account
Configure SAP Open Connectors instance
Access 150+ pre-built connectors

Best Practices

Connection Naming

Use descriptive business names
Include environment indicator (DEV, TEST, PROD)
Example: "S4HANA_Finance_PROD"

Security

Use service accounts, not personal credentials
Rotate credentials regularly
Use certificates where supported
Limit connection access via space membership

Performance

Enable replication for frequently accessed data
Use federation for large, infrequently queried tables
Consider data freshness requirements

Troubleshooting

Connection Fails to Validate

Verify host/port are correct
Check firewall rules (Cloud Connector if on-prem)
Validate credentials
Test network connectivity

Replication Errors

Check Data Integration Monitor for details
Verify source system availability
Review space storage capacity
Check for schema changes in source

Resources

See reference files for detailed procedures:

references/connection-types.md - Detailed connection type configurations
references/authentication.md - Authentication setup guides
references/troubleshooting-guide.md - Cloud Connector path configuration, Data Provisioning Agent troubleshooting, CORS setup, CSN Exposure prerequisites, OData/ODBC diagnostics

What's New (2026.10)

SAP ECC connections — ECC is now a first-class source connection type for Replication Flows, exposed through the Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) framework. Use this to lift CDS-extractor-style data out of legacy ECC systems into Datasphere without an SLT detour for many use cases. Help link: SAP ECC Connections (e546ccd61af54bf49a0f531a43fe0961.html).
SAP BW connections — BW is now also supported as a source for Replication Flows via ODP. This complements the existing BW Bridge path for migrations: when you need BW data in Datasphere but don't want to migrate the BW system, an ODP-based Replication Flow is now the simpler choice. Help link: SAP BW Connections (e589041e80264f43b6c209c407336376.html).
Recommendation: when a customer asks "How do I get BW or ECC data into Datasphere?" the decision tree now is — Replication Flow (ODP) → for ongoing replication; BW Bridge → only when you need to lift-and-shift legacy BW logic; SLT → for ABAP-table-level CDC. See datasphere-data-flows and datasphere-bw-bridge-migration for the full decision matrix.