SAP Analytics Cloud Data Sources: How to Connect SAC to Your Data (2026 Guide)

Welcome to Part 3 of our SAP Analytics Cloud series. In Part 1 we covered what SAC is and why it matters. In Part 2 we built our first Story and dashboard from scratch.

Now we tackle the question every SAC beginner asks next — where does the data actually come from?

Understanding SAP Analytics Cloud data sources is the difference between building demo dashboards with uploaded Excel files and building real enterprise dashboards connected to live business data. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Why data connections matter in SAC

In Part 2 we uploaded an Excel file to build our first Story. That works perfectly for learning — but in a real enterprise environment, data lives in SAP systems, databases, and cloud platforms — not Excel files on your desktop.

SAP Analytics Cloud is designed to connect to all of these sources — live, in real time, or on a scheduled basis. The connection between SAC and your data source is what transforms SAC from a standalone reporting tool into a genuine enterprise analytics platform.

Getting connections right is also one of the most technically complex parts of any SAC implementation. This guide gives you the complete picture.

The two fundamental connection types in SAC

Before looking at specific data sources, you need to understand the two fundamental ways SAC connects to data. Every connection in SAC falls into one of these two categories.

Live Connection

A live connection queries your source system directly every time a user opens or refreshes a report. The data displayed is always current — reflecting the state of the source system at that exact moment.

Best for:

• Operational dashboards where real time data is critical
• Financial dashboards that need today’s numbers
• Inventory and supply chain monitoring

Trade-offs:

• Performance depends on source system load
• Source system must be available at all times
• Can put additional load on production SAP systems

Import Connection (Scheduled)

An import connection copies data from your source system into SAC’s own storage on a scheduled basis — hourly, daily, or weekly. SAC queries its own optimised copy of the data instead of the source system directly.

Best for:

• Management reporting and executive dashboards
• Historical trend analysis
• Any report where real time data is not critical

Trade-offs:

• Data is only as current as the last scheduled import
• Requires storage in SAC
• Import schedules need monitoring and maintenance

Most enterprise SAC implementations use both — live connections for operational dashboards, scheduled imports for management reporting.

SAC data source overview

SAP Analytics Cloud connects to a wide range of data sources. Here is the complete landscape:

Data Source	Connection Type	Use Case
SAP S/4HANA Cloud	Live	Real time operational data
SAP S/4HANA On-Premise	Live via tunnel	Real time with secure tunnel
SAP BW/4HANA	Live and Import	Data warehouse reporting
SAP BW on HANA	Live and Import	Legacy BW reporting
SAP Datasphere	Live	Modern data fabric layer
SAP HANA Cloud	Live and Import	Custom HANA models
SAP Business Data Cloud	Live	Unified SAP data platform
Microsoft SQL Server	Import	Non-SAP databases
Google BigQuery	Import	Cloud data warehouse
OData Services	Live	REST API connections
Excel and CSV files	Import	Manual data uploads
SAP SuccessFactors	Live	HR analytics
SAP Ariba	Import	Procurement analytics

Connecting SAC to SAP S/4HANA Cloud

SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the most common live data source for SAC in modern enterprises. The connection is native and straightforward — both products are SAP cloud services and are designed to work together.

Prerequisites

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud tenant with analytics authorisations
• SAC tenant on the same SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) landscape
• Appropriate user roles in both systems

Step by step connection

Step 1 — Open Connection Manager in SAC
In SAC, click the main menu (☰) → Connections → Add Connection

Step 2 — Select data source type
Choose SAP S/4HANA Cloud from the connection type list.

Step 3 — Enter connection details

• Connection Name: give it a clear name like “S4HANA Production”
• Host: your S/4HANA Cloud tenant URL
• Authentication: select SAP Cloud Identity for cloud-to-cloud connections

Step 4 — Test and save
Click Test Connection — you should see a green success message. Click Save.

Step 5 — Create a model using this connection
Go to Modeler → New Model → select your new S/4HANA connection → browse available CDS views and select the one containing your data.

What are CDS Views?

CDS (Core Data Services) views are the key concept for SAC connectivity to S/4HANA. They are pre-built data views in S/4HANA that expose business data in an analytics-ready format.

SAP delivers hundreds of standard CDS views for every business process — finance, sales, procurement, HR. Instead of building connections to raw tables, SAC connects to these optimised views.

Important: CDS views must be released for analytics use before SAC can see them. Work with your S/4HANA basis team to ensure the relevant views are released.

Connecting SAC to SAP BW and BW/4HANA

SAP BW remains the most common data source in established SAP enterprises. Many large companies have years of historical data and complex data models in BW — and need SAC to report on all of it.

BW connection options

SAC connects to BW in two ways:

BW Live Connection — SAC queries BW queries and InfoProviders directly in real time. Users see live data, and SAC uses the BW authorization model for security.

BW Import — SAC imports data from BW on a schedule and stores it locally. Faster report performance but data is only as fresh as the last import.

Step by step — BW Live Connection

Step 1 — Configure BW system for SAC
In your BW system, activate the following:

• Transaction SPRO → SAP NetWeaver → BW → Analysis Authorizations → allow SAC connections
• Ensure RFC connections are configured between BW and SAC

Step 2 — Set up Cloud Connector (for on-premise BW)
If your BW system is on-premise, you need SAP Cloud Connector installed in your network. This creates a secure tunnel between your on-premise BW and SAC in the cloud without opening firewall ports.

Download SAP Cloud Connector from the SAP Software Download Center. Install on a server in your network that can reach both your BW system and the internet.

Step 3 — Add connection in SAC
In SAC → Connections → Add Connection → select SAP BW

Enter:

• Connection name
• System ID and client number
• Host and port (via Cloud Connector for on-premise)
• Authentication method

Step 4 — Browse BW objects in Modeler
Once connected, in SAC Modeler you can browse your BW system and select:

• BW Queries — existing BEx queries exposed to SAC
• CompositeProviders
• InfoCubes and DSOs (via queries)

Pro tip from real implementations:
Not all BW queries work well with SAC live connections. Queries with too many free characteristics, complex conditions, or cell definitions can cause issues. Work with your BW developer to create SAC-optimised query versions.

Connecting SAC to SAP Datasphere

SAP Datasphere is SAP’s modern data fabric platform — designed as the strategic data layer that sits between source systems and analytics tools like SAC. If your organisation is investing in Datasphere, understanding the SAC-Datasphere connection is essential.

Why Datasphere plus SAC is the future

The combination of SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud is SAP’s strategic architecture for enterprise analytics:

• Datasphere handles data integration, modelling, governance, and federation
• SAC handles visualisation, planning, and predictive analytics
• Together they cover the complete analytics stack

This means instead of connecting SAC directly to dozens of different source systems — you connect everything to Datasphere first, model and govern it there, then connect SAC to Datasphere as a single clean data layer.

Step by step — SAC to Datasphere connection

Step 1 — Enable SAC integration in Datasphere
In Datasphere Administration → App Integration → enable SAP Analytics Cloud integration. Enter your SAC tenant URL.

Step 2 — Add connection in SAC
In SAC → Connections → Add Connection → select SAP Datasphere

The connection uses OAuth authentication — Datasphere and SAC handle this automatically when both are on SAP BTP.

Step 3 — Expose Datasphere Analytic Models to SAC
In Datasphere, your data modellers create Analytic Models — pre-aggregated, business-ready datasets specifically designed for consumption by SAC.

These Analytic Models appear in SAC Modeler as available data sources — clean, pre-modelled, and optimised for analytics performance.

Step 4 — Build SAC models on Datasphere Analytic Models
In SAC Modeler → New Model → select your Datasphere connection → choose the Analytic Model → SAC automatically maps dimensions and measures.

This approach gives you the best performance because all complex data preparation happens in Datasphere — SAC simply visualises the result.

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Connecting SAC to non-SAP data sources

Real enterprise data landscapes are never 100 percent SAP. SAC supports connections to many non-SAP systems.

Microsoft SQL Server

Many companies have operational databases, data warehouses, or legacy systems running on SQL Server.

Connection approach:

• SQL Server must be accessible from SAC — either cloud hosted or via SAP Cloud Connector for on-premise
• In SAC → Connections → Add Connection → Microsoft SQL Server
• Enter server address, database name, username and password
• SAC imports data on a scheduled basis — live connections to SQL Server are not supported

Google BigQuery

For organisations using Google Cloud Platform as their data warehouse.

Connection approach:

• In SAC → Connections → Add Connection → Google BigQuery
• Authenticate using Google Service Account credentials
• SAC can both import data and run live queries against BigQuery

OData services

OData is a REST-based protocol that many systems expose for data access. SAC supports OData connections for any system that exposes an OData API.

This includes non-SAP CRM systems, custom applications, and many SaaS platforms.

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Security and authorisations — the part everyone forgets

Data connections in SAC are not just a technical configuration — they carry significant security implications.

Connection security principles

Principle of least privilege: Every SAC connection should use a dedicated technical user with only the minimum authorisations needed. Never use a named user account or admin account for SAC connections.

Connection ownership: In SAC, whoever creates a connection owns it. If that person leaves the company and their account is deleted — the connection breaks. Always create connections under a shared service account.

Row level security: SAC supports row level security that restricts what data individual users can see — even within the same Story. For financial data especially, ensure row level security is configured to match your organisation’s authorisation concept.

SAC roles relevant to connections

Role	What they can do
BI Admin	Create and manage all connections
BI Content Creator	Create models using existing connections
BI Content Viewer	View Stories — cannot see connections

Always assign the minimum role necessary — content viewers should never have connection management access.

Common connection problems and solutions

These are the most frequent issues we encounter in real SAC implementations:

Problem: Connection test passes but model creation fails
Usually caused by missing authorisations on specific CDS views or BW objects. Check that the technical user has explicit read access to the specific objects you are trying to model.

Problem: Live connection works but performance is very slow
The source system query is not optimised for SAC’s query pattern. Review the underlying BW query or HANA view and add appropriate indexes or aggregates.

Problem: Scheduled import fails overnight
Common causes — source system maintenance window conflicts with import schedule, or source data volume increased beyond import timeout limits. Adjust import schedule and increase timeout settings.

Problem: Cloud Connector connection drops intermittently
The Cloud Connector server needs stable network access to both the internal network and the internet. Check server resource utilisation and network stability. Cloud Connector logs in the Cloud Connector administration console show exactly what caused each disconnect.

Problem: Users see different data than expected
Row level security or authorisation propagation issue. Check that the connection is passing user context correctly to the source system for authorisation evaluation.

What’s coming in Part 4

In Part 4 we move into one of SAC’s most powerful and unique capabilities — Planning.

We will build a complete budget model from scratch — including input forms where business users can enter their numbers, automated calculations, and variance analysis against actuals. This is the feature that truly differentiates SAC from every other analytics tool on the market.

The complete series:

• Part 1 — What is SAP Analytics Cloud?
• Part 2 — Building your first SAC Story and Dashboard
• Part 3 — Connecting SAC to your data sources (you are here)
• Part 4 — SAC Planning — building your first budget model
• Part 5 — SAC AI features — Smart Predict and Search to Insight
• Part 6 — SAC vs Power BI — full honest comparison

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Key takeaways

• SAC supports two fundamental connection types — live for real time data, import for scheduled fresh data
• SAP S/4HANA Cloud connects natively to SAC — CDS views are the key concept to understand
• On-premise BW and S/4HANA connections require SAP Cloud Connector — a secure tunnel that avoids opening firewall ports
• SAP Datasphere plus SAC is SAP’s strategic architecture — Datasphere handles data preparation, SAC handles analytics
• Non-SAP sources including SQL Server and BigQuery are fully supported via import connections
• Security must be designed carefully — use dedicated technical users, principle of least privilege, and row level security for sensitive data
• The Performance Analyzer and scheduled imports are your two biggest tools for connection performance

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Published by the Data Cloud Insights team — SAP data professionals with hands-on enterprise implementation experience across Europe.