BODS 3.1 : SAP R/3 data extraction -What is the difference in 2 dataflows?

Question

Hi.
Can anyone advise as to what is the difference  in using the data extraction flow for extracting Data from SAP R/3 ?
1)DF1 >> SAPR/3 (R3/Table -query transformation-dat file) >>query transformation >> target
This ABAP flow generates a ABAP program and a dat file.
We can also upload this program and run jobs as execute preloaded option on datastore.
This works fine.
2) We also can pull the SAP R/3 table directly.
DF2>>SAPR/3 table (this has a red arrow like in OHD) >> Query transformation >> target
THIS ALSO Works fine. And we are able to see the data directly into oracle.
Which can also be scheduled on a job.
BUT am unable to understand the purpose of using the different types of data extraction flows.
When to use which type of flow for data extraction.
Advantage / disadvantage - over the 2 data flows.
What we are not understanding is that :
if we can directly pull data from R/3 table directly thro a query transformation into the target table,
why use the Flow of creating a R/3 data flow,
and then do a query transformation again
and then populate the target database?
There might be some practical reasons for using these 2 different types of flows in doing the data extraction. Which I would like to understand.  Can anyone advise please.
Many thanks
indu
Edited by: Indumathy Narayanan on Aug 22, 2011 3:25 PM

Answer 1

Hi Jeff.
Greetings. And many thanks for your response.
Generally we pull the entire SAP R/3 table thro query transformation into oracle.
For which we use R/3 data flow and the ABAP program, which we upload on the R/3 system
so as to be able to use the option of Execute preloaded - and run the jobs.
Since we do not have any control on our R/3 servers nor we have anyone on ABAP programming,
we do not do anything at the SAP R/3 level
I was doing this trial and error testing on our Worflows for our new requirement
WF 1 : which has some 15 R/3 TABLES.
For each table we have created a separate Dataflow.
And finally in between in some dataflows, wherein, the SAP tables which had lot of rows, i decided to pull it directly,
by-passing the ABAP flow.
And still the entire work flow and data extraction happens ok.
In fact i tried creating a new sample data flow and tested.
Using direct download and - and also execute preloaded.
I did not see any major difference in time taken for data extraction;
Because anyhow we pull the entire Table, then choose whatever we want to bring into oracle thro a view for our BO reporting or aggregate and then bring data as a table for Universe consumption.
Actually, I was looking at other options to avoid this ABAP generation - and the R/3 data flow because we are having problems on our dev and qa environments - giving delimiter errors.  Whereas in production it works fine. Production environment is a old set up of BODS 3.1. QA and Dev are relatively new enviornments of BODS. Which is having this delimiter error.
I did not understand how to resolve it as per this post : https://cw.sdn.sap.com/cw/ideas/2596
And trying to resolve this problem, I ended up with the option of trying to pull directly the R/3 table. Without using ABAP workflow.  Just by trial and error of each and every drag and drop option. Because we had to urgently do a POC and deliver the data for the entire e recruiting module of SAP. 
I dont know whether i could do this direct pulling of data - for the new job which i have created,
which has 2 workflows with 15 Dataflows in each worflow.
And and push this job into production.
And also whether i could by-pass this ABAP flow and do a direct pulling of R/3 data, in all the Dataflows in the future for ANY of our SAP R/3 data extraction requirement.  And this technical understanding is not clear to us as regards the difference between the 2 flows.  And being new to this whole of ETL - I just wanted to know the pros and cons of this particular data extraction. 
As advised I shall check the schedules for a week, and then we shall move it probably into production.
Thanks again.
Kind Regards
Indu
Edited by: Indumathy Narayanan on Aug 22, 2011 7:02 PM