ABAP CLOUD

The ABAP Cloud Development Model, is divided into the three layers: Data Access, Domain-Specific Implementation and Business Service Exposure.

Data Access
Data is the foundation of all business process, thus playing a crucial role. The Data Access (Database) layer provides and stores data which is consumed and modified in the implementation layer. By default ABAP Cloud integrates with SAP Hana Database leveraging synergies. It is also complemented by Business Service Consumption capabilities to assist in integrating with external services.

Domain-Specific Implementation
Domain-specific models are defined using Core Data Services (CDS) entities, ABAP Restful Application Programming (RAP) business objects and analytical providers through dimensions or cubes instantiated through the CDS framework. The CDS Projections allow for additional abstraction layer in the data model. This makes the projection protocol agnostic while being service specific.

Business Service Exposure
This layer is split into UI Services and Integration Service which form a core part of the development flow representing the foundation for services and apps. UI Services are consumed in user interfaces by business users. Integration Services are consumed in integration scenarios communicating between systems.

The protocol agnostic nature of CDS projections is the foundation for service flexibility and reuse. This is the strength of ABAP Cloud which enables the choice between designing an application tier and exposing the business service in specific protocol.