Jie Zhao, a seasoned expert in data integration and customer success at DVW Analytics, brings over 20 years of IT experience to the table. His career spans diverse roles including project manager, solution architect, and SAP consultant, with a focus on driving digital transformation initiatives and managing complex software solutions in various sectors.
In this interview, Jie discusses his latest book "Unlock SAP Data in KNIME”, which explores the integration capabilities of the DVW KNIME Connector for SAP extension. He highlights how this extension can streamline workflows and enhance productivity for users working with SAP data and KNIME Analytics Platform. Jie also shares his experiences with the writing process, the challenges he faced, and valuable tips for aspiring authors looking to publish their own work.
Whether you’re a seasoned data professional or a newcomer to SAP and KNIME, this interview offers valuable insights to deepen your understanding and usage of these powerful tools.
Tell us about your professional self, what do you do in your job?
I lead and work in the Customer Success team at DVW Analytics, where I focus on ensuring our customers have the best possible experience with our products. My team is responsible for making sure that our customers' questions are addressed and issues relating to the usage of our products are resolved as quickly as possible.
What is your main focus at DVW Analytics?
My main focus at DVW Analytics includes presales support, technical user support, training, and customer care.
How did you encounter KNIME?
At DVW Analytics, we specialize in providing SAP solutions for leading Data Analytics platforms, including KNIME. I collaborated with our product team to launch the DVW KNIME Connector for SAP (KCS) product set. During this period, I also had the opportunity to learn and work with the amazing features and capabilities of the KNIME Analytics Platform and the KNIME Business Hub.
Why is SAP so deeply rooted in the business world? And why is it so valuable that KNIME can read data from and in SAP? What makes the combination of KNIME and SAP so powerful?
SAP is the world’s largest Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which helps businesses streamline and automate their core processes by integrating them into a unified system. Many of the largest organizations globally rely on SAP to manage their entire business operations. However, traditionally, business users could only access SAP data through standard reports or BI queries, with any additional needs requiring costly and time-consuming custom development. The KNIME Connector for SAP(KCS) extension changes this dynamic by allowing business users to bring all relevant SAP data into KNIME seamlessly. This eliminates the dependency on IT for custom solutions and empowers users to perform advanced analytics and bring all areas of SAP data directly into KNIME.
What was your motivation for writing this book?
My goal was to share the immense possibilities available to KNIME users who work with SAP data. The book aims to inspire and guide both current and prospective KNIME users who need to work with SAP data in KNIME.
What are the key takeaways for the readers of this book?
One of the biggest takeaways is the ability to eliminate manual data transfers between SAP and KNIME. Users currently manually download and upload data from SAP into KNIME. With the KNIME Connector for SAP (KCS) extension, users can save significant time and streamline their workflow. This integration ensures smooth data transfers between SAP and KNIME, transforming your working life and making daily tasks much easier.
In a nutshell, what can you do with this extension? What nodes does it contain?
The DVW KNIME Connectors for SAP allow KNIME users to seamlessly read and write data across a wide range of SAP products including SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, and many others.
The extension includes nodes that enable:
- Extracting data from SAP Tables, SAP T-Codes and ABAP Reports, SAP HANA Views, SAP BW Queries, and others.
- Writing data back to SAP via BAPI and IDoc.
This functionality bridges the gap between SAP and KNIME, enabling users to use SAP data for advanced analytics without complex custom solutions.
How long did it take to develop the extension? Who was involved in its development?
At DVW Analytics, we use a flexible development approach that combines elements of extreme programming and SCRUM. The development begins with a scalable design and focuses on delivering a minimum viable product (MVP) within three months. The MVP prioritizes core functionalities that meet the needs of the majority of our potential users.
The development team is made up of several key roles:
- Product owner: defines and aligns the scope of the MVP to ensure it meets user needs and business goals
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO): leads the design and the architecture of the product, ensuring it is scalable.
- Development team: responsible for building the product set, and translating the design and scope into a functional solution.
This collaborative structure ensures the seamless development of robust and user-focused tools.
What were the biggest challenges you were facing while writing the book and how did you overcome them?
Writing a book presented two major challenges:
- Finding time to maintain a consistent writing rhythm: Balancing my daily job with writing a book proved difficult. I overcame this by setting aside dedicated time each week to write, creating a more structured and manageable routine.
- Keeping up with product updates: The ongoing improvements and changes to our product set posed another challenge. At one point, the team was focused on launching a new user interface, but we ultimately decided to base the book on the existing interface to ensure we could publish it within a reasonable timeframe.
What are your tips or tricks for someone who would like to successfully publish a book?
I found writing a book has a lot in common with developing software. Here are my tips for successfully publishing a book:
- Define scope and structure: start with an outline of the main ideas and topics you want to cover. This gives you a clear vision of the content and length.
- Create a writing plan: develop a timeline or plan to stay organized and maintain momentum throughout the writing process.
- Get support: share your plan with your boss or relevant stakeholders early on to ensure you have the time and capacity to focus on writing.
- Collaborate with your publisher: work closely with your publisher to receive continuous feedback. This partnership keeps you on track and ensures your book meets publishing standards.
What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Focus on defining a clear scope and prioritize getting the first draft out quickly, even if the content is incomplete. This strategy allows your publisher and colleagues to provide feedback early on, ensuring you’re on the right track and saving time by making the process about filling in the gaps later.
Are there any future projects planned involving KNIME and SAP or the KCS Extension respectively?
Yes, we have some exciting new products in the pipeline! One of the highlights is our upcoming Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Solutions. I’m looking forward to sharing the capability of this tool set with the KNIME/SAP community.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
You can connect with me on LinkedIn. Additionally, at DVW Analytics, we enjoy attending KNIME events, such as the KNIME Spring Summit. Be sure to stop by the next event to meet in person and learn more about our work!
The integration of SAP and KNIME continues to create new opportunities for data analytics, streamlining workflows, and enabling powerful insights.