STREAM-Intelligence · USB4SAP · April 2026
The problem isn't which ETL tool you pick. It's that ETL cannot reverse-engineer SAP business logic, and full-table dumps create latency AI cannot tolerate. These are architectural limits, not configuration gaps. This table proves it across 7 tools and 25 parameters.
The architectural argument
ETL has two fatal flaws for SAP. No amount of tuning fixes either.
Flaw 1: SAP's intelligence lives in TCODEs, reports, ALV, CDS views, and BW extractors: not in raw tables. ETL tools extract tables and discard the business logic. Analysts spend weeks rebuilding what SAP already knew. Purchase Order becomes EKKO and EKPO: stripped of context, renamed, delayed. AI trains on fragments, not facts.
Flaw 2: Every ETL extraction cycle pulls the entire table, then tries to calculate what changed. This is not a configuration problem: it is the architecture. No amount of tuning ADF, Fivetran, or Qlik Replicate fixes a full-table-dump foundation. The result: AI agents act on yesterday's inventory while real operations run on live SAP data.
Four capabilities define whether a tool can genuinely serve as a live, semantics-preserving, clean-core SAP data layer. Everything below is measured against these four. The pattern is consistent across all 25 parameters.
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| USB4SAP Zero-copy streaming API · Patented | Fivetran Managed pipeline / ELT | Qlik Replicate Replication / CDC platform | MS ADF Azure cloud pipeline | AWS Glue AWS managed ETL | SNP Kyano Glue SAP-native extraction | Theobald Xtract On-prem SAP connector suite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero-Copy Streaming CDC: Live Delta vs Batch Dumps | |||||||
| CDC for tables: without SLT Table-level delta without SAP Landscape Transformation Server Streaming CDC | YesTimeseries & Doc# series CDC. No SLT. No change pointers. 0.143s on 100M+ record table. | YesLog-based CDC via NetWeaver app layer; no SLT, no direct DB access | PartialODP-based CDC for DataSources; tables require SLT | NoOData for CDS; table CDC requires SLT setup | PartialODP CDC for CDS views; table delta requires SLT | PartialOwn CDC method for some tables; SLT path also supported | YesTable CDC component: proprietary logging; no SLT required |
| CDC delta method How changes are captured at source Streaming CDC | Timeseries & Doc# seriesField-level. Not timestamp-only. Detects deletes. No change pointers activation. | Log-based (DB transaction log)Via NetWeaver; no direct DB access required | ODP delta queue / logVia SAP JCo; ODP API 2.0 | OData delta tokensCDS views; timestamp-based for tables via SLT | ODP delta (ODQ tokens)OData/ODP framework | Own CDC + SLT pathNear real-time; table-level and CDS | Proprietary table loggingNear real-time; not true millisecond streaming |
| On-demand live extraction: no pipeline required Pull live SAP data per request without any pipeline or schedule Streaming CDC | YesOn-demand REST API call. No pipeline. No schedule. Live data freshness at every request. | NoPipeline/schedule based; no live query mode | NoReplication tasks; no live SAP query | PartialManual trigger + schedule; no true live API | PartialOn-demand / schedule / event via triggers | PartialBatch/real-time; supports triggers; not no-code API | NoScheduled near-real-time; not true on-demand live query |
| Batch extraction Full load / scheduled extraction also supported | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SAP zero-copy approach: no data copy outside SAP boundary Intelligence travels to consumers; data does not leave SAP security boundary Streaming CDC | YesOnly vendor aligned to SAP zero-copy architecture | NoData replicated to Fivetran cloud pipeline infrastructure | NoOn-premise server; still a replication copy | NoData transits Azure pipeline infrastructure | NoData transits AWS ETL infrastructure | PartialCustomer environment but ABAP add-on extraction copies data | PartialOn-premise; data stays in customer environment but is extracted |
| Semantic: Business Objects vs Raw Tables (Flaw 1) | |||||||
| SAP semantic models: pre-built, business-ready Named business objects (Purchase Order) not raw tables (EKKO/EKPO) Semantic | Yes450K+ pre-built semantic models. Purchase Order arrives as Purchase Order. Zero reverse-engineering. | NoTables only; no semantic translation layer | PartialDataSources have some semantic context; no pre-built catalog | PartialCDS views via OData carry some labels; no catalog | PartialODP/CDS context; limited to what's exposed via OData | PartialTables, CDS, extractors: no pre-built semantic catalog | PartialBEx queries expose some semantic; no pre-built catalog |
| Reports / TCODEs / ALV Standard and custom SAP reports: the intelligence ETL discards Semantic | YesReports, TCODEs, ALV, Standard & Custom Z-objects | No | NoDataSources/CDS/BW only via ODP | No | No | PartialTables, CDS, extractors: no direct TCODE/ALV | PartialBEx queries via BW; BAPI/RFC calls; no direct TCODE/ALV |
| CDS Views Core Data Services analytical views Semantic | Yes450K+ semantic models include CDS | YesVia OData SAP connector (with ODP annotations required) | YesDefault ODP context; CDS views with delta | YesVia OData connector post Note 3255746 | YesVia OData/ODP with annotations | YesDirect via app layer without ODP framework required | YesODP component; CDS with delta via DeltaQ or Table CDC |
| BW Extractors / DataSources SAP BW/4HANA extraction objects Semantic | YesBW extractors, CDS, SQVI queries, all natively | YesVia OData connector (BW extractors exposed via ODP) | YesSAP BW DataSources context in ODP | PartialBW extractors via ODP OData path | YesODP supports BW extractors via OData | YesTables, CDS, extractors, queries via app layer | YesDeltaQ + ODP component; BW/4HANA objects |
| Tables & Views (transparent, cluster, pool) Direct table extraction | Yes850K+ tables. All types. No SLT required. | PartialVia NetWeaver app-layer; cluster/pool/long text supported in HVA connector | YesVia ODP/SLT; tables with SLT for CDC | PartialTables via OData/ADF SAP connector; SLT required for CDC tables | PartialOData supports CDS; tables via SLT or SAP app layer | YesTables + CDS + extractors; CDC with own method (no SLT required) | YesTable component; all table types; no SLT required |
| Total SAP objects accessible Approximate discoverable object count Semantic | 1.9M+ objects850K+ tables (CDC) · 450K+ semantic models · Full TCODE/report/ALV scope | PartialTables + CDS (annotated only); no reports or TCODEs | PartialDataSources, CDS, BW; requires SLT for tables | PartialCDS + OData services; tables need SLT | PartialCDS + extractors + tables (with SLT) | PartialTables, CDS, extractors: no TCODE/reports scope | PartialTables, CDS, BW; no TCODE/ALV; breadth limited by custom setup |
| Business field labels provisioning Business names alongside technical field names Semantic | YesBusiness & technical field names. Always, without configuration. | No | YesODP metadata includes field labels | YesOData metadata service exposes field labels | PartialOData metadata; depends on CDS annotation | YesBusiness & technical field names both available | YesTechnical + business field metadata exposed |
| Live SAP semantic models via API: no extraction pipeline Query semantic models live per request, no extracted copy Semantic | YesOnly vendor delivering live streaming semantic model access via REST. No copy. No pipeline. | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Secure: Native SAP Authorization vs Custom Security Builds | |||||||
| SAP native authorizations inherited automatically SAP roles propagate immediately: no separate security build Secure | Yes100% native SAP application authorizations. Role changes reflect immediately. No shadow copies outside auth model. | NoCustom authentication layer; SAP security not inherited | NoCredentials via SAP JCo; no automatic role inheritance | NoCustom auth build required in ADF | NoSAP credentials only; no native role propagation | NoSAP credentials; not native auth inheritance | NoSAP user credentials; separate auth setup required |
| Zero-copy data sovereignty Data never leaves customer environment without explicit consent Secure | YesSTREAM Activate: data never leaves your environment. No external pipeline. Full sovereignty. | NoData replicated to Fivetran cloud pipeline infrastructure | YesOn-premise Replicate server; data in customer environment | PartialData transits Azure; customer controls destination | PartialData transits AWS infrastructure | YesOn-premise ABAP add-on; customer's cloud or on-premise | YesOn-premise; data stays in customer environment |
| Standard: Clean-Core Web API vs Proprietary Connectors & ABAP | |||||||
| SAP clean-core aligned No custom ABAP, no modification of SAP core Standard | YesNo ABAP. No custom dev. SAP Note 3255746 compliant. | PartialNetWeaver path uses SAP transport (ABAP in Fivetran NS) | PartialSAP JCo / RFC; no ABAP add-on but needs JCo install | PartialOData preferred path post SAP Note 3255746; older RFC path deprecated | PartialOData connector; ODP-RFC path deprecated per SAP Note | PartialABAP add-on; SLT required for tables; SAP-certified | PartialCustom ABAP package required for table extraction |
| Compliant with SAP Note 3255746 ODP-RFC deprecated; OData/REST required for clean-core compliance Standard | YesREST/ODP/RFC supported. Fully compliant. SAP-certified via NetWeaver. | PartialNetWeaver app-layer path; OData connector available; RFC path continues | PartialOData path available; ODP-RFC via SAP JCo; SLT needed for full tables | YesOData preferred post Note; ADF SAP connector updated | PartialOData connector yes; ODP-RFC deprecated path removed | PartialSAP-certified; removed ODP-RFC; requires SLT for table delta | YesODP + OData path; Table CDC avoids ODP-RFC for tables |
| Standard REST API: no SAP SDK, no on-premise agent Works with any REST consumer out of the box Standard | Yes1.3M+ objects as standard REST API. No SAP-specific SDK. No RFC libraries. No on-premise agent. | NoManaged pipeline; no live SAP REST API for consumers | NoReplication platform; no live SAP API for consumers | NoPipeline; not a live API for consumers | NoPipeline; not an API for consumers | NoExtraction/integration; not a live consumer REST API | PartialyunIO product provides REST API but separate product; requires setup |
| RFC support Remote Function Call to SAP | Yes | PartialVia NetWeaver/SAP JCo; not primary method | YesSAP JCo RFC required | NoOData preferred; RFC path deprecated per SAP Note | NoOData/ODP only; RFC deprecated | YesApp-layer extract; RFC/BAPI supported | YesERPConnect core; BAPIs, function modules, RFC servers |
| REST / OData API Standard web API access Standard | YesStandard REST API for all 1.3M+ objects. No SAP SDK required. | YesSAP OData connector (CDS/BW via ODP annotations) | NoRFC/JCo based; no REST output from SAP | YesOData recommended path post Note 3255746 | YesOData connector; read/write | NoSAP app-layer focus; no REST output per public docs | YesODP + OData extension; also yunIO for REST APIs |
| ODP (Operational Data Provisioning) SAP's delta provisioning framework | Yes | YesVia OData connector; ODP delta state | YesODP API 2.0 via SAP JCo | YesOData/ODP connector | YesODP via OData; delta tokens (ODQ) | PartialODP-RFC path removed; alternative paths via app layer | YesODP component; DeltaQ + ODP; both RFC and OData paths |
| Zero customization on SAP side No CDS annotation, no custom objects, no ABAP required Standard | YesNo CDS creation. No ABAP. No annotations. 1.3M+ objects available on-demand. | PartialCDS views must have ODP annotations; some objects need custom setup | NoJava Connector install; SLT config; object-level setup | PartialCDS annotation required; OData service registration | PartialOData service annotation; custom extractor for some objects | PartialABAP add-on install; some setup per target | PartialCustom ABAP package installed; some objects need prep |
| Data transformation at extraction ETL/ELT transformation built in | NoBy design: schema-on-read. Transformation at destination. No vendor lock-in on transform. | NoELT only: transformation at destination | NoReplication focused; transformation at target | YesMapping Data Flows / Spark | YesFull ETL/ELT (Spark/Ray/Python) | YesApp-layer extract + target-side processing | YesMapping, conversion at extraction layer |
| Cloud & Target Platform Support | |||||||
| Azure ADLS / Microsoft Fabric / OneLake | YesMicrosoft-certified. ADLS, OneLake, Fabric, Power BI, Excel. Azure Marketplace published. | Yes700+ connectors incl. Azure targets | YesAzure ADLS Gen2 (Gen1 removed May 2025) | YesNative Azure; ADLS, Synapse, Fabric Dataflows | PartialS3, Redshift, Snowflake natively; Azure via connectors | YesS3, Snowflake, ADLS/OneLake via Fabric mirroring (March 2025) | YesXtract Universal + Fabric Open Mirroring; OneLake, ADLS, Synapse |
| AWS S3 / Redshift / GCP / Databricks | YesAWS, GCP, Databricks, Snowflake: REST API works with any target | YesAll major cloud targets supported | YesMajor cloud DWH and lake targets | PartialPrimarily Azure; AWS/GCP via linked services | YesNative AWS; S3, Redshift, Glue catalog | Yes40+ targets: S3, Snowflake, Databricks, GCP CS, Cloudera-certified | YesSnowflake, S3, Redshift, Databricks supported |
| On-premise NFS / PostgreSQL / file targets | YesNFS, PostgreSQL, on-premise file systems supported (Tata Power case study) | NoCloud-only SaaS pipeline | YesOn-premise server-based; wide target support | PartialSelf-hosted IR required for on-premise targets | PartialPrimarily cloud; on-premise via custom connectors | YesOn-premise and cloud; ABAP add-on runs on SAP | YesOn-premise SQL Server, file, SSIS, etc. |
| HANA & non-HANA SAP support | YesAny SAP version: HANA and non-HANA | YesHANA, Oracle, SQL Server via different connectors | YesHANA via SAP App Server from May 2025; Oracle, SQL Server | YesHANA, BW, ECC/S4 supported | YesSAP OData; HANA JDBC; broad SAP scope | YesBroad SAP scope + SLT; ECC, S/4, BW | YesERP, ECC, S/4HANA, BW: HANA and non-HANA |
| AI & Automation: Live Agent API vs Pipeline Latency | |||||||
| Live Power BI / Excel / API-M integration Live SAP data in business tools without export or scheduled refresh Streaming CDC | YesMicrosoft-certified. Live in Excel, Power BI, Fabric, API-M. No scheduled refresh. No export. | No | No | PartialPower BI via ADF pipelines; not live query | No | No | PartialPower BI via scheduled refresh; not live query |
| AI agent ready: MCP / REST for agentic use Live SAP context for AI agents without pipeline lag Semantic | YesMCP catalog for AI agents. Live SAP data. P2P Agent autonomous since Nov 2023. | NoStale pipeline data; not suitable for agentic live queries | NoReplication; latency not suitable for live agent queries | NoPipeline latency; not designed for agent live queries | NoETL pipeline; not a live agent API | NoIntegration/migration focus; not an agent API | NoExtraction pipeline; not real-time API for agents |
| Primary architecture | Zero-copy streaming: live API for analytics, AI, automation & operators | ETL: managed data pipeline to DWH | ETL: enterprise data replication & CDC to data platforms | ETL: Azure cloud data pipelines | ETL: AWS-native managed ETL and data lake ingestion | ETL: SAP extraction + migration + CDC to cloud | ETL: SAP data extraction to BI & analytics tools |
Sources & research notes (April 2026):
Fivetran: fivetran.com/docs/connectors/databases/sap · SAP AppConnect blog (Mar 2025) · AWS APN blog Feb 2025. NetWeaver app-layer CDC confirmed. CDS requires ODP annotations. Tables via HVA connector. No semantic model catalog.
Theobald Xtract: theobald-software.com/en/xtract-universal · Table CDC component confirmed (no SLT required). ODP + OData extension. Custom ABAP package for table extraction. yunIO for REST APIs (separate product). ERPConnect SAP-certified for ECC & S/4HANA.
Qlik Replicate: Qlik Replicate May 2025 help. ODP API 2.0 via SAP JCo. Tables require SLT for CDC. DataSources/CDS/BW via ODP. HANA via Application Server from May 2025 release.
Microsoft ADF: learn.microsoft.com. OData preferred path post SAP Note 3255746. Table CDC requires SLT. ADF Gen1 storage removed May 2025.
AWS Glue: AWS re:Post Aug 2025. OData/ODP connector for CDS/BW/SAPI. Table CDC via SLT + ODP delta tokens. RFC-ODP path deprecated per SAP Note.
SNP Kyano Glue: snpgroup.com/kyano-glue · Fabric open mirroring (Mar 2025). SAP-certified. 40+ targets. Own CDC + SLT path. ABAP add-on. Snowflake Native App. ODP-RFC path removed.
USB4SAP: SAP Note 3255746. SAP NetWeaver certification. Microsoft certification (learn.microsoft.com/connectors/usb4sap). USPTO patent. Azure Marketplace published. In production since 2021. All figures (0.143s CDC, 1.3M+ objects, 90% cost reduction, 59% time saving) independently benchmarked via Microsoft co-innovation.
This table is maintained by Ecoservity and reflects publicly available vendor documentation. Vendor features evolve rapidly. If you believe a cell is incorrect, contact us with a source reference and we will update it. Last full research pass: April 2026.
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