SAP HANA CE Functions - Calculation Engine Plan Operators

This article explains what is CE function in HANA and how does it work.
Introduction of CE Functions:

SAP HANA CE functions, which is also known as Calculation Engine Plan Operators (CE operators) are alternatives to SQL statements.

• CE functions are specially optimized for HANA and can perform better than a normal SQL statement.
• CE functions are executed in calculation engine.
• CE functions can also help structure the code in a simpler way.

Types of CE Functions:

There are 2 types of CE functions: 

1. Data Source Access operators

It binds a column table or a column view to a table variable. 

2. Relational operators 

It allows a user to bypass the SQL processor during evaluation and to directly interact with the calculation engine. 

Examples of Data Source Access Operators are:

• CE_COLUMN_TABLE
• CE_JOIN_VIEW
• CE_OLAP_VIEW
• CE_CALC_VIEW

Examples of Relational Operators are:

• CE_JOIN
• CE_LEFT_OUTER_JOIN
• CE_RIGHT_OUTER_JOIN
• CE_FULL_OUTER_JOIN
• CE_PROJECTION
• CE_CALC
• CE_AGGREGATION
• CE_UNION_ALL

Never Mix SQL and CE Functions:

Try not to mix up normal SQL and CE functions in a single procedure/scripted calculation view. This will decrease the performance even more. 

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