massConvert

Command: massConvert
Category: Mass Operations
Status: Production Ready

Description

Convert a group of tables and views to CDS or HDBTable format. This command generates CAP CDS definitions or native HANA HDI artifacts from existing database tables and views, enabling migration from classic database schemas to modern HDI-based development.

Use Cases

• Schema Migration: Convert existing tables to HDI artifacts for cloud-native deployment
• CAP Development: Generate CDS models from legacy database structures
• Documentation: Create declarative definitions of existing schemas
• Multi-Target: Export to both CDS and HDI formats for different deployment targets
• Bulk Conversion: Process entire schemas or filtered object sets at once

Output Formats

Format	Description	Best For
cds	CAP CDS format with type definitions	CAP/Node.js projects
hdbtable	Native HANA HDI table definitions	Pure HDI projects
hdbmigrationtable	HDI migration table format (preserves data)	Migrating existing data

Key Features

• Wildcard Support: Use patterns to select multiple tables/views
• Type Mapping: Automatic conversion between database and CDS types
• Namespace Support: Generate CDS with proper namespace structure
• Path Handling: Flexible options for handling dotted paths and colons
• Synonym Generation: Optional creation of synonym definitions
• Progress Logging: Continuous logging for large conversion operations

Syntax

hana-cli massConvert [schema] [table] [view] [options]

Aliases

• mc
• massconvert
• massConv
• massconv

Command Diagram

Parameters

Positional Arguments

Parameter	Type	Description
schema	string	Schema name to process (default: current schema)
table	string	Database table pattern (supports wildcards, default: *)
view	string	Database view pattern (supports wildcards, optional)

Options

Source Selection

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--schema	-s	string	**CURRENT_SCHEMA**	Schema name containing tables/views to convert
--table	-t	string	*	Table name pattern (supports SQL wildcards)
--view	-v	string	-	View name pattern (supports SQL wildcards)
--limit	-l	number	200	Maximum number of objects to convert

Output Configuration

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--output	-o	string	cds	Output format. Choices: cds, hdbtable, hdbmigrationtable
--folder	-f	string	./	Output folder for generated files
--filename	-n	string	-	Output file name (single file). If not specified, creates one file per object
--namespace	-ns	string	""	CDS namespace for generated definitions
--synonyms	-	string	""	Synonyms output file name (generates synonym definitions)
--log	-	boolean	false	Write progress log to file instead of stopping on first error

Type & Format Options

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--useHanaTypes	--hana	boolean	false	Use HANA-specific data types (ST_POINT, ST_GEOMETRY, etc.)
--useCatalogPure	--catalog, --pure	boolean	false	Use pure catalog definitions with associations and merge settings
--useExists	--exists, --persistence	boolean	true	Use persistence exists annotation in CDS
--useQuoted	-q, --quoted	boolean	false	Use quoted identifiers for non-standard names

Path & Naming Options

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--keepPath	-	boolean	false	Keep table/view path with dots
--noColons	-	boolean	false	Replace :: in table/view path with .

Connection Parameters

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--admin	-a	boolean	false	Connect via admin (default-env-admin.json)
--conn	-	string	-	Connection filename to override default-env.json

Troubleshooting

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--disableVerbose	--quiet	boolean	false	Disable verbose output - removes all extra output that is only helpful to human readable interface
--debug	-d	boolean	false	Debug hana-cli itself by adding output of LOTS of intermediate details

For a complete list of parameters and options, use:

hana-cli massConvert --help

Examples

Convert All Tables to CDS

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --output cds

Convert with Namespace and HDI Format

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --table % --output hdbtable --namespace my.app --folder db/src/

Convert Tables to CDS with Type Preservation

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --table "%" --output cds --useHanaTypes --useCatalogPure

Convert Specific Tables with Limit

hana-cli massConvert -s MYSCHEMA -t "CUSTOMER%" -o cds -ns myapp --limit 10

Convert tables in MYSCHEMA to CAP CDS format in the current directory.

Convert Specific Tables to HDI Format

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --table "SALES_%" --output hdbtable

Convert all tables starting with SALES_ to HDI table definitions.

Convert with Namespace

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --namespace "com.company.sales" --output cds

Generate CDS definitions with a proper namespace structure.

Convert to Single File

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --filename schema.cds

Output all table definitions to a single schema.cds file.

Convert with HANA-Specific Types

hana-cli massConvert --schema GIS_DATA --useHanaTypes --output cds

Convert spatial/geometric tables preserving HANA-specific types like ST_POINT.

Migration Table Format (Preserve Data)

hana-cli massConvert --schema LEGACY --output hdbmigrationtable --folder ./migration

Generate HDI migration tables that preserve existing data during deployment.

Convert with Quoted Identifiers

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --table "Special-Name%" --useQuoted

Convert tables with special characters in names using quoted identifiers.

Generate with Synonyms

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --synonyms synonyms.hdbsynonym

Convert tables and generate corresponding synonym definitions.

Large Schema with Logging

hana-cli massConvert --schema BIGSCHEMA --limit 500 --log --folder ./converted

Convert up to 500 objects, continuing on errors and logging progress to file.

Pure Catalog Mode

hana-cli massConvert --schema MYSCHEMA --useCatalogPure --output cds

Generate pure catalog definitions including associations and merge settings.

Advanced Usage

Pattern Matching

Use SQL wildcards for selective conversion:

# Convert all tables starting with TEMP_
hana-cli massConvert --table "TEMP_%"

# Convert both tables and views matching pattern
hana-cli massConvert --table "DATA_%" --view "V_DATA_%"

# Convert tables ending with _LOG
hana-cli massConvert --table "%_LOG"

Handling Special Paths

# Keep original dotted paths
hana-cli massConvert --keepPath

# Replace :: with . in paths
hana-cli massConvert --noColons

# Use quoted identifiers for compatibility
hana-cli massConvert --useQuoted

Custom Output Organization

# Output to specific folder structure
hana-cli massConvert --folder ./db/src/tables --output hdbtable

# Single file with namespace
hana-cli massConvert --filename all-entities.cds --namespace app.entities

Output Examples

CDS Output Format

namespace com.example.sales;

entity CUSTOMERS {
  key CUSTOMER_ID : Integer;
  NAME            : String(100);
  EMAIL           : String(255);
  CREATED_AT      : Timestamp;
}

entity ORDERS {
  key ORDER_ID    : Integer;
  CUSTOMER_ID     : Integer;
  ORDER_DATE      : Date;
  TOTAL_AMOUNT    : Decimal(15,2);
}

HDI Table Output Format

COLUMN TABLE "CUSTOMERS" (
  "CUSTOMER_ID" INTEGER NOT NULL,
  "NAME" NVARCHAR(100),
  "EMAIL" NVARCHAR(255),
  "CREATED_AT" TIMESTAMP,
  PRIMARY KEY ("CUSTOMER_ID")
)

Progress Output

Converting Tables to cds:
  ✓ CUSTOMERS
  ✓ ORDERS
  ✓ PRODUCTS
  ✓ INVOICES

Successfully converted 4 tables to ./db/src/

Best Practices

1. Start with a Test Schema

# Test conversion on a small subset first
hana-cli massConvert --schema TEST_SCHEMA --limit 10

2. Use Namespaces for CDS

# Always use namespaces for organized CDS models
hana-cli massConvert --namespace "app.db.tables"

3. Choose the Right Output Format

• CDS: For CAP applications and cross-database portability
• HDI Table: For pure HANA HDI deployments
• HDI Migration: When preserving existing data is critical

4. Handle Large Schemas Carefully

# Use limits and logging for large conversions
hana-cli massConvert --limit 200 --log --folder ./batch1

5. Review Generated Files

Always review generated definitions before deployment:

• Check type mappings are appropriate
• Verify constraints and keys are preserved
• Test in development before production

Type Mapping

Standard vs HANA-Specific Types

Database Type	Standard CDS (useHanaTypes=false)	HANA-Specific (useHanaTypes=true)
ST_POINT	Binary	hana.ST_POINT
ST_GEOMETRY	Binary	hana.ST_GEOMETRY
NVARCHAR	String	String
DECIMAL	Decimal	Decimal
TIMESTAMP	Timestamp	Timestamp

Use --useHanaTypes when:

• Working with spatial/geometric data
• Using HANA-specific features
• Not planning cross-database deployment

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue: Too many objects to convert

# Solution: Use limit or pattern matching
hana-cli massConvert --limit 100
hana-cli massConvert --table "ACTIVE_%"

Issue: Special characters in table names

# Solution: Use quoted identifiers
hana-cli massConvert --useQuoted

Issue: Conversion errors stopping process

# Solution: Enable logging to continue
hana-cli massConvert --log

Issue: Need to preserve associations

# Solution: Use pure catalog mode
hana-cli massConvert --useCatalogPure

---

massConvertUI (UI Variant)

Command: massConvertUI
Status: Production Ready

Description: Convert a group of tables to CDS or HDBTable format via browser-based UI

Syntax:

hana-cli massConvertUI [schema] [table] [options]

Aliases:

• mcui
• massconvertui
• massConvUI
• massconvui

Parameters:

All massConvert options apply, plus:

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--port	-p	integer	3010	Port to run the HTTP server for the UI

Example Usage:

# Launch UI on default port
hana-cli massConvertUI

# Launch UI on custom port
hana-cli massConvertUI --port 8080

# Pre-select schema in UI
hana-cli massConvertUI --schema MYSCHEMA

The browser-based UI provides:

• Interactive schema and object selection
• Real-time preview of conversion options
• Visual feedback during conversion process
• Download converted files directly from browser

Related Commands

• massDelete - Bulk delete database objects
• massExport - Export database objects in various formats
• massRename - Rename fields in CDS-based export files
• massUpdate - Bulk update database records
• cds - Display database objects via CDS
• createModule - Create new DB module structure

See the Commands Reference for other commands in this category.

See Also

• Category: Mass Operations
• All Commands A-Z