CDS Annotations for UI, Semantics and Analytics

Explanation

Annotations make CDS powerful. They describe labels, semantics, UI behavior, analytics, search, value help and OData exposure. For example, @EndUserText.label gives business-readable labels, @Semantics.amount.currencyCode links amount to currency, and UI annotations help Fiori elements render list reports and object pages. Analytical annotations can make CDS query-ready. Annotations should be used intentionally. Too many annotations in the wrong layer make the model hard to maintain. Keep generic semantic annotations in reusable layers and UI-specific annotations in consumption views.

Code example

@EndUserText.label: 'Customer Revenue Consumption'@UI.headerInfo: { typeName: 'Customer Revenue', typeNamePlural: 'Customer Revenues' }define view entity ZC_CustomerRevenue as select from ZI_CustomerRevenue{ @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 10 }] key Customer,  @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 20 }] CustomerName,  @Semantics.amount.currencyCode: 'Currency' @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 30 }] TotalRevenue,  Currency} // Purpose:// UI annotations help Fiori elements render fields.// Semantics annotation tells which currency belongs to amount.

Real project scenario

A Fiori list report was created without custom frontend coding because the CDS consumption view provided UI line-item annotations, selection fields and semantic amount/currency annotations.

Common mistakes

- Adding UI annotations to every low-level view. - Not linking amount with currency. - Using technical labels in UI. - Adding annotations without understanding consumer.

Best practices

- Use semantic annotations for amount, quantity, date and currency. - Keep UI annotations in consumption layer. - Use business-friendly labels. - Test generated Fiori UI behavior.

Interview angle

A practical answer should mention annotations for labels, UI, analytics, semantics and Fiori elements.