Defining New Queries (SAP Library

Defining New Queries

Prerequisites

The Business Information Warehouse must contain at least one InfoCube.

Procedure

Start the Business Explorer Analyzer.

In the BEx toolbar, choose Open. You get to the selection screen for all existing workbooks.

Choose Queries. You get to the selection screen for all available queries.

Choose New... again. You get to the selection screen for all InfoCubes, for which you can define a new query.

Select the InfoCube on whose data the query should be based.

If you want to show the technical name of the InfoCubes, choose the symbol Technical name on/off.

The available objects in the InfoCube you selected are displayed as a directory tree in the left part of the screen for the query definition.

The right-hand area contains empty directories for the filter selection, the rows, the columns and the free characteristics of the query. The preview of the results area for the query can be found bottom right. This area is also empty at first (also see the example at the end of this section).

Proceed as follows to create a query:

By clicking on the plus or minus symbol of the directories you can expand or compress the directories. You can, for example, display the list of all of the key figures in the InfoCube by expanding the key figure node in the InfoCube tree.
Using drag-and-drop, you can drag characteristics and key figures from the InfoCube into the directories of the query definition (filter, rows, columns, free characteristics).
Using the right mouse button you call up all the functions that are available in the current context menu. First, select the query component you want to work with (for example, a characteristic) and then, using the right mouse button, select a menu entry (for example, Properties) from the context menu.
By double-clicking on an element of the query definition, you call up a dialog box containing a function that is executed by default on this element. If, for example, you double-click on a characteristic, the dialog box for restricting the characteristic appears. If you double-click on a calculated key figure, for example, then the Calculated key figure dialog box, in which you can make changes, appears.

Make the selections for the filter of the query. Please note that the filter selection has a restricting effect on the entire query, meaning all of the InfoCube data is aggregated with the filter selection. Select the characteristics or the key figure upon which the query should be based from the directory tree of the InfoCube.

Characteristics

Expand the dimension directory you want and first select one or more characteristics of the InfoCube that you want to restrict to one or more values, a variable, a value interval or a hierarchy node ( see also: Creating Queries With Variables ). Expand this characteristic and, using drag-and-drop, put a single value in the filter of the query definition. Or, using drag-and-drop, drag the characteristic into the Filter area of the query definition. Using the right mouse button select Restrict from the context menu. Now select a characteristic value interval or a hierarchy node ( See also: Restricting Characteristics).

Key figure

Decide whether all of the query data should refer to the number values of a key figure or whether the query should be based on several key figures. If the query should refer to the number values of one key figure, select the corresponding key figure of the InfoCube tree and drag it to the Filter area of the query definition using drag-and-drop. You can also use a restricted or calculated key figure ( see also: Restricting and Calculating Key Figures).

Now determine which characteristics, key figures or structures you want to use for the navigating on the query data. Using drag-and-drop, drag the corresponding directories of the characteristics of the InfoCube tree to the directories rows, columns or free characteristics in the right-hand screen area of the query definition or drag the structure directories into the rows or columns.

If you have not selected any key figures for the filter, then define one or more key figures either in the rows or columns of the query. From the Key figures directory of the InfoCube tree drag a key figure into a directory of the query definition using drag-and-drop (either row or column). The key figure is stored in the new directory Key Figure.

You can also define a new calculated key figure and use it for the query. For example, instead of "Sales revenue", define the key figure "Price" that is calculated using "Sales revenue" divided by "Quantity". Highlight the directory Key figures in the InfoCube tree and choose New calculated key figure from the context menu (right mouse click).

You can restrict key figures to characteristic values, characteristic value intervals or hierarchy nodes by highlighting the key figure and choosing Edit from the context menu (right mouse click). A restricted key figure would be "Sales revenue in 1 st quarter", for example.

By placing the characteristics, key figures or structures either in the rows or columns directory of the query definition, you configure the first navigational state of the query (start view). In the lower right area you can see a preview of the results area of the query in the start view that you selected.

You can change the arrangement of the key figures and characteristics in the rows and columns using drag-and-drop until the preview shows the results area you want.

If you have created the query, you can check the query definition by choosing the Check symbol in the standard toolbar.
Select the symbol for Query properties from the toolbar if you want to change the description, settings for Result position, Display options and Number display, or key date for the query.
Save the query. Enter a technical name and a description for naming the query. The technical name must uniquely identify the query, meaning that the name is only allowed to appear once across all InfoCubes of the Business Information Warehouse. The technical name can be up to 30 characters long and must begin with a letter.

Result

The query is saved and can be inserted into a workbook. You can analyze the query data in the Business Explorer.

See also:

Creating Reusable Structures

Properties of the Query Components

Functions of the Query Definition

Displaying and Changing the Query Definition

Authorizations for the Query Definition