This section contains an overview of the functions that are available to you in the Business Explorer when you are defining a query.

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.

If you have created or changed the query, you can insert it into a workbook to enable you to navigate in and analyze the query data.

The query is only saved locally in the workbook. If you want the query to be generally (publicly) available in the Business Information Warehouse you must save it using the function Save or Save as....and give it a unique technical name.

Choose Exit query if you want to leave the query definition screen. Your entries will not be saved.

If you want to create a query, select the symbol for New query. You get a list of all the available InfoCubes from which you select the InfoCube containing the data that you want to base your query on.

If you select Open query, you get a list of all of the queries available in the Business Information Warehouse.

If you want to save a query, enter a new technical name, and a description for the name of the query. The query is saved in the list of queries in the Business Information Warehouse, and can be opened using Open query.

If you have changed a query, and want to save it under a new technical name or under the name of an existing query, select Save query as.... Enter the new technical name or select the technical name of an existing query.

Select Delete query, if you want to delete a query.

You can define exceptions for a query. Exceptions are variations in key figure values that you define yourself. They are displayed in a different color in the query view. This allows you to see at a glance, any unusual deviations from the results you expect to get.

Choose Condition, if you want to define conditions for a query. You can specify threshold value conditions for the key figure values in every characteristic, for example, specify all sales figures under or above a certain threshold value. In the query, the selected characteristics are displayed with the restricted key figures.

Choose Query properties, if you want to change the description of the query, or you want to make settings for the Results position, Display options, Number display and Zero suppression of the query. In the query properties, you can also set Release for OLE DB for OLAP.

If you have saved a new or changed query, you can check the query definition for errors using the function Check query.

Using the function Query where-used list, you can determine in which workbooks of the Business Information Warehouse this query is saved.

Using this function you can toggle between the display and change mode.

Choose the function Change query (global definition), if you are currently in the local query definition, and want to change to the global definition.

With the Technical name function, you can show / hide the technical names of the InfoObjects.

The context menu function allows you to display the context menu without using the right mouse button (for example, using a touch screen). Select a directory from the InfoCube tree or the query definition, and choose the Context menu function. The context menu for the element you highlighted appears.