Selection/Formula Properties 

Use

In the dialog box Selection/Formula Properties for a structural component, you can set a range of functions. You can make the settings for both the columns and the rows.

Features

Technical Name

You can enter a technical name for the structural component. However, this is optional.

Note that the technical name must be unique across all queries.

For access from external interfaces (such as Crystal Reports, from URLs or using OLE DB for OLAP), a technical name is necessary for structural components, since the structural component is considered a table field and has to be uniquely accessible. If you do not enter a technical name, the unique ID (UID) is used for access from external interfaces for uniquely identifying the structural component. However, the UID has 25 characters, which can lead to problems when you change queries.

You can change the technical name. When you do so, a warning appears that tells you that when you use the structural component in external interfaces, the references can be destroyed.

Description

The name of the key figure, the restricted key figure (selection), or the formula appears here automatically. You can change this description.

In contrast to characteristics and attributes, structural components can contain several rows as the description.

The total number of all characters in all rows, including the line-end character is restricted to 60 characters.

You can use text variables in the description.

Layout

Here you can choose whether you want to highlight the selection or formula. The type of highlighting depends on the style used in the BEx Analyzer or in the Web application.

If you choose Hide, the selection or formula is not displayed.

You can also mark a selection as constant. This means that the selection cannot be changed by navigation or filtering for the runtime and can therefore be used as a reference size. For more information, see Selecting Constants.

Number Display

You can set a scaling factor of 1 to a billion. If, for example, you set 1,000, the value 3,000 is shown in the report as 3.

You can set the number of decimal places. The number can have either no decimal places or up to nine decimal places (0, 0.0, 0.00... to 0.000000000).

Select Reverse +/- Signs if you want to display the numbers as negative values. A positive number receives a minus as a sign (for example, 85 becomes –85) or a negative number receives a plus (for example, -38 becomes +38).

The reversal of plus and minus signs is purely a display function. If, for example, the key figure is added to a formula, it is calculated with its correct values.

Calculations

You use this function to recalculate the results rows and single values that are displayed in the query according to particular criteria.

Calculate Result As...

Calculate Single Values As...

Cumulated

You use this function to cumulate the individual cells in an area. The first value is added to the second value, the result is added to the third value, and so on. In the columns, the cells are cumulated from top to bottom, and in the rows, the cells are cumulated from left to right. With blocks of single values, that is, a drilldown in both the rows and the columns, the values are cumulated from top to bottom and from left to right.

Also Apply to Results

You can also use the chosen recalculation on the results rows under Calculate Results as... or Calculate Single Values as...

Note that the following functions cannot be applied to hierarchy lists (active display hierarchies), and cannot be used in conjunction with the characteristic containing the hierarchy.

Currency Translation

The Currency Translation function is not offered in the formula properties dialog box.

You create the translation types for currency translation in the Administrator Workbench. For more information, see Creating Currency Translation Keys.

You can set a target currency for a structural component in the Query Designer.

Select a currency in the dropdown box for Currency Type. According to how the currency translation key has been created in the Administrator Workbench, you have the following options:

The target currency is not fixed in the translation key in the Administrator Workbench but can be determined when converting. Select the required translation key and enter the Target Currency in the dropdown box. You can also select a currency from the dropdown box.

Moreover, you can also select, create or change a variable target currency.

Select Input Variables.

The variable target currencies appear in a dropdown box. Select a variable chain. You can change the variables using . Entering variables offsets dialog box appears. For more information, see Changing Variables in the Variable Editor.

Choose if you want to create a new variable target currency. The variable wizard dialog box appears. For more information, see Defining Variables with the Variable Wizard.

When you execute the query, the variable dialog box appears, in which you can choose the target currency.

The target currency is determined in the translation key in the Administrator Workbench. Select the required translation key with the fixed target currency. In the Target Currency dropdown box, the fixed target currency for this translation key appears.

The target currency is determined in the translation key in the Administrator Workbench so that it is determined from an InfoObject. Select the required translation key with the target currency from the InfoObject.

Formula Collision

The Formula Collision function is offered ONLY in the formulas property window.

When you define two structures, which both contain formulas, it is unclear to the system how to calculate the formulas at the point where both formulas intersect.

The following example clarifies the concept of formula collision:
 

Column 1

Column 2

Column 1 x Column 2

Row 1

Value A

Value B

A x B

Row 2

Value C

Value D

C x D

Row 1 + Row 2

A + C

B + D

? Formula Collision?

In this example, there are two rows and two columns with simple values, the third row is a simple summation formula and the third column is a simple multiplication. In the cell in which the row and column formulas meet, it is not clear which calculation should be made.

If you calculate according to the column formula in this cell, the cell contains (A+C)x(B+D). If you calculate according to the row formula in this cell, the cell contains (AxC)+(BxD). The result gives a different value.

If a formula collision occurs, as described in the example above, you can determine which formula is used in the calculation. You can make the following settings in the Formula Collision field:

If you do not make a definition, the formula that was set last takes priority in a formula collision. Setting means that you defined and saved the formula.

The result of this formula has priority in a collision

The result of a competing formula has priority in a collision

Collisions always occur when point and dash calculations or functions are mixed in competing formulas. If there is only dash calculation or point calculation in both formulas, both calculation directions give the same result. Therefore, no settings are required for formula collision in this case.

Activities

Select the structural component and choose Properties from the context menu (right mouse click). You reach the Selection/Formula Properties dialog box.