A data target is an object into which data is loaded. Data targets are the physical objects that are relevant during data modeling and when loading the data.

Data targets are:

A distinction is made between:

• Pure data targets for which no queries can be created or executed. An ODS object can be defined so that queries are not possible (if the BEx Reporting indicator is not set in the ODS object maintenance). In this case, it is a pure data target. A transactional ODS object is always a pure data target, for which a BEx query cannot be defined directly, but only by way of an InfoSet created for it.
• Data targets for which queries can be defined. These are called InfoProviders. Queries can always defined with Basic InfoCubes. A Basic Cube is therefore never a pure data target, but both a data target and an InfoProvider.

The terms data target and InfoProvider describe BW objects from the "write" and the "read" view respectively. Data can be loaded into a data target using the BW update method (the "write"); Data can be read from an InfoProvider using BEx queries.

Here are some examples to explain this in more detail:

• A Basic InfoCube is both a data target and an InfoProvider

• An ODS object without a set BEx Reporting indicator is only a data target

• A RemoteCube is only an InfoProvider.

InfoCubes and ODS objects are always assigned to an InfoArea. A characteristic is not a data target and InfoProvider until it has been assigned to an InfoArea and appears in the InfoProvider tree. Here, you can define update rules for the characteristic and use them to load attributes and texts.

You can turn a characteristic into a data target only if the characteristic contains texts or attributes. It is not possible to use update rules to load hierarchies.