BW InfoProviders 

Definition

Objects for which the queries in SAP BW can be created or executed.

There are two types of InfoProviders. One type includes objects that contain physical data. These are known as data targets, such as InfoCubes, ODS objects, and InfoObjects (characteristics with attributes, texts, or hierarchies). The other type includes objects that display no physical data storage, such as InfoSets, RemoteCubes, SAP RemoteCubes, and MultiProviders.

InfoProviders are the objects or views that are relevant for reporting.

Use

Connecting to an InfoProvider furnishes the BW Unifier project with content.

The following are brief definitions of the various types of InfoProviders that can be used in an SAP BW Unifier project. For detailed information, consult SAP Business Information Warehouse documentation.

·        InfoSet

An InfoSet is a semantic, BW-specific view of ODS objects and InfoObjects (characteristics with master data) that allows you to create reports based on these objects, particularly on the joins between these objects.

·        InfoCube

An InfoCube is a central data store for reports and evaluations that enables multi-dimensional analysis. It refers to how data is structured within BW tables. Each InfoCube consists of several InfoObjects, which create the dimensions and characteristics of the cube. Each query references a single InfoCube.

-         Query: A query represents a particular view of a specific InfoCube. Queries are predefined and users cannot add more parameters to them. All the queries that a user is allowed to see become part of the user’s toolbar as defined in the BW system.

·        ODS

An ODS is an Operational Data Store where it is possible to combine information from several data sources before storing it in InfoCubes. An ODS provides a query with access to more detailed data than that which is available in an InfoCube, which is often necessary for a proper business analysis.

InfoObject

Each of the InfoProvider types described above consists of InfoObjects.

An InfoObject is the basic unit of information in the BW environment. It is a generic term for business evaluation objects such as customer, product, region, revenue, and so on.

An InfoObject represents a unit of metadata in the BW repository, containing both technical information and business logic. An InfoObject can have attributes, each of which in itself is an InfoObject as well.