Example: List of Slow-Moving Items 

You want to define a query that displays all products that have been purchased only infrequently or not at all. In other words, the query is also to display characteristic values for which no transaction data or only low values exist for the selected period.

Procedure

In the Data Warehousing Workbench:

...

       1.      Create a MultiProvider consisting of a revenue InfoCube, which includes (among other things) the InfoObject Material (0MATERIAL), and is comprised of the InfoObject 0MATERIAL. The InfoObject must be set as an InfoProvider in InfoObject maintenance. In other words, you need to have assigned the InfoObject to an InfoArea. (Also see Tab Page: Master Data/Texts).

In the Business Explorer:

       2.      Select your MultiProvider in the Query Designer.

       3.      Define a query that contains the InfoObject 1ROWCOUNT in the columns.

The InfoObject 1ROWCOUNT is contained in all “flat” InfoProviders, that is, in all InfoObjects and DataSource objects. It counts the number of records in the InfoProvider. In this scenario, you can see from the row number display whether or not values from the InfoProvider InfoObject are really displayed.

       4.      Save the query and execute it. All values are now displayed, including those for materials that were not purchased.

If you filter by time (0CALYEAR, for example), values from the InfoProvider InfoObjects are not displayed since 0CALYEAR is not an attribute of 0MATERIAL. You can see this from the absence of values in the 1ROWCOUNT column in the query. If you want to restrict by time, you need to proceed as follows:

Constant Selection for the InfoObject

You need to set the constant selection for the 1ROWCOUNT key figure in order to be able to set a filter by time in this query. For more information about constant selection, see Constant Selection.

...

       1.      In the Query Designer, from the context menu for 1ROWCOUNT, choose Edit.

       2.      On the left hand of the screen, under the Data Package dimension, select the characteristic InfoProvider (0INFOPROV) and drag it into the right-hand screen area.

       3.      From the context menu for the InfoProvider, choose Restrict and restrict across the InfoProvider InfoObject.

       4.      Also, from the context menu for the InfoProvider, choose the function Constant Selection.

       5.      Save the query and execute it. You can now set a filter for a time characteristic; the materials display remains as it was.

Displaying Slow-Moving Items

If you want to display a list of slow moving items, excluding products that are selling well, proceed as follows:

...

       1.      In the Query Designer, from the context menu for 1ROWCOUNT, choose Edit.

       2.      from the context menu for InfoProvider, choose the function Display Empty Values. Select Constant Selection too.

       3.      Save the query and execute it. The system displays the materials for which there was no revenue.

Displaying Products with Lower Demand

If you want to display a list of products that have not been sold or have only been selling badly, proceed as follows:

...

       1.      Set constant selection as described above, but do not select the display empty values function.

       2.      In the Query Designer, define a condition for the 0MATERIAL InfoObject. Specify a value that is to be the upper limit for a bad sale.

       3.      Save the query and execute it. The system displays all materials that have not been sold or have been selling badly.