Defining Web Template Settings (SAP Library

Defining Web Template Settings

Use

The Reporting Agent allows you to precalculate Web templates, that is, HTML documents with BW-specific placeholders, in the background. If, in the Web browser, you call up a Web report that is based on a precalculated Web template, you can access precalculated data without having to execute an OLAP query. This shortens the access time considerably and reduces the workload on the application server.

Note the following restrictions:

· Precalculated Web templates are static, meaning that OLAP navigation is no longer possible.

· When you call a precalculated Web template, the variables screen is not processed. You have to use URL parameters to pre-set the variables (see step 11). For more information on the corresponding URL parameters see Structure link Default Variables for Web Applications.

Prerequisites

· You have defined a Web template. For more information see Structure link Web Templates and Creating Web Applications with the BEx Web Application Designer

· Where necessary, you have also created a control query. You can find further information under Control Query for Precalculating Web Templates.

Procedure

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1. You are in the Reporting Agent functional area of the Administrator Workbench. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Web Templates in the navigation frame of the Administrator Workbench. In the left-hand tree of the Reporting Agent Scheduler, the roles that are available in the system are displayed along with the workbooks and Web templates that are assigned to them.

2. Navigate to the required Web template.

3. You can create a new setting in the following ways:

¡ Choose New Setting from the context menu.

¡ Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Create New Setting.

The New Reporting Agent Settingdialog box appears.

4. Enter a technical name and a description.

The following information is displayed on the General tab page:

¡ The function area of the setting is Precalculation of Web Templates.

¡ Under the Web Template group header, information is displayed about the Web template for which you are creating a setting (description, technical name).

¡ After the setting has been saved for the first time, under the Last Changed On/By group header the system displays details of the last person who changed the setting and the time this change was made.

¡ Under the Setting is Used in Packages group header, the system displays information about the packages in which the setting is used, and how they are scheduled. This information can only be displayed if you have defined the setting and assigned one or more scheduling packages to it.

5. Choose the Parameter tab page.

6. Under the Calculate group header, select the things that you want the system to precalculate. You can choose more than one option.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Data

Accessing precalculated data improves the system performance considerably: The data is no longer requested from the OLAP processor and only the HTML pages need to be generated. SAP recommends that you precalculate data if your queries contain the following:

¡ complex selection criteria

¡ top N conditions

¡ calculated key figures

HTML pages:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text HTML for Web Browsers

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text HTML for Pocket IE

You can pre-calculate HTML documents for Web browsers and mobile devices. The Reporting Agent supports various device classes. For more information, see Structure link Automatic Device Recognition.

BW uses the SAP Document and Content Management service (Content Management Framework) to manage HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) documents and the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) objects that belong to them.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Excel

You can precalculate data from a query or a query view as an Excel table. (You can find further information in the documentation for the corresponding command for query views under Structure link Exporting Data ). The files generated in the background (one file per DataProvider) are stored on the application server alongside precalculated HTML documents.

Caution

The Reporting Agent does not allow you to pre-calculate a BW workbook in the background.

7. Under the Language group header, set the language(s) for which you want to calculate the data. You can choose from the following options:

¡ logon language

¡ all installed languages

¡ language selection

Note

Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Select to select a language or to change a selection you have made. The Select Language dialog box appears.

· In the Available Languages screen area, select the language(s) you require. Transfer the selected language into the Selected Languages screen area using This graphic is explained in the accompanying text .

· To remove a selected language, select it in the Selected Languages screen area. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text . The language is transferred into the Available Languages screen area.

When you have made your selections choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Continue.

Caution

If you want to precalculate user-specific Web templates (step 8), you are not able to choose the language. The system uses the logon language of the user instead.

8. Under the Authorizations group header, you set authorizations to control access to precalculated Web templates. You can choose from the following options:

¡ This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Roles

¡ This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Users

Note

Either the Select Roles or the Select Recipient dialog box appears. The procedure for selecting one or more recipients is the same as the one outlined above for the Selection of Languages (step 7).

Precalculating User-Specific Web Templates

If you choose the Pre-Calculate by User option, all the data and HTML pages for the Reporting Agent setting are pre-calculated for each of the selected users, in a single job. The system splits the job into individual steps. These individual job steps run for the respective users.

Recommendation

SAP recommends that you use the Precalculate by User option to precalculate Web templates that contain Authorization type variables. The system takes into account the authorizations assigned to a user and uses the log-on language for each particular user. Depending on the individual user, different data can be precalculated for one and the same Web template.

Caution

In order to schedule a scheduling package with settings for the user-specific precalculation of Web templates as a job, the system administrator must be given authorization S_BTCH_NAM to designate, in the job steps, the selected user as an authorization user. For more information, see Structure link Authorizations for Background Processing and Defining Users for Background Processing.

9. Under the Filtering group header, you determine whether you want to use the result of a control query to parameterize the Web template.

¡ Choose the No Filtering option if you want the Web template to be precalculated without any additional parameters being set.

¡ Choose the Explicitly through Query Result option if you want to use a control query. You are now able to input information into the Control Query and Variants fields.

Enter the technical name. Input help is available. After you save your entries, the system updates the information according to your selections.

10. If the control query contains mandatory variables that are ready for input, you have to assign a variant in the Variant field.

11. If the Web application requires you to enter a variable, under the Variants group header, you can generate one or more variables in the form of a URL parameter string.

Example

Example for pre-assigned variables: Interval variables

&var_name_1=myIntVar&var_value_low_ext_1=LowVal&var_value_high_ext_1=HighVal

For more information, see Structure link Default Variables for Web Applications.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Create

§ ...

a. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Create. The Create Variants for Web Template dialog box appears. The variables screen appears if the Web application uses variables.

b. Make the required settings and enter a technical name and a description.

c. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Continue. The system adds the new variant to the list of variants.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Change

If one or more variants have already been created for a Web template, you can add extra parameters to the relevant parameter string.

§ ...

d. Highlight the variant that you want to change.

e. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Change. The Create Variants for Web Template dialog box appears. The system displays the parameter string for precalculating the variables.

f. Make your desired changes.

g. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Continue.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Execute

Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Execute if you want to change the precalculated variables for a variant that you have created already. The variables screen appears again.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Delete

12. Choose the Preview tab page.

¡ If you are using a control query and you want the control query to be displayed, set the Control Query indicator under the Selection group header and choose Display.

¡ If you want to display a Web template, set the Template indicator and choose Display.

A preview window is shown in the right-hand area of the tab page.

13. If you want the source code for the template to be displayed, choose the Template tab page.

14. Save your setting.

15. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Activate.

Result

Once you have defined the Reporting Agent setting, you have to assign it to a scheduling package for processing in the background. For more information see Processing a Scheduling Package.

Once the background run has finished, HTML pages, MS Excel files, and the precalculated data for the Web template is available for you to use.

Note

Further information about accessing pre-calculated data or HTML pages when calling up Web templates can be found under Parameter DATA_MODE.

You can access precalculated HTML pages in different ways:

· Using the BEx Download Scheduler

SAP recommends that you use the BEx Download Scheduler as an assistant when you download precalculated Web templates as HTML pages from the BW server. You can find additional information under Structure link Offline Scenario.

· Using a Web folder

As an alternative to the BEx Download Scheduler, you can also store precalculated HTML pages locally and easily with the help of the WebDAV Service for document storage in the content management framework. (Restricted) offline reporting options are available using this method. You can find further information about the WebDAV service under Structure link Implementing External Tools . See also: WebDAV (World Wide Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) For more information about this procedure see Downloading Web Templates Using WebDAVs and Web Folders.