Formatting (SAP Library - BI Suite: Business Explorer)

Formatting

Use

Formatting for a query consists of, among other things, font, font color, background color and background pattern, frame, alignment and options for the hierarchy display. Different format templates and hierarchy symbols are used for the display of the various cell areas of queries (filter cells, results area, header information). The formatting of the SAP format template serves to underline the type of data contained in a cell and, therefore, to emphasize the structure of the delivered results. You can change the format templates and the symbols for the hierarchy display in order to configure the display according to your personal requirements.

Features

The Business Explorer uses the concept of the format templates from Excel for formatting results areas, filter cells, and cell areas for header information. The formatting properties such as font, pattern, frames and so on, are never directly assigned to a cell. Instead they are summarized in format templates, and these are then assigned to the cells. Therefore, cells of the same type contain the same format template.

Every time you change a query the cell contents also changes and at the same time the format of the cell is automatically adjusted to correspond with the new cell contents. You can prevent this automatic adjustment by choosing Properties ® Adjust Format after Refresh.

Note

You can change the format of queries as much as you like using the concept of the format templates. For example, each change to the format template SAPBEXstdData (choose Formatting ® Format Templates in the main menu) influences the display of all cells that contain data.

You can also use the formats in Workbook Templates.

Caution

The changes to the SAP format templates apply to the whole workbook and remain the same when navigating and refreshing queries.

Activities

To change the format template of query cell areas, select the relevant cell area and choose Formatting from the BEx toolbar. Select the font, pattern, frame or alignment. Make the required changes and choose OK.

You can change the width of the hierarchy indentation and the hierarchy pushbuttons for the hierarchy display.

In order to change the hierarchy buttons for hierarchy nodes and leaves, insert an autoshape symbol into the workbook. Select the symbol and choose Formatting ® .Define Symbol for.... Choose whether the autoform symbol is defined for:

Expanding hierarchically,

Collapsing hierarchically,

Expanding into other dimensions,

Linking to documents.

If you now open and close the hierarchy, the changes to the hierarchy buttons come into effect.

In order to change the width of the hierarchy indentation, choose Formatting ® Hierarchy Indentation. The indentation can be set to narrow, normal, wide and very wide.

Note

The maximum number of hierarchy levels that can be displayed is 13 for Narrow, 7 for Normal, 5 for Wide and 4 for Very Wide. If you exceed the maximum number of hierarchy levels that can be displayed, then the next level will be displayed again under the level above.

Note

You can also use the format template that you changed in other workbooks. In the main menu choose Format ® Format Template and select the workbook, for which you want to transfer the formatting to the active workbook. Select Merge....

See also:

Cell Areas of a Query

Query Properties