Time-Based Variances (Specifics for SAP BW)

You can create a time-based variance in a chart that uses data from SAP BW live data sources, but there are some limitations.

Before you can create your time-based variance, you need to make sure that your SAP BW live data source has a time hierarchy defined. You will also need to be aware of the following guidelines and limitations:

  • Your time hierarchy must have day level granularity. (You won't be able to use Year-Quarter-Month, or Year-Month (YQM or YM) in your variances.)

  • Tuple filters are not supported.

  • A single value range filter must have the full range, not a partial range.

    For example, if your selected date range is 2003-2004, but December 2003 is missing, that would be a partial range.

  • When changing hierarchy levels, you can't use Include Parent Level.

  • Time variance supports having a story/page/group filter and a chart filter defined on the time dimension at the same time.

  • Time variance can include values outside of the data filter for story/page/group filters on the time dimension.

    For example, filtering on {2003,2004,2005} will give you previous year variance data for 2003 (equivalent to 2003-2002) even though 2002 is not in the original filter of {2003,2004,2005}.

  • Only one time dimension is allowed. Time variance on a time dimension is only supported if no other different time dimensions are used in the chart (axis, filter, or other variances).

  • Time variance is not supported when a time dimension filter contains a member with lower granularity than the displayed drill, except in the following situations:

    • Chart member filter – the filter is always supported.

    • Chart/story/page/group range filter – the filter is supported if it can be expressed only using filter members at the displayed drill granularity.

  • Time variances are not supported on any story-created calculations or SAP BW measures that are not selection candidates (candidates are determined by the measure definition in the BW model).

  • Time variances are not supported in blending

To learn how to add a time-based variance to your chart, see Adding Time-Based Variances to Charts