Displaying All Valid Characteristic Combinations

You can use characteristic relationships for real-time InfoCubes and DataStore objects for direct updates in planning mode or local providers in the BW Workspace to model valid combinations of characteristic values. The system uses this information to propose combinations of characteristics in input-ready queries that values have not been saved for yet. To generate valid combinations, the system uses the current values from the filter of the query and the relations from the characteristic relationships.

You have modeled some characteristics relationships (see Characteristic Relationships).

You have defined an input-ready query (see Input-Ready Query).

In the Properties for a characteristic in BEx Query Designer, you can set the Access Type for Result Values. You have the following options:

• Posted Values

• Characteristic Relationships

• Master Data

The first option is the default setting.

If you want the system to propose combinations for planning, choose Characteristic Relationships. If a characteristic should not be included in a relation, the system also uses the master data to generate the valid combinations if you choose Characteristic Relationships.

If you choose Master Data for an input-ready query however, the system first generates all possible combinations that are only restricted by time characteristics and navigation attributes. For each cell, the system checks whether the relevant characteristic relationships produce a valid combination for the cell. If this is the case, the cell is input ready.

In sales planning, you are planning (rolling) quantities for periods in a predefined time interval (a year for example). The products are arranged in a Product Hierarchy that you have modeled using the characteristic relationships. Product belongs to a Product Group, which in turn belongs to a Product Line. You use these characteristics in the rows of an input-ready query. In the columns, you use key figure Sales Quantity, and time characteristicFiscal Year/Period in the drilldown. Under Access Type for Result Values, you choose Characteristic Relationships for these four characteristics. The system generates the valid combinations in the rows. For characteristic Period/Year, the system detects all the valid periods from the master data in the filter. It generates the corresponding number of combinations in the key figure structure with the values for the periods.

The following graphic provides an example of this type of planning: