Defining Selection Criteria

You enter the selection criteria for your report data on the Create Report: General Data Selection screen. These sets, together with the sets used in rows and columns, define the data in a report.

Example Example

On the Create Report: General Data Selection screen, enter the set TD-LEDGER. This set contains the value AB for the characteristic Ledger . When the report is executed, the system only selects data records for the ledger AB.

End of the example.

You should use a set as selection criteria when one of the following conditions applies:

  • The set contains only one value.

  • The set contains more than one value, but you only want to use the total for the set and not each set value.

The following characteristics must be defined in your report, either as selection criteria, a row block, or a column block:

  • Company

  • Ledger

  • Version

  • Record type

  • Period

Note Note

To reduce processing time, you should specify all characteristics in the general data selection that need not be used in the report rows or columns.

End of the note.

Procedure

  1. On any Create Report screen, choose Goto → General data selection .

  2. The Create Report: General Data Selection screen appears.

    Sets that have been defined as default selection sets are listed on the screen. You define default selection sets in the library of the report. These sets appear as selection criteria for each report in a certain library.

    You define default selection sets for the characteristics Company Code (TD-COCDE-TDG), Ledger (TD-RLDNR-D4), Version (TD-RVERS-02), and Year (TD-RYEAR-95). These selection sets automatically appear each time a new report is created for the library.

    For information about default selection sets, see Libraries .

  3. Enter the name(s) of the set(s) that you want to use as selection criteria for the report data.

  4. You cannot use a set containing characteristics that are already being used in a row or column block. You also cannot use a multidimensional set as selection criteria. You can use a data set as selection criteria, but only when there is exactly one value in the set.

    You can enter a set that has not yet been created in your system. The system asks you whether you want to create the set and displays a series of dialog boxes in which you choose whether you want to create a report set or a general set and then select the relevant set type.

    You can enter basic and multidimensional sets that have been created for characteristics from tables other than the table that the report uses. To do so, the characteristic of the row block set must be compatible with the corresponding characteristic in the report’s table.

    The Report Writer can use sets from all set classes. However, a set name is only unique within one set class.

    If you entered a set name that exists in two different set classes, the system displays a dialog box in which you select the set that you want to use as the row block.

    You can also enter set variables as report selection criteria. For more information, see Entering a Variable as Selection Criteria below.

  5. If you want to eliminate internal business volume within a set hierarchy that you entered as selection criteria, set the IntBusVolElim indicator.

  6. You can set the IntBusVolElim indicator and use the selection variation for a characteristic of the screen Create Report: General Data Selection . This allows you to eliminate internal business volume within a set hierarchy and also create reports for the different levels in the set hierarchy.

  7. Enter variation data for a selection set in the Vary From/Vary To and S fields as required.

  8. If a selection set contains more than one value, the Report Writer normally accumulates the data for the different values. By entering appropriate values in the Vary Frm , Vary To , and S fields, you can instruct the Report Writer to create different reports for the different characteristic values, as well as for the different set levels (if the selection set is a single-dimension set).

    When you enter variation data, variation of the selection is automatically activated when you execute the report’s report group.

    The levels within a set hierarchy are numbered as follows: The uppermost set node is assigned level 1 . The set node directly underneath this is assigned level 2 , and so on. Characteristic values in basic sets are always assigned level 1- and basic sets are always assigned level 2- .

    Enter the following information:

    – The upper hierarchy level for selecting report data. You can enter a number greater or less than 0 .

    – The lower hierarchy level for selecting report data. You can enter a number greater or less than 0 .

    – Set the S indicator (Single value) if you also want different reports for the detail/single values contained in the selection set. If you want the system to summarize all records, do not set the S indicator (Single value).

    You create a single-dimension set called TD-COCDE-TD that contains three basic sets: TD-COCDE-TD1 (local companies TD11, TD12, TD13), TD-COCDE-TD2 (local companies TD21, TD22, and TD23), and TD-COCDE-TD3 (local companies TD31, TD32, and TD33). You then use the set as selection criteria for your report. The system selects and summarizes data records for all nine companies.

    If you entered 1 in the Vary Frm field and 2 in the Vary To field and left the S field blank, the system would create four different reports for the three companies.

    Refer to the following table for using additional data selection methods with the Vary Frm , Vary To , and S fields.

    Using the Vary Frm, Vary To and S Fields (Example TD-COCDE-TD)

    From

    To

    S

    Function

    1

    1

    Space

    Display one report with the data summarized for the single-dimension set TD-COCDE-TD.

    2

    2

    Space

    Display three separate reports with the data summarized for the basic sets TD-COCDE-TD1, TD- COCDE-TD2, and TD-COCDE-TD3.

    1

    2

    Space

    Display four reports; one with the summarized data for set TD-COCDE-TD and three separate reports for the data summarized in sets TD-COCDE-TD1, TD-COCDE-TD2, and TD-COCDE-TD3.

    3

    1-

    3

    1-

    X

    X

    Display nine separate reports; one for each company (set value) in sets TD-COCDE-TD1, TD-COCDE-TD2, and TD-COCDE-TD3.

    You can further limit selection criteria when you execute a report group. For more information, see Report Group Execution and the procedure Executing a Report Group .

    When displaying a report that varies the level of selection data, you can use the View functions to switch between the different reports that have been created as a result of the variation levels. For more information about the View functions, see Functions in the Report Output .

    If a report is executed in the background, reports that are created as a result of variation levels are printed consecutively.

  9. On this screen you can use the additional processing functions shown in the following table.

Additional Processing Functions ( Create Report: General Data Selection Screen)

Choose

Function

Edit ® Display set

Display set used as selection criteria

Edit ® Change set

Change set used as selection criteria. You must save your report before you can call up the set maintenance transactions.

Edit → Insert set...

Insert a set as selection criteria. The Select Sets dialog box appears. You can enter selection criteria to search for a set.

Edit ® Insert variable...

Insert an existing set variable as selection criteria

Edit ® Delete row

Delete a row

Edit ® Selection rule

Enter a selection rule

Edit ® Delete sel. rule

Delete a selection rule

Goto ® Report layout ® Use standard layout

Reset layout parameters to default values of standard layout

Extra s ® List of characteristics

Display list of characteristics used in the report

Extras → Maintenance language

Switch language for report texts (for example, to enter text for the report description in another language)

Extras → Other std layout

Assign new standard layout to the report

Extras → Threshold value

Enter threshold value condition to highlight in color or print report rows, depending on the values in a specific report column

Note Note

You can also use the Insert line and Delete line icons positioned below the list of data selection sets to insert a new blank line and delete a line.

End of the note.

Entering a Formula to Select Report Data

If you cannot completely define the selection criteria using a set or set variable, you can use a selection formula. To use a selection formula, you must first enter the selection formula as a rule. You then use the rule name when you define a report. You define rules and selection formulas in Customizing.

For more information on defining selection formulas in rules, see Customizing for the Special Purpose Ledger under Tools → Maintain Validation/Substitution/Rules → Logical Rules for Validation and Substitution.

Note Note

To improve processing time, you should use a set rather than a selection formula. You should only use a selection formula if a condition cannot be defined with a set. You would use a selection formula, for example, when you want to select only certain value combinations for different characteristics.

End of the note.

If you want to enter rule names as selection criteria on the Create Report: General Data Selection screen, proceed as follows:

  1. Choose Edit → Selection rule .

  2. The Choose Rule dialog box appears.

  3. Enter the name of the selection rule.

  4. The selection rule name that you use must be defined in Customizing. Also, the selection formula used in a report definition can only refer to the table defined in the report's library.

    For example, a formula can only refer to the table GLT1 if the report is in a library that uses the table GLT1.

  5. Choose Continue .

The Create Report: General Data Selection screen appears, displaying the rule name that you entered.

Entering Variables as Selection Criteria

You can use set variables as selection criteria. When you execute a report that uses a set variable, the system prompts you to enter a set name for the variable.

Note Note

You can enter set variables whose default set uses a table that is not the table of the report. A prerequisite is that the table field of the default set is compatible with the relevant characteristic of the report table.

For example, you can:

End of the note.

  1. Create a set variable called BUSAREA. The default set of the variable is a basic set created for table CCSS and the characteristic "Business area" (GSBER). The set contains a range of business areas.

  2. You create a Report Writer report for a library that uses table GLT1 and enter the set variable BUSAREA as data selection criteria.

Since the variable uses a default set for table CCSS, the system selects the corresponding characteristic from table GLT1. If there is more than one compatible characteristic in table GLT1, the system displays a dialog box listing these characteristics. You then select the characteristic that you want to use in the report definition. In this example, you can choose the characteristic business area (RBUSA) or trading partner’s business area (SBUSA).

To enter a set variable as selection criteria:

  1. Choose Edit → Insert variable .

  2. The Selection Conditions for Variables dialog box appears. Enter the selection criteria to search for an existing set variable.

  3. Enter your selection criteria and select the variable that you want to use.

For more information on creating set variables, see Creating Set Variables .