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Configuring Business Context Viewer (BCV)Locate this document in the navigation structure

Use

You use this process to configure Business Context Viewer (BCV) after the initial setup in your application. This assumes that BCV coding has been implemented in your application's user interface, but you have not maintained BCV configuration settings. If you intend to implement BCV as a business user, you can start with step 3 of the process, and set up search connectors as a first step.

BCV appears in the side panel of your application. The side panel is the starting point for analyzing your business data using BCV. For more information about the side panel, see Side Panel.

SAP delivers predefined business content for a number of applications using BCV. For more information, see Business Content for Business Context Viewer.

Prerequisites

You can configure BCV only if the following applies:

  • You have activated the FND, Business Context Viewer Main Application (/BCV/MAIN) business function.

  • You have the necessary authorizations, which are granted to you in one of the following ways:

    • In the Role Maintenance (PFCG) transaction, you are assigned to the BCV Administrator (SAP_BCV_ADMIN) role.

    • On the SAP NetWeaver Portal, you are assigned to theBCV Administrator (com.sap.pct.bs_fnd.BCV_ADMIN) role.

    For more information, see Authorization Concept in Business Context Viewer (BCV).

Process

  1. You define the context key.

    In Customizing, choose Start of the navigation path Cross-Application Components Next navigation step Processes and Tools for Enterprise Applications Next navigation step Business Context Viewer Next navigation step Foundation, Monitoring Next navigation step Define Context Key End of the navigation path. Make sure that the namespace you use in the context key is identical with the namespace of your application. For more information about the context key, see Context Key.

  2. You define the business scenario where you want to use BCV.

    This means that you specify the type of business analytics you want to perform using BCV. Your business requirements define the data providers and data provision technology that you have to use. For more information, see Search Connector.

  3. You use the configuration center (see Configuration Center) to set up the different BCV objects as follows:

  4. You set up search connectors by choosing Define Search Connectors.

    You create a description of the interface of the data provider. The description contains information about the input and output fields and their properties (for example, data type, mandatory or not, conversion exit, related fields, and meaning). You create the description of the interface for performance reasons. The system uses the information you provide here in the next steps of the configuration process, and at runtime. For more information about the settings you have to make, see Search Connector.

    A central check report compares the interface description stored in BCV with the metadata provided by the data provision technology. You receive error messages if the two are incompatible with each other.

    You can test search connectors in the configuration center, or in Customizing under Start of the navigation path Cross-Application Components Next navigation step Processes and Tools for Enterprise Applications Next navigation step Business Context Viewer Next navigation step Search Integration Next navigation step Test Search Connectors End of the navigation path.

  5. You define one or more queries based on the search connector you defined in the previous step by choosing Define BCV Queries.

    The query contains a description of the following:

    • The allowed input data

    • Information about how the system generates the search request

    • Which search connector the system sends the search request to

    • How the system processes the (raw) result data of the search connector (formulas, BAdIs, currency and unit conversion, aggregation, grouping, sorting, row limits, join, and so on)

    • Which result data the system sends to the UI

    This description is completely independent from the data provision technology and data provider that you specified for the search connector.

    The system takes the meanings you specified for the search connector as proposals and copies them to the corresponding fields of the queries, but you can change them manually. The system uses the meanings you define at the level of the query, when you start query processing, or perform a drill-down.

    For more information, see BCV Query.

    Note

    You have to assign your queries to the context key you defined. This allows queries to be visible in the application. You can assign a query to more than one context key.

    A central check report checks the consistency of queries. If the query definition is inconsistent or erroneous, error messages appear.

    You can test queries in the configuration center, or in Customizing, under Start of the navigation path Cross-Application Components Next navigation step Processes and Tools for Enterprise Applications Next navigation step Business Context Viewer Next navigation step Query Management Next navigation step Test BCV Queries End of the navigation path.

  6. You define one or more query views based on your queries by choosing Define Query Views.

    The query view contains a description of how the system presents data. It can display the data as an ALV table, a form, or a chart.

    For more information about the required settings, see Query View.

    A central check report checks the consistency of query views. You receive error messages if the query views are inconsistent or erroneous.

    You can test your query views in the configuration center.

  7. You assign your query view to the Overview accordion item of the side panel.

  8. You assign your query view to one or more dashboards.

    Dashboards display a summary of analytical data. Their layout depends on the problem or solution you are looking for.

    For more information, see BCV Dashboard.

  9. If you use BCV from a demilitarized zone (DMZ) system, you must transport your NetWeaver Page Builder configuration settings to the back-end system.

    The configuration described in this process always takes place in the back-end system. Users working in DMZ systems cannot change BCV configuration. At runtime, the system reads the configuration settings from the back-end system, and it ignores the settings in the DMZ system. The only exceptions are the Web Dynpro ABAP Page Builder settings, that is the layout of the Overview accordion item of the side panel, dashboards in BCV, and launchpad configuration. During the configuration of Page Builder in your back-end system, you have to log the changes to the Overview accordion item and dashboards in a transport request, and transport it to the DMZ system.

    For more information about using BCV in a DMZ system, choose Using BCV in a DMZ System.