Creating CompositeProviders in BW Workspace Designer

In a CompositeProvider, you can combine all the data that you want to view in your query.

1. If you want to use a specific query as the data basis, you can specify it here. The system finds the corresponding InfoProvider(s). Choose Start. The wizard guides you through each step of the application.

Choose Provider

2. Enter a name and description for your CompositeProvider. The file name must begin with the prefix of the workspace.
3. Select the required providers. You can select the central data assigned to the workspace and your own data.
4. Choose Continue.

Model CompositeProvider

5. The system automatically takes the links from the MultiProvider if you use InfoCubes from the MultiProviders defined in the workspace in your CompositeProvider. Choose Generate Proposal for each individual provider to assign the remaining fields. More information: Generating an Assigmment Proposal
6. In the lower screen area, you can use the table view and the graphical view (if activated) to check the field connections. In the graphical view, the providers that are assigned to each other as unions are displayed to the left of the CompositeProvider. The selected columns have been added to the CompositeProvider. Providers that are assigned using join are displayed on the right. In the tabular view, the CompositeProvider and its fields are displayed to the left. The connected providers are shown next to these. If you place the mouse pointer on the header of the provider columns, the system displays additional information (for example, the number of assigned fields, the number of display fields and how many fields in the model have not been used). If you select Display All Fields, the unused fields will also be listed at the end of the table.

   For information about the graphical view, see: Graphical View

   If the table is too large, and the headings are no longer legible, you can modify the display: Open the context menu in the table preview and choose  User Settings  More…  . You can hide columns and restrict the number of rows (the rest is displayed using a scrollbar).

7. You can choose from the following assignment types: Union, Inner Join and Left Outer Join. Key figures cannot be assigned to connection type Join. The connection of InfoCubes participating in the MultiProvider defined in the workspace is always Union, and the corresponding field assignment cannot be changed.

   More information: Union / Inner Join / Left Outer Join

8. You can also create assignments manually. Choose Assignment Details. First, you can get the system to run the analysis for each field. To do this, choose  Details  Complete Proposal . The system now recommends which fields to assign.

   For fields that are not assigned, not assigned is displayed in the Field of CompositeProvider column. In this column, you can select a suitable CompositeProvider field from the drop-down list box. If you have selected a field, the assignment is displayed immediately in the graphical view below. The provider to be joined is displayed on the left, and the CompositeProvider on the right.

   If you do not want to assigned a field but still want to add it to the CompositeProvider, choose Standalone Field.

   Once you have made all required assignments, press Apply.

9. Choose Display Data to see a data preview. This enables you to check whether the assignments return the expected result. If the data preview does not return the expected result, you can analyze the join connections by choosing Analysis.

   More information: Extended Checks

10. Under Assignment Details, you can create a constant for connections of type Union. To do this, select a field and choose  Assignment to Constant...  Create .
11. Under Assignment Details, you can also create simple calculations for characteristics. You can only use this function for local providers and with connection type Join, and not for InfoProviders from the BW system. To do this, select a characteristic of your provider and choose Create Calculated Characteristic. In the dialog, you can enter a name for the calculated characteristic. You can choose from the following calculations:

    • Cut left (LEFTSTR)

    • Cut right (RIGHTSTR)

    • Cut middle (MIDSTR)

    • Fill left (LPAD)

    • Fill right (RPAD)

    • Concatenate

    Note

    If you choose concatenate, you can also define a constant. To do this, just enter one character string and leave the second one empty.

    Note

    During the calculation, note the differences between the internal and external display. More information: External and Internal Display of Characteristic Values

    Once you have selected a calculation, the parameters for the calculation are displayed together with an example. Enter the parameters and press OK. Select the calculated characteristic to use. This will be added to the list of CompositeProvider fields. Choose Return to CompositeProvider Modeling.

12. For Join connections: You can get the system to check whether key figure multiplication might occur. To do this, select the provider linked by Join and choose  Analysis  Check Key Figure Multiplication (for Join) .

    Further information about key figure multiplication: Union / Inner Join / Left Outer Join

13. Choose Continue.

Edit Fields

14. The system displays an overview of all CompositeProvider fields that will also be available in the query later on. You can now change the field names.
15. If you have created local characteristics, you can choose whether the original characteristic or the local characteristic should be assigned. You can mark the attributes of the local characteristic as navigation attributes. All additional attributes of the local characteristic, and the navigation attributes of the reference characteristic that is not authorization-relevant, are navigation attributes by default.
16. For local providers, you can specify whether a unit or a currency should be assigned for key figures. These must be contained in the local provider. For key figures with a currency key such as 0AMOUNT, the assignment is automatic. Choose Continue.

Create Queries

17. You can now generate a standard query for your CompositeProvider, or use an existing query as a reference query. Select the query type.

    • Standard: All fields in the CompositeProvider are added to the query as free characteristics or key figures. This query cannot be changed in BEx Query Designer. It changes automatically when the CompositeProvider is changed.

      If calculated or restricted key figures have already been defined on one of the InfoProviders that belongs to the CompositeProvider, you can select this InfoProvider when defining the standard query.

    • Reference: Select a BEx query that you want to reference. A referenced query can be any query based on the assigned MultiProvider or one of the InfoProviders being used. As soon as an InfoProvider is used in the CompositeProvider that is contained in the assigned MultiProvider, it is only possible to select queries that are based on the MultiProvider.

      Changes to the referenced query have an immediate effect on the transient query. The referenced query can only contain fields that are also contained in the CompositeProvider however. If it contains other characteristics in the free characteristics, these are removed in the reference query.

      Note This allows you to use calculated key figures from the referenced query for example.
18. If you are using an SAP HANA database, you can specify that you want an SAP HANA view to be created. More information: Generating SAP HANA Views from the BW System
19. Choose Continue. The system displays an overview of all objects that you have defined.
20. Choose Save and Generate. The CompositeProvider and associated queries are now generated.