Working with Workbooks

To analyze and present BW data in a Microsoft Excel environment, you can use BEx Analyzer. Queries, query views and InfoProviders that are created with BEx Query Designer are embedded in workbooks.

You can modify the workbooks and use Microsoft Excel formatting and formula functions. The workbooks that are created can be stored as favorites or made available to other users using the role concept. The workbooks can also be broadcast to other user groups.

SAP provides a default workbook for creating reports with no significant formatting effort. The default workbook is the workbook that queries are opened into.

At least one query is available in the BW system.

Open Workbook

You can use this function to open a query or workbook from a BW system.

More information:Opening

Save Workbook

You can use this function to save workbooks or the current view of the InfoProvider in a BW system.

More information:Saving

Update Workbook

Whenever you insert a query into a workbook or change the view of the query, the current data is requested from the BW system. This enables you to synchronize you query's interface with the data on the server. If you activate Pause Automatic Refresh, you can navigate in the query without having to wait for it to be updated with the current data.

More information:Refresh / Pause Automatic Refresh

Navigate in Workbooks

Once you have inserted a query into a workbook, the first view on the analysis grid displays the distribution of the characteristics and key figures in the rows and columns of the query. You can use the various navigation functions to change the query and generate additional views on the BI data.

More information:Navigating in Analysis Mode

Define Workbooks

In BEx Analyzer design mode, you design the interface for your workbooks. In design mode, your workbook appears as a collection of design items represented by their respective icons. With the design items, you create an interface that defines how you can analyze and navigate in the results in analysis mode. If you switch back to analysis mode, the results of your query are displayed the way you configured them in the design items.

More information:Design Functions

Configure Workbooks

You can make general settings for the data providers, variables, themes, design items and exits used in the current workbook.

More information:Workbook Settings

Use a Workbook as the Default Workbook

You can modify the SAP standard workbook or create a new one using Microsoft Excel functions or BEx Analyzer design functions. You can then define this self-defined workbook as the default workbook for all subsequent queries.

More information:Global Settings

Edit Workbooks in Formula Mode

To switch to formula mode, select Convert to Formula from the context menu in the analysis table. In formula mode, you can edit the analysis table using Microsoft Excel formatting and formula functions and make further calculations using the existing data.

More information:Working in Formula Mode

Precalculating and Distributing Workbooks

You can use BEx Broadcaster to precalculate and distribute workbooks. You can broadcast the precalculated workbooks by e-mail or to the portal, where they can be accessed by employees.

More information:Precalculating and Distributing Workbooks