Working with Data Providers

The general term Data Provider defines a data source. A data provider contains all the information needed to describe the data source and to retrieve the data.

The term Data Provider is used in both the BEx Web and in the BEx Analyzer. The following description refers to the BEx Web.

In the BEx Web, Data providers are objects that provide data for one or more Web items at runtime. There are two types of data providers:

• Query View

  Data providers of the type Query View include the entire result set of the navigation state of a query, query view or InfoProvider. The result set is normally a table with several columns and can therefore be displayed using the Web items Analysis and Chart.

  However, they can also be used as data providers for Web items that are used for filtering data (such as the checkbox group and radio button Group Web items). The initial state of a data provider of this type is defined by specifying an InfoProvider, a query, or a query view.

• Filter

  Data providers of type Filter describe a navigation state of a query or query view that is filtered using restrictions. The entire result set is not part of the navigation state. However, the restrictions can be a subset, for example a set of certain characteristic values. This subset can be used as a data provider for Web items that are related to data filtering (for example, the Web items Checkbox Group and Radio Button Group).

  Since data providers of this type do not return results of queries or query views, they cannot be used as data providers for Web items such as the analysis, chart, and report Web items. The initial state of a data provider of this type is usually defined by specifying a filter.

Define Data Provider

In BEx Web, you define data providers in Web Application Designer, Web Analyzer and Report Designer. You link them with the user interface elements of the BEx application you want to create.

Web Applications

Data providers have parameters that can be seen in the XHTML view of the particular Web template in Web Application Designer. More information:Data Provider Parameters

Enterprise Reports

To define a new data provider in Enterprise Reports, choose Tools →BEx Query Designer (to define a new query) or BEx Web Analyzer (to define a new query view) in the Report Designer menu bar. More information:Creating Reports Using the Report Designer

Web Analyzer

Web Analyzer is a tool for selecting queries or query views using the Open dialog box. The data provider is predefined in Web Analyzer and is set at run time by means of the dialog box.

Using Data Providers

Web Applications

You assign data providers to the Web items used in the Web template. Here you can assign a data provider to several Web items. The data provider concept makes it possible to change the data source of a Web item easily. If a particular data provider is assigned to more than one Web item, any changes made affect all the assigned Web items. Due to navigation (changing the drilldown), the Web item always displays the current drilldown data. More information:Creating Web Applications with BEx Web Application Designer

Enterprise Reports

To create a report, you require a query or a query view as a data provider. The query or query view must contain astructure in the columns. You assign this data provider to a report section. More information:Creating Reports Using the Report Designer

Web Analyzer

You create an ad hoc analysis by first selecting a data provider on which to base your analysis. You can select data providers from a BW system or from a non-SAP data source. More information:Pushbutton Functions, Navigation Pane, and Context Menu

Saving Data Providers

The current state of a data provider at runtime can be saved by the user as a new query view. When designing a BEx application, you can specify whether this option should be made available to users.

Web Analyzer provides you with a function that allows you to save the current navigational state and the drilldown state of the data as an additional data provider. By default, this function can be accessed using the context menu entry Save View.

Display Data Provider

In BEx Web Applications, data providers are displayed using Web items. The data provider type Query View can be displayed using the Web items Table or Chart. The data provider type Filter can be displayed using Web items such as Dropdown-Box, Checkbox Group, Radio Button - Group.

Changing, Copying and Deleting Data Providers

At runtime for the BEx application, the specified initial state of the data provider can be changed using commands. Commands are automatically triggered by the interface elements of BEx applications that were created with Web Application Designer or BEx Analyzer (in design mode). By selecting an entry from a dropdown box, for example, a filter value can be set in the data provider that is linked to the dropdown box. In some cases, however, it is also possible to generate commands within the program and send them to data providers. More information:Data Provider Commands

Transporting Data Providers

Data providers are not transportable objects. Data providers are transported using the object in which they are embedded, for example, a Web template or report.