Defining Exception Cells

When you define selection criteria and formulas for structural components and there are two structural components of a query, generic cell definitions are created at the intersection of the structural components that determine the values to be presented in the cell.

Cell-specific definitions allow you to define explicit formulas and selection conditions for cells as well as implicit cell definitions. This means that you can override implicitly created cell values. This function allows you to design more detailed queries.

You can also define cells that have no direct relationship to the structural components. These cells are not displayed and serve as containers for help selections or help formulas.

The query contains two structures. You can define exception cells only for queries that have two structures. For example, you can use characteristic values in one structure and key figures in the other. You can then define cells if these prerequisites have been met.

In Query Designer, choose View  → Cells in the menu bar to access the cell definition functions. The Cells screen area is displayed.

New selection

1. Select a cell in the Cell screen area and choose New Selection with the secondary mouse button. The new selection that is not yet defined appears in the cell.
2. Select the new selection and choose Edit from the context menu. The Change Selection Cells dialog box appears. Make the basic settings on the General tab page.
3. Use drag and drop to define your required selection by dragging a key figure and the characteristic values by which you want to restrict the key figure to the right-hand area of the Details of the Selection dialog box. SeeDefining Selections.

   You can use characteristic value variables instead of fixed characteristic values.

   If you want to change an existing variable, select the variable and choose Edit from the context menu. The Variables Editor appears, and you can change the settings.

   If you want to define a new variable, select the characteristic value and choose New Variable from the context menu. The new variable is displayed. In the context menu of the new variable, choose Edit. The Variables Editor appears and you can define the settings.

   For more information, seeDefining Variables.

4. Enter a description for the selection.

You can usetext variables in the description.

1. Make any necessary settings for the properties of the selection on the other tab pages. SeeSelection/Cell/Formula Properties
2. Choose OK. The cell contains the description of the selection. The symbol shows you that a selection exists for this exception cell.

New formula

1. Select a cell in the Cell Definition dialog box and choose New Formula from the context menu. The new formula that is not yet defined appears in the cell.
2. Select the new formula and choose Edit in the context menu. The Change Formula Cell dialog box appears. Make the basic settings on the General tab page.
3. Define your formula using the operands and functions available. SeeDefining Formulas.
4. Enter a description of the formula.
   Note

   You can usetext variables in the description.

5. Make any necessary settings for the properties of the formula in the other tab pages. SeeSelection/Cell/Formula Properties
6. Choose OK. The cell contains the description of the formula. The symbol shows you that a formula exists for this exception cell.

New cell reference

You can use any cell that you define in a formula. If you want to reuse the value from the implicit, generic cell definition that is automatically created at the intersection of the two structural components of a query, select this cell in the Cell screen area and, using the secondary mouse button, choose New Cell Reference. A description taken from the two structural components now automatically appears in the cell. The symbol shows you that a cell reference exists for this exception cell. Now you can reference this cell. You can continue to use the implicit cell definition and do not have to manually generate this value using a new selection.

Functions of explicitly defined cells:

Select a defined cell and choose the required function from the context menu (secondary mouse button).

• Edit
• Cut
• Copy
• Paste
• Remove
• Where-Used List

  Before deleting a cell, you can find out which formulas the cell is used in from the where-used list.

You can call the properties of a defined cell by selecting it. In the Propertiesscreen area, you can also make changes, such as:

• Changing the description of the cell
• Changing the highlighting of the cell
• Hiding the cell (if you do not want to see the values of the cell)

More information:Selection/Formula/Cell Properties.

Help cells

In the Help Cells area you can define additional cells for help selections or help formulas. You can use the New Selection and New Formula functions in the context menu to define help cells that are not displayed in the query to serve only as objects for help selections and help formulas.

1. Using the secondary mouse button, click on the empty cell next to Help Cells to open the context menu. From here, choose New Selection.
2. Drag the Invoicekey figure to the right-hand DetailsoftheSelectionarea.
3. Enter a description.
4. Choose OK. The cell contains the description of the selection. The symbol shows you that a selection exists for this exception cell.
5. Now choose New Formula from the context menu of the required cell of the query. The new formula that is not yet defined appears in the cell.
6. Select the new formula and choose Edit in the context menu.
7. Drag the cell you have just defined (which you can find in the Available Operands window under Cells) to the Detail View window. Click on the button twice.
8. Enter a description.
9. Choose OK. The cell contains the description of the formula. The symbol shows you that a formula exists for this exception cell.

You have defined one or more exception cells for a query.