Analysis Path Framework (APF)
Analysis Path Framework (APF) provides reuse components that allow you to build and enhance interactive analytical Web applications. You can use these applications to explore KPIs and their influencing factors by drilling down into multidimensional representations of data, such as charts or tables.
APF provides the following features:
Reusable UI elements:
Various chart types to visually and interactively depict the data.
UI elements to display and interact with an analysis path.
Use of OData service requests to expose the data in the underlying server, for example, SAP HANA Extended Application Services (SAP HANA XS).
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The logic for controlling the behavior of your application, even for complex analysis scenarios where you filter data, for example.
- The APF Configuration Modeler app to enable you to create your own APF-based applications in a very quick and easy way. You can also use this app to enhance shipped applications.
A message handling concept.
A persistence concept for analysis paths that allows you to save paths under a name and to retrieve them from the server.
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A translation process to change the language of UI texts or to switch the development language.
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A generic runtime application to execute APF configurations that have been created using the APF Configuration Modeler.
- Integration with SAP Fiori and SAP Smart Business.
The following APF-related applications are available:
A number of APF-based applications are available that are already configured and ready to be used.
APF-based applications consist of a BSP application along with an application configuration file in JSON format. This application configuration file refers to the analytical content configuration file, also in JSON format. If you want to run an APF-based application without making any changes to it, the configuration can be read directly from the JSON files. You don't need the APF Configuration Modeler to use this scenario.
For information about the shipped APF-based apps, see the documentation of the individual apps.
You can use the APF Configuration Modeler app to configure your own application or to enhance an existing one. A configuration that was created or enhanced using the APF Configuration Modeler is stored in a table. Each configuration has its own table entry with its own ID. At runtime, the configuration is read from the table, that is, JSON files are not used in this scenario.
When you import the JSON file of a shipped application into the APF Configuration Modeler to enhance the application, the configuration is also written into a table.
The generic APF runtime application can be used to execute APF configurations that have been created with the APF Configuration Modeler.
Some restrictions exist for the generic APF runtime application:
- You can run it in one language only. This is because the generic application reads texts from the text table and not from the text properties files. In addition, the APF Configuration Modeler supports one language only, which is the development language.
- It cannot have coded elements, such as additional footer elements.
- Using functions for setting default values in the facet filters is not possible. You can only select Fixed Values as the default value mode when configuring the facet filters.
If you don’t need more than one language, a footer toolbar, nor a function for defaults in the facet filters, you can use the generic application to set up an APF-based application in a quick and easy way.
For more information, see Using APF Configuration Modeler to Create Your Own Application.