In an information system, data aggregation is necessary in order to ensure that the user has a clear overview of key interrelationships. Since the requirements which need to be satisfied by data aggregation are determined by many different user groups, it is absolutely vital that aggregation functionality is flexible. Experience shows that various user groups need to view aggregated data from many different perspectives.
The SAP system makes these different views possible by providing self-defined information structures.
In the information structures, you can define your own view, by selecting the information from the operative application that you consider worthy of aggregation.
A distinction is made between three types of information:
Information structures can be classified
according to certain structure characteristics. The standard information
structures have the same basic structure (for example, they all contain four
period fields). Information structures with the same indicator have the same
structure type.
The following types of information structures can be used in
LIS:
Warehouse (BW). This information structure cannot be used in Reporting. These information structures are subject to performance measures (for example, planning not allowed) due to the volume of data expected.
Use of these different types is dependent on
the application in which they are to be created:
Type ' ': All applications (default)
Type 'C': Application 01 (Sales & Distribution), 03 (Inventory
Controlling) and 40 (Retail)
Type 'D': Application 03 (Inventory Controlling) and 40 (Retail)
Type 'E': Application 03 (Inventory Controlling) and 40 (Retail)
Type 'F': Application 40 (Retail)
Type 'T': All applications
When creating a customer-defined information structure using the attribute Planning possible , you must decide whether this is relevant or not. An information structure of type 'C' or type 'F' cannot be relevant to planning.
It is important to consider whether the information structure to be created is to be used in planning, as information structures that cannot be used in planning significantly increase the speed of the evaluation during reporting. Information structures not relevant to planning have their existing key fields in the table converted, so that non-relevant fields (SSOUR, period fields not required) can be positioned at the end of the key fields.
This speeds up the database search. If the self-defined information structure is to be populated with data, the primary index checks each table key. Version 000 is always used as the search criteria. The client is the first position in the database key, as otherwise each table in the data dictionary is interpreted as client-independent. The characteristics are positioned directly after the clients in the database key.
The sections of the database key appear as follows:
Client - characteristics - version - ...
When the update is activated, the database key
is converted again, so that the period selected for the update appears earlier
in the key.
Example:
Client - month - characteristics - version - ...
In order to avoid an accidental loss of data,
key fields from an information structure not relevant to planning are only
converted if there is no data in the accompanying database table.
It is important to note the following:
The self-defined and the standard information structures form the basis for all of the subsequent functions in the information system (e.g. analyses, planning).