An aspect contains the following characteristics:

• 10 main product groups (each with 10 product groups)
• 100 product groups (each with 10 products)
• 1,000 products
• 100 customer groups (each with 10 customers)
• 1,000 customers

In this example the main product group is dependent on the product group, and the product group is dependent on the product. Furthermore, the customer group is dependent on the customer. There is no dependency between other characteristics. Each customer buys each product. One million records (1,000 products * 1,000 customers) result from this in the transaction database.

In your report you wish to navigate from the list of the main product groups, via the characteristics product group, product and customer group, to the customer. If you define a report for this with all characteristics, it would lead to long response times when executing the report online because the data would be loaded into the memory from the deepest level of detail.

You can solve this problem as follows:

1. You define the first report using the free characteristics main product group, product group and product.
2. Then you define the second report using all five characteristics where the characteristics main product group, product group and product are defined as required variables. You define the characteristics customer group and customer as free characteristics.
3. You link the reports using the report-report interface.
4. You create a summarization level for the first report with the characteristics main product group, product group and product.

When you execute the first report, 1,000 records are read from the summarization level, since the product group and main product group depend on the product, and there are 1,000 products.

In order to navigate as far as the customer, you navigate to a product in the first report. Then call up the second report using the report-report interface. Since the three required variables are adopted from the first report, a maximum of 1,000 records must be read from the transaction database. You can now navigate as far as the customer for this product.

Compared to a single report with all characteristics, where a million records must be read, in this case just 1,000 records must be read twice, and the reports can be executed online.