By (de)selecting the Tabular Display mode when defining a query, you can create a query for OLAP reporting or for tabular reporting. The OLAP reporting mode is the default mode. When you save the query, both display types are automatically saved in a query object in the database.

If you define the query in one mode, the system automatically generates a standard presentation for the other mode. In addition, all existing queries automatically have a default tabular display. Therefore, you can use all defined queries for OLAP reporting in the BEx Analyzer and in BEx Web applications and also for formatted reporting within the scope of Crystal Reports integration.

Characteristics and key figures are displayed in the columns in the tabular display. Unlike with OLAP reporting, there are no free characteristics and no rows. You can use filters in the tabular display and assign characteristics, key figures and attributes freely in the columns. For example, you can put a key figure column between two characteristic columns. The column display is determined when the query is designed and cannot be altered. In tabular reporting, the interaction options are limited to filters, filtering and drilling down according to, sorting according to, and navigation in hierarchies. Navigation functions that would change the geometry of the tabular list (that is the number and position of the columns), such as swapping or adding drilldowns, are not permitted in tabular reporting.

Displaying queries in tabular format is particularly useful for formatted and form-based reporting (for example, for displaying a materials list). It is important in formatted reports that you can specify the layout design to one pixel and also have convenient print options.

When you switch a query defined for OLAP reporting to the tabular display, all InfoObjects are moved automatically from the rows into the columns. Similarly, when you switch a query that was defined in the tabular display to a multi-dimensional display, all characteristics are displayed in the rows and all key figures are displayed in the columns. The filter settings remain the same in both cases. Free characteristics from the multi-dimensional display change to filters when you switch to tabular display.

If you remove an InfoObject from the query definition in one mode, the change is also made in the other mode. The InfoObject is also removed from the query there. In other words, changes to the definition of objects effect both display types. If you change the position of the InfoObject in the columns in the tabular display, this does not effect the multi-dimensional display for OLAP reporting. In other words, changes to the position of objects effect only the selected display type.

Choose in the Query Designer symbol list to switch between the two modes.