Query Design: BEx Query Designer 
Definition
Independent desktop application for defining queries.
Use
You analyze the dataset of the Business Information Warehouse by defining queries for InfoProviders using the BEx Query Designer . By selecting and combining InfoObjects (characteristics and key figures) or reusable structures in a query, you determine the way in which you navigate through and evaluate the data in the selected InfoProvider.
Integration
You open the Query Designer from Start/Programs/Business Explorer/Query Designer.
You can also call up the BEx Query Designer from the following components:
· BEx Analyzer
· BEx Web Application Designer
· Crystal Reports (Crystal Reports ³ 8.5 incl. CR add-ons for SAP)
Features
The BEx Query Designer contains the following functions:
· You can use the queries that you define in the query designer for OLAP reporting and also for tabular reporting. For further information, see Tabular Query Display
· You can parameterize the queries by using variables for characteristic values, hierarchies, hierarchy nodes, texts, or formulas. For more information, see Using Variables: The Variable Wizard and the Variable Editor.
· You can select InfoObjects more precisely by:
· Restricting characteristics to characteristic values, characteristic intervals and hierarchy nodes (see Restricting Characteristics).
· Defining reusable calculated and restricted key figures (see Defining Calculated Key Figures, Defining Restricted Key Figures).
· Using local or reusable structures (see Structures, Defining Structures for Reuse).
The most significant components of the query definition are the filter and navigation:
· The selections in the filter have a limiting effect on the whole query. When defining the filter, you select characteristic values from one or more characteristics or from a key figure. All of the InfoProvider data is aggregated using the filter selection of the query. The filter selection cannot be changed by navigation.
· For the navigation you select user-defined characteristics and determine the content of the rows and columns of the query. You use this selection to determine the data areas of the InfoProvider over which you want to navigate. The arrangement of the contents of the rows and columns also determines the default view of the query and the rows and columns axes in the results area.
After it is inserted into the Web browser, a query is displayed in the default initial view. By navigating through the query, you can generate different views of the InfoProvider data, by dragging one of the user-defined characteristics into the rows or columns of the query, for example, or by filtering a characteristic according to a single characteristic value.
With the definition of a query, the InfoProvider data can be evaluated specifically and quickly. The more detail in which the query is defined, the quicker its execution and navigation.
See also: