Functions of the BEx Query Designer (SAP Library - Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis)

Functions of the BEx Query Designer

Use

This section contains an overview of the functions available in the BEx Query Designer.

Features

Proceed As Follows to Create A Query:

· By clicking on the plus or minus symbol of the directories you can expand or compress the directories. You can, for example, display the list of all of the key figures in the InfoProvider by expanding the key figure node in the InfoProvider tree.

· Using drag and drop or the temporary storage location (Ctrl C – Ctrl V), you can take characteristics and key figures from the InfoProvider into the directories of the Query Designer (filter, rows, columns, free characteristics).

· Use the secondary mouse button to call up all the functions that are available in the respective context menu. First, select the query component you want to work with (for example, a characteristic) and then, using the secondary mouse button, select a menu entry (for example, Properties) from the context menu.

· By double-clicking on an item of the Query Designer, you call up a dialog box containing a function that is executed by default on this item. If, for example, you double-click on a characteristic, the dialog box for restricting the characteristic appears. If you double-click on a calculated key figure, for example, then the Calculated Key Figure dialog box, in which you can make changes, appears.

Note

The standard functions for an element in the Query Designer are shown in the context menu in bold type.

Toolbar Functions

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Quit and Use Query

Click on this symbol to leave the Query Designer and use the query that you have defined. The format in which the query is used depends on which tool you called the Query Designer from.

Note

If you have not yet saved your query, the system calls the Check Query function automatically to check the query for errors. Once the system has checked the query successfully, it asks whether you want to save the query.

BEx Web Application Designer:

You called the Query Designer from the Web Application Designer using the path Tools ® Query Designer and from there you defined a new query or changed an existing query and saved it. If you now choose Quit and Use Query, the Query Designer session ends and you are able to use the defined query as a data provider.

BEx Analyzer:

If you have created or changed the query, you can insert it into a workbook to enable you to navigate in and analyze the query data.

The query definition is saved but is not available universally. If you want the query to be universally (publicly) accessible in the Business Information Warehouse you must save it using the function Save or Save as....and give it a unique technical name.

Exit Query

Choose Exit Query if you want to leave the Query Designer. Your entries will not be saved.

Display Query on the Web

When you have defined and saved your query, you can display it directly on the Web in a standard view. The query is embedded automatically into a standard Web template.

Note

You define the standard Web template in the SAP Reference IMG ® Business Information Warehouse ® Reporting-Relevant Settings ®Web-based Settings ® Determine Standard Web Template.

New Query

If you want to create a query, select the symbol for New Query. You reach the BEx Open dialog where you choose the InfoProvider whose data you want to use as the basis for your query. You can select the InfoProvider either from the InfoProviders in your history or from the list of all available InfoProviders under InfoAreas.

Open Query

Choose Open Query to get to the BEx Open dialog. Here, all existing queries are available in your history, favorites, roles or listed according to InfoArea. Under InfoAreas you get a list of all existing queries in the Business Information Warehouse for which you have display authorization.

Save Query

You can save a query that you have changed under its current name using the function Save Query.

If the query does not yet have a technical name, the system offers the function Save Query As...automatically.

Save Query As...

If you want to save the query under a new technical name, choose Save Query As... Enter the new technical name. You can save the query in your favorites or roles.

Delete Query

Select Delete Query, if you want to delete a query. You are only able to delete the query if it is no longer being used (that is, if it is not being used in any workbooks, Web templates, Crystal Reports or Reporting Agent settings).

Publish

You are able to publish queries that you have edited and saved in the Query Designer so that they are available to other users.

Under the small arrow This graphic is explained in the accompanying text , next to the publish symbol , you can select from the following options:

· Publish in roles

The save dialog appears and you can select a role in which you want to publish the query. The system saves a link to the current query in the selected role.

· Publish to the portal

The save dialog appears and you can publish the query to the Enterprise Portal. Here you can select from several options: for example you can publish the query to your portfolio or you can put in a collaboration room.

For more information, see Structure link Publishing BEX Web Applications and Queries.

· BEx Broadcaster

The BEx Broadcaster, which is a Web application for precalculating and distributing queries, Web templates and workbooks, appears. You are able to precalculate the query that you edited in the Query Designer or you can generate it as an online link. You can distribute the generated document or the link by e-mail or you can export it to the Enterprise Portal. Furthermore, you can also precalculate and distribute other queries, Web templates or workbooks. You can find additional information under Structure link Functions of the BEx Broadcaster.

Exception

You can define exceptions for a query. Exceptions are variations in key figure values that you define yourself. They are displayed in a different color in the query view. This allows you to see, at a glance, any unusual deviations from the results you expect to get.

Under the small arrow This graphic is explained in the accompanying text next to the exception symbol , you can:

· change exceptions

· define new exceptions

If one or more exceptions have been defined for a query, this is shown by the This graphic is explained in the accompanying text symbol on the status bar of the Query Designer.

See also:

Structure link Exception Reporting

Condition

Choose Condition, if you want to define conditions for a query. You can specify threshold value conditions for the key figure values in every characteristic. For example, you can specify all sales figures under or above a certain threshold value. In the query, the selected characteristics are displayed with the restricted key figures.

Under the small arrow This graphic is explained in the accompanying text next to the condition symbol , you can:

· change conditions

· define new conditions

If one or more conditions have been defined for a query, this is shown by the This graphic is explained in the accompanying text symbol on the status bar of the Query Designer.

See also:

Structure link Conditions

Define Cells...

You can define formulas and selection conditions explicitly for cells in queries with two structures. In this way you can override the cell values that are created implicitly from the intersection of the structure components. This function allows you to design much more detailed queries.

Note

Define Cells... is only available for queries with two structures. For queries with only one structure, the symbol is deactivated.

If one or more exception cells have been defined for a query, this is shown by the This graphic is explained in the accompanying text symbol on the status bar of the Query Designer.

See also:

Defining Exception Cells

Query Properties

Choose Query properties if you want to change the description of the query or if you want to make settings for the Results Position, Display Options, Number Display and Suppression of Zeroes for the query. In the query properties, you can also set Release for OLE DB for OLAP. You can also reach any available documents about the objects used in the query from here.

Check Query

Before you save a new or changed query, you can check the query definition for errors using the Check Query function.

Note

When you use the function Quit and Use Query, the system calls up the Check Query function automatically for queries that have not yet been saved. Once the system has checked the query successfully, it asks whether you want to save the query.

Query Where-Used List

With the Query Where-Used List, you can see the objects (workbooks, Web templates, Crystal Reports or Reporting Agent settings) in which the query is used.

Display <-> Change Query

Using this function you can toggle between the display and change mode. You can view the query definition in the display mode but you cannot change it.

Change Query (Global Definition)

Choose the function Change Query (Global Definition), if you are currently in the local query definition, and want to change to the global definition.

Table Display

You can design a query for OLAP reporting and also for tabular reporting by activating or deactivating the Table Display mode when you define a query.

Note

This function is available only for queries with one structure. Queries that have two structures are only available in the multidimensional display and are suitable only for OLAP reporting.

See also:

Tabular Query Display

Technical Name

You can show or hide the technical names of the query components (InfoObjects, structures, variables, and so on) using this function.

Context Menu

The Context Menu function allows you to display the context menu without using the secondary mouse button (for example, using a touch screen). Select a directory from the InfoProvider tree or the query definition, and choose the Context Menu function. The context menu for the item you highlighted appears.

Help

Choose Help to go to the Business Information Warehouse online documentation. The Query Design: BEx Query Designer section in the documentation for the Business Explorer is displayed automatically there.

Using the small arrow This graphic is explained in the accompanying text next to the help symbol under the entry About..., you can see the version of the Query Designer with the number of the support package and the revision. You can quote this information to SAP if you need to send any error messages.