Precalculating and Broadcasting Queries, Query Views, Web Templates and Reports 

Use

You can precalculate queries, query views, Web templates and reports in various formats or create online links to BI objects. You can broadcast the information by email, to the portal, or to a printer.

Procedure

       1.      For precalculation and distribution, choose:

○     For queries

■      Query ® Publish ® BEx Broadcaster in the BEx Query Designer

○     For query views

■      Send in BEx Web Analyzer. The broadcasting wizard opens.

○     For Web templates

■      Web Template ® Publish ® BEx Broadcaster in the Web Application Designer

○     For reports

■      Report ® Publish ® BEx Broadcaster in the Report Designer

You can also call the BEx Broadcaster from other areas (see Calling the BEx Broadcaster) and then select the BI object you want to broadcast:

                            a.      Under Settings for Object Type, choose Query, Query View, Web Template or Report.

                            b.      Choose Open.

                            c.      Choose the required BI object.

                            d.      Choose Transfer.

       2.      Choose Create New Setting.

If you want to work with the Broadcasting wizard, which supports you when you are creating a Broadcast setting by offering step-by-step instructions, select Create New Setting with Wizard.

       3.      Enter a description for the broadcast setting.

       4.      Choose the required distribution type.

○     Broadcast E-mail

○     Broadcast to Portal

○     Broadcast to Printer

For more information about the relevant setting options in the associated tab pages, see Broadcast by E-Mail, Broadcast to Portal and Printing.

       5.      Choose the required output format:

○     MHTML

The system generates a MHTML file. All components of the complete HTML page (HTML, stylesheet, pictures, and so on) are contained in one file. Use this output format when you are generating one individual document and broadcasting it by e-mail or to the portal. Recipients will not be able to navigate in the generated file.

○     HTML

The components of the HTML page are generated by the system in individual files. Use this output format if you want to generate multiple documents with various filter settings from the same BI object. Recipients can navigate between different filter views for the BI object (query, query view, report or Web template).

○     Online Link to Current Data

The system generates a URL to the current navigational state of the BI object (query, query view, Web template or report). The recipient can call the BI object and then navigate further.

○     PDF

The system generates a static PDF file.

○     Print Format (PS or PCL)

The document is generated in the appropriate format for the output device: PostScript (PS) or Printer Control Language (PCL)

The BEx Broadcaster allows you to select between the context-sensitive output formats that are available, in accordance with the distribution type you have selected.

The Print Format (PS or PCL) output format is printer specific and therefore is only available with the Broadcast to Printer distribution type. The Portable Document Format (PDF) output format is also available for this distribution type.

       6.      If you want to broadcast the precalculated document as a ZIP file, select ZIP File.

If you have chosen HTML or MHTML as the output format and want to broadcast the document by e-mail, you have to create the document as a ZIP file.

       7.      If you have chosen a file in a particular format (HTML, PDF, PS or PCL, for example) as the output format, you can make various settings on the General Precalculation tab page.

If you have selected an online link as the output format, the settings options on the General Link Generation tab page are available to you.

For more information about the different settings options, see General Settings for Precalculation and the Creation of Links.

       8.      If you choose PDF as the output format you can make the settings for the print version in the tab pages Layout and Header/Footer. For more information, see Creating Print Versions of BI Applications.

       9.      If you would like to generate several documents with various filter settings of the same query or Web application, then select the Filter Navigation tab page and make the desired settings. For more information, see Filter Navigation.

   10.      Where necessary, check your settings and choose Save.

   11.      Enter a technical name for the broadcast setting and select Transfer. The new setting appears in the overview in the upper area of the BEx Broadcaster.

   12.      If you would like to immediately distribute the broadcast setting for the query or Web application, select Execute. A new browser window appears that displays the processing status of the broadcast setting. If you want to close the window, choose Cancel.

If you would like to distribute the broadcast setting for the query or Web application at a specific time or with data change, select Schedule. For more information about scheduling broadcast settings, see Scheduling Broadcast Settings.

Result

You have generated and distributed a query, query view, report or Web application as an online link or as a precalculated file, in accordance with the chosen settings.

Once you have precalculated and distributed a query it is displayed as a table with a filter area (according to the filters selected). From a technical viewpoint, the query is embedded in the Standard Web Template for Query Precalculation (0QUERY_TEMPLATE_BROADCASTING70).

If you have generated a report as a precalculated document, the Standard Web Template for Report Precalculation (0REPORT_TEMPLATE_BROADCASTING), which contains the Report Web item, is used. The setting for the Standard Web Templates is done in Customizing under SAP Reference IMG ® SAP NetWeaver ® Business Intelligence ® Reporting-Relevant Settings ® BEx Web ® Setting Standard  Web Templates. Here you are also able to determine another Web template, for example with your company logo on it, as the Standard Web Template for Query Precalculation or as Standard Web Template for Report Precalculation.

The broadcast setting is listed in the upper area of the BEx Broadcaster screen. There you can see all the broadcast settings that were created for this query or Web application. If you want to edit or delete a broadcast setting, choose Edit or Delete in the context menu for the setting.