| tabular reporting (BW-BEX) |
Reporting based on one-dimensional tables, meaning the analysis is restricted to one dimension and its attributes. Unlike OLAP reporting, with flat reporting you can arrange the columns any way you like when you are designing a query in the tabular editor mode of the BEx query designer. For example, you can put a column for a characteristic between two columns for key figures. During the design of the query, you decide how you want the columns to be displayed. Once you have chosen a display type you are not able to change it. In flat reporting, the interactive options are restricted to filter, filter and drilldown according to, sort according to, and navigate on hierarchies. Navigation functions that alter the geometry of the flat list, meaning that they change the number and order of the columns, for example, swapping or adding a drilldown, are available with OLAP reporting but not with flat reporting.