Calculating with High Accuracy 

Use

The determination of a specific accuracy decides which number format is used internally for calculating key figures.

Decimal floating point numbers are used for calculation in the Analytic Engine. This avoids problematic conversions of the data type float from the decimal system to the dual system and the other way round.

There are two levels of precision for decimal floating point numbers:

●      Decimal floating point numbers with 16 places (“decfloat16”, “short decfloat”)

●      Decimal floating point numbers with 34 places (“decfloat16”, “long decfloat”)

Short decfloats are used by default in the Analytic Engine for numerical data, to minimize the memory requirements for the main memory and the OLAP cache.

If you choose Calculate with High Precision in the query monitor, long decfloats are used instead. Choose this option for application areas where a high accuracy is required (for queries in the accounting and cost accounting areas for example).

The processing effort for long and short decfloats is similar. Due to the higher memory requirements for long decfloats, we recommend that you do not use this number format for all query key figures. Only use it for key figures that require a high degree of accuracy.

Procedure

The level of calculation accuracy can be set in the InfoObject maintenance transaction for each key figure (system-wide), and in the query monitor for all key figures of a query.

Setting the Calculation Accuracy in InfoCube Maintenance

You have to make this setting in the InfoObject maintenance for the respective key figure:

...

       1.      From the SAP Easy Access Menu, choose Modeling  ® Object Maintenance  ®InfoObject (transaction code RSD1).

       2.      Enter the name of the key figure and choose  Maintain.

       3.      Choose the option Key Figure with High Precision under Miscellaneous on the tab page Additional Properties.

Setting the Calculation Accuracy in the Query Monitor

...

       1.      From the SAP Easy Access Menu, choose Business Explorer® BEx Monitor® Query Monitor (transaction code RSRT1).

       2.      Enter the name of the query and choose  Properties. The Query Properties dialog box appears.

       3.      If you want the analytic engine to calculate all key figures of the selected query by using decimal floating point number with 34 places, choose the option Key Figure with High Precision.

       4.      If you want to apply the InfoProvider setting, choose the option InfoProvider Setting.