Navigating in BEx Applications
Use
BEx applications are prepared individually by business experts in your company and can therefore contain different elements for data analysis and reporting.
Business experts create BEx applications using various tools. These tools are available in Business Explorer (BEx). BEx applications for portal users differ in terms of navigation options and the way they are used.
Features
Reports and BEx Web Applications
It is generally possible to differentiate between formatted reports and analytical applications. Formatted reports, which are optimized for presentation and printing, are referred to as reports; applications that focus on data analysis are referred to as BEx Web applications.
Data is displayed in a table The table for reports is static and its appearance cannot be changed by navigation. However, the analysis grid in BEx Web applications can be adapted by navigation and according to the requirements of various analysis functions.
For navigation in BEx Web applications, there is a navigation pane and a number of context menu functions. The navigation pane displays the current navigational state of the data provider. All characteristics and key figures of the data provider are listed.
Classification keys, such as company code, product, customer, region, or fiscal year are referred to as characteristics. They are classification options for the dataset.
Values and quantities, such as revenue, number of employees, and sales quantity, are referred to as key figures.
Characteristics are generally displayed in the rows, and key figures are generally displayed in the columns. The table is displayed with the characteristics in the row header, in the far left column. The key figures are in the column header in the top row of the table. You can freely define the data provider and can swap the display for the characteristics and key figures.
You can change the navigational state by dragging characteristics or key figures to an axis (row or column) in the table by removing them from the axes. You can drag the axes in the navigation area. The table then changes accordingly. You can also drag characteristics to the filter pane.
The filter pane displays the values used to filter the data. To filter the data, you can drag it from the navigation pane to the filter pane. You can also call various functions for filtering the data in the context menu. The application can also contain elements such as dropdown boxes, radio buttons, and checkboxes, which you can use to filter data.
As an alternative to displaying data in tables, you can display data in maps and as graphics. Depending on how the application is designed, the navigation steps in the table can affect the graphic or map in the application.
For example, you filter data in a sales report to Bavaria using Germany. The sales data for Bavaria is displayed in both the table and the graphic.
Certain data cells in the table can be displayed in color or can be assigned icons. This allows results that deviate from expectations (exceptions) to be highlighted. Poor sales figures, for example, can be highlighted by data cells with a red background, or figures that exceed expectations can be recognized by the green highlighting. This provides you with a clear overview and enables you to take appropriate measures.
The BEx application can also contain an area providing background information about the application itself, such as when the data was last refreshed, the author, and the last processor of the application.
BEx Web Applications as Patterns
SAP NetWeaver provides business experts in your company with examples of applications. These example applications are referred to as patterns. BEx Web applications available as iViews in the portal can be based on patterns shipped by SAP NetWeaver.
The following patterns are available:
Pattern |
Description |
Information Consumer Pattern |
Easy-to-use BEx Web application for users without specific BEx knowledge. More information: Information Consumer Pattern. |
Analysis Pattern |
BEx Web application for complex data analysis.
In the portal, the analysis pattern is called BEx Web Analyzer. More information: Analysis Pattern. |
Precalculated BEx Web Applications and Reports
BEx Web applications and reports display the current data available in the BW system. BEx applications can also be precalculated and are made available as documents with historical data in KM folders or in Collaboration Rooms. The documents can also be included in iViews.
Navigation in precalculated BEx applications is restricted. You can generally only switch between the navigation views and the data specified by the author of the precalculated document.
Precalculation and distribution are handled by BEx Broadcaster and the Broadcasting Wizard. More information: Broadcasting BEx Applications with the Broadcasting Wizard.
Online Links to BEx Web Applications and Reports
KM folders and Collaboration Rooms can contain links to BEx Web applications and reports. When you choose a link, the BEx application is displayed with the current data. You can then navigate in this application.
The links are also generated and distributed by BEx Broadcaster or Broadcasting Wizard.
You can apply KM functions and collaboration functions to links and precalculated documents, which are stored in Knowledge Management. More information: Functions for Objects in KM Folders and Collaborating with Other Users.
BW Documents
Documents and metadata created in the BEx system (metadata documentation in particular) can be displayed with other documents in KM folders. Individual BW documents can be displayed as iViews.
BEx applications provide various options for working with BW documents. More information: Using BW Documents in BEx Applications.