Creating Planning Applications in the BEx Web Application Designer

Planning applications are BI applications that are based on a planning model. Power users combine the objects of the planning model into an interactive planning application which allows data to be entered and changed automatically or manually by users.

Planning model objects include:

InfoProviders that contain data (see InfoProvider )

Aggregation levels as InfoProviders which provide a set of data with a particular level of granularity for data entry and change (see Aggregation Level )

Input-ready queries which allow you to make manual entries for the aggregation level (see Input-Ready Query )

Planning functions which allow automated changes to be made to data in the aggregation level and therefore model a part of the data flow (see Planning Functions ).

In addition, planning sequences can belong to the planning model (see Planning Sequences ).

To illustrate the basic procedure, the following example shows how you create a planning application in the BEx Wed Application Designer on the basis of a simple planning model.

The underlying planning model consists of the following objects:

• A real-time InfoCube Plan_IC containing the planned sales data for next year
• A standard InfoCube Actual_IC containing the sales data for the previous year
• A MultiProvider Plan_Actual_MP containing the two InfoCubes
• An aggregation level Plan_Actual_Aggr for MultiProvider Plan_Actual_MP
• Query Plan_Query02 which displays actual and plan data but is not input ready

The two InfoCubes contain the same characteristics and have at least one common key figure; the only difference is the key figure Year. One of the characteristics is Country. This has to be included in the query.

The following graphic shows how the objects in the planning model are related:

The planning application contains at least one of the following elements:

• A planning function for copying the data from the InfoCube containing actual data into the InfoCube containing plan data PF_Copy
• A selection list (dropdown box) that allows you to navigate in the query
• A planning function for revaluating plan data PF_Revaluate01 (with a fixed %), where the selections in the selection list determine which data is to be revaluated
• A planning function for saving plan data

You have a planning model that contains aggregation level Plan_Actual_Aggr (defined on the basis of MultiProvider Plan_Actual_MP), query Plan_Query02, a filter and planning functions for copying PF_Copy and revaluating PF_Revaluate02.

You are familiar with the functions of the BEx Web Application Designer (see Creating a Web Application and Creating Web Applications with the BEx Web Application Designer ).

The following simple example shows how you create a Web application with a selection list (button group), table and special pushbuttons for functions such as copy, revaluate (with a fixed percentage) and save.

1. Open the BEx Web Application Designer.
2. Choose Create New Web Template.

For more information about the Web template concept, see Web Templates .

1. Choose  New Data Provider to create a new data provider of type Query View Data Provider. The Maintain Data Provider dialog box appears.
   Note

For more information about the data provider concept, see Data Providers in BI Applications .

1. In the Name field, the system displays the name the system generates for the data provider. This is currently assigned to the data provider. You can retain this name.
2. In the Define Data Provider Type area, choose the Query option. Choose  Select Query. The Open dialog box appears.
3. Select the query you want and then choose Open. In the Query field, the system inserts the name of the query.
4. When you have defined your data provider in this way, choose OK.
5. Drag and drop the required Web items onto the Layout tab page of your Web template.
   Tip

   In this example, we insert the following Web items:

   •  Dropdown box
   •  Analysis
   •  Button group

For more information, see Web Items .

1. If you select a Web item or choose Properties in the context menu of a Web item, the system displays the Properties screen area.
2. On the Web Item Parameters tab page, enter the required data in the highlighted fields.
   Tip

   For the Web items in this example, the following data is required:

For the dropdown box (see Dropdown Box ) under parameter Data Binding → Data Binding Type → Selection of Characteristic:

• Data provider: DP_01
• Characteristic: Country

Set the indicator for the Label Visible parameter for the dropdown box so that the label is displayed for Country.

The system uses the data provider you create first for all additional Web items. If you have performed the activities in the order described here, the system inserts data provider DP_01 under the Data Bindingparameter for the Analysis Web item (see Analysis ).

For the button group (see Button Group ), under parameter Internal Display → List of Buttons → Caption on the Text Editing dialog box (with option Language-Independent Text) we enter a text for the required pushbuttons. We choose the Command field to assign a suitable command to each button (see Command Wizard ). The Edit Command dialog box appears. On the All Commands tab page, select Commands for Planning Applicationsand choose the required functions in accordance with the following examples:

Special Function Buttons

For more information, see Commands for Planning Applications .

1. Choose  to save your Web template (menu path Web Template →  Save).
2. Choose  to execute your Web template.

You can use the planning functions you have created to copy and calculate plan data. The data set is determined by the navigational state of data provider DP_01. You can save the entire Web application by choosing the Save pushbutton.