Defining the Web Template Setting

The Reporting Agent allows you to precalculate Web templates, HTML documents with BW-specific placeholders, in the background. If, in the Web browser, you call a Web report that is based on a precalculated Web template, you can access precalculated data without having to execute an OLAP query. This shortens access time considerably and reduces the load on the application server.

Note the following restrictions:

• Precalculated Web templates are static, meaning that OLAP navigation is no longer possible.
• When you call a precalculated Web template, the Variables screen is not processed. You have to use URL parameters to preset the variables (see step 11). For more information about the corresponding URL parameters, see the help.sap.com/nw04 internet address → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web →   Web Application Design: BEx Web Application Designer → Command URLs → Commands for Web Templates → Call Web Template → Default Variables for Web Applications.

• You have defined a Web template. For more information, seeWeb Templates andCreating Web Applications with the BEx Web Application Designer.
• Where necessary, you have also created a control query. For more information, seeControl Query for Web Template Precalculation.

1. Choose the REPORTING_AGENT transaction code.
2. Select Precalculating Web Templates and choose Execute. In the left-hand tree of the Reporting Agent Settings, the roles that are available in the system are displayed along with the workbooks and Web templates that are assigned to them.
3. Navigate to the required Web template.
4. You have the following options for creating a new setting:
   • Choose New Setting from the context menu.
   • Choose Create New Setting.

   The New Reporting Agent Setting dialog box appears.

5. Enter a technical name and a description.

   The following information is displayed on the General tab page:

   • The function area of the setting is Precalculation of Web Templates.
   • Under the Web Template group header, information is displayed about the Web template for which you are creating a setting (description, technical name).
   • After the setting has been saved for the first time, the system displays, under the Last Changed On/By group header, details of the last person who changed the setting and the time this change was made.
   • Under the Setting is Used in Packages group header, the system displays information about the packages in which the setting is used, and how they are scheduled. This information can only be displayed if you have defined the setting and assigned one or more scheduling packages to it.
6. Choose the Parameters tab page.
7. Under the Calculate group header, select what you want the system to precalculate. You can choose more than one option.

   Data

Accessing precalculated data improves system performance considerably: The data is no longer requested from the OLAP processor and only the HTML pages need to be generated. We particularly recommend that you precalculate data if your queries contain the following:

• Complex selection criteria
• Top N conditions
• Calculated key figures

HTML pages:

HTML for Web Browsers

HTML for Pocket IE

You can precalculate HTML documents for Web browsers and mobile devices. The Reporting Agent supports various device classes. For more information, see SAP Library at help.sap.com/nw04 → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web → BEx Mobile Intelligence → Creating a Mobile Application → Automatic Device Recognition.

BW uses the SAP Document and Content Management service (Content Management Framework) to manage HTML (HyperText Markup Protocol) documents and the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) objects that belong to them.

Excel

You can precalculate data from a query or a query view as an Excel table. (For more information, see the documentation on the corresponding command for query views, at the help.sap.com/nw04 internet address → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web →   Web Application Design: BEx Web Application Designer → Command URLs → Data Provider Commands → General Data Provider Commands → Export Data.) The files generated in the background (one file for each data provider) are stored on the application server alongside precalculated HTML documents.

1. Under the Language group header, set the language(s) for which you want to calculate the data. You can choose from the following options:
   • Logon Language
   • All Installed Languages
   • Language Selection
     Note

     Choose Select to select a language or to change a selection you have made. The Select Language dialog box appears.

     • In the Available Languages screen area, select the language(s) you require. Choose to transfer the selected language into the Selected Languages screen area.
     • To remove a selected language, select it in the Selected Languages screen area. Choose . The language is transferred into the Available Languages screen area.

     When you have completed your selection, choose Continue.

     Caution

     If you want to precalculate user-specific Web templates (step 8), you are not able to choose the language. The system uses the logon language of the user instead.

2. Under the Authorizations group header, you set authorizations to control access to precalculated Web templates. You can choose from the following options:
   • Roles
   • Users
     Note

     Either the Select Roles or the Select User dialog box appears. The procedure for selecting one or more users or roles is the same as the procedure outlined above under Selecting Languages (step 7).

   Precalculating user-specific Web templates

   If you choose the Precalculate by User option, all the data and HTML pages for the Reporting Agent setting are precalculated for each of the selected users, in a single job. The system splits the job into individual steps. These individual job steps run for the respective users.

   Note

   We recommend that you precalculate by user those Web templates that contain Authorization type variables. The system takes into account the authorizations assigned to a user and uses the logon language for each particular user. Depending on the individual user, different data can be precalculated for one and the same Web template.

   To schedule a scheduling package with settings for the user-specific precalculation of Web templates as a job, the system administrator must have authorization S_BTCH_NAM to designate the selected user as an authorization user, in the job steps. For more information, seeAuthorizations for Background Processing andDefining Users for Background Processing.

3. Under the Filtering group header, you determine whether you want to parameterize the Web template using the result of a control query.
   • Choose the No Filtering option if you want the Web template to be precalculated without any additional parameters being set.
   • Choose the Explicitly Through Query Result option if you want to use a control query. You are now able to input information into the Control Query andVariants fields.

   Enter the technical name. Input help is available. After you save your entries, the system completes the information according to your selections.

4. If the control query contains mandatory variables that are input ready, you have to assign a variant in the Variant field.
5. If the Web application requires you to enter a variable, you can generate one or more variable assignments in the form of a URL parameter string, under the Variants group header.
   Tip

   Example for default variables: interval variables

   &var_name_1=myIntVar&var_value_low_ext_1=LowVal&var_value_high_ext_1=HighVal

   For more information, see the help.sap.com/nw04 internet address → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web →   Web Application Design: BEx Web Application Designer → Command URLs → Commands for Web Templates → Call Web Template → Default Variables for Web Applications.

   Create

   1. Choose Create. The Create Variants for Web Template dialog box appears. The Variables screen appears if the Web application uses variables.
   2. Make the required settings and enter a technical name and a description.
   3. Choose Continue. The system adds the new variant to the list of variants.

   Change

   If one or more variants have already been created for a Web template, you can add extra parameters to the relevant parameter string.

   1. Highlight the variant that you want to change.
   2. Choose Change. The Create Variants for Web Template dialog box appears. The system displays the parameter string for default variables.
   3. Make the required changes.
   4. Choose Continue.

   Execute

   Choose Execute if you want to change the variable assignment for a variant that you have created. The Variables screen appears again.

   Delete

6. Choose the Preview tab page.
   • If you are using a control query and you want to display it, set the Control Query indicator under the Selection group header and choose Display.
   • If you want to display a Web template, set the Template indicator and choose Display.

   A preview window is shown in the right-hand area of the tab page.

7. If you want to display the source code for the template, choose the Template tab page.
8. Save your setting.
9. Choose Activate.

Once you have defined the Reporting Agent setting, you can assign it to a scheduling package for background processing. For more information, seeProcessing a Scheduling Package.

Once background processing has finished, HTML pages, MS Excel files and the precalculated data for the Web template are available.

We recommend that you use the BEx Download Scheduler as an assistant when you download precalculated Web templates as HTML pages from the BW server. For more information, see SAP Library at help.sap.com/nw04 → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web → BEx Mobile Intelligence → Offline Scenario.

• Using a Web folder

As an alternative to the BEx Download Scheduler, you can also save precalculated HTML pages locally and easily using theWebDAV service for the document store in the Content management framework. (Restricted) offline reporting options are available using this method. For more information about the WebDAV service, seeimplementing external tools. See also: WebDAV (World Wide Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) For more information, see SAP Library at help.sap.com/nw04 → SAP NetWeaver → Information Integration → SAP Business Information Warehouse → BEx Suite: Business Explorer → BEx Web → BEx Mobile Intelligence → Offline Scenario  → Downloading Web Templates with WebDav and Web Folder.