Data Slices 

Use

Data slices are a concept for protecting the main data of a real-time enabled InfoCube against changes. This protection affects input-ready queries and all planning functions that use this InfoCube.

If you want to ensure that certain plan versions can no longer be changed after a certain point in time, for example, and current data is not overwritten, you can use a data slice that contains these plan versions.

Prerequisites

Data slices are created on a real-time enabled InfoCube. They then affect all InfoProviders from planning that include this InfoCube. See InfoProviders.

Features

There are two types of data slice:

●     The data slice is based on a selection. Here you determine the restrictions for the characteristics that you wish to protect against changes.

●     The data slice is based on an exit class. In the exit class, you can implement a customer-specific logic to protect data records.

In general, the following rules apply to data slices:

●     If no data slice is defined for a real-time enabled data slice, any valid characteristic combination can be posted in this InfoCube (also see Characteristic Relationships.

●     Every data record that is part of the selection of a data slice is protected against changes. The associated cells in input-ready queries are not changeable. This type of record cannot be changed and saved using planning functions.  The data slices cumulate in effect.

●     If a real-time enabled InfoProvider contains a data slice that includes no characteristic value restrictions at all, the data slice acts as a lock for postings of all types in the entire real-time enabled InfoProvider.

●     After you have created a data slice it is activated automatically. The settings made in the definition of the data slice have an immediate effect on the ability to update data. You can deactivate an existing data slice at any time (status inactive). Then this data slice is no longer taken into account.

Activities

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       1.      You are on the InfoProvider  tab page of the Planning Modeler. Choose the required InfoProvider of type real-time enabled InfoCube. In the lower screen area, the system displays the tab pages Characteristic Relationships, Data Slices and Settings.

       2.      To change data slices, choose Change.

       3.      Change to the Data Slices tab page as needed.

       4.      To create a data slice, choose Create. The system marks the rows for the data slice that is to be created.

       5.      In the Data Slice Description enter a text for the data slice to be created.

       6.      Determine whether the data slice is based on a selection or on an exit class.

       7.      If the data slice is to be based on a selection, set the required characteristic values in the Change Characteristic Selections screen area.

○     Select the characteristic to be restricted.

○     Choose the symbol in the last column of the selected row. The dialog box for determining characteristic restriction appears.

○     Select one or more values from the value list. The selection can also contain variables as long as they do not send variables at runtime.

○     Choose Add and save the affected selection with OK.

       8.      If the data slice is to be based on an exit class, enter the name of the exit class.

○     Under Restricted, choose the characteristics that you need in the exit. You will only get the current values for these characteristics in the exit. If you are also interested in the initial values in the exit, set the indicator also #. This is the default setting. If this indicator is not set for a characteristic, the exit is not called for those aggregation levels that do not contain the characteristic, for example, because the affected characteristic value would be initial in this case.

○     The exit class must implement the interface 'IF_RSPLS_DS_EXIT'. Only these types of classes are offered for editing in maintenance. We recommend that the customer class inherit from the template class 'CL_RSPLS_DS_EXIT_BASE'. The template class itself is can be run directly, but it does not execute an action. Re-implement the method ‘IS_PROTECTED’. Also note the commented example source text in the template class; an infrastructure for buffering is provided there, for example.

       9.      If the data slice should not be active at first, set the associated indicator in the field inactive.