Local Cell Fixing in a Query (Front End) 

Use

You can lock, in other words “fix”, input-ready cells against manual changes in BEx Web Applications. These cell fixings are managed as local settings with reference to the current result set in the BI Java Web runtime.

This function is only implemented in the BI Java Web runtime, in other words in Web applications created using BEx Web Application Designer (WAD).

Planning functions and planning sequences ignore the cells fixed in the web at runtime. This means that fixed cells can be changed by planning functions and planning sequences however.

Features

Cell fixings in a query remain in effect so long as the user does not make any significant changes on the result set. The user can then therefore perform the following activities without losing the cell fixings:

●      Sorting

●      Expanding or collapsing nodes in BW hierarchies

●      Changing display settings for characteristics

If the user performs one of the following activities though, the cells fixings are undone:

●      Calling the variable screen to change variable values,

●      Drilldown, removing the drilldown

●      Swapping row and column axes, swapping characteristics

●      Hierarchical axis display

●      Suppressing zero

●      Setting a filter

As cell fixing is a local setting that relates to the current result set, a cell fixed at runtime in the data model of the query is not known to the system. This means that a fixed cell is not comparable to a cell protected by a data slice. For the back-end system, a fixed cell behaves like a cell has been transferred without the value being changed.

The following restrictions therefore apply:

Fixed is a local property of the cell in the current result set. If the fixed cell shares data records with other cells, the fixed property is not applied to the other cells. For example, if two cells use the same data records and one of the cells is fixed, the other cell is not fixed. This point is particularly relevant for queries, in which a type of “hierarchy” is created from restricted key figures, as in the following example:

Revenue Jan. is modeled as the key figure Revenue, which is restricted to 1.2009 by the selection of the time characteristic.

Revenue Q1 is modeled as the key figure Revenue, which is restricted to 1.2009 - 3.2009 by the selection of the time characteristic.

If Revenue Jan. is fixed and Revenue Q1 is changed, the system would not account for the fixed property when distributing the value of Revenue Q1 between the different months.

Therefore we recommend that you work with BW hierarchies when using fixed cells (as is the case with disaggregation). More information: SAP Note 994853.

Activities

You can fix a cell by choosing Lock Cell in the context menu. It is also possible to fix/unlock an entire row or column using the corresponding commands in the context menu.

As an alternative, you can use the following URL parameter to set the cell fixing function at runtime: MENU_CELL_LOCKING = X. You can either insert the parameter directly into the URL of the Web application or set it in Web Application Designer in the XMHTL view (XHTML tab).

More Information

For more information about cell fixing, see Cell Fixing and Global Cell Fixing in a Planning Application (Back End).