Configuring Data Columns 

Use

You determine the properties of data columns on the Data Columns tab page in the Configuration of Data Columns table. Here you determine which key figure or characteristic values are contained in the respective data columns and how these values are to be displayed (for example, with regard to ready-for-input status, display of units, display decimals, scaling factors).

Note that one row in the Configuration of Data Columns table represents one column of the data column area on the planning template.

You can find more information on structuring the table under Determining Detail Settings.

Prerequisites

You have fully executed the basic steps for creating and editing the planning layout (see Determining Basic Settings).

Procedure

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       1.      In the Key Figure column, enter the technical name of the key figure that you want to include in the layout. An input help is available. 

       2.      In the column Heading, enter the text that is to be used as the column heading for the key figure.

It makes sense to change the Heading, for example, if you have broken down the data columns by characteristic value and the same key figure appears several times in the layout, for example, sales broken down by region.

If you want to use a variable within a text, enter the technical name of the variable in capital letters.  In order to provide a variable with an offset, use a character string of form VARIABLE+1 or VARIABLE-1 (without blank characters) in the text. You are also able to combine “static” and “variable” text in one heading, for example, “sales in year VARIABLE+1".
At the time of execution (that is, when displaying or entering the data), the variables are replaced with the corresponding value.

If you replace a key figure (that you have already added to the data columns) with another key figure, the system only enters the name of the new key figure in the field Heading if the field was previously blank. Otherwise the column heading retains the original key figure.

       3.      In the column Position,enter a figure that specifies in which position the current column should appear among the data columns. If you do not enter a position the system automatically numbers the columns in the order of the rows in the table.

In certain cases you can simplify the entry: For example, to swap the positions of the last two columns, you can simply enter a value for the second last column that is greater than the value for the last column. The system then rearranges the columns and ensures correct sequential numbering.

       4.      Determine whether the key figure that you are processing is to appear as a comparison column. Comparison columns are not ready for input in manual planning. Furthermore, a column must also be specified as a comparison column if you want to allow a fixed characteristic value in the planning layout for a characteristic whose value is determined by a variable in the planning level.

Key figures that you include in a comparison column are not subject to the characteristic value restrictions in the planning level or the planning package. Therefore, you can display key figures for any combination of characteristic values for purposes of comparison. You can use only those key figures that were included in the planning level. Comparison columns are also locked.

       5.      If the unit or currency should be suppressed when showing the values of a key figure in the planning layout, set the necessary indicator in the Suppress Units column.  The currency unit or unit of measure is often already included in the header area. In such cases, it is not necessary in the data area.

       6.      Where necessary, determine a scaling factor that is a rounding factor, for displaying the key figure values. This is particularly useful if you want to display very large amounts. If you enter a new row in the table but do not enter anything in this field, the default settings of the BW system are used.

       7.      An input help is available in the Decimals column for determining the number of decimal places. The representation of decimal places in the planning layout depends on the following settings:

¡        If you determine decimal places in the properties of the planning layout this overwrites all other settings. The settings in the layout cannot be used to increase the accuracy of those values saved in the database.

¡        If you do not determine anything in the planning layout the system adopts those settings that are maintained for the key figure in InfoObject maintenance.

¡        If you have not determined anything for the key figure either, those settings that are maintained for the assigned unit of measure or currency unit become effective. For key figures of type figure, the technical decimals become effective.

       8.      If you have included characteristics in the data columns, enter the desired characteristic value for each column.

If in the planning level you have set the selection condition for a characteristic by variable replacement, you can transfer the value calculated by the variable at the execution time, instead of a fixed entered value, using the  Switch Variable On/Off function. The function is only available if a corresponding characteristic is used in the planning layout. For more information, see Using Variables.

       9.      If you want to create an attribute column for signs you also have to select the corresponding attribute key figure in the field for the sign attribute. You can find more information on the sign attribute under Automatic Sign Assignment.

Attribute columns are not ready for input and are displayed without units. For this reason the system sets the indicators for the comparison column and the suppression of units automatically.

Result

You can view the results of the settings you have made as a spreadsheet and then make further changes if you wish by choosing   Continue to switch to the last processing step of the planning layout.

The settings that you make for the presentation of values in the layout also have an effect on how these values are transferred using the Application Programming Interface.

If, for example, you use a particular scaling factor the value is delivered exactly as it appears in the planning layout (and not with the actual value) when a value is accessed using the programming interface. For an application that requests values using the programming interface it is not possible to determine whether a value has been modified.

 

See also:

 

Formatting Generated Layout in the Preview

Hierarchically Structured Planning