Query Properties (SAP Library - BI Suite: Business Explorer)

Query Properties

Use

You can make various settings for your query in the Query Properties dialog box.

Features

The Query Properties dialog box is divided into tab pages, each of which provides different settings.

Tab Page: General

Description

You can enter or change the query description here.

Note

You can use text variables in the description.

You can also enter the query description when you save the query.

Technical Name

The technical name of the query is displayed.

InfoProvider

The technical name of the InfoProvider on which the query is based is displayed.

Key Date

Every query has a key date. For time-dependent data, the key date determines the time for which the data is selected. The default value for the key date is the date on which the query is executed, that is <today>.

...

1. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text . The Select Values for Date dialog box appears.

2. Choose a date from the calendar. If you select 01.01.1999, for example, time-dependent data for 01.01.1999 is read.

3. Choose OK.

You can also select a variable key date:

...

1. From the context menu you access using the black arrow next to the This graphic is explained in the accompanying text icon, choose Entry of Variables.

2. Select a variable.

Note

For the selection, you may need to know the technical names of the variables as well as their descriptions. Choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Display Key/Text to show the key.

If you want to create a new variable, choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text New Variable. The new variable is displayed. The variable editor appears and you can create a new variable.

If you want to change a variable, select the variable and choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Change Variable. The variable editor appears and you can change the variable.

3. Choose OK.

Note

The key date only applies to time-dependent master data.

Last Changed

Details of the owner of the query, the person who last changed it, and the date and time when the query was last changed are displayed.

Tab Page: Variable Sequence

Any entry variables the query contains are listed here. You can use the two arrow buttons to determine the sequence in which the variables appear on the variables screen when the query is executed.

Tab Page: Display

Display Options

The following settings are possible:

● Adjust Formatting after Refreshing

The setting is useful in the BEx Analyzer and is therefore active by default.

The formatting for the query underlines the type of data contained in a cell and highlights the structure of the delivered results. The position and size of the cell area in the analysis grid changes when the query is refreshed. The Adjust Formatting after Refreshing function ensures that the formatting is adjusted after the updated data is refreshed.

You can deactivate the function for adjusting the formatting, for example if you want to display the data more quickly, or if you are using a workbook that has its own format template.

More information: Workbook Settings

● Hide Repeated Key Values

You can specify whether identical key values are to be displayed more than once in the query. The Hide Repeated Key Values setting is active by default, such that only the first key value is displayed for each characteristic and additional, identical key values are hidden.

Note

The key value is the value with which the characteristic is presented. This can be the characteristic description or the characteristic key, for example. You can specify how the characteristic is presented by using characteristic properties.

Example

In the following example, the Hide Repeated Key Values setting is activated:

Region	Order	Sales
DE	A	EUR 14,900
	B	EUR 15,800
	C	EUR 17,600
USA	A	EUR 12,800
	C	EUR 32,800

In the following example, the Hide Repeated Key Values setting is deactivated:

Region	Order	Sales
DE	A	EUR 14,900
DE	B	EUR 15,800
DE	C	EUR 17,600
USA	A	EUR 12,800
USA	C	EUR 32,800

Caution

Note that the setting made to hide repeated key values when using the query as a data provider in Web applications is not evaluated. You need to make this setting again for the analysis Web item. When the query is used in the BEx Analyzer, the settings you make here are taken into consideration.

● Display Scaling Factors for Key Figures

Key figures can have scaling factors and units or currencies. Units or currencies are displayed for every key figure, but not the scaling factors. If you activate the Display Scaling Factors for Key Figures setting, an additional header row is added to the row or column header in the query. Information about the scaling factor and the unit or currency appears in this additional header row, as long as it is consistent (for example, EUR 1,000).

This setting is deactivated by default.

Example

In the following example, the Hide Repeated Key Values and Display Scaling Factors for Key Figures settings are activated:

Region	Order	Sales
		EUR 1,000
DE	A	14
	B	15
	C	17
F	D	12
	E	32

Caution

Note that the setting made to display the scaling factors for key figures when using the query as a data provider in Web applications is not evaluated. You need to make this setting again for the analysis Web item. When the query is used in the BEx Analyzer, the settings you make here are taken into consideration.

Document Links

For metadata, master data, and InfoProvider data for a query, you can display links to documents that you have created for these objects. If documents exist for these objects, the This graphic is explained in the accompanying text icon appears next to these objects. You can choose this icon to navigate to where the document is displayed on the Web.

Select the appropriate setting so that the document links for the required document class are displayed. Document classes are provided in line with the various categories of BI objects: InfoProvider data, metadata, and master data. See Document Classes.

Caution

Note that the setting made to display the document links when using the query as a data provider in Web applications is not evaluated. You need to make this setting again for the analysis Web item. When the query is used in the BEx Analyzer, the settings you make here are taken into consideration.

For more information, see Using Documents in Web Applications.

Tab Page: Rows/Columns

Result Position

This is where you specify where the result is displayed.

● Rows: Above or Below

● Columns: Left or Right

By default, the results are displayed at the bottom right.

Suppress Zeros

You can use this setting to specify whether columns or rows containing zeros are to be displayed.

The following options are available here:

● Do Not Suppress: Rows or columns with zeros are displayed.

● Active: If characteristics are in the rows and columns, any row or column with a result of zero is not displayed. The row or column contains, for example, the values 1, -1, 1, -1 and thus the result is 0. If you select this setting, the whole row or column is hidden.

● Active (All Values = 0): Columns or rows containing zeros in all cells are not displayed.

Under Effect on, you specify whether suppression of zeros should be applied to rows and columns, only to rows, or only to columns.

Tab Page: Value Display

Display of +/- Signs

Here you specify how the minus sign (-) is displayed. The following display options are available for negative values:

● Before the Number -123.45: The minus sign (-) is positioned before the value (default setting).

● After the Number 123.45-: The minus sign (-) is positioned after the value.

● In Parentheses (123.45): Negative values are displayed in parentheses.

Zero Value Display

The following display options are available for displaying zeros:

● Zero with Currency/Unit: Zeros are displayed with the currency or unit, for example, EUR 0.00. This is the default setting.

● Zero Without Currency/Unit: Zeros are displayed without the currency or unit, for example, 0.00.

● Zero as Space: Cells containing a zero remain empty.

● Zero as Default Text: If you choose this setting, the Show Zeros as field is activated. You can now enter the required value (character, number, or letter), such as an asterisk (*). Cells that contain a zero are filled with this value.

Tab Page: Advanced

Release for OLE DB for OLAP

External reporting tools that communicate using the OLE DB for OLAP interface use queries as data sources. If you want to release this query as a data source for external reporting tools, select Allow External Access to this Query.

Caution

Queries that contain formulas with the operators %RT, %CT, %GT, SUMRT, SUMCT, SUMGT, and LEAF cannot be released for OLE DB for OLAP. These operators depend on the display of the list in the BEx Analyzer and the formulas would return unexpected values when using OLE DB for OLAP or MDX. It is possible to achieve the required result with constant selection. For more information, see Constant Selection.

For more information about using formula operators, see Defining Formulas.

For more information about OLE DB for OLAP, see Mapping Metadata.

Tab Page: Planning

Start Query in Change Mode

Here you can specify whether the query is started in change mode or in display mode.

For queries that are not input ready, the Start Query in Change Mode checkbox is always inactive and cannot be changed. For input ready queries, this checkbox is active by default. Queries are input ready as soon as they contain a structural component that has one of the following properties:

● Data can be changed by planning functions

● Data can be changed by user input or planning functions

For input ready queries that are started in display mode, at runtime the user can activate the input ready field to use the query for manually entering planning data or executing planning functions. This guarantees that users can use the query in planning applications without locking each other out.

For more information, see Selection/Formula Properties (Planning tab page) and Input-Ready Query.

Activities

You call the Query Properties dialog box for a query by choosing Query ® Properties in the Query Designer menu bar. The Query Properties dialog box for the query appears in the Properties screen area. Using This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Display/Change, you can specify whether the query properties can be changed. If you enter an invalid value, a warning is displayed beside the property and a corresponding text that helps you to resolve the error is displayed in the Messages screen area. You can save your settings by choosing This graphic is explained in the accompanying text Save.