Query, Reporting and Analysis
With this variant, business experts can use BEx Query Designer to define queries allowing BI data to be analyzed flexibly and according to specific user requirements.
The queries serve as data providers for Web applications created with BEx Web Application Designer. Web applications can be modified to meet the requirements of various users. For example, BI data can be presented in a concise form for quick information purposes, or in complex and interactive applications for business analysts.
Business can experts use BEx Report Designer to create formatted reports. This tool provides various functions, for example, to select formats, fonts and data layouts to add header and footer rows to reports. These reports are optimized for displaying and printing.
BEx Report Designer is integrated into BEx Web Application Designer. This means that reports can be integrated into BEx Web applications using the Report Web item.
BEx Web applications and reports are accessed in the portal.
Prerequisites
To use the
Query,
Reporting, and Analysis
variant you have to configure the SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP
NetWeaver AS). Before you can use SAP NetWeaver AS functions, you have to set
the relevant profile parameters for configuring SAP NetWeaver AS. More
information:
Parameterization of
ICM and the ICM Server Cache.
Note that the BI standard client is used when you log on to SAP NetWeaver AS. The BI standard client is specified in profile parameter login/system_client. Logon to SAP NetWeaver AS is implicitly performed in the BI standard client. Alternatively, you can enter the client with the URL parameter &sap-client=<CLIENT>. If you do not have the BI standard client and do not specify a URL parameter, you cannot log on.
Tasks on Demand
The major administration tasks to be executed on demand are:
Tasks to Be Performed Once |
Further Information |
Migrating Web templates |
A migration tool is available if you want to migrate Web templates in format SAP BW 3.x to format SAP NetWeaver 7.0. More
information: Web Templates and
|
Specifying standard Web templates for ad hoc analysis and reports |
You can use the Standard Web Templates for Ad Hoc Analysis (0ANALYSIS_PATTERN) to display queries from the BEx Query Designer on the Web on an ad hoc basis. Reports from the BEx Report Designer are displayed on the Web using the Standard Web Template for Reports (0REPORT_TEMPLATE). In addition, you can define other Web templates as standard Web templates, for example Web templates that include your company logo. You can also change the delivered standard Web templates to meet your requirements. More information: SAP Reference IMG → SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → SAP NetWeaver → Business Intelligence → Settings for Reporting and Analysis → BEx Web → Set Standard Web Templates. |
Specifying settings for Web templates |
You can set the properties of Web templates for all Web applications in Customizing. You make these settings in the SAP Reference IMG → SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → SAP NetWeaver → Business Intelligence → Settings for Reporting and Analysis → BEx Web → Determine Settings for Web Templates. More information:
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Setting the size restriction for result sets |
Using report SAP_RSADMIN_MAINTAIN (transaction SA38), you can specify the maximum size of the result set that users can query. This allows you to avoid result sets that are too large and that can have a negative impact on the performance and quality of Web applications. More information:
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Activating Export Services |
To export PDF, PostScript and PCL files from BEx web applications, activate the Export Library for SAP NetWeaver BI. This is optimized for exporting larger documents. More information:
To create PDF files (for example, if you want to create a print version of a Web application), you can also use the Adobe document services. More information:
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Activating personalization in BEx |
Personalization in the Business Explorer allows users to fill variables with user-specific entries, to save user-specific access to BI objects for the history view in the BEx open dialog, and to save user-specific start views for Web applications. You activate personalization in the SAP Reference IMG → SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → SAP NetWeaver → Business Intelligence → Settings for Reporting and Analysis → General Settings for Reporting and Analysis → Activate Personalization in BEx. More information:
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Displaying BI query runtime statistics on the Web |
You can display technical information about the performance of a Web application directly on the Web. If performance problems occur, you can send this information to SAP in a customer message for error analysis purposes. To display the statistics data on the Web, add parameter &PROFILING=X to the start URL of the Web application. More information:
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Tasks to Be Performed More Than Once |
Further Information |
Mass maintenance and mass conversion of Web templates and reusable Web items |
Mass maintenance of Web templates and reusable Web items enables you to automatically change multiple Web templates or reusable Web items at the same time. You can simultaneously export or import multiple objects and execute simple replacement operations. More information:
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Setting the portal theme |
Themes determine the colors and appearance of the portal desktop. In the portal, content from BI is always displayed with the current user theme. You can set the user themes in system administration. More information:
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Assigning roles in the portal |
You assign roles to users for working with content from BI in the portal. These are managed by the Portal Content Directory (PCD). More information:
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Maintaining sender-recipient assignment |
You make the required settings for connecting a query to the report-report interface (RRI) by choosing SAP Menu → Business Explorer → Query → Jump Targets. More information:
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Setting intervals and hierarchies for time characteristics |
For time characteristics, you can specify the time interval that appears in the F4 help for the characteristic values. You normally have to make this setting once a year. You can also specify hierarchies for the time characteristics that you want to use in reporting. The leaves of the hierarchy are then located in the time interval that you have set. You make these settings in the SAP Reference IMG → SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → SAP NetWeaver → Business Intelligence → Settings for Reporting and Analysis → General Settings for Reporting and Analysis → Set F4 Help and Hierarchies for Time Characteristics/OLAP Settings. More information:
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Deleting query objects |
You can delete queries, structures, and calculated or restricted key figures by choosing SAP Menu → Business Explorer → Query → Delete Objects. More information:
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Copying queries between InfoCubes |
You can copy queries and their subobjects (structures, calculated key figures, and restricted key figures) between various InfoCubes by choosing SAP Menu → Business Explorer → Query → Copy. More information:
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Tasks Performed Regularly
The following tasks are performed periodically:
Tasks |
Further Information |
Monitoring BI log files (when using Java components) |
The BI log files can be found in the Log Viewer under ./log/Application/BI/* More information: Monitoring and Displaying Log Files |
Reorganizing bookmarks |
You can use report RSWR_BOOKMARK_REORG (transaction SA38) to reorganize and delete bookmarks. Bookmarks are saved navigational states of Web applications. In the BI system, they are created when: ● You execute the Broadcast and Export → Bookmark function in the context menu of a Web application ● You personalize Web applications More information:
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Monitoring the availability of BEx Web Applications and information broadcasting |
The central monitoring system in the CCMS uses the Generic Request and Message Generator (GRMG) to check the availability of the J2EE Engine at set intervals. If the availability check fails, an alert is triggered in the central monitoring system. This helps you to establish whether servers or processes in the J2EE Engine have failed. You can use the CCMS Alert Monitor (transaction RZ20) to check whether alerts have been triggered for BEx Web Applications and information broadcasting. For more information about availability monitoring for BEx Web Applications and Information Broadcasting, see Customizing for SAP NetWeaver, under SAP NetWeaver → Business Intelligence → Settings for Reporting and Analysis → General Settings for Reporting and Analysis → Availability Monitoring for Information Broadcasting and BEx Web. |
Troubleshooting
In BEx Web
Application Designer, you can record traces to analyze problems in Web
applications. More information:
Functions in the Tools
Menu under Settings →General.
The function for recording traces is automatically always activated in BEx Report Designer.
The trace file is a text file that contains a log of the activities performed by the BEx tool concerned. It is stored in your system’s temporary folder. The recorded traces help to resolve problems that you report to SAP as customer messages.