Reporting Made Easy Book2

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Release 4.0B

SAP Labs, Inc.Palo Alto, California

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1999 by SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Neither this documentation nor any part of it may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means ortranslated into another language, without the prior consent of SAP AG.

SAP AG makes no warranties or representations with respect to the content hereof and specifically disclaimsany implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. SAP AG assumes noresponsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. The information contained in this document issubject to change without notice. SAP AG reserves the right to make any such changes without obligation tonotify any person of such revision or changes. SAP AG makes no commitment to keep the informationcontained herein up to date.

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SAP, the SAP logo, R/2, R/3, ABAP, and other SAP related products mentioned herein are registered orunregistered trademarks of SAP AG. All other products mentioned in this document are registered orunregistered trademarks of their respective companies.

R/3 Simplification GroupSAP Labs, Inc.3475 Deer Creek RoadPalo Alto, CA 94304

www.saplabs.com/[email protected]

Second edition

Printed in the United States of America.ISBN 1-893570-63-0

This book uses EcoFLEX lay-flat binding. With this lay-flat featuredeveloped byand exclusively available at Johnson Printing Service (JPS)you can open this bookand keep it open without it snapping shut on you. You need not worry aboutbreaking the spine. EcoFLEX makes books like this one easier to use.

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Report Development Tools iii

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Contents at a Glance

Reporting Made Easyiv

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Reporting Made Easyv

The publisher thanks the following individuals who provided time, expertise, and resources to helpmake the Reporting Made Easy series possible.

Julie Beehler and John Huck ($QKHXVHU%XVFK,QFRon Greenfield, David Jones, and Ben Matteson (Anthro Corporation)Ann Zediker and Chuck Marx (Arthur Andersen, LLP)Bruce Scott (BrightStar Information Technology Group, Inc.)Amy Vorbeck (CCAi, Inc.)Nancy White (Chevron Corporation)Tom Eisenhart (Lucent Technologies, Inc.)Hans Hess, Sven Jensen (Metamor Enterprise Solutions)Igor Smelansky and Winnie Chang (Network Associates)Erin Andrews (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)Mohamad Hakim (Softline, Inc.)Clare Carver (The Pair Group)Margie Coolidge, Ron Giovannelli, and Patrick Zalamea (Ziatech Corporation)Pamela Anderson and Robert Smith (publishing consultants)Werner Aigner, Simone Baeumer, Tami Becker, Randi Bethel, Sylvia Chaudoir, Muge Das, ElisaDavis, Ray Fan, Sampath Gomatam, Maria Gregg, Darrin Griggy, Reiner Herde, Michael Hielbrink,James Hill, Reiner Hoeltke, Claus Horn, Beverly Kennedy, Ruediger Kretschmer, Michael LaStella,Sylvia Lehnen, Robert Loughran, Bob Mackenzie, Rhondda Macleod, Natascha Marienfeld, SteffenMock, Heinrich Mueller, Rolf Neuhaus, Doug OBrian, Mary Odabashian, Wolfgang Otter, BrianPotter, Lori Ritzert, L.Kay Roberts, Thomas Rumbach, Sabine Scheppat-Hinze, Stefan Sigg, DonaldSilva, Birgit Starmanns, Gerald Steele, Henri Stein, Peter Tillert, Cindy Vineberg, Wolfgang Weiss,Daniela Weckesser, April Wu, Daniel-Benjamin Zaidspiner, Peter Zimmerer, and Theo Zimmermann(SAP)

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Report Development Tools vi

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Why This Guide ........................................................................................................................ xvHow This Guide Is Organized ................................................................................................. xvPart 1: Core Report Development Tools.....................................................................................xvPart 2: Business Information Warehouse .................................................................................xviiPart 3: Other Report Development Topics............................................................................... xviiiWho This Guide Is For ............................................................................................................ xixHow to Use This Guide ........................................................................................................... xixReport Examples Use IDES Data ..............................................................................................xixTraining and Documentation ......................................................................................................xixNavigating the System............................................................................................................ xixSpecial Icons............................................................................................................................. xxTypographical Conventions................................................................................................... xxi


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Choosing the Right Reporting Tool: The Big Picture ........................................................12Organization of Report Development Tools........................................................................ 13Using the Application Hierarchy........................................................................................... 16Using the Tools Summary Matrix ......................................................................................... 19Using the Tool Summaries.................................................................................................. 111Learning More About Report Development Tools............................................................ 112Review ................................................................................................................................... 113

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Learning the Basics of ABAP Query.................................................................................... 22What Is ABAP Query?.............................................................................................................. 22Who Uses ABAP Query? ......................................................................................................... 22

Functional Areas.........................................................................................................................23User Groups ...............................................................................................................................24Queries .......................................................................................................................................24

Related Terminology ................................................................................................................ 25How to Access ABAP Query Components? ............................................................................ 25How Does ABAP Query Differ from Other Reporting Tools? .................................................. 26What Are the Prerequisites? ....................................................................................................26Creating a Report with ABAP Query ....................................................................................27Step 1: Create a Functional Area.............................................................................................28Step 2: Assign Required Fields to Functional Groups........................................................... 211Step 3: Generate the Functional Area ................................................................................... 216

Detailed Table of Contents

Report Development Tools vii

Step 4: Create User Group ....................................................................................................217Step 5: Assign the Functional Area to the User Group.......................................................... 217Step 6: Create the Query .......................................................................................................218Running the Query ...............................................................................................................226Understanding the Report List ........................................................................................... 227Getting the Most from ABAP Query: Tips & Tricks.......................................................... 227Adding Selection Criteria in a Functional Area ......................................................................227Using Table Joins in a Functional Area ................................................................................. 229Assigning Reports with Report Call Functionality in a Query ................................................ 232More Helpful Hints for Report Developers ............................................................................. 232Review ...................................................................................................................................233Where to Learn More............................................................................................................233

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Learning the Basics of Report Painter/Report Writer ........................................................ 32Overview................................................................................................................................... 32What Is Report Painter?........................................................................................................... 32What Is Report Writer?............................................................................................................. 32How Is Report Painter Different From Report Writer? ............................................................. 33How Is Report Painter/Report Writer Organized?.................................................................... 35Related Terminology ................................................................................................................ 35

Report Definition.........................................................................................................................35Key Figures.................................................................................................................................35Characteristics ............................................................................................................................36

How to Access Report Painter/Report Writer? ........................................................................36How Does Report Painter Differ from Other Reporting Tools?................................................ 36What Are the Prerequisites? ....................................................................................................36Creating a Report with Report Painter.................................................................................37Example 1: Gross Profit Margin Report ...................................................................................38

Step 1: Determine the Table.......................................................................................................39Step 2: Find the Library ..............................................................................................................39Step 3: Create Sets ....................................................................................................................39Step 4: Create Variables ............................................................................................................39Step 5: Create Report.................................................................................................................39

Define Rows.......................................................................................................................310Define Columns..................................................................................................................312General Data Selection......................................................................................................314Change Layout...................................................................................................................317

Example 2: Billing Report .......................................................................................................318Understanding the Report List ...........................................................................................326Getting the Most from Report Painter/Report Writer: Tips & Tricks .............................. 326LIS Evaluation Structures.......................................................................................................326Report/Report Interface.......................................................................................................... 328Background on Using the Report/Report Interface................................................................ 330

Report/Report Interface ............................................................................................................330Working With Formula Variables............................................................................................331

Rolling Periods: Fixed Number of Periods up to Period p Across Fiscal Years.......................331Display Periods of Quarter q ....................................................................................................332Display Periods of a Quarter Containing Period p....................................................................333Display Variable Number of Columns for Periods p1 to p2 ......................................................333Working With a Shifted Fiscal Year ..........................................................................................334


Reporting Made Easyviii

Creating User Exits for Formula Variables ...............................................................................335Creating a Report With Actual/Budget Values Depending on Period p ...................................335General Notes on Formula Variables .......................................................................................336

Web Interface to Report Writer Reports.................................................................................336More Report Painter/Report Writer Tips & Tricks .................................................................. 336

Use Report Groups...................................................................................................................336Consider Background Processing ............................................................................................337Copy Before You Create ..........................................................................................................337Use Variation ............................................................................................................................337Naming Conventions ................................................................................................................337

Review ...................................................................................................................................338Where to Learn More............................................................................................................338

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Learning the Basics of Drilldown Reporting....................................................................... 42What Is Drilldown Reporting?...................................................................................................42

Drilldown Functions ....................................................................................................................42Where Is Drilldown Reporting Used?.......................................................................................43Types of Drilldown Reports ...................................................................................................... 43

Basic Report ...............................................................................................................................43Form Report................................................................................................................................44

How Is Drilldown Reporting Organized? ..................................................................................44Key Figures.................................................................................................................................45Characteristics ............................................................................................................................45Forms..........................................................................................................................................45Related Terminology...................................................................................................................45

How Does Drilldown Reporting Differ From Other Reporting Tools? ......................................46What are the Prerequisites?..................................................................................................... 46Quick View of the Output ......................................................................................................... 47Creating a Drilldown Report: Profitability Analysis ...........................................................47Basics Steps in Creating Drilldown Reports in COPA ........................................................... 49Creating a Two-axis Form Report With Key Figures (in CO-PA) ............................................ 49

Step 1: Set Operating Concern and Currency..........................................................................410Step 2: Define the First Axis (Columns) ...................................................................................412Step 3: Define the Second Axis (Rows) ...................................................................................415Step 4: Select General Data and Desired Characteristics .......................................................417Step 5: Attach Your Form to a Report ......................................................................................419Step 6: Execute Report and Analyze Data...............................................................................421

Getting the Most from Drilldown Reporting: Tips & Tricks .............................................423Characteristic Variable ...........................................................................................................424Report/Report Interface.......................................................................................................... 425Exceptions .............................................................................................................................. 426Cells........................................................................................................................................ 427Freezing Report Data............................................................................................................. 429Background Processing ......................................................................................................... 430Characteristic Hierarchies ...................................................................................................... 432Review ...................................................................................................................................433Where to Learn More............................................................................................................434


Report Development Tools ix

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What Is the Logistics Information System (LIS)? ............................................................... 52Learning the Basics of Standard Analyses......................................................................... 52Terminology.............................................................................................................................. 53

Information Structure ..................................................................................................................53Characteristic..............................................................................................................................54Key Figure ..................................................................................................................................54Periodicity (or Period Unit)..........................................................................................................54Initial List.....................................................................................................................................54Drilldown List ..............................................................................................................................54

How to Access LIS Standard Analyses?..................................................................................55How Does LIS Standard Analyses Differ from Other Reporting Tools?.................................. 57

Integration...................................................................................................................................57Planning......................................................................................................................................57Graphics .....................................................................................................................................57Exception Analysis (Early Warning SystemEWS) ..................................................................57Enhancements............................................................................................................................57Archiving .....................................................................................................................................58User Settings ..............................................................................................................................58

What Are the Prerequisites? ....................................................................................................58Creating a Standard Analysis ...............................................................................................59Step 1: Decide Which Data You Want to See .......................................................................510Step 2: Determine the Component Information System ........................................................ 510Step 3: Enter the Selection Criteria for the Standard Analysis .............................................. 511Step 4: Run the Standard Analysis ........................................................................................ 511Step 5: Create the Initial List .................................................................................................. 512Step 6: Slice and Dice Data as Needed................................................................................. 513

Drilldown ...................................................................................................................................513Key Figures...............................................................................................................................515Sort Key Figures.......................................................................................................................516Ranking List ..............................................................................................................................517Settings.....................................................................................................................................517ABC Analyses...........................................................................................................................518Document Information ..............................................................................................................520

Getting the Most from LIS Standard Analyses: Tips & Tricks ........................................522Information Structures............................................................................................................522Communication Structures..................................................................................................... 523Miscellaneous......................................................................................................................... 523Troubleshooting Tips.............................................................................................................. 524Review ...................................................................................................................................524Where to Learn More............................................................................................................524

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Learning the Basics of LIS Flexible Analyses .................................................................... 62What Is Flexible Analysis? ....................................................................................................... 62How Is Flexible Analysis Different From Standard Analysis?.................................................. 62How Is LIS Flexible Analysis Organized? ................................................................................ 63Terminology.............................................................................................................................. 64

Information structure...................................................................................................................64Characteristic..............................................................................................................................64Key figure....................................................................................................................................64Periodicity (or Period unit) ..........................................................................................................65


Reporting Made Easyx

Evaluation structure....................................................................................................................65Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................65List ..............................................................................................................................................65Formula.......................................................................................................................................65

How to Access LIS Flexible Analyses?....................................................................................65How Does LIS Flexible Analyses Differ from Other Reporting Tools? .................................... 66What Are the Prerequisites? ....................................................................................................66Creating a Report with Flexible Analyses ...........................................................................67Step 1: Create the Evaluation ..................................................................................................68Step 2: Generate the Evaluation............................................................................................ 614Step 3: Execute the Evaluation.............................................................................................. 615Step 4: Modify the Layout ......................................................................................................616Getting the Most from LIS Flexible Analyses: Tips & Tricks...........................................618Additional Help to Report Developers....................................................................................618Review ...................................................................................................................................619Where to Learn More............................................................................................................619


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What Is the Business Information Warehouse? ................................................................. 72Business Information Warehouse Architecture: An Overview ......................................... 72What Is the Business Explorer (BEx) ?....................................................................................74

How Is the Business Explorer Organized?.................................................................................74Business Explorer Browser..................................................................................................74Business Explorer Analyzer .................................................................................................74

What Is the Business Information Warehouse Server?........................................................... 75What Is the Administrator Workbench?......................................................................................75What Is the Meta Data Repository?............................................................................................75What Is the Staging Engine? ......................................................................................................75What Is an InfoCube?.................................................................................................................76What Is the Operational Data Store?..........................................................................................76What Is the OLAP Processor?....................................................................................................76

What Are Source Systems? .....................................................................................................77Business Content in the Business Information Warehouse..................................................... 77Business Information Warehouse Terminology .................................................................78

InfoObject ...................................................................................................................................78InfoSource ..................................................................................................................................78InfoCatalog .................................................................................................................................78

Business Information Warehouse Reporting Environment ..............................................79What Is a Query?......................................................................................................................710What Is a Workbook? ...............................................................................................................710Where Do We Go From Here?.................................................................................................711

Review ...................................................................................................................................712

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Overview.................................................................................................................................. 82Before Getting Started........................................................................................................... 83Business Scenario.................................................................................................................... 83A Quick Look at the Output ...................................................................................................... 84


Report Development Tools xi

Report 1: Sales Analysis Report.................................................................................................84Report 2: Gross Profit Analysis Report ......................................................................................84

Creating a Workbook: An Overview.....................................................................................85Step 1: Starting the BEx Analyzer ........................................................................................ 86What Is the Business Explorer Toolbar?..................................................................................86Step 2: Creating a Workbook Template...............................................................................87Formatting the Workbook Background ....................................................................................88Hiding the Window Views......................................................................................................... 89Hiding the Microsoft Excel Toolbars ...................................................................................... 810Inserting Company Logo ........................................................................................................ 810Saving a Local Copy of the Template .................................................................................... 811Step 3: Saving the Template to the InfoCatalog ...............................................................812Step 4: Inserting Queries into the Workbook.................................................................... 814Step 5: Adding Visual Basic Functionality to Workbook................................................. 816Creating Pushbuttons.............................................................................................................816

Creating a Textbox ...................................................................................................................821Step 6: Saving the Workbook to the InfoCatalog .............................................................823

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Overview.................................................................................................................................. 92Before Getting Started.............................................................................................................. 92

Creating Queries Based on the SAP DemoCube.......................................................................93Creating and Saving a New Query........................................................................................93

The Query Toolbar .....................................................................................................................96Defining a Filter in a Query ...................................................................................................99Creating Restricted Key Figures ........................................................................................ 910Creating a New FormulaPercentage Change InfoObject ............................................. 912Creating a Calculated Key Figure....................................................................................... 914Working with BW Queries: Additional Functions............................................................. 916Suppressing the Display of Repeated Texts and/or Key Values...........................................917

In Queries .................................................................................................................................917In Workbooks............................................................................................................................918

Disabling Interactive Drilldown...............................................................................................919Selecting Filter Values for Characteristics ............................................................................. 920Slice & Dice: Drilling Down..................................................................................................... 921Slice & Dice: Drilling Across................................................................................................... 922Sorting Data............................................................................................................................ 923Positioning/Hiding the Totals Row ......................................................................................... 924Converting Currencies............................................................................................................ 925Displaying Reports Graphically: Using Charts....................................................................... 927Modifying an Existing Query .................................................................................................. 932Review ...................................................................................................................................934

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Overview................................................................................................................................ 102Creating Channels in the InfoCatalog................................................................................ 103Assigning Users to Channels ............................................................................................. 105Adding Workbooks to the Favorites Channel................................................................... 106


Reporting Made Easyxii

Executing Workbooks in the BEx Browser .......................................................................106BEx Browser Toolbar .............................................................................................................107Creating and Populating a Cluster .....................................................................................107Previewing the Structure of a Workbook Query ............................................................... 109Copying Workbooks ............................................................................................................ 109Using Shortcuts in the BEx Browser ............................................................................... 1010SAP Transaction Shortcuts (R/3 Release 4.0) ....................................................................1010Internet Shortcuts ................................................................................................................. 1011Workbook Shortcuts .............................................................................................................1011

Moving Shortcuts from the Desktop to the BEx Browser .......................................................1012Review .................................................................................................................................1013

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Using the Administrator Workbench ................................................................................. 112Working with SAP DemoCubes .......................................................................................... 113Activating the SD DemoCube ................................................................................................113Loading Data into SD DemoCube.......................................................................................... 114Activating the SD DemoCube Channel.................................................................................. 115Assigning Users to the SD DemoCube Channel ................................................................... 116Viewing Data in the SAP DemoCube..................................................................................... 117Using the InfoCatalog ........................................................................................................1110Accessing the InfoCatalog ...................................................................................................1110

From the BW Main Screen .....................................................................................................1110From the BW Administrator Workbench.................................................................................1111

Arranging Workbooks in the Enterprise InfoCatalog............................................................1112Creating Directories in the Enterprise InfoCatalog ..........................................................1112

Getting the Most out of BW: Tips & Tricks......................................................................1114Predefining Options in Queries not Workbooks...................................................................1114Protecting Workbooks .......................................................................................................... 1114Checking Version Information for the BEx Analyzer............................................................ 1115Using Percentage Functions in Queries .............................................................................. 1115Disabling Interactive Drilldown............................................................................................. 1118Using Visual Basic: API-Calls .............................................................................................. 1119

Creating a Drilldown Pushbutton ............................................................................................1119Automatically Refreshing Workbook Data..............................................................................1120

Embedding a Logo in the BEx Browser ...............................................................................1122Step 1: Save Logo as a Bitmap (BMP)...................................................................................1122Step 2: Define the Logo Characteristics in the BW System ...................................................1123

Using the Style Tool .............................................................................................................1125


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First Things First ..................................................................................................................122Before You Consider ABAP ...................................................................................................122Before You Start ..................................................................................................................... 122ABAP Reporting Basics ......................................................................................................123Basic Structure .......................................................................................................................123Types of ABAP Reports ......................................................................................................... 124

Traditional Reports ...................................................................................................................124


Report Development Tools xiii

Interactive Reports ...................................................................................................................125Traditional Versus Interactive Reports...................................................................................126Template Approach to Report Development.....................................................................127Why Use a Report Template?................................................................................................127Working With Report Templates.........................................................................................128

Report Specification Form and Report Templates ...................................................................128Traditional Report Template .....................................................................................................129Interactive Report Template ...................................................................................................1215

Getting the Most from ABAP Report Development: Tips & Tricks...............................1217General Programming Hints.................................................................................................1218Where to Learn More..........................................................................................................1218

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Overview..................................................................................................................................A2What Is The ABAP List Viewer?............................................................................................A2ABAP List Viewer: Cost Versus Benefit Analysis ..............................................................A3Report Lists Without ABAP List Viewer ..............................................................................A4Report Lists With ABAP List Viewer ....................................................................................A5Technical Notes......................................................................................................................A9Sample Code Using ALV (Release 4.0B) .......................................................................... A10Review .................................................................................................................................. A15Where to Learn More........................................................................................................... A15

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Overview................................................................................................................................. B2Functional Areas ......................................................................................................................B3XXL Support in the R/3 System ........................................................................................... B3The XXL List Viewer .............................................................................................................. B4Where to Learn More............................................................................................................. B7

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What Is the SAP Open Information Warehouse?............................................................... C2Basic Terminology................................................................................................................... C3

OIW Information Catalog ........................................................................................................... C3OIW Browser ............................................................................................................................. C3Information Object ..................................................................................................................... C3Add-In ........................................................................................................................................ C3Data Sources ............................................................................................................................. C3

OIW Frontend for Microsoft Excel ........................................................................................... C4The OIW BAPI..................................................................................................................... C4

Working With OIW Source and Meta Data.......................................................................... C5Defining the OIW Meta Data ................................................................................................... C5Display Standard OIW Information Catalog............................................................................ C7Creating a Self-Defined OIW Information Catalog.................................................................. C8Activating the OIW Browser in Excel .................................................................................... C10Downloading/Refreshing the OIW Information Catalog in Excel .......................................... C11Defining and Fine-tuning OIW Reports in Excel ................................................................... C12Running OIW Reports in Excel .......................................................................................... C15


Reporting Made Easyxiv

Running an OIW Report With Automatic Update.................................................................. C15Running an OIW Report Without Automatic Update/Calculation ......................................... C17Saving and Running an OIW Report as a Snapshot Version............................................... C18Getting the Most from SAP OIW: Tips & Tricks ............................................................... C20Review .................................................................................................................................. C20Creating Reports with OIW ................................................................................................... C21Where to Learn More........................................................................................................... C21

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Overview................................................................................................................................. D2Web Reporting: First Things First ....................................................................................... D2Executing Reports............................................................................................................... D2Web Reporting Browser ...................................................................................................... D2Customizing ........................................................................................................................ D2

Web Reporting: First Things First....................................................................................... D3The Web Reporting Environment............................................................................................ D3WebRFC Function Modules for Web Reporting ..................................................................... D3

WWW_GET_REPORT .............................................................................................................. D4WWW_GET_SELSCREEN ....................................................................................................... D4WWW_GET_TREE_LIST.......................................................................................................... D4WWW_GET_TREE_NODE ....................................................................................................... D4WWW_GET_NODE_LIST ......................................................................................................... D4

Executing Reports................................................................................................................. D5Executing Reports Without a Selection Screen ...................................................................... D5Executing Reports with a Selection Screen............................................................................ D6Using WWW_GET_SELSCREEN........................................................................................... D6

Specifying Report Variants in URLs .......................................................................................... D8Executing Reports with WWW_GET_REPORT ..................................................................... D8

Specifying Select-Options ......................................................................................................... D8Specifying Report Parameters................................................................................................... D9Specifying Checkboxes ............................................................................................................. D9Specifying Radio Buttons ........................................................................................................ D10Report Parameter Syntax in URLs .......................................................................................... D10

URL Syntax for Report Variants........................................................................................ D10URL Syntax for Select-options.......................................................................................... D10URL Syntax for Parameters .............................................................................................. D11URL Syntax for Checkboxes............................................................................................. D12URL Syntax for Radio Buttons .......................................................................................... D12

Interactive Web Reporting..................................................................................................... D12Processing Interactive Events ................................................................................................. D12

AT LINE-SELECTION....................................................................................................... D13AT PF........................................................................................................................ D13AT USER-COMMAND ...................................................................................................... D13

Linking URLs to SAP Web Lists .............................................................................................. D15Linking R/3 Function Calls to SAP Web Lists.......................................................................... D16WWW_SET_URL .................................................................................................................... D21WWW_GET_URL.................................................................................................................... D22WWW_LIST_TO_HTML.......................................................................................................... D22

Starting the Web Reporting Browser .................................................................................... D23Customizing Reports .......................................................................................................... D25


Report Development Tools xv

Enabling Report Trees .......................................................................................................... D25Standard Templates for Web Reporting ............................................................................... D25Placeholders in Web Reporting Templates........................................................................... D26

WEBREPORTING_TREELIST ......................................................................................... D26WEBREPORTING_TREENODE ...................................................................................... D26WEBREPORTING_SELSCREEN..................................................................................... D27WEBREPORTING_REPORT ........................................................................................... D27

Customizing Web Reporting Templates ............................................................................... D28The _TEMPLATE parameter ................................................................................................... D28The _TEMPLATE_SET Parameter ......................................................................................... D28

Where to Learn More........................................................................................................... D29

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Overview..................................................................................................................................E2Sales Information System .....................................................................................................E2Purchasing Information System...........................................................................................E3Inventory Controlling.............................................................................................................E3Shop Floor Information System............................................................................................E4Quality Management Information System ...........................................................................E4Plant Maintenance Information System...............................................................................E5Retail Information System.....................................................................................................E5Where to Learn More..............................................................................................................E5

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Creating a Drilldown Report in EIS ......................................................................................F2Quick View of the Output .........................................................................................................F2Basic Steps...............................................................................................................................F2

Step 1: Create a Form for the EIS Report ..................................................................................F4Step 2: Create the Drilldown Report Using the Form...............................................................F12Step 3: Execute Report and Analyze the Output......................................................................F15

Where to Learn More............................................................................................................F18

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Reporting Made Easyxvi

Report Development Tools xvii

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Why This Guide........................................................................................................xixHow This Guide Is Organized .................................................................................xixWho This Guide Is For...........................................................................................xxiiiHow to Use This Guide..........................................................................................xxiiiNavigating the System ..........................................................................................xxiiiSpecial Icons ..........................................................................................................xxivTypographical Conventions...................................................................................xxv

About This GuideWhy This Guide

Reporting Made Easyxviii

Welcome to Report Development Tools, the second book in the three-volume Reporting MadeEasy series. In book 1, we presented the tactical approach to reporting and explored basicR/3 reporting concepts. Building on the material covered in the first book, this book focuseson creating reports with standard R/3 tools.

In this book, we begin by reviewing the process of choosing a report development tool.Later, we provide information on each of the reporting tools to help you use themefficiently.

In this book, we not only cover the core report development tools that were highlighted inbook 1, but also several tools you may have only heard about. Additionally, we discussseveral reporting-related functions such as web reporting, ABAP List Viewer (ALV), andExtended Export of Lists (XXL).

Other guidesin theReportingMade Easyseries

The other two guidebooks in the Reporting Made Easy series are:< Book 1: Fundamentals of Reporting< Book 3: Commonly Used Reports: Illustrations and Perspectives

These guidebooks are intended to bridge the gap in R/3 reporting knowledge andtraining. The guidebook series is geared toward users, implementation teams, andconsultants who need a deeper understanding of how reporting works in the R/3 System.

For availability and ordering information, refer to the order form included with theguidebooks or visit our web site: http://www.saplabs.com/rme.

Reporting Made Easy Guidebooks

Fundamentals ofReporting

ReportDevelopment Tools

Commonly UsedReports

About This GuideWhy This Guide

Report Development Toolsxix

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The primary goal of this guide is to help you create your own reports in R/3. Eachapplication area provides ways to retrieve information and develop reports. By using thereport development tools in an efficient manner, you can quickly create reports that fit yourneeds.

This guidebook will help you:< Understand the nuts-and-bolts of R/3 report development tools such as Logistics

Information System, Report Painter, ABAP Query, Business Information Warehouse,and more

< Learn how to use the report development tools using step-by-step examples to help youget started

< Discover tips and tricks on getting the most out of the report development tools (foradvanced developers)

< Use program templates to create your own ABAP reports

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This guidebook is organized as follows:< Part 1: Core Report Development Tools (chapters 1 through 6)< Part 2: Business Information Warehouse (chapters 7 through 11)< Part 3: Other Report Development Topics (chapter 12, appendices A through F)


The first part of this guidebook focuses on the core report development tools identified inbook 1. These core tools include:< ABAP Query< Report Painter/Report Writer< Drilldown Reporting< Logistics Information SystemStandard Analyses< Logistics Information SystemFlexible Analyses

As mentioned in book 1, the tools listed above are not the only tools available to developR/3 reports. The list includes only tools that are used exclusively to retrieve information.

Tools such as the Business Information Warehouse (BW) or ABAP (the programminglanguage of R/3) are not considered core reporting tools because they are not exclusivelyintended for report development; they do much more than data extraction for reportingpurposes. You will find more information on these topics in Part 2.

About This GuideHow This Guide Is Organized

Reporting Made Easyxx

The chapters in this section are organized as follows:

Chapter What you will learn

Chapter 1:Choosing the Right ReportDevelopment Tool

< Choosing the right report development tool for yourneeds

< Identifying report development tools that supportapplication areas in Release 4.0B

< Using the Tools Summary Matrix to evaluate differentreport development tools

Chapter 2:ABAP Query

< Creating a functional report in ABAP Query< Building a basic functional area using a logical

database< Maintaining a user group< Creating a report using a functional area and a user

group< Improving your usability of ABAP Query

Chapter 3:Report Painter/ReportWriter

< Differences between Report Painter and Report Writer< How to create a simple report with Report Painter< Helpful hints and information on the Report/Report

Interface, formula variables, and creating your ownevaluation structures

Chapter 4:Drilldown Reporting

< Organization of the components of Drilldownreporting

< Differences between Drilldown and other reportingtools

< How to create and execute a form (drilldown) report

Chapter 5:LIS Standard Analyses

< Selecting data for standard analysis< Navigating within an LIS standard analysis< Choosing which key figures to display< Customizing or controlling how the data is displayed

(for example, formats)< Running a statistical analysis (for example, an ABC

analysis)

Chapter 6:LIS Flexible Analyses

< Defining an evaluation< Generating and executing an evaluation< Modifying the report layout of a flexible analysis


Report Development Toolsxxi


The second part of this guidebook focuses on SAPs Business Information Warehouse. Thechapters in this section are organized as follows:

Chapter What you will learn

Chapter 7:Overview of Reporting inthe Business InformationWarehouse

< How the Business Information Warehouse (BW)works as an enterprise-wide information hub

< The overall architecture of the Business InformationWarehouse environment

< Important concepts and terminology related to theBusiness Information Warehouse

Chapter 8:Creating Workbooks

< How to create a workbook template using the BExAnalyzer

< How to insert a query (or queries) into a workbook< How to save a workbook template to the InfoCatalog< How to add pushbuttons and textboxes to a workbook

template using simple Visual Basic commands

Chapter 9:Creating Queries

< How to create and save a new query< How to define filters in a query< How to create restricted key figures and calculated

key figures in a query< How to create new formulas in a query< How to work with drilldown, currency conversion,

charts, and other BW query functions

Chapter 10:Working With the BExBrowser

< How to create channels in the InfoCatalog< How to assign users to channels< How to add workbooks to Favorites< How to execute workbooks in the BEx Browser< How to create and populate clusters< How to create SAP transaction, Internet, and

workbook shortcuts

Chapter 11:Business InformationWarehouse: Special Topics

< How to use the Administrator Workbench< How to work with SAP-delivered DemoCubes< How to organize workbooks in the InfoCatalog< How to get the most out of BW (tips and tricks)


Reporting Made Easyxxii


Chapter or Appendix What you will learn

Chapter 12:ABAP Report Templates

< The basic structure of an ABAP report< Differences between traditional and interactive reports< How to build traditional and interactive reports using

the report template< Useful tips and tricks on ABAP report development

Appendix A:ABAP List Viewer (ALV)

< Some of the time-saving features of ALV, as well asits ability to enhance information display

< Differences between reports written with and withoutthe ALV

< Technical information (sample code) to help you buildreports with ALV functionality

Appendix B:Extended Export of Lists(XXL)

< What is the Extended Export of Lists (XXL)< What is the XXL List Viewer< How to use XXL to export an R/3 list to Microsoft

Excel

Appendix C:SAP Open InformationWarehouse

< What is the SAP Open Information Warehouse (OIW)< How is the SAP OIW organized< How to prepare OIW source and meta data< How to download an OIW report into Microsoft Excel

Appendix D:Web Reporting

< The functionality behind web-reporting< The remote function calls necessary for web reporting

interaction with R/3< The function modules you can incorporate into your

ABAP programs to enable web-based reporting

Appendix E:LIS Information Structures

List of available information structures within the SAPname spacestructures numbered between S001 andS500. Structures are listed according to the applicationarea for which they were created.

Appendix F:Creating a DrilldownReport in ExecutiveInformation System

< How to create a form for an EIS report< How to create an EIS report using a form< How to execute and analyze an EIS report

About This GuideWho This Guide Is For

Report Development Toolsxxii

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The target audience for this guide includes end users, consultants, and implementationteams. This publication is intended to benefit a wide range of userswith varying levels offamiliarity with the R/3 System.

This guide assumes that you are:< Familiar with R/3 System logon procedures, menu-tree program selection, and general

navigation< Familiar with basic Windows or Macintosh system operations< Familiar with Microsoft-based applications such as Word and Excel

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While reading this book from cover to cover may make sense for some R/3 users, otherscould easily scan, skim, and select portions that are of most interest. You can use it as areference or as a handbook.

Not all chapters are for all users; the guide seeks to accommodate different needs.

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Almost all documentation in this guide uses sample data from SAPs International Demoand Education System (IDES) Release 4.0B. To use these report examples (with the specifieddata and results) as a tutorial, you will need access to an IDES system. If you are not surehow to access the model company data in IDES, ask your SAP system administrator forassistance. For more information about IDES and its current availability, visit the SAP website at http://www.sap.com.

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This material may be reprinted or reused for user training or to develop internal companydocumentation. However, no part of this guide may be reproduced for commercialpurposes without the written permission of SAP AG and the R/3 Simplification Group ofSAP Labs, Inc.

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You may navigate the R/3 System using menu paths, transaction codes, or shortcut andfunction keys. If you use transaction codes, remember that you can enter the codes from themain SAP R/3 screen.

About This GuideSpecial Icons

Reporting Made Easyxxiv

But if you wish to jump from one transaction to another, you must precede the transactionwith either /n or /o, as follows:

/n Example: /nVA01

Use /n to exit the current transaction and start a new transaction.Your current transaction gets replaced by the new one.

/o Example: /oVA01

Use /o to open a new session (window). Your current transactionis maintained, while a new window opens with the newtransaction.

Before you use /n, make sure you have saved all information.Otherwise, when you jump from one transaction to another, all unsaved information islost. If you wish to review transactions side-by-side, you may want to start a new sessionby entering /o in the command filed.

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Throughout this guide you will see special icons indicating important messages. Below arebrief explanations of each icon:

Exercise caution when performing this task or step. Anexplanation of why you should be careful will be included.

This information helps you understand the topic in greater detail.It is not necessary to know this information to perform the task.

This information provides helpful hints and shortcuts to makeyour work faster and easier.

About This GuideTypographical Conventions

Report Development Toolsxxv

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The table shown below lists the typographical conventions and symbols, and icons usedthroughout this guide.

Word What it Means

Click Click the left mouse button to perform the action. Click ordouble-click are used when the mouse is the only way toperform a certain function. Choose is always used for actionsinvolving on-screen buttons or icons.

Example: Click the node for Production Planning.

Choose When you see the word choose, you will either perform certainactions by choosing particular buttons on screen (using the mouseor a shortcut key, for example) or follow given menu paths.

Examples:

1. Choose File Save.

2. Choose Back.

3. Choose Enter.

Select Used with instructions for radio buttons and checkboxes.

Example: Select Generate Enterprise IMG.

Typeface Style What it Means

User input Type in the text exactly as shown.

Example: Enter 14287 in Personnel Number.

Object Style Shown in italics, this word is usually an on-screen object, forexample, button, field, screen title, book or chapter title, screen textor message.

Example: In the User Maintenance screen, enter SAP* in User.

About This GuideTypographical Conventions

Reporting Made Easyxxvi

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In this section you will learn about the core set of report development tools in theR/3 System. The material presented here will help you:< Decide which report development tool best fits your needs< Understand the nuts-and-bolts of core R/3 report development tools< Discover tips and tricks on getting the most out of the report development

tools (for advanced developers)< Know where to find more information on the tools

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Choosing the Right Reporting Tool: The Big Picture .........................................12Organization of Report Development Tools.........................................................13Using the Application Hierarchy ...........................................................................17Using the Tools Summary Matrix ........................................................................111Using the Tool Summaries...................................................................................113Learning More About Report Development Tools.............................................114Review....................................................................................................................115

In this chapter you will learnhow to:

Choose the right reportdevelopment tool for yourneeds

Identify reportdevelopment tools thatsupport application areasin Release 4.0B

Use the Tools SummaryMatrix to evaluatedifferent reportdevelopment tools

Chapter 1: Choosing the Right Report Development ToolChoosing the Right Reporting Tool: The Big Picture

Reporting Made Easy12

In Fundamentals of Reporting, the first book of this three-volume guidebook series, wepresented a methodology to help you choose a report development tool that fits yourreporting needs. Chapter 6 (book 1) showed how the process of selecting the right reportdevelopment tool is an integral part of the tactical approach to reporting.

1RWH Although the tactical approach to reporting is not discussed here, we recommendthat you give it consideration. The tactical approach can save implementation teams muchtime and expense as it explains how to make best use of reporting functionality in R/3.For more information on the tactical approach, review chapter 2 (book 1).

In this chapter we review the material covered in chapter 6 of book 1. If you have alreadyread chapter 6 in book 1and understand how to select a report development tool using thetools summary matrix and the application hierarchyyou may want to skip ahead to theother chapters for tool-specific information.

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Follow these steps to help you choose the reporting tool that best fits your needs:

1. Use the Application Hierarchy to Identify the Tools: Starting from the R/3 applicationsin which you work, you can determine which reporting tools can be used for yourbusiness process. The application hierarchy matrix helps determine the appropriate R/3report development tools for a particular application area. For more information on theapplication hierarchy, see page 17.

2. Use the Tools Summary Matrix to Help you Decide: For a quick comparison of thefeatures of the reporting tools available for your application area, use the tools summarymatrix. The tools summary matrix provides a high-level view of the functionalityavailable with different tools. For more information on the tools summary matrix, seepage 111.

3. Review the Tool Summaries: Before finalizing your decision to use a particular tool,you may want to review the tool summaries (chapters 7 through 11 of book 1) to betterunderstand the relative strengths of each tool.

4. Learn More About Report Development Tools: For more information on how to getstarted with the reporting tools, see chapters 26 of this guidebook. In addition to step-by-step examples, you will also find tips and tricks for efficient report development.

If you conclude that none of the tools fit your needs, and you want to use ABAP to developyour report, review chapter 12 for information on using ABAP for developing reports.Additionally, you will find templates to speed up ABAP report development.

Chapter 1: Choosing the Right Report Development ToolOrganization of Report Development Tools

Report Development Tools13

Learn More About ReportDevelopment Tools

Learn More About ReportDevelopment Tools

Review Tool Summaries Review Tool Summaries

Use the Tools Summary Matrixto Help You Decide

Use the Tools Summary Matrixto Help You Decide

Use the Application Hierarchyto Identify the Tools

Use the Application Hierarchyto Identify the Tools

1

2

3

4

Read Using theApplication Hierarchyin chapter 1

Read Using the ToolsSummary Matrix inchapter 1

See book 1 (chapters 7through 11) for anoverview of reportingtools

For in-depth informationon reporting tools, seechapters 2 through 6

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Before getting started with the step-by-step approach to choosing the right tool, it is usefulto understand the overall report development landscape in the R/3 System.

There are several report development tools (for example, Report Painter, ABAP Query, andmore) in the R/3 System. While many methods can be used to create reports, the toolcomparison in this chapter focuses only on the core set of reporting tools. Core tools may bedefined as tools that are used exclusively to create reports.

What is acore reportdevelopmenttool?

What are the factors that determine if a tool belongs to the core set of report developmenttools? For purposes of this guidebook, the core set of reporting tools is defined as toolswhich are used exclusively for report development. If the tool has alternate uses, it will notbe compared here.

Whichreportingtools arepart of thiscore set?

The core set of report development tools being compared in this guidebook includes thefollowing:< ABAP Query< Report Painter/Report Writer< Drilldown Reporting< Logistics Information SystemStandard Analyses< Logistics Information SystemFlexible Analyses

We selected a core set of report development tools to achieve a more focused toolcomparison. Consequently, certain tools, or tools by other names, are excluded from thislist.



Whichreportingtools do notbelong tothis coreset?

Several tools are not listed in the core set of report development tools. Two notableexclusions are:< ABAP (the programming language of R/3)< Business Information Warehouse (for more information, see chapters 7 through 11)

There are specific reasons why non-core tools were excluded from the applicationhierarchy and the overall comparison you find in this guidebook.

ABAP is not considered a core report development tool because it is not exclusively usedfor report development. While ABAP can be quite useful in developing reports, it includesmuch functionality (especially the capability to allow users to manipulate data in thedatabase) that extends far beyond information retrieval. However, chapter 12 presents tipson creating ABAP reports, including templates to help you get started.The Business Information Warehouse also is not used exclusively for report development.The BW is a data warehouse which can be used to store data from many systems,including the R/3 database. The front-end of the BW (the Business Explorer) includespowerful functionality that takes advantage of its environment, Microsoft Excel. However,because of the separate environment and the added data warehousing capability, the BWis not considered in this core set.

What aboutthe otherreportingtools I haveheardabout?

The core report development tools listed in this chapter are often known by other nameswithin application areas of R/3. The names of the tools are usually customized toapplications because of the data presented. For example, the Sales Information System(SIS) is part of the Logistics Information System. Similarly, the Executive InformationSystem (EIS) is part of the Drilldown reporting tool. Particular names are used withincertain application areas, but the core set of the tools is the same.

As mentioned, it is important to have a clear core set of report development tools in order toeffectively compare the relative strengths of each tool. As the goal of this chapter is to helpyou decide which report development tool is most appropriate for your needs, we refine thecore set to make the comparison easier.

The table on the next page presents a quick overview of the core report development tools.With the help of this table you can:< Learn some of the commonly used names for the core report development tools< Identify the access points for the core report development tools< Find the application areas each core report development tool supports

1RWH The table shown on the following page is also available as a Microsoft Excelspreadsheet (Core development tools.xls) on the companion CD supplied withthe Reporting Made Easy guidebook series. In the spreadsheet, you will also findapplication-specific menu paths you can use to access report creation environments inR/3 System for each tool.


Report Development Tools15

Core ReportDevelopment Tools

Some Commonly Used Names/Access Points for Report Tools

Application Areas Supported by Report Tool

ABAP Query ABAP Query All application areasAdhoc query Human Resources (HR)

Report Painter Report Painter or Report Writer Cost Center Accounting (CO-CCA) andInternal Orders (CO-OPA)

Report Painter or Report Writer Functional area reporting in Cost-of-Sales AccountingReport Painter or Report Writer Profit Center Accounting (CO-PCA/EC-PCA)Report Painter or Report Writer Legal Consolidations (FI-LC)Report Painter or Report Writer Controlling Reconciliation Ledger (CO-CEL)Report Painter or Report Writer Special Purpose Ledger (FI-SL)Report Painter or Report Writer Enterprise Controlling module (EC-LC)Report Painter or Report Writer Financial Accounting (General Ledger) reports by account,

company, and business area (FI-GL)Report Painter or Report Writer Project Systems (PS)Report Painter or Report Writer Controlling Product Costing module (CO-Costing)

LIS Standard Analyses Inventory Controlling (INVCO) Materials Management-Inventory Management (MM-IM)Purchasing Information System (PURCHIS) Materials Management-Purchasing (MM-PUR) (includes

External Services Management)Sales Information System (SIS) Sales and Distribution (SD)Shop Floor Information System (SFIS) Production Planning (PP)Plant Maintenance Information System (PMIS) Plant Maintenance (PM)Quality Management Information System (QMIS) Quality Management (QM)Retail Information System (RIS) SAP Retail (IS-Retail)Warehouse Management Information System(WMIS)

Materials Management-Warehouse Management (MM-WM)

Service Management Information System (SMIS) Service Management (SM)

LIS Flexible Analyses Same as LIS Standard Analyses (see above) Same as LIS Standard Analyses (see above)

Drilldown Reporting Profitability Analysis Reporting Controlling and Profitability Analysis (CO-PA)Executive Information System Executive Information System (EIS)Executive Information System Profit Center Accounting (EC-PCA)Drilldown Reporting General Ledger (Financial versions)Drilldown Reporting Project Systems (PS)Drilldown Reporting Consolidations (EC-CS)Drilldown Reporting Accounts Payable (FI-AP)Drilldown Reporting Accounts Receivables (FI-AR)Drilldown Reporting Special Ledger (FI-SL)Drilldown Reporting Real Estate (IS-RE)Drilldown Reporting Funds Management (FI-FM)Drilldown Reporting Treasury Management (TR)Drilldown Reporting Investment Management (IM)

Chapter 1: Choosing the Right Report Development ToolUsing the Application Hierarchy


On page 12, we introduced the idea of using of a step-by-step approach to help you choosethe right report development tool for your needs. The table on the previous page is intendedto help you get acquainted with the core reporting tools and some of the common namesassociated with the core tools. Next, you will see an application-centric view of the reportingtools comparison. You will start the comparison by first looking at the application areas andthe tools available for the application.

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While the table on the previous page offers atools-centric view, the application hierarchypresented in this section is centered aroundapplication areas and subcomponents.

The application hierarchy shown on the nexttwo pages is a complete list of all R/3applications, organized by functional areas.Most application modules in the hierarchy aresubdivided to show individual areas in theapplication (for example, shipping and billingare two areas within the sales and distribution[SD] application, and accounts payable is anarea within the financial accounting [FI]applicat

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