SAP BW Improvements for IBM i · PDF fileSAP BW porting teams looked for an alternative approach using SQL

SAP on IBM POWER Summit DACH 2016 - © IBM Corporation 2016

Technology updates for SAP Business Warehouse on IBM i

René Lang

17 November 2016

SAP BW Improvements for IBM i


Agenda

Updates on Flat InfoCubes Option

Enablement of Database Pushdown Techniques

BW Sanity Check Improvements

Summary

2


Agenda




Summary

3


Flat InfoCubes – Definition of InfoCubes

Central multidimensional data model– Describes data of a business area or business process

– Can read data from different sources

– Basis for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) reporting

Implementation based on star schema model– Consists of a set of relational tables

– Hierarchical table structure and dependencies

4


Flat InfoCubes – From Classic Star Schema Model …

Hierarchies Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Text Text

Text

Text

Text

TextTextText

Text

Text

Text

Attributes Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

AttributesAttributesAttributes

Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

Dimension table

Dimension table

Dimension table

Dimension table

Fact tables

Dimension table

5


Flat InfoCubes – … to the new Flat InfoCube Model

Hierarchies Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Hierarchies

Text Text

Text

Text

Text

TextTextText

Text

Text

Text

Attributes Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

AttributesAttributesAttributes

Attributes

Attributes

Attributes

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

SID table

Packagedimension

Facttable

6


Flat InfoCubes – SAP’s Perspective on InfoCubes

Fact tables– SAP uses 2 fact tables for classic InfoCubes, but 1 fact table for flat InfoCubes

– Each record contains a set of key figures with references to the corresponding

characteristic values

– Fact tables reference to dimensions with artificial dimension key (DIMID)

Dimension tables– No characteristic values stored in dimension tables

– Generated Surrogate ID’s (SID) are used as key for each characteristic value

– Dimension tables reference to master data tables using SID keys

7


Flat InfoCubes – Limits within SAP BW

Settings and limits in SAP‘s star schema implementation– DIMID and SID columns always have SQL data type INTEGER

– Fact tables can have up to 233 key figures

– Dimension tables can have up to 248 characteristics

– Up to 16 dimensions per InfoCube

– SAP always provides 3 default dimensions Package, Time, Unit

Different behavior for flat InfoCubes– Only Package dimension exists as physical table

– All other dimensions are just metadata

Same setting values for flat InfoCubes

8


Flat InfoCubes – Performance Comparison for Data Loads

Measured based on SAP’s EML Benchmark for SAP BW– Significant performance gain for transactional data load

– Reasonable performance improvement for delta data load

9


Flat InfoCubes – Performance Comparison for Queries

Query runtimes measured by SAP BW system itself– Overall query run times reduced to between about 70% and 30%

– Transaction RSRT used for measurements

10


Flat InfoCubes – Availability of Flat InfoCubes

Initial shipment with SAP BW 7.4 SP13– Can be also applied to SAP BW 740 SP9

– SAP note 2073519 is always required in order to provide full functionality

Important additional SAP Notes– 2291481 - IBM i: Support more than 77 Indexes on Flat InfoCubes

– 2281425 - IBM i: Index handling improved

– 2287899 - IBM i: Size checks before InfoCube conversion to flat

– 2309082 - IBM i: No dimension table initialization needed for flat Infocubes

11

https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2073519






Agenda




Summary

12


Database Pushdown Techniques – Definition of FEMS

What is FEMS?– FEMS stands for “Form EleMent Selection”

– Converts a row-based database result set to a cell formatted result subset

Customer Sales(Product=Balls)

Sales(Product=Caps)

Sales(Channel=Internet)

ABC Company 30 15 35

XYZ Corp. 8 6 10

SAP BW generates 4 FEMS conditions for such a query– FEMS0 is a global filter for the 2 customers

– FEMS1, FEMS2, FEMS3 are different filter conditions on different key figures

13


Database Pushdown Techniques – Database Point of View

FEMS filter conditions defined in WHERE and GROUP BY clauses...

WHERE

( "CUSTOMER" IN ('ABC Company', 'XYZ Corp.') ) AND

( ( "PRODUCT" = 'Balls' ) OR

( "PRODUCT" = 'Caps' ) OR

( "CHANNEL" = 'Internet' ) )

...

GROUP BY 0CALMONTH, PRODUCT, CHANNEL

...

Current SAP BW logic does not run optimal– Potentially to much data gets retrieved from database

– Post-processing necessary in application server

14


Database Pushdown Techniques – Data Assignment

Customer Product Channel Sales

ABC Company Balls Internet 10

Balls Direct 20ABC Company

FEMS1, FEMS3

FEMS1

FEMS0

ABC Company Caps Internet 5

Caps Direct 10ABC Company

FEMS2, FEMS3

FEMS2

Shirts Internet 20ABC Company FEMS3

Shoes Direct 10ABC Company

XYZ Corp. Balls Internet 3

Balls Direct 5XYZ Corp.

FEMS1, FEMS3

FEMS1

XYZ Corp. Caps Internet 2

Caps Direct 4XYZ Corp.

FEMS2, FEMS3

FEMS2

Shirts Direct 3XYZ Corp.

Shoes Internet 5XYZ Corp. FEMS3

15


Database Pushdown Techniques – Implementation Approach

SAP BW porting teams looked for an alternative approach using SQL– Use CASE expressions in the aggregation and the UNPIVOT or an equivalent

function to turn columns into rows

– Use CASE expressions to determine which data records match which FEMS

conditions, join result with artificial FEMS matrix

Search for a general solution suitable for all database types– Some SQL features not supported for all DBs or worked different

– Second approach chosen for development

– SQL statement length will increase (currently 2MB by DBSL)

16


Database Pushdown Techniques – Implementation Results

Implementation done for SAP BW 7.5 SP4– New SAP BW interface introduced to describe FEMS details

– DB vendors worked close together with SAP in a joint development team

Central SAP Notes about the new FEMS Pushdown– 2302681 - Pushdown of local restrictions to the database layer

– 2301464 - IBM i: BW: FEMS restriction pushdown, additional information

FEMS Pushdown is a “per query” optimization– Highly dependent from the underlying data sources and query criteria

– Has technical overhead but query performance gain of about 25% measured

17




Agenda




Summary

18


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i

DBA Cockpit: transaction DBACOCKPIT– for SAP system configuration management

BW Sanity Check is integrated– Open folder “Diagnostics”

– Then “BW Sanity Check”

Topic “Table Partitioning” overworked

New topic “Flat InfoCubes”

19


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – General Parameters

General Parameters– Checks for kernel and DBSL

patch level

– Settings for QAQQINI file

– RSADMIN parameters

Links to SAP Notes– Direct access if applicable

20


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – EVI Stage 2 Support

General Parameters– Settings for EVI support

– EVI related QAQQINI options

Index check for InfoCubes– Button starts the check for all

InfoCubes

– Checks index types

– Checks for missing indexes

21


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – Parallel Index Build

IBM DB2 Symmetric Multiprocessing– Option 26 of the OS required

Related RSADMIN parameter– SMP needs to be turned on

22


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – Table Partitioning

IBM DB2 Multisystem– Option 27 of the OS required

Prerequisite checks for the

Fair Lock Option– Check for related PTFs

– Kernel patch level

– Profile parameters

Button to run check jobs

23


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – Flat InfoCubes

Minimum SAP BW patch level– Starting with 740 SP9

Related RSADMIN parameter– Support for Flat InfoCubes

needs to be turned on

InfoCube specific checks– EVI index type required for

Flat InfoCubes

– Check for the Condensor of

Inventory InfoCubes

24


Sanity Check for SAP BW on IBM i – SAP Notes

Important SAP Notes about the new Sanity Check– 2342139 IBM i: New tests in BW Sanity Check (SAP BW 7.0 or higher)

– 541508 IBM i: Checking the system parameters for BW

Additional options in combination with transaction RSRV (index checks)– 2281425 IBM i: Index handling improved

– 2266880 RSRV: Multiple Entries in Dimensions of an InfoCube

25






Agenda

Updates on Flat InfoCubes option


BW Sanity Check improvements

Summary

26


Summary

Further development for Flat InfoCube option– Raising up the limits in the indexing strategy

– Always using EVIs for Flat InfoCubes (as per default)

Implementation of new BW relevant SAP features– New FEMS pushdown with native SQL implementation on IBM I

– Ongoing development for the SAP BW on IBM i product

Improvements for system performance analysis in BW systems– Ease of use for the Sanity Check

– New check and reporting capabilities introduced in the SAP GUI

27


Questions? – Thank You!Contact: [email protected]

See our blog and discuss with us at http://go.sap.com/community/topic/ibm-i.html

mailto:[email protected]

http://go.sap.com/community/topic/ibm-i.html


Legal Information – Please Note

IBM’s statements regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at IBM’s sole discretion. Information

regarding potential future products is intended to outline our general product direction and it should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision.

The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or

functionality. Information about potential future products may not be incorporated into any contract. The development, release, and timing of any future

features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion.

Performance is based on measurements and projections using standard IBM benchmarks in a controlled environment. The actual throughput or

performance that any user will experience will vary depending upon many factors, including considerations such as the amount of multiprogramming in

the user’s job stream, the I/O configuration, the storage configuration, and the workload processed. Therefore, no assurance can be given that an

individual user will achieve results similar to those stated here.

Availability. References in this presentation to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that they will be available in all countries in which IBM

operates.

The workshops, sessions and materials have been prepared by IBM or the session speakers and reflect their own views. They are provided for

informational purposes only, and are neither intended to, nor shall have the effect of being, legal or other guidance or advice to any participant. While

efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this presentation, it is provided AS-IS without warranty of any

kind, express or implied. IBM shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this presentation or any other

materials. Nothing contained in this presentation is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM or its

suppliers or licensors, or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software.

All customer examples described are presented as illustrations of how those customers have used IBM products and the results they may have

achieved. Actual environmental costs and performance characteristics may vary by customer. Nothing contained in these materials is intended to, nor

shall have the effect of, stating or implying that any activities undertaken by you will result in any specific sales, revenue growth or other results.

29


Legal Information – Trademarks, Copyrights

Information contained in this material has not been submitted to any formal IBM review and is distributed on “as is” basis without any warranty either

expressed or implied. The use of this information is a customer responsibility.

IBM MAY HAVE PATENTS OR PENDING PATENT APPLICATIONS COVERING SUBJECT MATTER IN THIS DOCUMENT. THE FURNISHING OF

THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT IMPLY GIVING LICENSE TO THESE PATENTS.

The client examples cited are presented for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance results may vary depending on specific configurations and

operating conditions. It is the user’s responsibility to evaluate and verify the operation of any other products or programs with IBM products and

programs.

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, AIX, BatchPipes, BladeCenter, DB2, DB2 Connect, Netezza, GDPS, GPFS, Netfinity, Intelligent Miner, OpenPower,

Parallel Sysplex, POWER, RACF, Redbooks, RETAIN, System Storage, System p, System x, System z, Tivoli, WebSphere, zEnterprise, z9, z10, and

z/OS are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. A current list of

IBM trademarks is available on the web at “Copyright and trademark information” at: http://www.ibm.com/legal/us/en/copytrade.shtml

Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

Microsoft, Windows, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

UNIX, X/Open, OSF/1, and Motif are registered trademarks of the Open Group.

SAP, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, ByDesign, SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, StreamWork, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as

their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.

30

http://www.ibm.com/legal/us/en/copytrade.shtml

Documents

SAP BW Improvements for IBM i · PDF fileSAP BW porting teams looked for an alternative approach using SQL