BEx Query Designer

Unit 1: Introduction to BW Reporting

7/17/2007

Slide 2

Data Warehouse System

A data warehouse system serves primarily to stage information from various data sources.

The information is staged in various forms including personalized reports, freely definable queries, and predefined reports.

A data warehouse can:– Pool data from different, mostly heterogeneous sources– Overcome this heterogeneity on different levels (system, schema, and data)– Stage data in the form required by the user

Slide 3

What We Expect from a Data Warehouse

The following demands are made on a data warehouse:

– Standardized structuring and presentation of all company information

– An easy-to-use, single-point of access to all company information

– Sophisticated business reporting methods for self-service analysis at all levels

– Fast and cost-effective installation– A high performance environment– Data staging from heterogeneous environment– Release of source systems and IT organization– Data access that is independent of the source system– Analysis of data over a specific period of time, and the storage

of historical information (time-dependent master data)

Slide 4

SAP Business Information Warehouse

SAP BW provides the following:– Data warehousing system with optimized data structures for reporting and

analysis– Separate system– OLAP engine and tools– Comprehensive data-warehousing architectural base– Automated data warehouse management– Pre-configuration using SAP global business know-how

Slide 5

Terminology and Objects in SAP BW: InfoObject

Business analysis-objects (customers, sales volumes, and so on) are called InfoObjects in SAP BW.

InfoObjects are divided into characteristics and key figures.

Characteristics can be further divided into units, time characteristics, and technical characteristics.

Key figures are all data fields that are used to store values or quantities.

Slide 6

Terminology and Objects in SAP BW: InfoCube

The central data containers that form the basis for reports and analyses in SAP BW are called InfoCubes.

They contain key figures (sales volumes, incoming orders, actual costs, and so on) and a link to the characteristics (that is, to the master data of the SAP BW system [cost centers, customers, materials, and so on]).

Key figures are stored in a single fact table, with the characteristics stored in individual dimension tables.

Slide 7

Terminology and Objects in SAP BW: InfoProvider

InfoProvider is the super-ordinate term for an object that you can use to create reports in Business Explorer (BEx).

InfoProviders deliver data that can be analyzed using a query.

InfoProviders can deliver data from physical data stores…– InfoCubes– ODS Objects– InfoObjects

…or logical views of physical data stores…– InfoSets– Remote Cubes– Virtual InfoCubes– MultiProviders

Slide 8

Terminology and Objects in SAP BW: Operational Data Store (ODS)

An ODS is a data store in which data is stored at a basic level (document level).

This data is often from various data sources and/or source systems.

ODS objects should be reported very selectively because ODS objects are not built for reporting purposes other than in drill-down paths to retrieve a few detailed records.

Slide 9

Terminology and Objects in SAP BW: MultiProvidersMulti-Providers combine data from of all types of InfoProviders (InfoCubes, ODS Objects, InfoObjects and InfoSets).

Multi-Providers do not store the data, but access the data from the underlying InfoProviders.

Multi-Providers require additional processing in SAP BW.

Multi-Providers should be used sparingly – only when you really need to combine data from two different InfoProviders.

Slide 10

Business Information Warehouse Architecture

SAP BW enables Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) for staging information from large amounts of operative and historical data.

OLAP technology permits multi-dimensional analyses according to various business perspectives (slice and dice).