SAP Business Explorer (BEx) Tools

Peter Scott

Contents

Acknowledgements ................................. 2 3.6 Auto-Refreshing Workbooks ................ 33

3.7 Using Text Elements ............................. 34
1 Fundamentals of BW Reporting ......... 3 3.8 Deleting and Detaching Results ........... 36
1.1 Basics of Data Warehousing ................. 3 3.9 SAP Protection ...................................... 37
1.2 Basics of BW Design ............................. 3 3.10 Saving and Distributing Workbooks ..... 37
1.3 Business Explorer ( BEx ) Tools .............. 5 3.11 Summary ............................................... 38
1.4 Summary ............................................... 9
4 Creating Web Applications ................... 39
2 The BEx Query Designer ........................ 11 4.1 BEx Web Analyzer ................................ 39
2.1 Overview of the BEx Query 4.2 BEx Web Analyzer Context Menu ........ 43
Designer ................................................ 11 4.3 Overview of the Web Application
2.2 Query Designer Layout ......................... 12 Designer ................................................ 44
2.3 Using the BEx Query Designer 4.4 Web Application Designer Layout ....... 44
Toolbar .................................................. 13 4.5 Creating a Web Template ..................... 48
2.4 Accessing InfoProviders ........................ 14 Manual Access ...................................... 48
2.5 Creating a Basic Query Definition ........ 15 Wizard Access ....................................... 49
2.6 Restricted and Calculated Creating a Web Template ..................... 49
Key Figures ........................................... 16 4.6 Inserting Additional DataProviders ...... 50
2.7 Advanced Calculations ........................ 20 4.7 Publishing Web Templates ................... 51
2.8 Using Structures ................................... 20 4.8 Printing Web Applications ................... 52
2.9 Creating Fixed Query Dimensions ........ 21 4.9 Summary ............................................... 52
2.10 Using Characteristic Variables .............. 22
2.11 Creating Exceptions .............................. 24 5 Report-Report Interfacing ( RRI ) ........ 53
2.12 Creating Conditions .............................. 25 5.1 Overview ............................................. 53
2.13 Query Properties .................................. 26 5.2 Defining Jump Targets .......................... 53
2.14 Summary ............................................... 27 5.3 Summary ............................................... 56

3 Creating High Impact Workbooks ..... 29 6 NetWeaver 2004s BI Overview .......... 57

3.1 Overview of the BEx Analyzer .............. 29 6.1 Changes to the BEx Query Designer .... 57
3.2 Integration with Microsoft Excel .......... 29 6.2 Changes to the Web Application
3.3 Executing a Query ................................ 29 Designer ( WAD ) .................................. 58
3.4 Creating Custom Templates .................. 30 6.3 Changes to the BEx Analyzer ................ 60
3.5 Creating a Workbook with 6.4 BEx Report Designer ............................. 62
Multiple Reports ................................... 33 6.5 Changes to the BEx Broadcaster .......... 64

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 6.6 The BI Accelerator ( BIA ) ...................... 64 Glossary ........................................................ 67
6.7 Remodeling InfoCubes ......................... 65
6.8 Visual Composer ................................... 65 Index .............................................................. 69
6.9 Looking Ahead ...................................... 66

Acknowledgements
This book is dedicated to my parents, Don and Valorie, who
have always been there to support and motivate me at
every turn and to my lovely wife, Bobbi, who inspires me
each and every day of my life. I love you.

2 © Galileo Press 2006. All rights reserved.

1 Fundamentals of BW Reporting
1.1 Basics of Data Warehousing
For many reasons, information was once nearly impos-
sible to extract from applications. Corporate systems
were unconnected, little historical information could be
stored, and the data that was stored was often inacces-
sible. These difficulties led to the concept of a Data Ware-
house ( DW ).
Put simply, a data warehouse serves as a decision sup-
port environment where corporate data can be quickly
summarized at different operational levels.
Data warehousing is the process of choosing, migrat-
ing, cleaning, transforming, and storing data from dispa-
rate systems into one common location, whereby users
can easily extract and analyze information for manage-
ment decisions.
A data warehouse is also commonly referred to as a:
왘 Data Mart
왘 Corporate Information Factory ( CIF )
왘 Decision Support System ( DSS )
왘 Business Intelligence ( BI )
왘 Business Warehouse ( BW )
One of the largest sources of data is typically an Enter-
prise Resource Planning ( ERP ) system. The process of
migrating data from an ERP system to a data warehouse
is usually referred to as Extraction, Transformation, and
Loading ( ETL ).
The multidimensional analysis offered by a data ware-
house, which enables DW users to analyze data trends,
exceptions, and variances of interest is called Online Ana-
lytical Processing ( OLAP ). Typical OLAP is used to answer
questions such as:
왘 What was my best selling product in January?
왘 What was the total company revenue for 2005?
왘 Why was I over my budget in March?
왘 What are my year-to-date sales figures?
왘 How will my year-end look?
1.2 Basics of BW Design
SAP Business Information Warehouse ( SAP BW ) is an
end-to-end data warehousing solution that is usually
built on a three-tier environment that consists of a Devel-
opment ( DEV ), Test ( Quality Assurance, QA ), and Pro-
duction ( PROD ) server. This three-tier configuration sep-
arates development work from a live system, and allows
for sufficient testing with real data in the QA system.
Enhancements are transported through a well-defined
process that moves from DEV to QA for testing, and then
from DEV to PROD, where BW users can access them.
SAP BW has a three-tiered architecture, which consists
of the following layers. Figure 1.1 summarizes the archi-
tecture. The layers of the architecture are seen below:
왘 Presentation layer
Consists of the SAP Business Explorer ( BEx ) tools
such as BEx Analyzer and BEx Browser.
왘 Database layer
Consists of InfoCubes, Operational Data Stores
( ODS ), MultiCubes, and Master Data Objects that
can be reported on. This layer also includes the
Administrator Workbench.
왘 Source Systems layer
Consists of ERP systems, legacy systems, text files, or
another SAP BW environment.
All SAP BW queries are constructed via using BEx tools,
which request data from the BW database. The BW data-
base follows an ETL process to populate InfoCubes, ODS,
MultiCubes, and Master Data.
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1 Fundamentals of BW Reporting

Business Objects

Web Query BExBrowser

BEx Browser BEx Tools
BEx Analyzer

OLAP
OLAP Processor
Processor

Business Information
Master
Warehouse
Master
Data ODS Database
Data Info
Cubes

R/3
R/3 Files
Files Legacy
Legacy SAP
SAP Source
Systems BW
BW Systems

Figure 1.1 High-Level BW Architecture

Objects for which queries can be created against or exe-
cuted on using BEx tools are collectively referred to as
InfoProviders. An InfoCube, which is a type of InfoPro-
vider, is a subset or collection of data from the BW data-
base that has relationships, which allow users to report
on many things simultaneously.
You define queries with the BEx Query Designer.
You can display them as a BW web report using a web
browser, or view them within a Microsoft Excel Work-
book with the BEx Analyzer.
Many queries can be built from a single InfoProvider. A
single query definition has a one-to-one relationship with
its InfoProvider. The query results from a query defini-
tion are displayed on a web page, or in the BEx Analyzer.
You can format and store query results with many differ-
ent views, which can result in a many-to-one relation-
ship between a query definition and the formatted query
results. Figure 1.2 displays these relationships.

BW Query Designer Tool Query Results Formatted Results

Formatted Reports

Crystal
Info
Cube Query Web Browser
Result
Formatted Web Page

Web Report

Formatted Workbook # 1

Query Query Workbook Workbook

Definition Result

Formatted Workbook # 2

Workbook

Figure 1.2 Relationship Among InfoProvider, Query Definition, and Formatted Query Results

4 © Galileo Press 2006. All rights reserved.

 1.3 Business Explorer ( BEx ) Tools

1.3 Business Explorer ( BEx ) Tools trates how BW content can be linked with other business
tools in the BEx Browser.
SAP BEx reporting tools allow users to create, locate, exe- The BEx Browser toolbar ( shown in Figure 1.4 ) con-
cute, view, format, manage, schedule and precalculate tains the following icons:
reports. The primary BEx tools include: 왘 Exit
왘 BEx Browser 왘 Save
왘 BEx Analyzer 왘 Refresh
왘 BEx Query Designer 왘 Start Business Explorer Analyzer
왘 BEx Web Application Designer 왘 Find
왘 Reporting Agent 왘 New Folder
왘 Download Scheduler 왘 Delete
왘 About SAP BW Browser
All the BEx tools in SAP BW are installed on a client work- 왘 Help
station using the SAP GUI installation disc.
The BEx Browser is a graphical desktop-like tool, from
where you can launch queries and workbooks and cat-
Figure 1.4 BEx Browser Toolbar
egorize them into Roles, Favorites, and Folders. The BEx
Browser also incorporates standard shortcut functional-
ity, which enables you to access documents, Windows You create content within the BEx Browser on the right
applications, Internet URLs, and SAP R/3 transactions side of the screen. Right-clicking on a blank part of the
from a single interface. The BEx Browser allows users to screen displays a context menu with several options. You
create folders to organize their content. Figure 1.3 illus-

Figure 1.3 Linking BW Content with Other Business Tools in the BEx Browser

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1 Fundamentals of BW Reporting
can create the following links within a folder ( Figure 1.5
displays the available options ):
왘 Folder
왘 Workbook
왘 Internet Address ( URL )
왘 SAP Transaction
왘 Document ( Word, PowerPoint )
왘 Shortcut ( to other applications on a local PC )
Figure 1.5 Adding New Content to a Folder
Each folder created for a role or user Favorites can be
further customized by assigning a background symbol
and color, which appear to be translucent. There are
eight backgrounds and colors, each of which has a nature
theme, from which to choose.
To customize folder options, right-click on a folder
on the right side of the BEx Browser window and select
Choose symbol and color. The graphical options are dis-
played in Figure 1.6.
Figure 1.6 Folders Customized with Background Symbol and Color
The BEx Analyzer is the primary reporting environment
for SAP BW. Most users find it very intuitive because it is
integrated with Microsoft Excel. You can add Excel calcu-
lations, notes, charts and graphics to a single worksheet
and insert multiple reports into a workbook, thereby cre-
6 © Galileo Press 2006. All rights reserved.
ating a package of reports. The BEx Analyzer combines
the power of OLAP with all the Excel functionality. You
can also use Visual Basic for Applications ( VBA ).
The BEx Query Designer is a standalone application
that enables users to build complex query definitions
without using programming. All subsequent BW report-
ing and analysis is based on query definitions. The BEx
Query Designer is displayed in Figure 1.7.
The BEx Query Designer can be launched from the
Start menu of a Windows PC, or from the BEx Analyzer,
the BEx Web Application Designer, or Crystal Reports.
The BEx Web Application Designer ( WAD ) is a desk-
top application that is very similar to other web page
authoring tools. For example, BEx WAD and Microsoft
FrontPage, as well as Dreamweaver, are alike in that they
all enable you to use a WYSIWYG environment when
launching a website. One unique feature of the WAD
is that it enables you to incorporate BW data and pre-
defined BW objects, along with standard HTML code and
web design application programming interfaces ( APIs ).
The Reporting Agent allows you to schedule various
reporting functions in the background during non-peak
times. Furthermore, you can precalculate all web tem-
plates created with the WAD. The advantage here is that
it shortens the wait time for users and reduces the work-
load on the servers. You’ll find the Reporting Agent within
the Administrator Workbench. You can access it directly
using the RSREP Transaction. The Reporting Agent’s most
commonly used functions are:
왘 Execute and Analyze Exception Reports
왘 Print Reports
왘 Precalculate Web Templates
The Reporting Agent is divided into three panes:
왘 Functions pane
왘 Settings pane
왘 Scheduling pane
You use the same process for all functions. The Settings
pane is used to navigate through a folder structure to
find a query definition. Once located, you must enter
specific settings that pertain to the highlighted function
( e.g., Printing ). To establish new settings for a query,
right-click on the name of the query and choose New
Setting ( see Figure 1.8 ).
 1.3 Business Explorer ( BEx ) Tools

Figure 1.7 Creating Complex Queries Without Programming

Figure 1.8 Creating New Settings with the Reporting Agent

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1 Fundamentals of BW Reporting

Figure 1.9 Customizing and Formatting Printouts with the Reporting Agent

Each new setting requires a Technical name and a Descrip- Choosing a start condition that will trigger the package to
tion. Settings also allow for some layout and distribu- be executed completes the scheduling process. You can
tion options. Depending on the function selected, these schedule a package to run:
options vary. For example, the Print function allows a 왘 Immediately
user to build a cover sheet, page header, and page footer, 왘 At a specific date and time
and design a layout template for the printed data. The 왘 On a periodic schedule ( Daily, Monthly, Weekly )
printing options are shown in Figure 1.9. 왘 After a particular system event
Once the settings are specified, they must be saved 왘 After a particular job
and activated. The keyboard shortcut to save changes is
Ctrl+S and the shortcut to activate changes is Ctrl+F3. A
green status light will confirm that a Reporting Agent set-
ting has been saved and is now executable.
The Scheduling pane is used to generate a schedul-
ing package that will contain the details of the query set-
ting created earlier. A technical name and description are
required for each new scheduling package.
You attach a Reporting Agent setting for a particular
query to a scheduling package by dragging and dropping
the setting from the Settings pane to the package in the
Scheduling pane.
To schedule a package, right-click on the name of the
Figure 1.10 Scheduling a Package with Specific Settings for a Query
package and select Schedule ( see Figure 1.10 ).
Definition

8 © Galileo Press 2006. All rights reserved.

 1.4 Summary

Create a Query Definition Create a web application using the

with the Query Designer Web Application Designer and
an existing Query Definition

Execute the Query and view the

results in either a Web Browser Schedule or pre-calculate your web
or the BEx Analyzer application using the Reporting Agent

Download the results of your query to

your PC using the Download Scheduler

Figure 1.11 BEx Tools Workflow

Once the start condition is specified, the package is
saved. Scheduled packages can be monitored from the
Job Overview screen.
Because the Reporting Agent is part of the Administra-
tor Workbench, you should ensure that it is not deployed
to all BW users. A strategy that limits development work
in the Reporting Agent to a handful of power users is
preferable. Furthermore, you must ensure that the pack-
ages created with the Reporting Agent are monitored
periodically for performance reasons, especially since an
incorrectly defined package can run for a long time and
therefore monopolize valuable system resources. You
should also make certain that scheduling packages are
inserted into process chains. To do this, use the Process
Chain Maintenance transaction code RSPC.
The BEx Download Scheduler is a desktop application
that downloads, or schedules a time for the download,
precalculated HTML pages, or Excel workbooks to a local
PC. These pages are precalculated using the Reporting
Agent. The BEx Download Scheduler tool is typically
accessed from the Windows Start menu under Programs
· Business Explorer · Download Scheduler.
The Download Scheduler wizard helps users to find
packages assigned to their user ID, and places the results
of these packages into designated folders on the users’
PCs. The output of the report can also be formatted for
a PDA device.
The overall workflow for using all the various BEx
tools is shown in Figure 1.11. The most basic reporting is
accomplished by using the BEx Query Designer and the
BEx Analyzer. An alternative or complimentary report-
ing strategy to just using the BEx Analyzer is to use web-
based reporting. With web reporting, you don’t have
to install any software on a user’s PC, which is why this
alternative is known as a “zero-footprint” solution. Query
designers can publish formatted, graphical reports using
the BEx Web Application Designer and distribute these
reports via URLs or a pre-existing intranet portal. High-
end formatting can be achieved by leveraging the Report-
ing Agent, Download Scheduler, or via integration with
Crystal Reports.
1.4 Summary
SAP BW has evolved into a full-fledged Data Warehouse.
The BEx tools allow users with diverse backgrounds to
effectively access data in a timely manner. Queries are
defined using the BEx Query Designer and analyzed
within the BEx Analyzer or BEx Web Applications. Addi-
tional formatting can be achieved with the BEx Web
Application Designer or via BW’s integration with Crys-
tal Reports. The next chapter will look at the BEx Query
Designer in detail.

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Index

A Comma-separated values 41 Fixed ranges 25

Command wizard 60 Formatting 44
Ad-Hoc Query Designer 62
Condition 16, 25, 26, 40 Formula 20
Administrator Workbench 6, 9, 22, 65
Context menu 60 Formula Syntax 20
Alert Framework 64
Cost Center 55 Free Characteristics 12, 13, 17, 40, 43
Alert levels 25
Crystal Reports 6, 9, 22, 62 Function 20
Architecture 3
CSS 47
CSV 40, 41 G
B Customize folder options 6
Global Reference 15
BEx Analyzer 4, 6, 9, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, Global view 37
32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 57, 60 D Goto 37, 43
BEx Broadcaster 42, 43 DataProvider 49, 50
BEx Browser 5 Datasets 12, 33 H
BEx Download Scheduler 9 Data trends 3 Hierarchy support 62
BEx Queries 54 Data Warehouse 3, 9 High Performance Analytics 64
BEx Query Designer 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, Default values 57 HTML 44, 48
14, 16, 17, 22, 26, 48, 57 Delete results 36
BEx Query Designer toolbar 57 Design wizard 45
BEx Report Designer 62 Detach 36
I
BEx WAD 57 Download Scheduler Wizard 5 InfoAreas 14, 16, 54
BEx Web Analyzer 39, 43, 46 Dreamweaver 6 InfoCube 3, 12, 14, 65
BEx Web Application Designer 5, 9, 49 Drilldown 43 InfoObject 13, 17
BEx Web Applications 9 InfoProvider 4, 14, 15, 16, 22, 42
BEx Web Report 55
BEx Workbook 30
E InfoProviders 65
Information Broadcasting 40, 42
BI Accelerator 64 E-Mail 43 InfoSet 54
Bookmark 40, 41, 43 Enterprise Portal. 49 Integrated Planning 57, 60
Business applications 66 Enterprise Reporting 57
BW Browser 5 Enterprise Resource Planning 3
BW query analysis 57 ERP 3
J
ETL 3
Excel 29 Java connectors 65
C Exception 16, 24, 25, 40 JavaScript 44
Calculated Key Figures 15, 16, 20 Excluding values 18 Jump Targets 37, 53, 55
Cascading Style Sheets 46, 47 Export 40, 41
Characteristic Properties 18 K
Characteristics 15, 18 F Key Figure 15, 18, 21, 26, 40, 46
Characteristic Value Variables 22, 24
Favorites 6, 16, 34, 54 Knowledge Management 64
Chart 41, 46
Filter 42, 43
CKF 20

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Index

M Q T
Master Data 3 Query Definition 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 Tabular Data 41
Mathematical functions 20 Query Properties 26, 43 Technical Names 19
Math functions 20 Query views 43 Template 30, 31, 32, 33
Microsoft Excel 38, 41, 60 Text Elements 30, 34, 35, 40
MS Excel integration 57
R
MultiCubes 12, 35
Receiver 53, 55 U
Refresh 33, 34 Unicode-compliant 57
N Report-Report Interface 43, 53

Navigational Block 30, 34, 35, 36, 39,

Reporting Agent 5, 6, 8, 9 V
Restricted Key Figures 15, 19
40, 43, 46, 50 Variable 22, 23, 24, 27, 42
Results area 39
NetWeaver 2004s 57 Variable Offsets 24
RFK 19
NetWeaver Portal 65 Variances of interest 3
RKF 19, 20
New queries 21 VBA 29
Role 16, 46, 54
Non-SAP data 66 Visual Basic .NET 57
RRI 53
Visual Composer 65
RSBBS 53
Visual modeling 66
O RSRT 54

ODS 3, 12, 14
OLAP 3, 26, 29, 33, 36, 39, 46, 47 S W
Operand 20 SAP BW Variables Wizard 23 WAD 6, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50
SAP Financials 33 Web Application Designer 44
P SAP GUI 44 Web Applications 39
SAP HR 33 Web Browser 39
PDF based printing 57
SAP Protection 37, 38 Web design 60
Presentation layer 3
Save 37 Web Items 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 59
Printing 38, 44, 61
Scheduling 8 Web report 4
Process Chain 9
Selection 18 Web Template 6, 44, 47, 50
Processing speed 57
Sender 53, 55 Workbook 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36,
Properties 17, 46
Standard formatting 62 37, 38, 39
Properties pane 57
Standardized interface 65 Worksheet 35
Status of Data 30, 35, 42
Structure 15, 20, 21, 22

70 © Galileo Press 2006. All rights reserved.