Data Warehousing: Step by StepTo build a data warehouse, you have to execute certain process steps.Process Flow1. Data modeling Creating InfoObjects: Characteristics Creating InfoObjects: Key Figures Creating DataStore objects And/or creating InfoCubes And/or creating InfoSets And/or creating MultiProviders Or creating VirtualProviders2. Metadata and Document Management Installing BI Content Creating documents3. Setting up the source system: Creating SAP source systems And/or creating external systems And/or creating file systems4. Defining extraction: For SAP source systems: Maintaining DataSources Or for a SOAP-based transfer of data: Creating XML DataSources Or for transferring data with UD Connect: Creating a DataSource for UD Connect Or for transferring data with DB Connect: Creating a DataSource for DB Connect Or for files: Creating DataSources for File Source Systems Or for transferring data from non-SAP systems Creating InfoPackages5. Defining transformations: Creating transformations6. Defining data distribution: Using the data mart interface Creating open hub destinations7. Defining the data flow: Creating data transfer processes Creating process chains8. Scheduling and monitoring: Checking process chain runs Monitor for extraction processes and data transfer processes9. Performance optimization: Creating the first aggregate for an InfoCube Or using the BIA index maintenance wizard10. Information lifecycle management: Creating data archiving processes11. User management: Setting up standard authorizations Defining analysis authorizations

The Data Warehousing Workbench (DWB) is the central tool for performing tasks in the data warehousing process. It provides data modeling functions as well as functions for controlling, monitoring, and maintaining all the processes in SAP NetWeaver BI that are related to the procurement, retention, and processing of data

Functional Areas of the Data Warehousing WorkbenchFunctional AreaDocumentation

ModelingModeling

AdministrationAdministration guide: Enterprise Data Warehousing

Transport ConnectionTransporting BI Objects and Copying BI Content

DocumentsDocuments

BI ContentTransporting BI Objects and Copying BI Content

TranslationTranslating Text for BI Objects

BI Metadata RepositoryMetadata Repository

Data Flow in the Data Warehouse The data flow in the Data Warehouse describes which objects are needed at design time and which objects are needed at runtime to transfer data from a source to BI and cleanse, consolidate and integrate the data so that it can be used for analysis, reporting and possibly for planning. The individual requirements of your company processes are supported by numerous ways to design the data flow. You can use any data sources that transfer the data to BI or access the source data directly, apply simple or complex cleansing and consolidating methods, and define data repositories that correspond to the requirements of your layer architecture. With SAP NetWeaver 7.0, the concepts and technologies for certain elements in the data flow were changed. The most important components of the new data flow are explained below, whereby mention is also made of the changes in comparison to the past data flow. To distinguish them from the new objects, the objects previously used are appended with 3.x.Data Flow in the Data Warehouse The data flow in the Data Warehouse describes which objects are needed at design time and which objects are needed at runtime to transfer data from a source to BI and cleanse, consolidate and integrate the data so that it can be used for analysis, reporting and possibly for planning. The individual requirements of your company processes are supported by numerous ways to design the data flow. You can use any data sources that transfer the data to BI or access the source data directly, apply simple or complex cleansing and consolidating methods, and define data repositories that correspond to the requirements of your layer architecture. With SAP NetWeaver 7.0, the concepts and technologies for certain elements in the data flow were changed. The most important components of the new data flow are explained below, whereby mention is also made of the changes in comparison to the past data flow. To distinguish them from the new objects, the objects previously used are appended with 3.x.

In BI, the metadata description of the source data is modeled with DataSources. A DataSource is a set of fields that are used to extract data of a business unit from a source system and transfer it to the entry layer of the BI system or provide it for direct access.There is a new object concept available for DataSources in BI. In BI, the DataSource is edited or created independently of 3.x objects on a unified user interface. When the DataSource is activated, the system creates a PSA table in the Persistent Staging Area (PSA), the entry layer of BI. In this way the DataSource represents a persistent object within the data flow. Before data can be processed in BI, it has to be loaded into the PSA using an InfoPackage. In theInfoPackage, you specify the selection parameters for transferring data into the PSA. In the new data flow, InfoPackages are only used to load data into the PSA.Using thetransformation, data is copied from a source format to a target format in BI. The transformation process thus allows you to consolidate, cleanse, and integrate data. In the data flow, the transformation replaces the update and transfer rules, including transfer structure maintenance. In the transformation, the fields of a DataSource are also assigned to the InfoObjects of the BI system. InfoObjects are the smallest units of BI. You map the information in a structured form that is required for constructing InfoProviders. InfoProviders are persistent data repositories that are used in the layer architecture of the Data Warehouse or in views on data. They can provide the data for analysis, reporting and planning.

Using anInfoSource, which is optional in the new data flow, you can connect multiple sequential transformations. You therefore only require an InfoSource for complex transformations (multistep procedures). You use the data transfer process (DTP) to transfer the data within BI from one persistent object to another object, in accordance with certain transformations and filters. Possible sources for the data transfer include DataSources and InfoProviders; possible targets include InfoProviders and open hub destinations. To distribute data within BI and in downstream systems, the DTP replaces the InfoPackage, the Data Mart Interface (export DataSources) and the InfoSpoke.

You can also distribute data to other systems using an open hub destination.In BI, process chains are used to schedule the processes associated with the data flow, including InfoPackages and data transfer processes.