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Lisette Bellissimo

SAP Certified Application Associate Business Intelligence with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

Bonn Boston

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:Bellissimo, Lisette.

SAP certified application associate business intellegence with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 /

Lisette Bellissimo. 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59229-353-7

ISBN-10: 1-59229-353-0

1. SAP NetWeaver BW. 2. Data warehousing. 3. Business intelligenceData processing.

I. Title.

QA76.9.D37B45 2011

005.745dc22

2010028734

ISBN 978-1-59229-353-7 (print) ISBN 978-1-59229-709-2 (e-book) ISBN 978-1-59229-710-8 (print and e-book)

2011 by Galileo Press Inc., Boston (MA) 1st edition 2011

7Contents

Acknowledgments ................................................................................. 17

PART I General Information

1 SAP BI with SAP NetWeaver (7.0) Certification Track Overview ................................................................ 21

Certification Objectives and Benefits ....................................................... 22The New Certification Process ................................................................. 23

SAP Tiered Certification ................................................................... 23Certification Focus Areas ................................................................. 24Available NetWeaver BW Certification Exams .................................. 25

SAP Certification Exam Structure ............................................................. 26Competency Level ........................................................................... 26

Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Associate Business Intelligence with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Exam ............................... 27

Associate Competency Levels .......................................................... 27Exam Topics for Application Associate BI with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 ......................................................................... 28

Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Professional Exams ....... 29Professional Competency Levels ...................................................... 29Exam Topics for the SAP Certified Application Professional Enterprise Data Warehousing with SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW 7.0) Exam .............................. 30Exam Topics for SAP Certified Application Professional Reporting and Analysis with SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW 7.0) Exam .............................. 31

General Information about the Exam ....................................................... 32Duration of the Exam ...................................................................... 32About the Questions ....................................................................... 32

Summary ................................................................................................ 34

2 SAP NetWeaver Courses and Experience ............................ 35

Courses and Experience ........................................................................... 36SAP NetWeaver BW Training Courses .............................................. 36

8 Contents

Experience Expectation .................................................................... 39Additional Sources of Information ................................................... 40

Summary ................................................................................................ 41

PART II Exam Preparation

3 SAP NetWeaver BW Overview ............................................ 45

Objectives of this Portion of the Test ....................................................... 46Key Concepts Review .............................................................................. 46

SAP NetWeaver Platform Overview ................................................. 46SAP NetWeaver IT Practices and Scenarios ...................................... 47SAP NetWeaver BW Architecture .................................................... 48

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 51Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanation .................................... 51Take Away ............................................................................................... 52Summary ................................................................................................ 52

4 SAP BEx Query Designer ..................................................... 53


Accessing the Query Designer ......................................................... 55Query Designer Toolbar ................................................................... 55Query Designer Menu ..................................................................... 57Query Designer Layout .................................................................... 57InfoProviders in SAP BEx Reporting ................................................. 60Key Figures ...................................................................................... 62Characteristics ................................................................................. 67Display and Navigation Attributes ................................................... 69Variables ...................................................................................... 71Exceptions ...................................................................................... 71Conditions ...................................................................................... 73


9Contents

5 SAP BEx Analyzer ................................................................ 79


Accessing the SAP BEx Analyzer ...................................................... 81SAP BEx Analysis Toolbar ................................................................. 81Design Mode ................................................................................... 83SAP BEx Workbook ......................................................................... 85Navigation Options ......................................................................... 86

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 89Practice Questions Answers and Explanations ......................................... 90Take Away ............................................................................................... 90Summary ................................................................................................ 91

6 SAP BEx Web Analyzer ........................................................ 93

Objectives of this Portion of the Test ....................................................... 94Key Concepts of the Test ......................................................................... 95

Accessing the Web Analyzer ............................................................ 95SAP BEx Web Analyzer Toolbar ........................................................ 95Navigation Using the Context Menu ................................................ 98Drag-and-Drop Navigation and Filtering .......................................... 103Setting a Bookmark ......................................................................... 104

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 106Practice Question Answers and Explanations ........................................... 107Take Away ............................................................................................... 107Summary ................................................................................................ 108

7 Information Broadcasting ................................................... 109

Objectives of this Portion of the Test ....................................................... 110Calling the SAP BEx Broadcaster ...................................................... 110Object Types ................................................................................... 112Distribution Types ........................................................................... 112Output Options ............................................................................... 114


10 Contents

8 Enterprise Portal Integration .............................................. 119


Portal Desktop ................................................................................ 121Display Types for Content from SAP NetWeaver BW ........................ 123Tools for Integrating SAP NetWeaver BW Objects into the SAP NetWeaver Portal ............................................................... 125


9 Document Integration ......................................................... 131


Document Classes ........................................................................... 132Document Integration ..................................................................... 133

Practice Test Question ............................................................................. 134Practice Question Answer and Explanation .............................................. 134Take Away ............................................................................................... 135Summary ................................................................................................ 135

10 SAP BEx Report Designer .................................................... 137


Accessing the Report Designer ........................................................ 138Layout of the Report Designer ......................................................... 139Creating a Report with the Report Designer .................................... 140


11 SAP BEx Web Application Designer .................................... 143


11Contents

Accessing the SAP BEx Web Application Designer ........................... 145Components of the Web Application Designer ................................ 145Chart Wizard ................................................................................... 148

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 150Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanations .................................. 151Take Away ............................................................................................... 151Summary ................................................................................................ 152

12 Data Warehousing Workbench ........................................... 153


Accessing the Data Warehousing Workbench .................................. 154Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 157Practice Question Answers and Explanations ........................................... 157Take Away ............................................................................................... 158Summary ................................................................................................ 158

13 Performance Tuning ............................................................. 159

Objectives of this Portion of the Test ....................................................... 160Key Concept Review ............................................................................... 160

Query Performance .......................................................................... 160Aggregates ...................................................................................... 163SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator ...................................................... 164


14 InfoObjects .......................................................................... 169


Classifying InfoObjects ..................................................................... 170Key Figure Maintenance Screen ....................................................... 174Characteristic InfoObject Maintenance Screen ................................. 179InfoAreas and InfoCatalogs .............................................................. 190Creating a Key Figure InfoObject ..................................................... 190

12 Contents

Creating a Characteristic InfoObject ................................................. 191Creating Free Characteristics ............................................................ 192


15 InfoProviders ....................................................................... 197


InfoCube ...................................................................................... 198DataStore Object (DSO) .................................................................. 201MultiProvider .................................................................................. 206InfoSet ...................................................................................... 209VirtualProvider ................................................................................ 212


16 Data Modeling ..................................................................... 217


Enterprise Data Warehouse Architecture ......................................... 218Conceptual Layers of Data Warehousing .......................................... 218Multidimensional Modeling in SAP NetWeaver BW ......................... 220


17 Metadata ............................................................................. 233


Metadata Repository ....................................................................... 234Remodeling Toolbox ........................................................................ 236

13Contents

BI Content ...................................................................................... 241Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 245Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanations .................................. 246Take Away ............................................................................................... 246Summary ................................................................................................ 246

18 Source Systems .................................................................... 247


Source Systems Types ...................................................................... 248Creating a Source System ................................................................. 248SAP Source ...................................................................................... 250File Source ...................................................................................... 251Relational Source ............................................................................. 252Multidimensional Source ................................................................. 253XML Source ..................................................................................... 254


19 Data Flow ............................................................................ 259


DataSource ...................................................................................... 260Persistent Staging Area (PSA) ........................................................... 261Transformation ................................................................................ 261InfoSources ..................................................................................... 266

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 267Practice Test Question Answers and Explanations .................................... 268Take Away ............................................................................................... 268Summary ................................................................................................ 269

20 Scheduling and Monitoring ................................................. 271


14 Contents

Data Transfer Process ....................................................................... 272Direct Access to Source System Data ............................................... 274Process Chains ................................................................................. 274Data Load Monitor .......................................................................... 278

Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 280Practice Test Question Answers and Explanations .................................... 281Take Away ............................................................................................... 281Summary ................................................................................................ 282

21 Development Interfaces ...................................................... 283


Universal Data Integration ............................................................... 284Web Services ................................................................................... 286


22 SAP NetWeaver BW Integrated Planning ........................... 293


Planning Functions Basics ............................................................. 294Creating Planning Functions ............................................................ 295Creating an Input-Ready Query ....................................................... 297


23 SAP NetWeaver BW Analysis Process Designer and Data Mining ........................................................................ 301


Data Mining .................................................................................... 302Data Mining Types ........................................................................... 303

15Contents

Analysis Process Designer ................................................................ 304Practice Test Questions ........................................................................... 307Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanations .................................. 308Take Away ............................................................................................... 309Summary ................................................................................................ 309

The Author ............................................................................................. 311Index ..................................................................................................... 313

Service Pages .......................................................................................... I Legal Notes ............................................................................................. III

17

Acknowledgments

Writing this book was a challenging undertaking for me and would not have been possible without the encouragement and support from family, friends, and colleagues.

To my family, I am forever grateful for your love and support. Without it, I am not sure I would have had the fortitude to take on this endeavor.

To Judy McGuinn, whose friendship has blessed my life. Judys knowledge of publishing was reassuring to me as I went through this process. She also pro-vided endless encouragement for which I am extremely grateful.

To my colleague Susan Martin, who helped me get this process started with Gali-leo Press and kept things moving.

To my colleague Donna Lasko for supplying me with material I might find useful for the book. Her support was greatly appreciated.

To my colleague Richard Zanghi who reviewed my material and suggested chang-es or corrections. Richard, I truly cant thank you enough. I should also thank Don Gosnell who generously offered Richards services.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone at Galileo Press, especially Erik Herman. Having never authored a book before, the support and reassurance I received from everyone at Galileo Press was an enormous help.

2013 by Galileo Press Inc., Boston (MA)

Part IGeneral Information

1SAP BI with SAP NetWeaver(7.0) Certification Track OverviewTechniques Youll Master:

Objectives of the new certification initiative and the benefits derived by SAP customers, partners, and professionals

The new certification process, the new tiered con-cept, and what the associate, professional, and mas-ter levels are

The structure of the exam itself, defining the con-cept of competency levels and topics

The exam structure for the associate and two profes-sional exams

Chapter 1 SAP BI with SAP NetWeaver (7.0) Certification Track Overview22

Certification Objectives and BenefitsThe certification process is not new to SAP, but in 2009 SAP launched a new certification initiative for all SAP professionals. Certification at SAP has been revamped by SAP Education based on a business-needs analysis, stakeholder surveys, interviews, analysts feedback, and industry best practices. The results from this analysis were consolidated, and the following certification program objectives were established:

Ensure that the SAP certification program meets new customer requirements.

Incorporate IT industry best practices.

Drive quality and consistency into growing SAP ecosystem.

Address new industry roles.

The new certification would not be successful if it didnt provide global value to all markets. Certification benefits at this level include:

Maximize software implementation return on investment.

Reduce total cost of ownership.

Improve risk management.

Provide project safeguarding.

Improve recruiting and retention.

Optimize process and staffing variables.

Enhance skill development and validation.

The new certification also provides benefits for three distinct stakeholder groups.

Certification benefits for SAP partners include:

Win new business with a competitive differentiator.

Optimize engagement staffing with greater skills transparency.

Certification benefits for SAP customers include:

Mitigate project risk and reduce total cost of ownership.

Easily identify qualified partners using the best industry-standard measure-ments.

Certification benefits for the SAP professional include:


The New Certification Process Chapter 1 23

Execute your job with improved levels of success and confidence.

Offer evidence of your experience and expertise with rigorous testing.

Create and provide access to a community of SAP professional-level certified peers.

The New Certification ProcessAfter SAP Education completed the analysis of certification in the IT industry, they then compared those findings with the certification process that was avail-able from SAP at that time. This analysis and feedback from SAP customers and partners provided SAP with the foundation for a new SAP certification that would realize recognition in the global marketplace and make SAP a recognized global industry certification provider.

SAP Tiered Certification

A major change in the certification process at SAP is the introduction of multiple certification track levels with fast track options and a variety of entry points (Figure 1.1). The three levels of certification are:

Associate level This certification covers the foundational-level knowledge in an SAP solu-tion. At this level the exam is based mainly on training, but hands-on experi-ence reinforces the knowledge gained from training.

Professional certification This advanced certification requires proven project experience, business pro-cess knowledge, and a more detailed understanding of SAP solutions.

Master certification (under development) This certification, under development, involves demonstrating an expert-lev-el understanding of a specific area of SAP software and the ability to drive in-novation and solution optimization through in-depth knowledge and vision. Certification at this level requires broad project experience, comprehensive SAP product knowledge, and the ability to create a future IT vision within complex project environments.


Master (not yet available) 7 to 10 years of experience Internally and externally recognized expert for SAP software Deep practical experience with SAP software: Integration, optimization, and architectural knowledge Ability to provide a strategic vision and realization Leading teams and projects

Professional 3 to 7 years of experience Professional experience with SAP software: advanced solution, process knowledge, and industry expertise Works independently within teams to realize solution and technology implementation Capable of mentoring others

Associate 1 to 3 years of experience Hands-on skills to successfully implement or optimize SAP software Foundational knowledge of business processes and technology Works in a mentored position in an SAP software environment within an experienced team

Master level:Expert knowledge ofbusiness processesand SAP software

Professional level:Advanced knowledge of

specific SAP softwareand business processes

Associate level:Foundational knowledge

of SAP software from training;skills to contribute to a

successful implementationproject or system optimization

Technology Development Application

Figure 1.1 SAP Tiered Certification: New Program Framework

Certification Focus Areas

All three levels of certification associate, professional, and master apply to the three focus areas for which you can achieve SAP certification: application, technology, and development.

Application certification This certification is available for specific SAP solutions. You can take the certi-fication exam after completing the appropriate solution academy course and case study or the equivalent SAP standard curriculum. If you already have significant experienace implementing an SAP solution, you can take the exam without completing the course work.

Technology certification If you complete the solution academy or SAP training classes, you can take the technology exam to become certified. If you already have significant ex-perience with SAP technology, you can take the exam without completing the course work.


The New Certification Process Chapter 1 25

Development certification This certification is available for individuals who are developing applications for SAP solutions. After you complete the necessary solution academy or standard curriculum, you can take the technology exam to become a certified developer.

What this means is that you can have an SAP certified application associate, an SAP certified technology associate, and an SAP certified development associate.

Available NetWeaver BW Certification Exams

The certifications exams available for the SAP NetWeaver BW professional at time this book was written are:

C_DBW30_04s SAP Certified (Delta Certification) Solution Consultant SAP NetWeaver 2004s Business Intelligence (for 3.0 Cons.)

C_DBW35_04s SAP Certified (Delta Certification) Solution Consultant SAP NetWeaver 04s SAP BI

C_TBW45_70 SAP Certified Application Associate Business Intelligence with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

P_BIE_70 SAP Certified Application Professional BI Enterprise Data Warehousing with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

P_BIR_70 SAP Certified Application Professional BI Reporting and Anal-ysis with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

In addition to the tiered certification exam, SAP Education made other changes to the certification process. Among these changes are:

A partnership with Pearson VUE testing centers. This partnership makes the certification exam more readily available. In ad-dition to the SAP Education Sites, Pearson VUE adds 4,000 testing locations around the world.

An improved process for developing the certification exams. Prior certification exams were primarily based on SAP training materials. The new process includes the participation of SAP Education, SAP consulting, and SAP partners and adds real-world experience to the certification exam.


SAP is actively promoting and branding SAP certification. SAP certification logos have been developed to draw attention to SAP certi-fication.

SAP Certification Exam StructureBefore you can understand the exam structure for the associate-, professional-, or master-level exam, you must understand the concept of a competency level.

Competency Level

Each level of the certification exam is comprised of two or more of the following competency levels:

Level A Articulate, explain, describe, and outline solutions and processes.

Level B Build, implement, configure, model, and troubleshoot solutions and process-es.

Level C Conceptualize, blueprint, modify, and optimize integrated solutions and pro-cesses.

Each question on the exam will belong to one of these competency levels. The percentages representing the number of questions for each competency level covered by the exam will vary by competency level.

The breakdown for the associate- and professional-level exams is shown in Table 1.1 and illustrates how the percentages for each competency level will vary by exam level.

Competency Level Associate-

Level

Percentage

Professional-

Level

Percentage

Articulate, explain, describe, and outline solutions and processes

A 60 20

Build, implement, configure, model, and troubleshoot solutions and processes

B 40 40

Table 1.1 Competency Levels for Associate- and Professional-Level Exams


Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Associate Chapter 1 27

Competency Level Associate-

Level

Percentage

Professional-

Level

Percentage

Conceptualize, blueprint, modify, and optimize integrated solutions and processes

C 0 40

Table 1.1 Competency Levels for Associate- and Professional-Level Exams (cont.)

Each competency level has topics assigned to it. Each topic has an approximate percentage assigned to it that represents the number of questions for that topic.

Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Associate Business Intelligence with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 ExamThe associate certification level is the lowest level at which you enter the certi-fication process. A candidate at this level has one to three years of experience and foundational knowledge of the SAP application. At the associate level the certification exam is based largely on the SAP NetWeaver BW training curriculum discussed in the next chapter. The ability to apply learning in real-life situations is also tested but to a lesser extent than in the professional or master certifications.

Associate Competency Levels

The associate exam will have 60% of its questions designed for competency level A, 40% of its questions designed for competency level B, and no questions for competency level C (Table 1.2).

Competency Level Associate Level

Percentage

Articulate, explain, describe, and outline solutions and processes

A 60

Build, implement, configure, model, and troubleshoot solutions and processes

B 40

Conceptualize, blueprint, modify, and optimize integrated solutions and processes

C 0

Table 1.2 Associate Competency Levels


Exam Topics for Application Associate BI with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

The topics for the associate exam are shown in Table 1.3 and are broken down by competency level:

Level A Competency Topics Level B Competency Topics

Integrated planning ++ Data flow (transformation, InfoSources, DataSources) +

Analysis process designer + InfoObjects +

Metadata (Metadata repository, remodeling toolbox, BI content) +

InfoProvider (InfoCubes, MultiProviders, VirtualProvider, DataStore objects, InfoSets, InfoObjects, direct access) ++

SAP BEx Web (SAP BEx Web Application Designer, SAP BEx Map, Web printing, SAP BEx Web analyzer) ++

SAP BEx analyzer +

Documents + BEx query designer ++

Development interfaces (UD integration, Web services) +

Source systems (UD connect, service API, flat file, DB connect) ++

Performance tuning (aggregates, query performance, BW Accelerator) +

Scheduling and monitoring (process chains, data transfer process, real-time data acquisition, data load monitor) +

Data warehousing (Data Warehousing Workbench) +

Data modeling +

SAP BEx Broadcaster +

SAP BEx Report Designer +

Table 1.3 Topics by Conpetency Level

The number of plus signs (+) next to the topic represents the approximate per-centage of questions assigned to the topic. The key is as follows:


Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Professional Exams Chapter 1 29

+ = 12%

The assigned percentage will help you focus your study time.

Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Professional ExamsThe professional certification level is the second level at which you enter the certification process. A candidate at this level has three to seven years experi-ence and a deeper knowledge of the SAP application. At the professional level the certification exam is based more on the ability to apply learning in a real-life situation and to a lesser extent on the SAP NetWeaver BW training curriculum discussed in the next chapter.

At the professional level, two certifications are available:

Application Professional BI Enterprise Data Warehousing with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

Application Professional BI Reporting and Analysis with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

Professional Competency Levels

The professional-level exam will have 20% of its questions designed for compe-tency level A, 40% of its questions designed for competency level B, and 40% of its questions for competency level C (Table 1.4).

Competency Level Professional

Level

Percentage

Articulate, explain, describe, and outline solutions and processes.

A 20

Build, implement, configure, model, and troubleshoot solutions and processes.

B 40

Conceptualize, blueprint, modify, and optimize integrated solutions and processes.

C 40

Table 1.4 Professional Competency Levels


Exam Topics for the SAP Certified Application Professional Enterprise Data Warehousing with SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW 7.0) Exam

The topics for the professional exam are broken down by competency level (see Table 1.5).

Level A Competency

Topics

Level B Competency

Topics

Level C Competency

Topics

Analysis authorizations/security +

InfoObjects ++ ETL: staging/data flow ++

Additional BI topics ++

0 Data quality management

0 Information lifecycle management (ILM)

0 Data Warehousing Workbench

Metadata maintenance and BI content +

InfoProvider ++

Solution Manager + ETL: source systems (connection, DataSources) ++

Performance tuning ++

SAP NetWeaver platform +

BI administration/monitoring ++

EDW/data modeling ++

Development/programming +

Analytical engine/OLAP +

Table 1.5 Topics by Competency Level


+ = 12%


Exam Structure for the SAP Certified Application Professional Exams Chapter 1 31

Exam Topics for SAP Certified Application Professional Reporting and Analysis with SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW 7.0) Exam

The topics for the professional exam are are broken down by competency level (see Table 1.6).

Level A Competency

Topics

Level B Competency

Topics

Level C Competency

Topics

Integrated Planning + Third-party integration + User interface design +++

0 BEx analyzer

0 BEx query designer

0 SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer

0 BEx Web

BI Java + Analysis process designer +

Solution Manager + Performance monitoring +

SAP NetWeaver platform +

Metadata +

Data Warehousing Workbench +

Migration/upgrade +

Analytical engine/OLAP ++

Performance tuning in reporting ++

BI administration/monitoring +

Portal/Knowledge Management integration ++

Documents + Analysis authorizations/security ++

Report-to-report interface (RRI) +

Table 1.6 Topics by Competency Level



+ = 12%

The assigned percentage will help you focus your study time.

General Information About the Exam

Duration of the Exam

You will have 3 hours (180 minutes) to take the exam. This is more than enough time to finish the exam.

About the Questions

The exam will have 80 questions. These questions have a structure just as the exam has a structure (Figure 1.2).

QuestionStimulus

The question stimuli or setup presentsa situation on which the questionwill be based.

Question This is the actual question and will relateback to the Question Stimulus

QuestionHint

This part of the question will tell you howmany answers are correct. Statements suchas Choose the correct answer or Threeanswers are correct will tell yo how manyanswers to select.

Figure 1.2 Exam Question Structure

Figure 1.3 shows a sample question illustrating the question elements.


General Information About the Exam Chapter 1 33

QuestionStimulus

Your customer is implementing the newFI line item extractors.

QuestionWhich factors must you take intoconsideration regarding the extractionprocess?

QuestionHint

There are two correct answers to thisquestion.

Figure 1.3 Question Structure with Sample Question

Not all questions on the test will follow this format, and on the associate exam there will be plenty of questions that will not contain a question stimulus.

About the Answers

Answers can be in five forms:

Multiple response More than one answer will be correct. If you are presented with this type of answer, you must identify all correct responses.

Multiple choice Multiple choices (usually four) are provided, and only one answer will be correct.

True/false Only one answer will be true or false.

Fill in the blank The test is online, so you wont actually be filling in the blank. This answer type will have you fill in the blank in the form of a multiple-choice answer. Only one answer will be correct.

Sequence/ranking This is not used on the actual exam but could be on future exams. This an-swer type will have you rank or sequence answers in the correct order.


SummaryIn this chapter weve discussed the objectives of the new certification initiative and the benefits derived by SAP customers, partners, and professionals.

Next we discussed the new certification process, the new tiered concept, and what the associate, professional, and master levelsare.

Lastly, we looked at the structure of the exam itself, defining the concept of com-petency levels and topics. We then discussed the exam structure for the associate and two professional exams.


2Techniques Youll Master:

Available SAP NetWeaver BW public course offer-ings and their relationship to the competency-level topics

Recommended experience for the associate, profes-sional, and master levels

Additional resources that can be used to study for the certification exam and that are useful for the SAP BI professional

SAP NetWeaver Courses and Experience

Chapter 2 SAP NetWeaver Courses and Experience36

Courses and Experience

SAP NetWeaver BW Training Courses

SAP offers a variety of detailed courses that cover the topics tested on the certi-fication exam and provide the foundational information for the SAP BI profes-sional. These courses are offered in classroom settings around the world and provide hands-on experience to enhance the learning experience.

BW305: BI Enterprise Reporting Part I

This course is the introduction to the SAP Business Explorer (BEx) tools and cov-ers the BEx query designer, Web analyzer, information broadcaster, navigation in SAP NetWeaver BW reports, integrating documents in reports, and integra-tion of reports in the SAP NetWeaver Portal.

BW306: BI Enterprise Reporting Part II

In this course you will continue learning about the SAP BEx tools and will cover the Web application designer and the creation of Web applications, the report designer, additional settings and options for the BEx information broadcaster, design mode of the analyzer, and an introduction to SAP NetWeaver Visual Com-poser.

BW310: BI Enterprise Data Warehouse

This course covers the data warehouse and will discuss the various objects in the data warehouse, data flow and extraction from SAP source systems and other data sources, business content, administration of SAP NetWeaver BW data tar-gets, and SAP NetWeaver BW accelerator.

BW330: BI Modeling & Implementation

This course covers the modeling and implementation of an enterprise data ware-house architecture and discusses the SAP NetWeaver BW data model, data marts, the Remodeling tool box, InfoSets, MultiProviders, and open hub services.


Courses and Experience Chapter 2 37

BW350: BI Data Acquisition

This course covers data acquisition in SAP NetWeaver BW and discusses the data transfer process, transformations, direct access, real-time data acquisition, enhancement of SAP NetWeaver BW DataSources, delta management, transfer-ring data from flat files, DB connect, UD connect, and using Web services and Process chains.

BW360: BI Performance & Administration

This course covers SAP NetWeaver BW performance and administration and discusses how to optimize and monitor query performance, how to optimize the data load process, SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator, aggregates, archiving, near-line storage, partitioning, and transports management.

BW370: BI Integrated Planning

This course covers integrated planning and discusses setting up planning struc-tures and observing modeling aspects; setting up customizing and executing planning functions; input-ready queries; creation of workbooks and Web user interfaces; and integrating the status and tracking system as a monitoring tool in the planning.

BW380: BI Analysis Processes & Data Mining

This course covers the Analysis Process Designer and the framework and meth-ods of SAP NetWeaver BW data mining.

Table 2.1 shows what course(s) are applicable to the level A competency topics. They are split between the public classroom courses and the Solution Academy courses.

Topic Covered In

Level A Competency Topics Public

Classroom

Solution

Academy

Integrated planning ++ BW370 TBW45

Analysis Process Designer + BW380 TBW41

Table 2.1 Courses Applicable to Level A Competency Topics


Topic Covered In

Level A Competency Topics Public

Classroom

Solution

Academy

Metadata (Metadata repository, Remodeling toolbox, BI content) +

BW310 BW330 TBW10 TBW42

BEx Web (BEx Web application designer, BEx map, Web printing, BEx web analyzer) ++

BW305 TBW20

Documents + BW306 TBW42

Development interfaces (UD integration, Web services) +

BW350 TBW42

TBW41

Performance tuning (aggregates, query performance, SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator) +

BW310 BW360 TBW10

Scheduling and monitoring (process chains, data transfer process, real-time data acquisition, Data Load Monitor) +

BW350 TBW42

Data warehousing (Data Warehousing Workbench) +

BW310 TBW10

Data modeling + BW330 TBW42

BEx broadcaster + BW306 TBW42

BEx report designer + BW306 TBW42

Table 2.1 Courses Applicable to Level A Competency Topics (cont.)

Table 2.2 shows what course(s) are applicable to the level B competency topics. They are split between the public classroom courses and the Solution Academy courses.

Topic Covered In

Level B Competency Topics Public

Classroom

Solution

Academy

Data flow (transformation, InfoSources, DataSources) +

BW350 BW310 TBW42 TBW10

Table 2.2 Course Applicable to Level B Competencies


Courses and Experience Chapter 2 39

Topic Covered In

Level B Competency Topics Public

Classroom

Solution

Academy

InfoObjects + BW310 TBW10

InfoProvider (InfoCubes, MultiProviders, VirtualProvider, DataStore objects, InfoSets, InfoObjects, direct access) ++

BW310 TBW10

BEx analyzer + BW305 TBW20

BEx query designer ++ BW305 TBW20

Source systems (UD connect, service API, flat file, DB connect) ++

BW305 TBW42

Table 2.2 Course Applicable to Level B Competencies (cont.)

Experience Expectation

Just taking the formal SAP NetWeaver BW training courses will not guarantee your success on the certification exam. You also need to apply this knowledge, and that means experience as a BI professional.

Associate Certification

Associate certification is for professionals with one to three years of experience who possess foundational knowledge of business processes and/or technology. This candidate will have the hands-on skills to successfully implement or opti-mize SAP solutions and experience working in a mentored position in an expe-rienced team in an SAP environment.

Professional Certification

Professional certifications are for professionals with three to seven years of ex-perience who possess advanced solution and process knowledge and industry expertise. This candidate is capable of working independently within a project team to realize a solution and/or technology implementation and is capable of mentoring others.


Master Certification

Master certification is for professionals with 7 to 10 years of experience who possess detailed practical SAP experience and integration, optimization, and ar-chitectural knowledge. This candidate has the ability to provide vision and real-ization and leads projects and project teams.

Additional Sources of Information

As you study for the exam, you have additional resources that can help you prepare. This will be especially valuable if you do not have your training course material to study from.

SAP Help

SAP Help is one of the most valuable tools in your tool kit as an SAP professional and in your quest for certification. You will find that much of the information in SAP Help is in the training materials. To access SAP Help go to http://help.sap.com. From there navigate the SAP NetWeaver documentation to Business Intel-ligence.

SAP Development Network (SDN)

The SDN community is a vast network of SAP professionals across a number of SAP solutions. Here you will find information in the form of blogs, discussion boards, white papers, and links to other information sources. To access the SDN go to http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn.

SAP Service Marketplace

The SAP Service Marketplace provides links to SAP Help and the SDN, described above, but also provides a link to the SAP Support Portal, where you can ac-cess support notes and implementation guides. You will need a logon ID and password to access the SAP Services Marketplace, but all SAP customers and partners have access. To access the Service Marketplace go to http://www.service.sap.com.


Summary Chapter 2 41

SAP Education Certification Program

SAP has an established resource for information regarding certification. At this site you will find the breakdown of the competency levels and topics for each exam. It is also possible to register to take the exam at this site. In general, this is a good resource for information about certification at SAP and the certification exam. You can access this site by going to http://www.sap.com/services/education/certification.

SAP PRESS

SAP PRESS, the publisher of this book, has also published books on SAP NetWeav-er BW topics that can be helpful to you as an SAP professional and a resource for your certification exam studies. A few of the many titles available are:

A Practical Guide to SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse 7.0

SAP NetWeaver BW: Administration and Monitoring

Mastering Information Broadcasting with SAP NetWeaver BW 7.0

Practical Data Modeling with SAP NetWeaver BW

SAP NetWeaver BI Accelerator

For a complete list of titles available from SAP PRESS go to www.sap-press.com.

SummaryWe opened this chapter with a discussion of the available SAP NetWeaver BW public course offerings and their relationship to the competency-level topics.

Next we discussed the recommended experience for the associate, professional, and master levels.

Lastly, we discussed additional resources that can be used to study for the certi-fication exam and that are useful for the SAP BI professional.

Part IIExam Preparation


The NetWeaver platform and its three integration layers

The concept of NetWeaver IT Practices and Scenar-ios and the scenarios that make up the Business In-formation Management practice

The BW Architecture and the subareas of the Busi-ness Warehouse

SAP NetWeaver BW Overview

Chapter 3 SAP NetWeaver BW Overview46

Objectives of this Portion of the TestThe objectives are for you to be able to:

Explain business intelligence placement in SAP NetWeaver

Explain the IT practice and IT scenarios available for SAP NetWeaver BW

Key Concepts Review

SAP NetWeaver Platform Overview

The SAP NetWeaver architecture brings together people, information, and pro-cesses within a framework that provides for incremental implementation of its capabilities.

The SAP NetWeaver platform is made up of three integration layers:

People integration Key components of the people integration layer are multichannel access, SAP NetWeaver Business Client, SAP NetWeaver Portal, and collaboration. These components integrate people with the functions and information they need to perform their work.

Information integration The key components of the information integration layer are business intel-ligence, knowledge management, SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management, and SAP NetWeaver Information Lifecycle Management. The integration-lay-er components are used to provide structured and unstructured data that is reliable and easy to access.

Process integration The key components of the process integration layer are the Integration Broker and SAP NetWeaver Business Process Management. The Integration Broker and the SAP NetWeaver Business Process Management support the controlling of processes.

The application platform is the basis of SAP NetWeaver and is implemented by the SAP NetWeaver Application Server. The SAP NetWeaver Application Server provides a complete development infrastructure and supports ABAP, Java, and Web services (see Figure 3.1).


Key Concepts Review Chapter 3 47

SAP NetWeaver

People Integration

Multi Channel Access

Portal Collaboration

Information Integration

Business Intelligence

Master Data Management

Knowledge Management

Application Platform

J2EE

DB and OS Abstraction

ABAP

Process Integration

Integration Broker Business Process Management

Com

posi

te A

pplic

atio

n Fr

amew

ork

Life

Cyc

le M

anag

emen

t

Figure 3.1 SAP NetWeaver Platform

SAP NetWeaver IT Practices and Scenarios

SAP is moving away from presenting a component and function module view of its software. SAP created IT practices that can be implemented as IT practice projects in stages (Figure 3.2). Within an IT practice there are IT scenarios that further divide the IT practice and are straightforward to implement.

SAP NetWeaver Business Information management User productivity enablement Application governance Service-oriented architecture design

and deployment Unified life cycle management

Figure 3.2 SAP NetWeaver Practices


The business information management IT practice contains three IT scenarios (Figure 3.3):

Enterprise reporting, query, and analysis This IT scenario shows encompasses the reporting and analysis tools avail-able in the SAP NetWeaver BW to make customized data available to various categories of users.

Business planning and analytical services This IT scenario encompasses business planning integrated into the SAP NetWeaver BW platform.

Enterprise data warehousing This IT scenario encompasses the integration of different source systems into one enterprise data warehouse.

Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis High focus on user productivity Formatted reporting Intuitive ad-hoc analysis Advanced Excel integration Model-driven BI applications

Business Planning and Analytical Services Business Planning integrated in BI platform and Suite

Enterprise Data Warehousing High performance with BI Accelerator Flexibility by enhanced data modeling capabilities Data transfer process Real-time data acquisition Web-based administrator cockpit

Figure 3.3 BI Management IT Practice Scenarios

SAP NetWeaver BW Architecture

The SAP NetWeaver BW architecture is the foundation for the acquisition, trans-formation, storage, analysis, access, and distribution for SAP and non-SAP sourc-es (Figure 3.4).



SAP NetWeaver Portal

Business Explorer Suite (BEx)

Information Broadcasting

BEx Web BEx Analyzer

BI InfoProvider BEx Query Designer

WebAnalyzer

ReportDesigner

WebApplication

Designer

MicrosoftExcel

Add-in

BI Pattern

BI Consumer Services

Figure 3.4 SAP NetWeaver BW Architecture

Subareas of SAP NetWeaver BW

Data Warehousing Workbench

The focal point for this area of the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture is the in-tegration, transformation, consolidation, cleanup, and storage of data and the extraction of data for reporting purposes. The data warehousing process includes data modeling, data extraction, and administration of the data warehouse man-agement processes.

The central tool for data warehousing tasks in SAP NetWeaver BW is the Data Warehousing Workbench.

BI Platform

This area of the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture offers various analytical tech-nologies and functions. These include the analytics engine, the metadata reposi-tory, business planning and simulation, and special analysis processes such as data mining.


BI Suite: Business Explorer

The SAP Business Explorer (BEx) area of the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture provides flexible reporting and analysis tools for strategic analyses, operational reporting, and decision-making support within a business.

These tools include:

SAP BEx query designer tool

SAP BEx analyzer tool

SAP BEx web tool

Web analyzer

Web application designer

Report designer

Information broadcasting

Additional Development Technologies

BI Java SDK The BI Java software development kit (SDK) is used to create analytical appli-cations. These analytical applications provide access to both multidimension-al (online analytical processing or [OLAP]) data and tabular (relational) data.

BI Java Connectors The BI Java Connectors are a group of four JCA-enabled (J2EE Connector Ar-chitecture) resource adapters that implement the BI Java SDK APIs and allow you to connect applications that you have created with the SDK to various data sources.

Open Analysis Interfaces The open analysis interfaces make various interfaces available for connecting frontend tools from third-party providers.

Web Design API The Web design API allows you to implement applications with customer-defined interface elements.


Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanation Chapter 3 51

Practice Test Questions1. SAP NetWeaver BW falls into what integration layer of SAP NetWeaver?

Choose the correct answer.

EE A. Application Integration

EE B. Process Integration

EE C. People Integration

EE D. Information Integration

2. Which of the following are included in the subareas of the SAP NetWeaverBW architecture?

EE A. BI Java SDK

EE B. Visual Composer

EE C. BI Platform

EE D. Web Application Designer

Practice Test Questions Answers and Explanation1. Correct answer is D.

The key components of the people integration layer are multichannel access,SAP NetWeaver Business Client, portal, and collaboration.

The key components of the process integration layer are the Integration Bro-ker and SAP NetWeaver Business Process Management.

The application platform (not application integration) is the basis of SAPNetWeaver and is implemented by the application server.

2. Correct answers are A, C, and D.The BI Java SDK is part of the additional development technologies subareaof the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture and is used to create analytical ap-plications.

The BI platform is a subarea of the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture that of-fers various analytical technologies and functions.

The SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is not part of SAP NetWeaver BW. It isa component of xApps Analytics.

The Web application designer is part of the SAP BEx suite subarea of the SAPNetWeaver BW architecture.


Take Away

Key Concepts Take Away

SAP NetWeaver platform Integration layers

SAP NetWeaver IT practices and scenarios

Business information management IT practice and scenarios

SAP NetWeaver BW architecture Subareas of the SAP NetWeaver BW architecture

Table 3.1 Key Concepts Refresher

SummaryThe chapter began with a discussion of the NetWeaver platform and its three integration layers.

Following the NetWeaver platform we talked about the concept of NetWeaver IT Practices and Scenarios and the scenarios that make up the Business Information Management practice.

Lastly we covered the BW Architecture and the subareas of the Business Ware-house.



The various ways the query designer can be accessed

The characteristics of InfoProviders that are used in reporting and the distinction between InfoProviders that contain data and those that do not

The characteristics of restricted key figures and cal-culated key figures

Display and navigational attributes and the differ-ences between the two

The usage of exceptions and conditions and the wiz-ards you can use to create them

SAP BEx Query Designer

Chapter 4 SAP BEx Query Designer54

The query designer is a desktop application used for creating queries and is part of the SAP Business Explorer suite. You can use the queries created with the query designer as data providers for Web applications, reports, and workbooks or display them in the SAP BEx web analyzer (see Figure 4.1).

SAP NetWeaver Portal

Business Explorer Suite (BEx)

Information Broadcasting

BEx Web BEx Analyzer

BI InfoProvider3rd Party BI Data BEx Query Designer

WebAnalyzer

ReportDesigner

WebApplication

Designer

MicrosoftExcel

Add-in

BI Pattern

BI Consumer Services

Figure 4.1 Placement of the Query Designer in SAP BEx

Objectives of this Portion of the TestThis portion of the exam will focus on the query designer. The query designer is a competency level B topic, and the exam will concentrate on the concepts sur-rounding the creation of queries using the query designer.

The following concepts will be covered:

Accessing the query designer

Functions of the BEx query designer toolbar

Functions of the BEx query designer menu



Layout of the query designer

The InfoProviders available for SAP BEx reporting

Key Concepts Review

Accessing the Query Designer

You can access the BEx query designer using one of the following options:

Standalone Select Start Programs Business Explorer Query Designer.

SAP BEx Web application designer In the Web application designer menu bar select Tools BEx Query De-signer.

SAP BEx analyzer In the SAP BEx analyzer analysis toolbar select Tools Create New Query.

SAP BEx report designer In the SAP BEx report designer menu bar select Tools BEx Query Design-er. Then select Query New in the query designer menu bar.

Query Designer Toolbar

Figure 4.2 illustrates the SAP BEx query designer functions that you can call from the query designer toolbar. The toolbar functions are context sensitive, so certain buttons will be inactive if they cannot be used.

NewQuery

OpenQuery

Paste Cells TasksWhereUsed

InfoProvider(pane open)

Rows/Columns(pane open)

QueryProperties

ExceptionsTechnicalNames

Publish Queryon the Web

SaveQuery

CheckQuery

Cut InsertFilter

(pane open)TableView

Conditions PropertiesMessages

(pane open)Documents

Figure 4.2 Query Designer Toolbar


Table 4.1 explains the functions of the query designer toolbar.

Toolbar Function Description

New Query Defines a new query

Open Query Opens an existing query

Save Query Saves a query

Execute Displays query results in the portal

Check Query Perform a validity check on a query and display informational and error messages

Query Properties Changes the properties of a query

Cut Removes a query object from one section of the query definition to another section of the query definition

Copy Copies a query object from and inserts it into another section of the query definition

Insert Inserts a cut or copied query object into a query definition after you indicate where in the query definition the query object should be inserted

InfoProvider Opens the InfoProvider pane

Filter Opens the Filter pane

Rows/Columns Opens the Rows/Columns pane

Cells Opens the cell editor on queries with two structures and allows for the definition of formulas and selection conditions for cells explicitly

Conditions Defines conditions for a query

Exception Defines exceptions for a query

Tasks Opens the Task pane

Messages Opens the Message pane

Technical Name Shows/hides the technical names of query objects

Table 4.1 Functions of the Query Designer Toolbar



Query Designer Menu

You can also access query designer functions accessed from the five query de-signer menus. These menus are Query, Edit, View, Tools, and Help (Figure 4.3).

The toolbar icon will appear next to those functions that available on the query designer toolbar.

Figure 4.3 Query Designer Menu

Query Designer Layout

The query layout has two views: the Filter view and Row/Columns view. You navigate between these views using the Filter and Row/Columns tabs in the query layout.

Query Designer Layout Filter View

The query designer layout consists of the following panes in the Filter view of the query designer (Figure 4.4):


InfoProviderPane

CharacteristicRestriction Pane

DefaultValues Pane

PropertiesPane

MessagePane

Figure 4.4 Query Designer Filter View

InfoProvider The InfoProvider pane displays all of the objects (dimensions, key figures, structures) of the selected InfoProvider.

Characteristic Restriction The Characteristic Restriction pane displays characteristic filter values that apply to the entire output of the query.

Default Value The Default Value pane displays the characteristic filter values that you use for the initial view of the result set.

Properties The Properties pane shows the settings for the currently highlighted query object.

Message The Message pane displays informational and error messages.

Query Designer Layout Row/Columns View

The query designer layout consists of the following panes in the Row/Columns view of the query designer (Figure 4.5):



Free CharacteristicsPane

RowPane

PreviewPane

ColumnsPane

TasksPane

Figure 4.5 Query Designer Row/Columns View

Free Characteristics The Free Characteristics pane displays the characteristics being made avail-able for navigation purposes.

Row The Row pane contains the query objects (key figures or characteristics) that are to appear in the row of the result set.

Columns The Columns pane contains the query objects (key figures or characteristics) that are to appear in the column of the result set.

Preview The Preview pane displays what the layout of the query results set will look like.

Task The Task pane lists tasks that are related to the highlighted query object.

Where Used The Where Used pane displays where information relating to the object high-lighted in the query is used.


InfoProviders in SAP BEx Reporting

In general terms, an InfoProvider is any SAP NetWeaver BW object for which you can create queries. Figure 4.6 illustrates InfoProviders that can be used in SAP NetWeaver BW reporting. InfoProviders fall into two categories: InfoPro-viders that contain data and InfoProviders that do not contain data.

Data Contained

StandardInfoCube

Master DataInfoObjects

DataStoreObject

MultiProviders

No Data Contained

VirtualProvider

Infoset

Info

Prov

ider

Int

erfa

ceOLAPEngine

BusinessExplorer

Figure 4.6 InfoProviders in SAP NetWeaver BW Reporting

InfoProviders that Contain Data

There are three kinds of InfoProviders that are considered data targets (i.e., they contain data). These are described below.

InfoCube

An InfoCube is a multidimensional SAP NetWeaver BW object used for report-ing. It typically contains aggregated data.



DataStore Object

Characteristics of a DataStore object are:

Contains consolidated data from one or more data sources.

Contains cleansed data on a granular level.

Is used for detailed reporting in SAP NetWeaver BW.

Can contain master or transaction data.

Contains a key and data fields (characteristics and key figures).

Uses flat database tables to store data.

Can be used as a data source for other InfoProviders.

Characteristic InfoObject as an InfoProvider

This type of InfoProvider can be used for master data reporting in SAP NetWeav-er BW.

InfoProviders that Do Not Contain Data

There are three kinds of InfoProviders that do not store data. These are the fol-lowing.

Virtual Provider

Characteristics of a Virtual Provider are:

Data is stored externally in the source system.

It has a multidimensional structure that is stored in the SAP NetWeaver BW system.

Data is read from the source system when the report is executed and has a negative impact on performance.

SAP NetWeaver BW InfoSet

Characteristics of an SAP NetWeaver BW InfoSet are:

Connects flat tables using joins.

Can be created from standard InfoCubes, DataStore objects, and characteristic InfoObjects with master data.

Can be used for reporting depicting changes over time.


MultiProvider

Characteristics of a MultiProvider are:

Combines data from one or more InfoProviders.

Data is stored in the InfoProviders on which the MultiProvider is based.

Is based on a union versus a join connection.

Key Figures

A key figure is a type of InfoObject that is a number representing a value. Some examples of key figures are Sale Amount, Order Quantity, and Counter.

Restricted Key Figures

A restricted key figure is a basic or calculated key figure or another restricted key figure that is filtered by one or more characteristics. An example of a restricted key figure is a sales amount that is filtered (restricted) by fiscal period. When a key figure is restricted, only that key figure is restricted; the restriction does not apply to the entire query.

A restricted key figure can be created at the InfoProvider or query level. If the restricted key figure is created at the InfoProvider level, it is said to be global and can be used in any query where that InfoProvider is used. If the restricted key figure is created at the Query level, it is said to be local and is only available in the query in which it was created.

Calculated Key Figures

Calculations can be performed when data is loaded into an InfoProvider or at query runtime. A formula (calculated key figure) is used to calculate a key figure that is not provided in the InfoProvider.

A calculated key figure is a calculation performed using a basic or restricted key figure or another calculated key figure. An example of a calculated key fig-ure is net amount calculated as sales amount minus discount amount plus tax amount.



A calculated key figure can be created at the InfoProvider or query level. If the calculated key figure is created at the InfoProvider level, it is said to be global and can be used in any query where that InfoProvider is used. If the calculated key figure is created at the query level, it is said to be local and is only available in the query in which it was created.

Properties of Key Figures

The properties of the key figures affect the presentation and/or function of the key figure in the query result set.

The key figure property pane is organized into seven tabs: General, Aggregation, Display, Advanced, Conversions, Planning, and Calculations (Figure 4.7).

Figure 4.7 Key Figure Property Pane

Many of the key figure properties will have the option to Use Default Setting. If this checkbox is selected, the properties from the InfoObject metadata will be used. This means the properties will come from the InfoObject itself.

You can maintain properties for multiple key figures by highlighting all of the key figures you want to include and making the setting in the properties pane. This setting applies to all highlighted key figures.


Tab Page: General

Description The name of the key figure, the restricted key figure (selection), or the for-mula is displayed here. If required, you can change the description.

Technical Name You can enter a unique technical name for a structural component. This is optional.

Last Changed by This function is only available for restricted and calculated key figures. Here, you can identify the owner and the person who last changed the calculated or restricted key figure and the date and time when the key figure was last changed.

Tab Page: Aggregation

Exception Aggregation Using exception aggregation you choose how the result of a formula or cal-culated key figure is calculated. You can choose using the dropdown box. You can also select a reference characteristic to be used with the aggregation.

Here, you can make settings for aggregation and calculation time (that is, for the detail level of the calculated key figure or formula).

Tab Page: Display

Hide Use this property to show or hide the selection or formula in the result set. You can choose:

Always Show The selection or formula is always visible.

Hide (can be shown) The selection or formula is hidden in the executed report but can be shown again there.

Always Hide The selection or formula is not displayed.

Highlight Use this property to highlight a key figure in a report. The formatting will be performed in the frontend tool.



Scaling Factor Use this property to set a scaling factor between one and one billion. The scaling factor will affect the way a number appears in the result set. For ex-ample, if you set the scaling factor to 1,000, a value of 10,000 will appear as 10 in the result set.

Sign Change Use this property to select whether the +/- sign of a key figure should be kept or reversed. If a sign is reversed, a positive value will take on a negative value, and a negative value takes on a positive value.

Status of Node Use this property on a hierarchical arrangement of structure elements to de-fine whether a node is expanded or collapsed in the structure in the initial view of the query result set.

Tab Page: Advanced

UID This property is system generated and cannot be changed; it is only used for informational purposes. This property contains the unique ID (UID) that is used for unique identification.

Constant Selection Use this property if you want the result of a key figure to remain constant during navigation and filtering at runtime. This function is only available for selections and restricted key figures.

Formula Collision Use this property when you define two structures in a query definition that contain formulas to identify which calculation takes precedence. This func-tion is only available for formulas and calculated key figures and will only display if the query definition has two structures that contain formulas.

Tab Page: Conversions

Currency Translation Use this property when you want to perform a currency translation on a key figure at query runtime

Unit Conversion Use this property when you want to perform a unit conversion on a key fig-ure at query runtime.


Tab Page: Planning

On this tab page, you can specify the various settings for BI integrated plan-ning.

Change Data Use this property to specify whether and how the data can be changed.

Disaggregation Use this property to be able to change an aggregated value. The aggregated value must be distributed (disaggregated) in all data records that are related to the aggregated value. This disaggregation is called top-down distribution.

Type of Distribution Use this property to specify the type of top-down distribution.

The functions described below from the Planning tab are only offered for for-mulas.

Change Data Use this property to specify whether and how the formula value can be changed.

Formula Group Use this property to change the order of the inverse formulas. The system uses this order to find out which inverse formulas to use for the recalculation.

Tab Page: Calculations

Local Calculations Use this property to recalculate results rows and single values that are dis-played in the result set.

Calculation Direction Use this property to change the calculation direction.

Use Pre-Calculated Value Use this property to specify that the default value is used for all settings for calculations.



Characteristics

A characteristic is a type of InfoObject and provides context for a key figure. For e

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