Los Multiproviders en SAP BW son un tipo de infoProvider que contiene información de varios de ellos (dos o más infoProviders) y permite que esté disponible para el Reporting (Reportes). Su mayor ventaja es justamente esa característica, la de hacer posible realizar reportes que vean información de más de un InfoProvider a la vez.
Los Multiproviders en si no contiene información, sino que la información esta almacenada en los InfoProviders que forman el Multi, y el Multiprovider actúa como una vista de ella, es una definición lógica.
Los infoProviders que forman parte del Multiprovider pueden ser InfoCubos, ODS, InfoObjetos, InfoSet, VirtualProviders y agregation levels. Ellos están conectados entre sí a través del operador Unión.
En SAP BW un InfoCubo es un área de almacenamiento en donde guardamos la información que extraemos de diferentes fuentes para luego visualizarla a través del Reporting. La información es almacenada a través de Dimensiones (de ahí proviene el nombre de Cubo).
Asi por ejemplo el infoCubo Ventas podría tener dimensiones como MES – PRODUCTO – CLIENTE – REGION y podríamos visualizar la información por cualquiera de estos ejes (dimensiones), como por ejemplo la cantidad de ventas por región o clientes (o por región y clientes ;)).
Para lograr esto, la información es almacenada de una manera diferente a la típica tabla de una base de datos relacional, sino que utiliza el esquema estrella extendido.
El esquema en estrella extendido está formado por una tabla central (la tabla de hechos o “fact table”) y varias tablas de dimensiones alrededor.
Los infoObjetos que se encuentran en las tablas de dimensiones (Dimension Table) son los llamados “Característica” y los que se encuentran en la tabla de hechos (Fact Table) son los ratios o key figures.
Cada característica tiene una tabla SID, la cual es creada cuando el infoObjeto es activado. La tabla SID contiene un SIDID para cada valor de característica. Si la característica cuenta además con tablas de Master Data, la tabla SID es un enlace entre la Master Data (dato maestro) y la característica.
SAP BW permite crear 16 dimensiones en cada Cubo, 3 de las cuales ya están predefinidas.
Lo que se logra a través de este modelo es brindar la posibilidad de navegar la información almacenada visualizando las distintas dimensiones y key figures según las necesidades del usuario y a su vez manteniendo una performance aceptable en las consultas que se realizan.
Un ODS (en inglés DSO: Data Store Object) es un tipo de infoProvider que se utiliza para almacenar datos consolidados y limpios (datos transaccionales o datos maestros) en SAP BW a nivel de documento (nivel de detalle). Aunque los ODS pueden almacenar datos maestros, almacenan principalmente datos detallados de transacciones. Los ODS son una parte fundamental de todo el diseño del Data Warehouse, como se muestra a continuación. Pueden ser utilizados para apoyar la información operativa detallada, o pueden ser parte del Data Warehouse, donde pueden ser usados ​​para almacenar datos potencialmente necesarios generados a lo largo de los años.
Características y funciones de los ODS
- Diseñados para almacenar datos limpios a nivel de documentos.
- Función de Sobre escritura: Las características que no son parte del identificador (clave) siempre se sobrescriben, los ratios (o Key Figures) pueden configurarse para sobrescribirse, agregarse o no actualizarse directamente.
- Los ODS están diseñados como tablas de una base de datos, contienen claves (por ejemplo numero de documento e ítem) y campos de datos. Los campos de datos pueden no ser solo claves sino también características (status de la orden, clientes, tiempo, etc.).
- En contraste con los almacenes de datos multidimensionales, como los utilizados para los Info Cubos, los datos en los ODS son guardados de forma transparente en tablas de la base de datos. Las tablas de Hecho y de Dimensión no son creadas.
Como se dijo anteriormente los ODS se pueden utilizar para guardar datos históricos transaccionales, también se puede utilizar como un paso intermedio entre la fuente de datos y el InfoCubo, donde se le puede realizar un tratamiento a los datos antes de hacer la transferencia de uno a otro.
Se pueden realizar Querys a travez de Bex Query Designer para visualizar los datos y a su vez estos agregarlos a un archivo Bex Analyzer para ver los datos en Excel directamente.
Como se puede ver, los ODS son una parte fundamental de un DW en BW por lo que entender su funcionamiento es esencial para desarrollar tareas en este modulo SAP.
Operador Unión de Multiproviders en SAP BW
El resultado luego de la unión de dos InfoProvider a través del operador Union es un MultiProvider que contiene todos los registros de ambos InfoProviders. En aquellos casos en los que los campos (InfoObjetos característica) no tengan los mismos valores en ambos InfoProviders, se crean combinaciones invalidas con valores “Unasignados”, estos valores unasignados se representan con un numeral (#).
Por ejemplo:
Si queremos hacer una unión de estos dos infoProviders ODS a través del operador Unión:
BEx Analyzer
Use
BEx Analyzer is an analytical, reporting and design tool embedded in Microsoft Excel. In BEx Analyzer, you can analyze and plan with selected InfoProvider data using the context menu or drag and drop to navigate in queries created in BEx Query Designer.
You can design the interfaces for your queries by inserting design items (controls) such as analysis grids, dropdown boxes and buttons into your Excel workbook. This allows you to transform your workbook into a query application.
Features
BEx Analyzer's functionality is divided into two modes, each with a dedicated toolbar and menu path:
- Analysis mode - for executing OLAP analyses on queries
- Design mode - for designing the interface for query applications
Analysis Mode
Working in analysis mode, you can accomplish the following types of tasks:
- Launch BEx Query Designer in order to define queries
- Analyze selected InfoProvider data by navigating interactively within these queries
- Navigate and analyze using the context menu or drag and drop
- Use OLAP functions like filtering, drilling and sorting
- Use planning functions
- Precalculate and distribute workbooks with BEx Broadcaster
- For advanced programming capabilities, embed your own customized VBA programs (Visual Basic for Applications)
- Save workbooks in your favorites or in your role on the server, or locally on your computer
Design Mode
Working in design mode, you can accomplish the following types of tasks:
- Design the interface for your queries by embedding design items such as the analysis grid, dropdown boxes, radio button groups, and buttons into your Microsoft Excel workbook
- Customize your workbook with Excel's formatting and chart functionality
BEx Web
Purpose
BEx Web encompasses all BEx tools that are used to create Web-based applications or that display Web applications.
BEx Web consists of the following components:
- BEx Web Application Designer
- Web Design API
- BEx Web Applications
- BEx Web Analyzer
- Enterprise Reporting
BEx Web Application Designer
Use
Web application design, with the BEx Web Application Designer as its main tool, allows you to use generic OLAP navigation for your BW data in Web applications for simple or highly individual scenarios. Web application design incorporates a broad spectrum of Web-based business intelligence scenarios, which you can adjust to meet your individual needs using standard Web technologies.
Features
Using the BEx Web Application Designer , the central desktop application used to create Web applications, you can generate HTML pages that contain BW-specific content such as tables, charts or maps. These objects, which retrieve BW data from a data provider and place it in a Web application as HTML, are known as Web items. For more information about the Web items available, see Web Items . Web Applications are based on Web templates that you create and edit in the Web Application Designer. You can save the Web templates and access them from the Web browser or the portal. Once they are executed on the Web, Web templates are referred to as Web applications.
Business Explorer Web application design allows you to create highly individual scenarios with user-defined interface elements by using standard markup languages and the Web design API. You can adjust and enhance the individual Web templates (the HTML pages that determine the structure of Web applications). For more information, see Web Design API .
BEx Broadcaster
The BEx Broadcaster is the tool in the Business Explorer Suite with which you can make the objects that were created using the various BEx tools available to a wide range of users according to your requirements. The BEx Broadcaster also provides functions for optimizing performance and for exception reporting.
Using the BEx Broadcaster, you can precalculate queries, query views, Web templates, reports, and workbooks and broadcast them by e-mail or to the portal. As well as precalculated documents in various formats (HTML, MHTML, ZIP etc.) containing historical data, you can also generate online links.
BEx Query Designer
Use
Query Designer is a desktop application for creating queries, and plays an important role in the Business Explorer Suite. The queries created can be displayed as data providers for Web applications, reports, and workbooks or can alternatively be displayed in BEx Web Analyzer.
This section describes the appearance of Query Designer and explains how you can customize it according to your requirements.
Features
As well as the menu bars and toolbars, BEx Query Designer comprises the following screen areas:
- InfoProvider
- Rows/Columns
- Filters
- Tasks
- Properties
- Messages
- Where-Used List
- Documents
- Cells
- Exceptions
- Conditions
Use
You analyze the dataset of the BI system by defining queries for InfoProviders using the BEx Query Designer. By selecting and combining InfoObjects (characteristics and key figures) or reusable query elements (such as structures) in a query, you determine the way in which you evaluate the data in the selected InfoProvider.
Features
The BEx Query Designer provides the following functions:
- You can use the queries that you define in the BEx Query Designer for OLAP reporting and for enterprise reporting. For more information, seeEnterprise Reporting.
- You can parameterize the queries by using variables for characteristic values, hierarchies, hierarchy nodes, texts, or formulas. For more information, seeVariables.
- You can select InfoObjects more precisely by:
Restricting characteristics to characteristic values, characteristic intervals, and hierarchy nodes. For more information, seeRestricting Characteristics.
Defining formulas
Defining selections
Defining reusable calculated and restricted key figures (seeDefining Calculated Key Figures andDefining Restricted Key Figures)
Using local or reusable structures (seeStructures andCreating Reusable Structures)
Defining exceptions
Defining conditions
Defining exception cells
The most significant components of the query definition are filters and navigation:
- The selections in the filter restrict the whole query. When defining the filter, select characteristic values from one or more characteristics or from a key figure. All of the InfoProvider data is aggregated using the filter selection of the query.
- For the navigation, select free characteristics and define the content of the rows and columns of the query. You use this selection to specify the data areas of the InfoProvider through which you want to navigate. The arrangement of row and column content determines the initial view for the query.
After being inserted into a workbook, a query is displayed in the default initial view in the portal or in the BEx Analyzer. By navigating through the query, you can generate different views of the InfoProvider data: You do this by dragging one of the free characteristics into the rows or columns of the query, for example, or by filtering a characteristic according to a single characteristic value.
Query definitions allow the InfoProvider data to be evaluated specifically and quickly. The more detail you use to define the query, the quicker its execution and navigation.
Enterprise Reporting
Purpose
Enterprise Reporting is the reporting component of Business Explorer (BEx). With Report Designer, it provides a user-friendly design tool that you can use to create formatted reports optimized for presentation and printing. It also provides you with a number of formatting and layout functions.
Reports created in BEx Report Designer can be converted to PDF documents and printed using the Adobe server. It also provides you with information broadcasting functions and broadcast reports.
BEx Report Designer
Use
Report Designer is a tool you use to format and adapt the layout of your business data as a report (static or dynamic) according to your particular requirements. You can display this report on the Web. You can also convert the report into a PDF document to print or distribute it. For example, you can design the layout of a corporate balance sheet according to your requirements and print it as a PDF document.
The data binding for the report is provided by data providers (queries and query views). Report Designer generates group levels according to the drilldown state of a query or query view. These group levels contain row patterns for the initial report view. The layout and formatting of the initial view can be adapted in accordance with customers' requirements.
Integration
Report Designer is a standalone desktop application. You can open Report Designer directly from the start menu or call it in Web Application Designer using the context menu for the Report Web item.
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