Lab: OLAP Universe Generate an OLAP Business … DAY/Other...Lab: OLAP Universe Generate an OLAP Business Layer for SAP BW Scenario You need to prepare a Business Intelligence environment

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Lab: OLAP Universe Generate an OLAP Business Layer for SAP BW

Scenario

You need to prepare a Business Intelligence environment to allow your end users to query a SAP BW InfoCube using one of the reporting tools that support the dimensional Semantic Layer and universes (Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, Explorer, Xcelsius, etc.).

In this scenario we assume that the SAP InfoCube is already built and ready for querying, no SAP Bex Queries need to be defined though. We will see how to generate a Business Layer on top of the SAP BW InfoCube and how to configure it for query and reporting tools. The consumption steps in this scenario will be performed using the queries of Information Designer Tool. No front end client will be used.

Objectives

In this lab, you will:

Create a SAP BW OLAP connection to SAP InfoCube using BAPI driver

Browse available SAP OLAP metadata through the connection

Automatically generate the Business Layer on top of an InfoCube.

Explore generated objects and their properties

Validate Business Layer objects (Check Integrity)

View values of objects

Save Business Layer as HTML, PDF and TXT

Create a query on the Business Layer in Information Design Tool

Perform the following steps as described in order:


Create SAP BW OLAP connection 1. Start Information Design Tool application:

From main menu “Programs”, choose group “SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0”

Select “BusinessObjects Enterprise Client Tools” then “Information Design Tool”

2. Open an existing local project or create a new project if necessary. For more details on Project management in Information Design Tool please refer to the following lessons and labs:

Aurora DKT Lesson: Information Design Tool: Introducing the Information Design Tool Part I

Aurora DKT Lab: Information Design Tool: Local Projects

3. Select the Project and folder where you want to create the connection and create a new OLAP connection using the contextual menu

4. Enter a name and optionally a description


5. Next, select this driver from the driver list: SAP BAPI Client

6. In the next step of the connection wizard, enter the connection properties. In this lab we are going to use the authentication based on a specific SAP BW user:

Authentication mode = “Use specified user name and password”

Client = 800

User name = xi40bcp

Password = bobobo

Language = English

Save Language = Do not check

System ID = FBT

Server type = Application server

Application Server = fbttdc00.wdf.sap.corp

System Number = 40


7. Next step displays the list of available InfoCubes on the server fbttdc00.wdf.sap.corp. Select the InfoCube “Actual for NW Demo”, identified with technical name “$0D_NW_C01”.

Note: In comparison with SAP OLAP connection wizard of XI 3.1, no Bex Queries are displayed here; in XI 4.0 only Business Layers on top of InfoCubes are supported. Consumption of Bex Queries in XI 4.0 will be ensured in WebIntelligence using BICS direct access.

8. Click Finish, the connection is created, saved then edited in the editor (right pane of Information Design Tool)


Browse InfoCube metadata InfoCube data model in SAP BW:

Prior to creating the Business Layer using the SAP OLAP connection, it is possible to browse metadata of the InfoCube in the connection editor


1. In the connection editor, select Browse Data tab

2. The type and the description of each metadata discovered in the InfoCube are displayed. In addition, selecting a metadata object in the tree displays its details in the Properties panel (right hand panel)


Generating the business Layer 1. In the local workspace panel, select the folder where you want to create your Business Layer

then select New -> Business Layer in the context menu

2. Select OLAP Business Layer in the next step of the wizard

3. Enter a name for the business layer and a description (Optional)

4. In OLAP connection text box, select the SAP OLAP connection you have created above, and then uncheck the option Create Attribute from Technical Name.


5. Select Next


6. In summary step select Finish button. The Business Layer is generated and displayed in the editor, and the Business Layer file is created and saved in the local projects pane. The file name is <Business layer name>.blx


Explore generated objects and their properties 1. Make sure the Business Layer you created in previous section is open in the editor

2. In the Business Layer pane, expand various folders and entities to explore metadata. Generated objects are mapped from the InfoCube as follows:

3. Select and expand dimension , it contains one hierarchy with the same name

and a list of attributes.

The hierarchy is always generated even though the related characteristic does not have actual hierarchies in SAP BW: this hierarchy allows member selection in Information design tool, in the query panel at query generation time and at consumption time. The attributes list contains the actual attributes defined in SAP BW (Country and Industry) and some additional attributes that are mapped from related InfoObject properties if activated in the InfoObject (Key, Name, Medium Name)


Since the attributes Country and Industry key are mapped from characteristics themselves, they are generated with their own properties Name, Medium Name, Long Name etc .. However they only are generated when activated in the related InfoObjects. The Key property is always generated in the Business Layer for all dimensions and all attributes.

4. Select dimension in order to display its properties in the editor.

Notice that its MDX expression is [0D_NW_SOLD].[LEVEL01] points to the technical name of the related SAP BW characteristic Sold-to Party. LEVEL01 is the default level that returns the members of the characteristic as a flat list (see next step below). For more details on MDX expressions please refer to the labs related to MDX objects


5. In the Business Layer pane, right click on dimension and select item Preview List of values in the context menu

The flat list of all members of the related characteristic is then retrieved from SAP engine and displayed.

6. Select hierarchy and check its properties in the editor.

The MDX expression of a hierarchy is [0D_NW_SOLD]. This expression allows a hierarchical display of characteristic members (for example in member selector of the query panel). This hierarchy is always generated for all dimensions in addition to other hierarchies that might be defined in the related SAP BW characteristic


7. In the Business Layer pane, right click hierarchy and select item Preview List of values in the context menu

Notice that members this time are returned in hierarchical view.

8. In the Business Layer pane, select a measure (for example ) and check its properties in the editor.

Notice that the aggregation function is set to SUM. This function was retrieved from SAP BW at generation time because the option Detect measure aggregation function in the generation wizard (see step 4 of section Generate the Business Layer above) was checked.

It is possible to manually change this function in the editor to make it delegated to the database. We keep it set to SUM in this lab though.


Check integrity 1. Select dimension in the Business Layer pane

2. Right click on the dimension and select Check Integrity in the context menu

The next dialog displays a summary of the rules that will be checked.

3. Select Check Integrity button at the bottom of the dialog

4. Check results are displayed in the dialog


5. To check the integrity of the entire Business Layer, right click the root folder of the Business Layer and select Check Integrity in the contextual menu.

This action will check all objects under the Business Layer root.

Note: Check Integrity action can be executed from the main tool bar, in this case it will check a larger scope of the entire Business Layer that includes Queries, Prompts and List Of Values

Save Business Layer as HTML/PDF This feature allows you to generate the content of your Business Layer in a flat file as a list of objects and properties that can be viewed and printed.

1. In the local project pane (left pane) right click the file of the Business Layer you have previously created (file name is made of the name of your Business Layer and the extension blx)

2. Select item Save As then check the type of information you want to have in your output file. For example, choose General Information to have main properties of the Business Layer and its statistics, Dimensions and Measures.

3. Enter a file name, location and file type (HTML, PDF or Text) and push the button Generate.


4. Open the generate file and check its content in appropriate viewer

.

End of lab

Documents

Lab: OLAP Universe Generate an OLAP Business … DAY/Other...Lab: OLAP Universe Generate an OLAP Business Layer for SAP BW Scenario You need to prepare a Business Intelligence environment