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BusinessObjects OLAP Connect Users

Guide

BusinessObjects Enterprise 6

Windows


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2 BusinessObjects OLAP Connect Users Guide

Copyright No part of the computer software or this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Business

Objects S.A.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems

with this documentation, please report them to Business Objects S.A. in writing [email protected].

Business Objects S.A. does not warrant that this document is error free.

Copyright Business Objects S.A. 2003. All rights reserved.

Printed in France.

Trademarks The Business Objects logo, WebIntelligence, BusinessQuery, the Business Objects tagline,

BusinessObjects, BusinessObjects Broadcast Agent, Rapid Mart, Set Analyzer, Personal

Trainer, and Rapid Deployment Template are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business

Objects S.A. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contains IBM Runtime Environment for AIX(R), Java(TM) 2 Technology Edition Runtime

Modules (c) Copyright IBM Corporation 1999, 2000. All Rights Reserved.This product includes code licensed from RSA Security, Inc. Some portions licensed from IBMare available at http://oss.software.ibm.com/icu4j.

All other company, product, or brand names mentioned herein, may be the trademarks of their

respective owners.

Use restrictions This software and documentation is commercial computer software under Federal Acquisition

regulations, and is provided only under the Restricted Rights of the Federal AcquisitionRegulations applicable to commercial computer software provided at private expense. The use,

duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions set forth insubdivision (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-

7013.

Patents U.S. Patent Numbers 5,555,403, 6,247,008, and 6,578,027.

Part Number 358-10-610-01


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BusinessObjects OLAP Connect Users Guide 3

Contents

Contents

Examples 7

Preface Maximizing Your Information Resources 9

Information resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Useful addresses at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 1 Introducing BusinessObjects OLAP Connect 17What You can Do with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

How BusinessObjects Integrates with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect . . . 20

Accessing MS OLAP Services or SAP BW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 2 Getting Started 27

Connecting to the Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Defining the Data for a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Changing the Report Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Changing the Report Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Changing the Display of the List of Values in InfoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Setting the Connection Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Getting Information About the Report Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Saving a Report Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Formatting the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Refreshing the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Including Different Queries in One Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87


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Contents

Chapter 3 Fine-Tuning Your Data Selection 89

Adding and Removing Dimension Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Nesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Using Filters to Focus Your Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Sorts and Ranks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Chapter 4 Performing Time Series Analysis 131

Performing Periods to Date Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Editing a Time Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Performing Opening Period Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Performing Closing Period Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Performing Parallel Period Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Performing Last Period Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Combining Time Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Chapter 5 Working with OLAP Calculations 149

Creating Calculated Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Common Business Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Using Common Business Calculations with Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Business Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Distinct Counts and Basket Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Custom Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Editing and Deleting Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Calculation of Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Standard BusinessObjects Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175


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Contents

Chapter 6 Creating an Interactive Document 177

Filter Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

SAP Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Drill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Formatting the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Distributing the Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Index 209


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Contents


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Examples

Examples

Chapter 2 Getting Started 27

What was the amount of merchandise sold in California over thepast three years? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

What are the quarter 1 figures for 1999? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Create a sales report for fiscal 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Create a report that uses default members and multiple hierarchies . . . . . . 70

Chapter 3 Fine-Tuning Your Data Selection 89

What are the 2001 sales for trousers in Texas? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

What are the 2001 sales for just city trousers in Texas? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

What are the profit margins by product for the northeastern stores? . . . . . . 97

Which products have retail sales that are greater than $150,000? . . . . . . 100

In which stores did sales revenue in the first quarter exceed salesrevenue in the second quarter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

In which stores did sales revenue in the first quarter exceed salesrevenue in the second quarter AND have a sales margin over

$800,000? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Creating a list that contains ALL products with pants in the productname. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

What are unit sales for the 50% top selling cardigans? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Chapter 4 Performing Time Series Analysis 131

What were the store sales by product categories for the year to date toNovember 2001? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

What were the store sales by product family for the opening month ofthe year 2001? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

What were the store sales by product families for the closing month ofthe year 2001? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

What was the amount of sales by category for the parallel period ofMay 2001, one period away, at the quarter level? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

What were the amount of sales by category for the last three monthsof 2000? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146


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Examples

Chapter 5 Working with OLAP Calculations 149

What was the average profit margin per product in the accessoriesline in the year 2000? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

What was the change in profit margin between 1999 and 2000? . . . . . . . 156

What were the total amount of sales and profit margin for Californiaand Texas? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

What are the 2001 quarterly sales averages for Florida stores? . . . . . . . . 161

How many raincoats did we sell in the first quarter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Which stores sold jeans and party pants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

What is the year 2000 overhead for the DC store? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Chapter 6 Creating an Interactive Document 177

Creating a prompt on the Product dimension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

What are product line sales in California by year, quarter, and month? . . 200

What are quarterly product line sales by category? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206


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preface

Maximizing Your InformationResources


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Maximizing Your Information Resources

Overview

Information, services, and solutions

The Business Objects business intelligence solution is supported by thousandsof pages of documentation, available from the products, on the Internet, on CD,and by extensive online help systems and multimedia.

Packed with in-depth technical information, business examples, and advice ontroubleshooting and best practices, this comprehensive documentation setprovides concrete solutions to your business problems.

Business Objects also offers a complete range of support and services to helpmaximize the return on your business intelligence investment. See in thefollowing sections how Business Objects can help you plan for and successfully

meet your specific technical support, education, and consulting requirements.


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Information resources

Information resources

Whatever your Business Objects profile, we can help you quickly access thedocumentation and other information you need.

Where do I start?

Below are a few suggested starting points; there is a summary of useful webaddresses on page 14.

Documentation RoadmapThe Documentation Roadmap references all Business Objects guides andmultimedia, and lets you see at a glance what information is available, fromwhere, and in what format.

View or download the Business Objects Documentation Roadmap at

www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htm Documentation from the productsYou can access electronic documentation at any time from the product you areusing. Online help, multimedia, and guides in Adobe PDF format are availablefrom the product Help menus.

Documentation on the webThe full electronic documentation set is available to customers with a validmaintenance agreement on the Online Customer Support (OCS) website atwww.businessobjects.com/services/support.htm

Buy printed documentationYou can order printed documentation through your local sales office, or from theonline Business Objects Documentation Supply Store atwww.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htm

Search the Documentation CDSearch across the entire documentation set on the Business ObjectsDocumentation CD shipped with our products. This CD brings together the full setof documentation, plus tips, tricks, multimedia tutorials, and demo materials.

Order the Documentation CD online, from the Business Objects DocumentationSupply Store, or from your local sales office.
http://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htm


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MultimediaAre you new to Business Objects? Are you upgrading from a previous release orexpanding, for example, from our desktop to our web solution? Try one of ourmultimedia quick tours or Getting Started tutorials. All are available via the OnlineCustomer Support (OCS) website or on the Documentation CD.

How can I get the most recent documentation?

You can get our most up-to-date documentation via the web. Regularly check thesites listed below for the latest documentation, samples, and tips.

Tips & TricksOpen to everyone, this is a regularly updated source of creative solutions to anynumber of business questions. You can even contribute by sending us your owntips.

www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asp

Product documentationWe regularly update and expand our documentation and multimedia offerings.With a valid maintenance agreement, you can get the latest documentation inseven languages on the Online Customer Support (OCS) website.

Developer Suite OnlineDeveloper Suite Online provides documentation, samples, and tips to those

customers with a valid maintenance agreement and a Developer Suite licensevia the Online Customer Support (OCS) website.

Send us your feedback

Do you have a suggestion on how we can improve our documentation? Is theresomething you particularly like or have found useful? Drop us a line, and we willdo our best to ensure that your suggestion is included in the next release of ourdocumentation: [email protected]

NOTE

If your issue concerns a Business Objects product and not the documentation,please contact our Customer Support experts. For information about CustomerSupport visit: www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htm
http://www.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.aspmailto:[email protected]://businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://businessobjects.com/services/support.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asphttp://www.businessobjects.com/


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Services

Services

A global network of Business Objects technology experts provides customersupport, education, and consulting to ensure maximum business intelligencebenefit to your business.

How we can support you?

Business Objects offers customer support plans to best suit the size andrequirements of your deployment. We operate three global customer supportcenters:

Americas: San Jose, California and Atlanta, Georgia

Europe: Maidenhead, United Kingdom

Asia: Tokyo, Japan and Sydney, Australia

Online Customer SupportOur Customer Support website is open to all direct customers with a currentmaintenance agreement, and provides the most up-to-date Business Objectsproduct and technical information. You can log, update, and track cases from thissite using the Business Objects Knowledge Base.

Having an issue with the product?

Have you exhausted the troubleshooting resources at your disposal and still not

found a solution to a specific issue?For support in deploying Business Objects products, contact WorldwideCustomer Support at: www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htm

Looking for the best deployment solution for your company?

Business Objects consultants can accompany you from the initial analysis stageto the delivery of your deployment project. Expertise is available in relational andmultidimensional databases, in connectivities, database design tools,

customized embedding technology, and more.

For more information, contact your local sales office, or contact us at:www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htm

Looking for training options?

From traditional classroom learning to targeted e-learning seminars, we can offera training package to suit your learning needs and preferred learning style. Findmore information on the Business Objects Education website:www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htm
http://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htm


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Useful addresses at a glance

Address Content

Business Objects Documentation

www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htm

Overview of Business Objects documentation. Linksto Online Customer Support, Documentation Supply

Store, Documentation Roadmap, Tips & Tricks,Documentation mailbox.

Business Objects Documentationmailbox

[email protected]

Feedback or questions about documentation.

Product documentation

www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htm

The latest Business Objects product

documentation, to download or view online.

Business Objects product information

www.businessobjects.com

Information about the full range of BusinessObjects products.

Developer Suite Online

www.techsupport.businessobjects.com

Available to customers with a valid maintenanceagreement and a Developer Suite license via theOnline Customer Support (OCS) website. Providesall the documentation, latest samples, kits and tips.

Knowledge Base (KB)


Technical articles, documents, case resolutions.

Also, use the Knowledge Exchange to learn whatchallenges other users both customers andemployees face and what strategies they find to

address complex issues. From the KnowledgeBase, click the Knowledge Exchange link.

Tips & Tricks

www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asp

Practical business-focused examples.
http://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/http://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/http://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asphttp://www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asphttp://www.businessobjects.com/forms/tipsandtricks_login.asphttp://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/http://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/services/support.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.businessobjects.com/services/documentation.htm


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Useful addresses at a glance

Online Customer Support


www.businessobjects.com/services

Starting point for answering questions, resolvingissues.

Information about registering with WorldwideCustomer Support.

Business Objects Education Services

www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htm

The range of Business Objects training options andmodules.

Business Objects Consulting Services

www.businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htm

Information on how Business Objects can helpmaximize your business intelligence investment.

Address Content
http://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/services/http://www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htmhttp://businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htmhttp://businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htmhttp://businessobjects.com/services/consulting.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/education.htmhttp://www.businessobjects.com/services/http://www.techsupport.businessobjects.com/


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About this guide

This guide describes BusinessObjects OLAP Connect, a data provider that letsBusinessObjects users access Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services (MS OLAPServices) and SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW)multidimensional servers.

AudienceThis guide is intended for the person who uses BusinessObjects OLAP Connectto perform reporting and analysis using BusinessObjects.

Conventions used in this guide

The conventions used in this guide are described in the table below.

Convention Indicates

This font Code, SQL syntax, computer programs. Forexample: @Select(Country\Country Id).This font is also used for all paths, directories,scripts, commands and files for UNIX.

Some code

more code

Placed at the end of a line of code, the symbol ()indicates that the next line should be enteredcontinuously with no carriage return.

$DIRECTORYPATHNAME The path to a directory in the Business Objectsinstallation/configuration directory structure. Forexample:

$INSTALLDIR refers to the Business Objectsinstallation directory.

$LOCDATADIR refers to a subdirectory of theBusinessObjects installation directory calledlocData.


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chapte

r

Introducing BusinessObjectsOLAP Connect


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Introducing BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

Overview

This chapter describes:

how BusinessObjects integrates with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

key features of the BusinessObjects environment for BusinessObjects OLAP

Connect how to access Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services (MS OLAP Services)

and SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW)


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What You can Do with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

What You can Do with BusinessObjects OLAPConnect

Online analytical processing (OLAP) describes a software technology extractsand presents multidimensional data from different points of view.

BusinessObjects OLAP Connect is a tool that lets BusinessObjects users

retrieve data from the data providers Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services (MSOLAP Services) and SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW).

MS OLAP Services and SAP BW are data manipulation engines that support andoperate on multidimensional data structures. Once you have manipulated themaccording to your business needs, you bring it into a BusinessObjects report toconduct your analyses.

The data structures represent how you think about your business. Your products,

the territories in which they are sold, and the time in which sales occur or costsaccrue are represented as dimensions. How you measure your business activity,for example, units sold, net profit, quarterly revenue, are represented asmeasures.

You select from the dimensions and measures to focus on the part of yourbusiness that you want to analyze. From these dimensions and measures, youcreate a data provider from which you generate a BusinessObjects report. Youuse the BusinessObjects report for analysis with the multidimensional data

structures in MS OLAP Services and SAP BW.


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How BusinessObjects Integrates withBusinessObjects OLAP Connect

Analyzing data using BusinessObjects and BusinessObjects OLAP Connect is asix-step process:

1. Connect to the data provider with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

2. Define the data you want using the OLAP Panel3. Generate a BusinessObjects report to display the data

4. Analyze the results within the BusinessObjects report

5. Refine your data selection in the OLAP Panel if necessary

6. Format your results into tables, crosstabs, and charts using BusinessObjects


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How BusinessObjects Integrates with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

What you can do with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

BusinessObjects OLAP Connect provides you with the tools to select thedimensions and measures for your BusinessObjects report. These objects havealready been defined in the MS OLAP Services or SAP BW database. You useBusinessObjects OLAP Connect for the following operations:

Operation Description

Select the initial reportlayout

You can select either the standard BusinessObjectsreport format or a customized format from atemplate.

Select the initial data Using the BusinessObjects OLAP Connect OLAPPanel, you select from your data source thedimensions and measures you want to include in areport. Your choice of dimensions and how youposition them on the OLAP Panel decides how datais fetched from the underlying database.

Fine-tune your data You can modify the data objects withinBusinessObjects by returning to the OLAP Paneland adding and deleting dimension members andlevels, or by using a filter to restrict the datareturned from the database.

For example, you may initially choose to look at

sales data for a region. Then you decide that onlyone store within the region requires your attention.You remove the region dimension member andselect the specific store instead. Or, you can filterthe region dimension member so that you canrequest to view data for by store.


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Format reports fora specific look

You can:

resize and position blocks and cells

apply shading and borders to sections, blocks, andcells

format the cells, chart elements, or data

use page headers, footers, and margins display page numbers, dates, and times

Print your reportsor publish them onthe Web

You can convert your documents to HTML and place themon a Web server so that people with a Web browser canaccess them. For further information about usingBusinessObjects and the Web, refer to the InfoViewUsersGuide.

Send and receivedocuments to andfrom other users

You can exchange documents with other users byelectronic mail or through a document repository createdby the BusinessObjects supervisor at your company.

Scheduledocument tasks

You can have tasks on your documents carried out atspecified times or intervals, enabling work to be done onyour documents while you are away from your computer.

You can... Description


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Accessing MS OLAP Services or SAP BW

Accessing MS OLAP Services or SAP BW

You access BusinessObjects OLAP Connect from within BusinessObjects whenyou create a new report. You select BusinessObjects OLAP Connect as yourchosen data access and then connect to a multidimensional data source on anMS OLAP Services or SAP BW server.

The New Report WizardWhen you create a new BusinessObjects report, the New Report Wizard takesyou through the steps of using BusinessObjects OLAP Connect to accessdatabases on MS OLAP Services and SAP BW servers.

To access BusinessObjects OLAP Connect:

1. Select Others

2. From the drop-down menu select OLAP Connect

select OLAP Connect


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The OLAP panel

The OLAP Panel is the graphical interface where you define the data you wantfor your report. You specify the dimensions, levels, dimension members, andmeasures you want to include in your report within the OLAP Panel and thengenerate a BusinessObjects report.

Further informationFor more information about dimensions, dimension members, hierarchies,

hierarchy levels, and measures refer to Chapter 2 of this guide, Getting Started.

e

b

a. Dimension button. Each dimension button represents a dimension of the multidimensional

data structure. You use the buttons to select the members of each dimension you want toanalyze in the BusinessObjects report.

b. The filter axis. The selected dimension members on the filter axis filter the values of measures

displayed in the report.

c. The Measures dimension. Measures, called Key figures or Structure in SAP BW, generate

the values in the report and are created within the multidimensional data structure. If you

dont select a particular measure for your report, a default measure will appear.)

d. The dimension drop zone. The selected members or levels of dimensions you drag into the

dimension drop zone will be displayed in the rows and columns of the report.

e. Clear button. Clears the dimension drop zone of all dimensions, filters, and data values.

f. Options button. Sets the report layout preferences.

g. Save and Close button. Saves the query and closes the OLAP Panel.

h. OK button. Generates a BusinessObjects report.

i. Cancel button. Closes the OLAP Panel and cancels any action you have made.

j. Help button. Opens the contextual online help for BusinessObjects OLAP Connect.

c

a

h igf

d

j


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ch

apte

r

Getting Started


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Getting Started

Overview

This chapter guides you through the process of creating a BusinessObjectsreport from data stored on Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services (MS OLAPServices) and SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) OLAP servers.It explains how to:

connect to MS OLAP Services, including local .cub files, and SAP BW servers

select the data you need to generate a BusinessObjects report


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Connecting to the Data Source


The data for the reports you want to create and analyze with BusinessObjectsexists in MS OLAP Services (including .cub files) or SAP BW Servers. You useBusinessObjects to connect to the server you want via BusinessObjects OLAPConnect, and create a BusinessObjects document.

Launch BusinessObjectsFirst, you have to launch BusinessObjects. To do this:

1. Click BusinessObjects, then Reporterin the Start, Programs menu.

What happens next depends on how BusinessObjects has been set up inyour company:

If then

BusinessObjects opens directly, 2. go to the next section LaunchBusinessObjects OLAPConnect.

the User Identification dialog boxappears,

2. enter your user name andpassword, choose your securitydomain, if applicable, and clickOK.

The user name, password, and

security domain are assigned byyour BusinessObjectssupervisor or systemadministrator.

The User Identification dialogbox closes and theBusinessObjects window opens.

3. go to the next section Launch

BusinessObjects OLAPConnect.


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Getting Started

Launch BusinessObjects OLAP Connect

The New Report Wizard helps you connect to your data source and build a newreport by guiding you through the process of acquiring the data you need to buildyour report.

Depending on your BusinessObjects settings, the New Report Wizard mayappear automatically. If it does not:

Click New Report Wizard.

The New Report Wizard appears. You are ready to create a new report usingBusinessObjects OLAP Connect.

New Report

Wizard

select thelayout for

your report


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When you create a BusinessObjects report, you can choose whether you want togenerate a standard report or a report with special layout and formatting. To dothis:

1. Select the type of report you want to generate:

2. Click Begin.

The Specify Data Access dialog box appears.

3. Click Others and select OLAP Connect from the drop-down list.

Depending on your BusinessObjects license key, you may have access to MSOLAP Services or SAP BW, or some combination of these. If you have accessto MS OLAP Services, you can also access multidimensional data files in .cubfile format. If you do not have access to the data provider you need, contactyour system administrator.

If then

you want to generate a standard

BusinessObjects report,

select Generate a standard report.

you want to apply a speciallayout and format to the report,

select Select a template.

For further information on selecting atemplate and applying a special layout toa report, see the BusinessObjects UsersGuide: Reporting Techniques and

Formattingand Getting Started withBusinessObjects.

select OLAP

Connect from the

drop-down list


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Getting Started

4. Click Finish.

What you see next depends on whether you have access to Microsoft SQLServer OLAP Services or SAP BW.

5. If you have access to more than one data provider, select the one you needin order to connect to the data source you want to analyze.

NOTE

If you want to access a .cub file file, check MS OLAP Services.

If you then

have access to more thanone data provider

the OLAP Server Name dialog box appears.To finish connecting to the database, go to

Step 5.have access to MicrosoftOLAP Services or a .cub file,

the Database Locations dialog box appears.To finish connecting to the database, go toStep 6.

have access to SAP BW, the Connections Parameters dialog boxappears. To finish connecting to thedatabase, go to Step 8.


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6. If you are connecting to MS OLAP Services or a local .cub file, the DatabaseLocations dialog box appears.

Depending where the data is stored, you can connect to a server machine on

a company network, your local server, or a .cub file.

7. Click Next.

To finish connecting to your data source, go to Step 9.

by default, the nameof your computer

appears in theComputer box

To connect to you need to

a server on thenetwork of yourcompany or toyour local server,

type the name of the server machine.

For example, if you want to access the Sales databasewhich is on the server called KIPLING, type KIPLING.

If necessary, contact your system administrator for thename of the server running the database you need.

a .cub file, check Cube File and click Browse to select the .cub filecontaining the data you want.

To follow the examples in this guide, connect to theefashion.cub demonstration file provided withBusinessObjects OLAP Connect. The default locationat installation is:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects

Enterprise 6\demo\databases


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Getting Started

8. If you are connecting to SAP BW, the Connection Parameters dialog boxappears. This is where you connect to the server machine running thedatabase you want to access for your report. If you are connecting to SAP BWfor the first time, see the section "SAP BW Connection Considerations" onpage 40.

In the Server box, type the name of the server description name for the SAPBW database that appears in the saplogon.ini file.

The Client ID box displays the default ID for SAP BW. The language boxdisplays the default language. Contact your system administrator for yourSAP BW client ID and application language code if they are not the same asthe default.

Click Next.The Customize Connection Information dialog box appears. To finishconnecting to your data source, go to Step 9.

enter the name of theserver description

name here

the language box

displays the defaultlanguage code for

English

the default

Client ID


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9. Enter a name in the Name text box that defines your data source. Ameaningful name helps you to select the correct data source connection eachtime you use BusinessObjects OLAP Connect to create a report. This isimportant if you plan to create connections to more than one data source.

You can use, for example, the name of the server or data provider, forexample, MS OLAP Services, SAP BW, or the name of the .cub file itself.

10. In the Description text box, enter a description of data you are using. This isoptional.


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Getting Started

11.Click Finish.

The Select Connection dialog box appears with the connection you created.

This is where you choose which database you want to access each time youcreate a new BusinessObjects report using BusinessObjects OLAP Connect.

NOTE

You can also use the Select Connection dialog box to edit or delete existingconnections.

12.Select the connection.

13.Click:

Next if you have a server connection. Continue on to Step 14.

or

Finish if you are using a .cub file. The OLAP Panel opens and you are nowready to select data to create your report.

deletes the highlighted

connection

edits the highlighted

connection

new data source connection


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TIP

To modify the keyword and description of a data source, clickEdit in the Select

Connection dialog box and then Next repeatedly until the Customize Connection

Information dialog box appears. Make any modifications here, then clickFinish. The

new information appears in the Select Connection dialog box.

14.Depending on your data source, one of the following occurs:

15.Enter your username and password for access to SAP BW. Click Next

If you areaccessing

then

MS OLAPServices,

the Select Cube to Open dialog box appears, displayingthe databases available on the server. You are ready toselect the OLAP cube from which you will select data foryour report. See Step 16 below.

SAP BW, you need to enter your SAP BW login before you selectan OLAP infocube.

The SAP BW login dialog box appears

See Step 15below.

38 B i Obj t OLAP C t U G id


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Getting Started

The Select Cube to Open dialog box appears, displaying the databases andcubes available on the server.

NOTE

If you are connected to an SAP BW server, the Select Cube to Open dialog boxincludes the Show Technical Names check box.

Unchecked by default, Show Technical Names allows you to view the technicalnames of the SAP BW infoqueries. Technical names are the internal keys bywhich SAP BW identifies individual infoqueries. This is useful for users who are

familiar with the structure of the database and the keys assigned to eachinfoquery. By default, the infoqueries display the meaningful descriptions givento them by the database administrator.

when a data cube is

selected, the Cube

Summary panel displays thedate the cube was last

updated



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16.Select the OLAP cube by clicking the + sign to the left of a database icon andselecting the cube filename, then click Finish.

Your computer connects to the data cube you selected. When the connectionis made, the OLAP Panel appears.

You are ready to make your data selection and create a report.



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40 BusinessObjects OLAP Connect User s Guide

Getting Started

SAP BW Connection ConsiderationsWhen you are setting up a connection to a SAP BW server, you must make surethat the server name you specify is exactlythe same as the appropriate SAPconnection description. SAP connections are set up using the SAPLogon toolprovided by SAP. Assuming that you have defined connections to three servers,BOB, BOS and BWT, the SAP Logon dialog box lists them in the Description listbox.

If you click on Properties, you see further details of the highlighted connection.

It is the system description (in this case, BOB) that you enter when setting up aconnection to SAP BW in BusinessObjects, not the name of the server (in thiscase TINOS). Note that the system description is case-sensitive: Bob is not thesame system as BOB.



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BusinessObjects OLAP Connect User s Guide 41

Defining the Data for a Report


The BusinessObjects OLAP Connect OLAP Panel is your launchpad forselecting the data you want to analyze from multidimensional data structures.You make your data selection on the OLAP Panel, then generate aBusinessObjects report containing the information you want to analyze.

Throughout the first part of this manual you will use the efashion.cub

demonstration file that ships with BusinessObjects. When you installBusinessObjects, the default location for this .cub file is:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise6\demo\databases

This .cub file contains data about sales of various products over time. For thepurpose of the examples, assume that you are a sales manager looking to gatherprogressively more information about your companys sales performance.

Selecting data from the OLAP panel

The OLAP Panel is the interface through which you define the data that you wantBusinessObjects from the OLAP server. After you have defined the data usingthe OLAP Panel, BusinessObjects OLAP Connect generates a MultidimensionalExpression language (MDX) query to run against the OLAP server.BusinessObjects OLAP Connect shields you from the complexities of MDX andallows you to create complex queries using an intuitive, graphical approach.

Data is represented in OLAP servers by dimensions and measures. In theefashion.cub, the dimensions are Product, Time, and Store. The measures areAmount, representing sales amount, Quantity, representing quantity of productsold, and Margin, representing profit margin. Dimensions describe the variouscomponents of your business, while measures describe business activity, forexample how many items were sold in a particular store in a particular month.

In the OLAP Panel, each dimension is represented initially as a button on the filteraxis, while the measures are accessible via the Measures button that appears on

the right side of the panel. When you drag a dimension to the dimension drop



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j

Getting Started

zone, it will appear in your report. However, you can also set up filters ondimensions without moving them from the filter axis. As a result you can filter yourreport without filling it with unnecessary information.

the dimension buttons display the label

of each dimension in the data cube

the filter axis

displays the

dimensions

and members

that filter the

values in thereport

the dimension

drop zone the

dimensions

you drag here

will appear in

the report

Measures (for MS OLAP Services)

or

Key figures or Structure (for SAP BW)



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The OLAP Panel and the dimension properties dialog box make extensive use ofpopup menus. To access these menus on the OLAP Panel, right-click on adimension button or the Measures button. You will use these menus frequentlyas you work with the OLAP Panel.

If you generate a report without making a data selection, the measure displayedin the report will be the default measure, Margin in the efashion.cub, set up byyour database administrator. The values of the measure will be those for thedefault level of data in each dimension (typically the All level).

When you build a report, however, you have a specific business question in mind.

You make a selection from the available dimensions in the OLAP Panel to builda report that answers your particular business needs, and then generate theBusinessObjects report.

EXAMPLE

What was the amount of merchandise sold in California over the past threeyears?

1. Drag the Store dimension into the dimension drop zone.

The dimension properties dialog box for Store appears.

2. In the Members tab click on the + next to All.

3. Double-click on California to add it to the Report list, then click OK to returnto the OLAP Panel.

4. Drag the Time dimension into the dimension drop zone.

The dimension properties dialog box for Time appears.



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Getting Started

5. In the Members tab select 1999, 2000, and 2001 and add them to the Reportlist, then click OK to return to the OLAP Panel.

6. Double-click the Measures button.

The dimension properties dialog box for Measures appears.

7. Double-click the Quantity measure to add it to the Report list.

8. Click OK to return to the OLAP Panel.

9. Click OK to generate the BusinessObjects report.

A report appears showing the quantity sold for the last three years in California.

Further informationYou can choose from a list of options to define the way the OLAP Panel behavesand how the queries you perform will be executed. For more information seeSetting your user preferences on page 48.

How you select the data you want for the reportYou make your data selection by choosing specific members or levels from thedifferent dimensions of the OLAP cube. If you want to display the values ofdimension members in the report, you drag the dimension button into thedimension drop zone. For example, if you want to display the names of differentgeographical regions on a column in your report, you drag the Store dimensioninto the dimension drop zone, and then select the member regions you want toanalyze.

When you leave a dimension button on the filter axis, the members or levels youselected affect the values that appear on your report. Their values will not bevisible in the actual crosstab or chart, but they still filter the measure values the



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report displays. This allows you to report data for a more specific set of memberswithout exploding your report with multiple rows and columns.

the filter axis displays

the Time dimension,

and the Storedimension, filtered by

the member California

the BusinessObjects report

displays the Product linemembers and the Amount

measure. The values in the

Amount column are for total

sales earnings in California

for the past three years by

product line

the dimension drop zone

displays selectedmembers from the

Product dimension and

the measure Amount



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Getting Started

How you refer to the data you selectThe OLAP Panel uses standard multidimensional data terms that you will needto know when you select data from the OLAP cube to build a report. Thecommonly used terms are listed below:

OLAP Term Description

Dimension A structural attribute of a cube made up of hierarchical levelscontaining individual members. A dimension offers a businessview of your corporate data. The members of any onedimension are of a similar type in the users perception of thedata. For example, months, quarters, and years, make up theTime dimension in the efashion.cub.

Member An item in a dimension representing one or more occurrencesof data. Members are usually the same items that appear indata-entry forms, sales, catalogs, and other places where data

is presented, collected, and reported upon in your day-to-daybusiness. Examples include a SKU in a product line, a specificcolor code, or a month of a specific year.

Hierarchy An arrangement of members of a dimension into levels whereeach level represents the aggregated total of the data from thelevel below. Members in a hierarchy are arranged from themore general to the more specific; for example, Year, Quarter,Month.

Level An element of a dimension hierarchy. Levels describe thedimension order from the highest (most summarized) level tothe lowest (most detailed) level of data. Each level above thebase level represents the aggregated total of the data from thelevel below.

Measure The numeric data of primary interest to cube users, such assales or cost data and other key performance indicators of your

business.



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How data is organized on the dimensions of the data cubeData is organized on each dimension by hierarchical levels. The graphicalinterface of BusinessObjects OLAP Connect displays the hierarchies of eachdimension like a family tree. When you build a BusinessObjects report, you canquickly select a member, and then specify its family relationship.

For example, if in the Store dimension you select the member California, you canthen select its children. This will give you all the members on the level

immediately below California on the Store dimension. Choosing the children ofCalifornia selects all the cities and stores within the state of California for whichthere is data in the OLAP cube.

Selecting data by family relationship helps you to build maintenance free reports.For example, if on the Store dimension you select the children of the memberHouston, the report will automatically include data on new stores in Houston asthey are added to the data cube.

The following diagram shows how family terms are used in practice. The cube

outline below, illustrates the family relationship of dimension members in thedimension Store. The member selected is Texas.

Texas

Children = Austin, Dallas, Houston

Siblings = Colorado, New York, ...

Parent = All

Descendants = Houston and e-FashionHouston, Dallas, Austin, and all of their

children

Ancestors = All and any higher levels



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Getting Started

The table below, lists all the family terms used to describe the members of adimension:

Setting your user preferencesBusinessObjects OLAP Connect includes an Options dialog box, where you setthe behavior of the OLAP Panel and of the queries you perform against OLAPdata sources. To access the Options dialog box, click Options in the OLAPPanel.

OLAP Term Description

Child A member one level below the selected member that isdesignated as its parent.

Siblings Members at the same level who have the same parent.

Parent The member that is one level above the selected member andthat uses the selected member to obtain part of its value.

Descendants All members at all levels below the selected member.

Ancestors All members at all levels above the selected member.

LowestMember

This automatically selects the members in the lowest level ina dimension.



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For MS OLAP ServicesThe Options dialog box for MS OLAP Services looks like this:

It allows you to do the following:

If you want then select the option

the dimension propertiesdialog box to appearautomatically when youdrag an empty dimensionfrom the filter axis into thedimension drop zone,

Pop up the Dimension Properties dialog box(forempty dimensions) after a drag/drop operation.

This option is selected by default. If you unselectthis option, you need to double-click thedimension button in order to open the dimensionproperties dialog box.

dimensions for which thereis no data to be excluded

from the report,

Suppress missing or erroneous data from the

results of the query.

For example, if you are generating a sales reportand your data cube has no sales data for the cityHouston, then your report will not include a row forHouston.

When this option is unchecked, your report willdisplay empty rows for dimensions containing nodata.



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Getting Started

For SAP BWThe Options dialog box for SAP BW includes the options for MS OLAP Servicesdescribed above (see For MS OLAP Services on page 49) and three additionaloptions:

These options allow SAP BW users to choose how they want to view the namesof dimension members in the dimension properties dialog box:

The screenshot below illustrates how the member codes and descriptions aredisplayed in the dimension properties dialog box for SAP BW data sources. Thisexample shows members of the Calendar year/quarter dimension. The option

Code and Description is selected in the Options dialog box.

If you want to view then select the option

both the key code and the description of dimensionmembers,

Code and Description

only the description of dimension members, Description

only the key code for dimension members, Code

code

description



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Three ways of selecting dimension members

Using the BusinessObjects OLAP Connect OLAP Panel, you select the membersand measures you want to analyze from each dimension of the OLAP cube datasource. You can select the dimension members you need in three ways:

by member

by level

by family relationship

Selecting data by memberViewing data by member is useful when you want to select a specific member orgroup of specific members from the OLAP cube.

EXAMPLE

What are the quarter 1 figures for 1999?

1. Drag the Time dimension button into the dimension drop zone.

If your OLAP Panel preferences are set to popup the dimension propertiesdialog box automatically, it appears now by default. If not, double-click thedimension button to open it. To set your preferences, click Options and checkPop up the Dimension Properties dialog box (for empty dimensions) after a

drag/drop operation.

2. Click the Members tab.

The Members tab displays dimension members hierarchically by parent/childrelationship.

Member icon



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Getting Started

3. Click the + button next to All, then 1999, and double-click 1 to add it to theReport list.

The selected member appears in the Report list.

NOTE

If you are connected to SAP BW, you can opt to view members by their key code

and/or description. See Setting your user preferences on page 48.

Named Sets

A Named Set is a group created by the cube administrator that allows you toselect a set of dimension members of particular interest. For example, you maywant to create a report including all merchandise related to a theme, such as theOlympic Games, or all merchandise with a specific holiday theme, such as

Christmas or Easter.

NOTE

The Named Set feature is only available for MS OLAP Services.

If the dimension you are browsing contains Named Sets, they appear under theheading Named Sets at the bottom of the list of sets. You add the set to the

the Report listdisplays the

data you

select to build

the report

this indicates the number of child

members beneath the selected member



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Report list by highlighting it and clicking Add just as you would for any othermember that appears in the list.

Selecting data by levelViewing data by level is useful when you are dealing with very large databasesand want to include all dimension members at a specific level of data detail; forexample, all quarters in the Time dimension or all states in the Store dimension.To select members of a dimension level and add them to your report:

1. Drag the dimension button into the dimension drop zone.The dimension properties dialog box appears. If it does not, double-click thedimension button.

2. Click the Levels tab.

The Levels tab displays dimension members hierarchically by level name.When you select a level, you automatically select all its members; forexample, if you select Quarter, you include allquarters ofallyears stored onthe OLAP cube.

named set

Level Icon



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Getting Started

3. Select the level you need; for example, Quarter.

4. Click Add.

Members on level Quarter appears in the Report list.

On both the Members and Levels tab, if you select an item that contains morethan 1000 child items, BusinessObjects displays a warning before it starts toretrieve the members. If you decide that you still want to retrieve the members,clickYes; if not, click No.



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While BusinessObjects is retrieving a large quantity of members, it displays itsprogress graphically using a progress bar. If you decide that you do not wish tocontinue retrieving the members, click Cancel .

Select data by family relationshipSelecting by family relationship allows you to build maintenance-free reports thatwill automatically include new child members as they are added to the OLAPcube in the future. If you select descendants of a member, you include allthemembers below that member. If you select ancestors of a member, you includeallthe members above that member. There are two ways of selecting dimensionmembers using family terms:

In the dimension properties dialog box, select a dimension member, then clickthe Add drop-down arrow and select a family relation.

click the arrow to select children

of Accessories in the dimension

properties dialog box


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Getting Started

Viewing selected members

You can quickly view the members selected in a dimension by accessing the

Properties window for the dimension. To do this:1. Right-click the dimension button.

The popup menu appears.

2. Select the Display Summary option.

The Properties window for the dimension appears, with the Members tabshowing the members selected for the dimension.

All in same level Selects all members at the same level as the selectedmember. Similar to siblings except that it includes childmembers ofallthe members at the same level as theselected members parent.

All members indimension

Selects all the members in the same dimension as theselected member.

Members at lowestlevel

Selects all members at the lowest level of the selectedmembers dimension.

Top member ofdimension

Selects the top member of the selected membersdimension.

Option Description



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Viewing the children of a selected itemWhenever you select a member in the dimension properties dialog box in eitherthe Members or the Levels tab, you can view that members children. To do this,click the Show List in Cube box.

You can then use your mouse to drag the left border of the child members list untilthe list is the width you require.

you can drag

this border to

resize the child

members list



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Getting Started

Working with the children of the selected itemOnce you have checked the Show List in Cube box, you can work with the list ofchildren using the right mouse button menu. To do this, right-click on the list ofchildren.

You can work with the list of child members in various ways using this menu.

Option Description

Select Adds the currently selected child member to the report.

Select all Adds all of the child members to the report.

Filter List... Allows you to filter the list of child members.

Sort List Sorts the list in ascending alphabetical order.

Delete Deletes the currently selected member (if allowed).



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Filtering the child members listThe Filter List option lets you narrow down the amount of items shown. You canfilter the list multiple times. For example, you can filter the list for those itemscontaining the string Leather Belt, then filter the result list by another string. Youcan continue filtering until you have reduced the list to the items you require.

1. Select Filter List from the menu.

The Filter Member List dialog box appears.

2. Type the name of the child to be included in the filter.

3. Click OK.The list will be restricted to the those items containing the string you entered.In this example, the list will be reduced to all items containing the stringLeather Belt.

NOTE

The filter is not case sensitive. In the above example, the strings Leather Beltand LEATHER BELT return the same result.



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Getting Started

Creating an initial reportYou build your report by selecting the members and levels you want to analyzefor each dimension. You drag and drop the dimensions you want to display in thereport into the dimension drop zone on the OLAP Panel. The dimensions youleave on the filter axis are not displayed in the report, but they can filter themeasure values displayed in the report.

The following example takes you step-by-step through the process of building a

report, based on the demonstration file, efashion.cub. This .cub file is installedautomatically with BusinessObjects OLAP Connect at:

C:\Program Files\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise6\demo\databases

EXAMPLE

Create a sales report for fiscal 2001

You are a sales manager for the US division of efashion Corporation. You want

to create a report that shows store sales by product family for the fiscal year2001. Using the BusinessObjects OLAP Connect OLAP Panel, you are going toselect the dimensions and measures necessary for your analysis.

Step 1: Selecting the Product and Time dimension members1. Drag the Productdimension button into the dimension drop zone.

The dimension properties dialog box appears.

dimensiondrop zone



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You want to analyze store sales by product lines. The quickest way to do thisis to select the dimension level called Lines, because this level includes all ofthe product family members: Accessories, City Skirts, and other product lines.

2. Click the Levels tab, select Lines, and click Add.

top level

next top level

its members Accessories,

City Skirts, and others

member of All

members of Lines

the Report

list displays

the

dimension

membersyou select to

build the

report



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Getting Started

3. Click OK to confirm your selection and to return to the OLAP Panel.The Product dimension button displays Members on level Lines.

4. Drag the Time dimension button into the dimension drop zone.


You want to display 2001 sales results by quarter in the report. In the data.cub file, 2001 is a member of the All dimension.

5. In the Member Selection tab, click the + icon next toAllto view the outline ofthe hierarchies in the dimension, and select 2001.

6. To see which members of the dimension are included in your data selection,click the Show list in Cube check box.

The dimension properties window lists all selected members.

Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4 are children of the year 2001.

the mouseoverdisplays the complete

labels of members and

levels you select from adimension



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7. Click the Add drop-down button.The popup menu lists the family relations.

8. Select Children from the list of options.

Children of 2001 appears in the Report list.


The Time dimension button displays Children of 2001.



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Getting Started

Step 2: Selecting the Store Sales measureYou want to analyze sales at the Texas retail outlets. The measure thatcalculates retail sales is called Amount in the efashion.cub file. To select themeasure for your report:

1. Double-click the Measures button. (Note: If you are using SAP BW, this is theStructures button.)


The dialog box displays the measures set up on the database.

2. Select the Amount measure, then double-click, or click the Add button, ordrag and drop the measure to the Report list.


The Measures button displaysAmount.



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4. Click OK to generate the BusinessObjects report.

The report displays values for store sales per line in Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4 of2001.

You can now continue your analysis in BusinessObjects, format the report(creating charts and crosstabs), and refresh the document to update it with themost recent data in the OLAP server.


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3 D th St G h di i b tt t th di i d


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Getting Started

3. Drag the Store Geography dimension button to the dimension drop zone.The dimension properties dialog shows the Geography hierarchy.

4. If, instead of choosing a hierarchy in the Choose Hierarchy tab, you selectCreate separate Dimension Button from each hierarchyin the Store buttonproperties dialog box, the OLAP Panel now displays a separate button foreach hierarchy within the dimension.

NOTE

The Create separate Dimension Button from each hierarchyoption is onlyavailable with MS OLAP Services.

Working with default membersThe OLAP administrator can define a member as the default member for adimension. If you drag a dimension to the dimension drop zone but do not selecta member, BusinessObjects will place the default member in the report.

EXAMPLE

Create a report that uses default members and multiple hierarchies

Note: The efashion.cub does not support this example.

1. Drag a dimension to the dimension drop zone, but do not select a hierarchymember from the dimension properties dialog box.

2. Right-click over the button and select Choose/Split Hierarchy.


3 Select a hierarchy then OK


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3. Select a hierarchy, then OK.

The label on the button now reads the dimension and hierarchy names.

4. Drag the button to the dimension drop zone and add the children of thedimension to the Report list.


Changing the Report Data Source


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Getting Started

Changing the Report Data SourceAfter creating a report you can change the reports data source so that the reportretrieves its data from a different OLAP cube. You can do this only if the cubeshave the same data provider and structure.

NOTE

The efashion.cub does not support the example in this section.

To change a reports data source:

1. Click Data Manager.

The Data Manager dialog box appears.

2. Select the Definition tab.

you use the browse button tochange the reports data source


3 Click the browse button next to the cube name


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Changing the Report Data Source

3. Click the browse button next to the cube name.The Data Provider Properties dialog box appears.

4. Click Browse.

The Select Connection dialog box appears.


5. Choose a different connection and cube as the data source for your reportand click Finish


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Getting Started

5. Choose a different connection and cube as the data source for your reportand click Finish.

BusinessObjects processes the change of data source. If the new cubes dataprovider or structure is different, BusinessObjects displays an error messageand the OK button on the Data Provider Properties dialog box remainsdisabled.

6. Click OK to dismiss the Data Provider Properties dialog box.

NOTEYou cannot change both the report data source and the Keep connection activefor last processed data providersetting (see Setting the Connection Strategy onpage 80) at the same time in the Data Provider Properties dialog box.


Changing the Report Login


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Changing the Report LoginIf you are using SAP BW, you log on to the OLAP server before creating yourreport.

NOTE

The efashion.cub does not support the example in this section.

You can subsequently change the logon that you use to access the server. Tochange the login:





3. Click the browse button next to the database name.The Data Provider Properties dialog box appears


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Getting Started

The Data Provider Properties dialog box appears.

4. Click Change Login.

NOTE

The Change Login button is visible only when you are connected to SAP BW.

The Change Connection Parameters dialog box appears.

5. Enter a new User Name and Password.

6. Click Test to test that the new User Name and Password are valid.

7. Click OK.


NOTE


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You cannot change both the report login and the Keep connection active for lastprocessed data providersetting (see Setting the Connection Strategy onpage 80) at the time in the Data Provider Properties dialog box.

Changing the login and report bursting

NOTE

This option is only available for SAP BW.

Report bursting is a Broadcast Agent feature that automatically generates reportsfor users. When a report is sent for report bursting, some users will see differentsubsets of data depending on their access privileges. For example, some usershave fewer data access privileges than you and have will see only those subsets

for which they have permission.To ensure that users reports are refreshed using their own user profile duringreport bursting, rather than with your profile:

1. Follow the procedure described in the section Changing the Report Login onpage 75 to access the Change Connection Parameters dialog box.

2. In the dialog box, check the Use Recipients Business Objects User Nameand Password for Report Burstingoption.

Any text in the User Name and Password boxes is cleared and it is no longerpossible to type text in these boxes.

3. Click OK.


NOTE


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Getting Started

For report bursting to succeed, there must be an account on the OLAP Serverthat has the same user name and password as the users BusinessObjectsaccount.

Further information

For more information about Broadcast Agent, see the Broadcast AgentAdministrators Guide.


Changing the Display of the List of Values inI f Vi


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Changing the Display of the List of Values in InfoView

g g p yInfoView

When you refresh a report containing a prompt that is published to InfoView, thelist of values presents by default the technical name of its items. Thispresentation can be confusing for the user, especially in the case of SAP BW.

The Use alias in the list of values for InfoView setting allows you to choose

between technical names and labels for the display in InfoView.To activate this setting:




3. Click the browse button next to the database name.


4. Check Use alias in the list of values for InfoView.

5. Click OK.

NOTE

You need to run the query and publish to InfoView before this setting is activatedin a report.

check this setting

to use alias in a list

of values


Setting the Connection Strategy


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Getting Started

g gyBy default, BusinessObjects connects to the OLAP server to load the cubemetadata (dimensions, hierarchies, levels, and members) whenever you openthe OLAP Panel. If the cube has a large amount of metadata, this can take time.You can speed up opening of the OLAP Panel by setting BusinessObjects tocache the cube metadata. If the metadata is cached, BusinessObjects does notneed to reconnect to the OLAP server to reload it whenever the OLAP Panel is

opened.To cache the metadata:





3.Click the browse button next to the database name.



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Setting the Connection Strategy

4. Check the Keep Connection Active for Last Processed Data Provideroption.

5. Click OK.

NOTE

You cannot change both the report data source and activate or deactivate theKeep Connection Active for Last Processed Data Provideroption at the sametime in the Data Provider Properties dialog box. When you check the KeepConnection Active for Last Processed Data Provider, the Browse button isdisabled.


Getting Information About the Report Data


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Getting Started

You can get information about your report data in two ways: from the OLAP Panelor from the data provider functions.

Getting information from the OLAP panel

The OLAP Panels title bar gives details of the server, database, and cube fromwhich the report draws data.

Getting information from the data provider functions

BusinessObjects has a number of functions that you can use in a report to displayinformation about the report data source. You can incorporate these functionsinto formulas or variables which you can include in your report. For details on howto work with formulas and variables, see the BusinessObjects Users Guide.

Functions receive an input value, or argument, and return an output value basedon the value of the argument. As a result, you can use these functions incombination (with the output of one providing the input to the next) to getinformation about your reports data source.

The data provider functions that are useful when working with BusinessObjects

OLAP Connect are DataProvider(), Connection(), OlapQueryDescription() andSourceName(). The following table describes the functions usage and output.

cubeserver database

Function Argument Returns

DataProvider() Any variable fromthe report

The name of the data provideras shown in the Data Managerdialog box.


Connection() DataProvider() For server connection: server Function Argument Returns


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Getting Information About the Report Data

The table below shows formulas built using these functions in the example reportcreated in the section Creating an initial report on page 62.

() ()provider; server name;database name; cube name

For local cube file: serverprovider;.cub file path; cubename

OlapQueryDescription() DataProvider() Description of the OLAP query.SourceName() DataProvider() Server/database/cube.

Formula Output

DataProvider() OlapQuery1 in SALES2K

Connection(DataProvider())

Provider=MSOLAP;DataSource=C:\LocalCubes\efashion.cub;InitialCatalog=SALES2K

OlapQueryDescription(DataProvider())

Store Sales by Time Filter: Memberssorted alphabetically in Ascendingorder, Grouped by Product Filter:Members sorted alphabetically inAscending order, Filtered by USA

SourceName(DataProvider())

C:\Local Cubes\efashion.cub / Sales2K


Saving a Report DefinitionYo ill not al a s complete the b ilding of a report in one session partic larl


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Getting Started

You will not always complete the building of a report in one session, particularlyif the report is very complex. In addition, you will not always design reportsagainst the production cubes from which users will draw data. In this case you doneed to save the report definition before moving it to the production environment.BusinessObjects OLAP Connect has the Save and Close feature which allowsyou to save the definition of a report at any time. You can then return to the report

in the future to complete its definition.

NOTE

Save and Close saves the structure of a report, not the formatting. You shouldnot format your report prior to saving its definition.

Saving and closing a report

To save a report definition:1. Click Save and Close on the OLAP Panel.

The Save and Close message appears.

The next time you open the report you will need to run the query before youcan refresh the data.

Refreshing a report saved using Save and CloseIf you attempt to refresh the data in a report that was last saved using Save andClose before the query was run, BusinessObjects will remind you that you needto open the OLAP Panel and run the query before refreshing the data.


Formatting the ReportYou can format your initial table or turn it into a crosstab or chart and add graphics


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Formatting the Report

You can format your initial table or turn it into a crosstab or chart and add graphicsto produce a professional looking document.

Further informationSee the BusinessObjects Users Guide: Reporting Techniques and Formatting.


Refreshing the ReportYou can refresh the report with the Refresh Data command or you can select


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Getting Started

You can refresh the report with the Refresh Data command or you can selectvarious options for having it refreshed automatically. For further information onrefresh options, see the BusinessObjects Users Guide: Reporting Techniquesand Formatting.

After generating the report, you can return to the OLAP Panel to edit your dataselection and regenerate the report.

Further informationFor information about refining your data selection and on using filters, sorts,ranks, and calculations, see Chapter 3, Fine-Tuning your Data Selection.

Refresh Data


Including Different Queries in One ReportYou can display results of other queries on the same data provider and on other


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Including Different Queries in One Report

ou ca d sp ay esu ts o ot e que es o t e sa e data p o de a d o ot edata providers in one BusinessObjects report or on additional report tabs in thesame BusinessObjects document. For example, in the same report, you caninclude a chart with information on yearly sales and a table with a breakdown ofsales by product in the last quarter.

To do this, click the insert tables, crosstabs, or chart icon on the standard Report

toolbar, or select the Insert menu and then select Table, Crosstab, or Chart. Theinsert wizards guide you through the steps of choosing the data source.

Further informationSee the BusinessObjects Users Guide: Accessing Data and Data Analysis.



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Getting Started


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ch

apter

Fine-Tuning Your Data Selection


Overview


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Fine-Tuning Your Data Selection

This chapter shows you how to use the OLAP Panel in BusinessObjects OLAPConnect to fine-tune the data in your report.

Once you have seen initial results, you can extract specific information from thedata, and exclude data that is of little interest. You can bring in data, and organiz

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