BW200 Business Information Warehouse Overview

New Dimension Products (ND)ISG.ND

(C) SAP AG ISG.ND 1-1

Release 46D 02.07.2001

0

R/3 System

Release BW 1.2B

December, 1999

BW200 Business Information Warehouse Overview

Instructor Guide

Level 03

Key to icons in the Instructor Guide:Timing

Next Slide (s)

Instructor

Demonstration

Exercises

Activity

Summary

Objectives

Business Scenario

Hints and Tips

Warning or Caution


Revisions to Previous Instructor Guide..................................................................4

Course Details...........................................................................................................4Duration............................................................................................................................................. 4

Course Materials and other Materials................................................................................................4

Country-Specific Units........................................................................................................................ 4

Course Instructor Profiles........................................................................................5Level of Knowledge Required............................................................................................................5

Courses Recommended as Preparation............................................................................................5

Online Help Recommended as Preparation.......................................................................................5

Hints on Preparing This Course.........................................................................................................5

Training System........................................................................................................6Data Required.................................................................................................................................... 6

User ID and Passwords for Course Participants................................................................................6

Preparation in the System.................................................................................................................. 6

Example ABAPs................................................................................................................................. 6

CATTs................................................................................................................................................ 6

Technical Hints.................................................................................................................................. 6

Goals and Objectives................................................................................................7

Course Structure and Flow......................................................................................8Course Schedule: Day One...............................................................................................................8

Unit: Preface..............................................................................................................9

Unit: Course Overview............................................................................................10

Unit: BW Overview..................................................................................................12

Unit: Business Explorer..........................................................................................18

Unit: Data Warehousing..........................................................................................27

Unit: Administrator Workbench.............................................................................36

Unit: Defining the User Environment.....................................................................45

Unit: Conclusion......................................................................................................48


Revisions to Previous Instructor Guide

None, this is the first edition of the BW200 Instructor Guide.

Course Details

Duration

1 day

Course Materials and other Materials

Student workbook, Instructor guide

Country-Specific Units

None


Course Instructor Profiles

Level of Knowledge Required

The instructor should be able to deliver both BW205 and BW210, or TABW10, before attempting this course. It is an overview course, but detailed knowledge of BW is required in order to answer the inevitable questions that will arise.

Courses Recommended as Preparation

BW205, BW210 and/or TABW10, TABW20

Online Help Recommended as Preparation

The ASAP Methodology Guide help provides additional details for BW.

Hints on Preparing This Course

Attend the course to familiarize yourself with the timing and types of questions asked. Work through the demonstrations and exercises BEFORE class begins.


Training System

Data Required

All the required data is contained in the BW training systems.

User ID and Passwords for Course Participants

Reference User ID:

The standard format for User Ids is the Course ID, followed by the group number. The initial password is INIT. Use transaction ZUSR to copy these User Ids from the reference User ID.

Preparation in the System

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the proper communication between the BW and OLTP systems, since data extraction will be demonstrated. Also, a transfer rule transfer routine needs to be created for the 0costcenter InfoSource. This is documented fully in the BW210/TABW10 exercises for the OLTP Extraction unit. The necessary code lines are also documented in this instructor guide as part of the demo. This routine should be done ahead of time in order to conserve time.

Example ABAPs

None

CATTs

No CATT is required for this course.

Technical Hints


Goals and Objectives

The course goal:

The course will provide students with a functional and technical overview of the SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW). It is designed to provide a base level of knowledge about BW.

The course objectives are to enable the participant to:

Define the key terminology related to BW

List the key components of BW

Create and execute a query

Explain SAP’s data warehousing strategy and the structure of BW data

Explain how data is transferred from the source system into BW

Explain the key features of the Administrator Workbench


Course Structure and Flow

Course Schedule: Day One

Approximate Duration

Content: Units and Topics Activities: Instructor and Participant

15 min. Preface Instructor presentation

45 min. Course Overview Instructor presentation

60 min. BW Overview Instructor presentation and demo

60 min. Business Explorer Instructor presentation and demoParticipant exercises

90 min. Data Warehousing Instructor presentation and demoParticipant exercises

60 min. Administrator Workbench Instructor presentation and demoParticipant exercises

30 min. Defining the User Environment Instructor presentation and demoParticipant exercises

30 min. Conclusion Instructor presentation

Additional notes:


Unit: Preface

15 minutes

Contents of Unit

Introductory slides for the course

Putting the Unit in Context

Welcome the participants

Cover the logistics of the training center

Use the slides of this unit to introduce the course and its position in the BW curriculum


Unit: Course Overview

45 minutes

Contents of Unit

Course Goals

Course Objectives

Course Content

Course Overview Diagram

Main Business Scenario


At the conclusion of the course, the student will be able to:

Define the key terminology related to BW

List the key components of BW

Create and execute a query

Explain SAP’s data warehousing strategy and the structure of BW data

Explain how data is transferred from the source system into BW

Explain the key features of the Administrator Workbench

Course Goals

Be sure to spend some time describing the goals of the course. Ensure that the students’ expectations and objectives for the course align with the course goals and objectives.


Course Objectives

Review the course objectives. Since this is a one day overview course, stress that no individual topic will be covered in great detail because there simply is not enough time. There are several follow-on courses which provide that level of detail.

Course Content

Briefly review the units of the course and the contents of each unit.

Course Overview Diagram

Introduce the Course Overview Diagram that will be used as a roadmap at the beginning of each unit to chart the progress through the course.

Main Business Scenario (1 & 2)

The business scenario supplies the context for the course. The participants should picture themselves as participating in an evaluation of BW for use in their company. In each unit, the area for evaluation will be described.


Unit: BW Overview

60 minutes

Contents of Unit

Overview of the BW structure

Overview of SAP’s data warehousing strategy

Business Content


At the conclusion of this unit, the participant will be able to: Describe information processing terms that are common to both OLTP and BW

systems

List the unique key components of BW

Explain how BW fits within the SAP Business Framework

Explain SAP’s data warehousing strategy

Define Business Content and provide examples

Course Overview: BW Overview

Briefly highlight the position of this unit in the overall course structure.

BW Overview: Business Scenario

In this unit, the participants will be focusing on a high level overview of the entire BW product.


Information-Based Management

Because of the increasing complexity of business decision making, it is critical that the reporting systems used by business provide the information from transaction data that promotes the development of business knowledge by the users of the systems. When good business knowledge is developed, good business decisions can be made.

OLTP Environment

Transaction data is generated by OLTP (online transaction processing) systems. These systems make use of complex databases to capture the transaction data in ways that easily map the steps of the relevant business processes.

In a reporting or decision support system, the objective is different. In BW, the objective is to capture data in a form that is optimized for reporting and information generation.

SAP OLTP Reporting Toolbox

SAP has always delivered a variety of reporting tools. Each one is optimized for use in a particular environment and by a particular audience.

Briefly compare and contrast several of the tools shown in the slide.

OLTP versus OLAP

This slide compares OLTP and OLAP (online analytical processing) systems along a number of dimensions.

Briefly discuss each of the dimensions, ideally soliciting the participation of the class to give relevant details and examples. Understand that the comparisons are not meant to be exact or restrictive and that exceptions may be found for each of the dimensions. The overall objective of the slide is to position OLAP systems as higher level decision support systems as opposed to low level, operational reporting systems.


SAP Business Information Warehouse

This slide lists some of the major components of BW that will be covered in more detail in later units. At this point, simply cover each point briefly, making sure that participants understand the meaning of the terms.

SAP New Dimension Initiatives

BW is a core member of SAP’s New Dimension initiative. Initiatives such as Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence make heavy use of BW for information gathering and presentation.

Note that New Dimension products are independent, stand-alone products that use R/3 technology to make it easy to integrate the products.

BW and the Business Framework

This idea of separate products integrated through a common technology is founded in the Business Framework of SAP. Through common interfaces (BAPIs), members of the Business Framework (BW, R/3, etc.) are linked, but independent in their management and release cycles.

Why BW?

This slide lists several points that stress the tremendous demand for data warehouse solutions by business today. SAP has developed BW with those needs in mind.


BW Strategy: An End-to-End Solution

Stress here that BW contains all the necessary components to fully address the data warehousing needs of business. From the gathering of data all the way to the deployment of information throughout the enterprise, BW provides flexible, easy-to-implement components.

Business Information Warehouse Architecture

This graphic shows the major components of the BW system arranged in a three level architecture. Discuss each level, but take care not to spend too much time on the details. Each of the components is discussed more fully in later units. For now, make sure that the terms such as OLAP processor, BAPI, ODS and InfoCube are understood at a high level.

Demonstration of BW Architecture

10 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the participants where the major components of the BW architecture are located.

1. Show menu path for BEx Browser and BEx Analyzer. Note that these tools will be shown in detail in the next unit.

2. Logon to your BW system and go to the Administrator Workbench. Show the tabs, but do not discuss any details.


Data Extraction

These bullet points describe the major functions performed during data extraction and can be presented without much more elaboration.

BW Strategy: An Open System

To understand the strategy used by BW, the next several slides will explore major design points. Here, the openness of BW is presented by emphasizing third-party connections that can be made with BW. These fall into the three groups: data providers, data extraction and data presentation.

BW Strategy: Rich Business Content

In order to leverage SAP’s long-standing involvement in the business processes of our customers and to make the implementation of BW easier and faster, SAP provides Business Content with BW. Business Content consists of pre-defined components such as queries, workbooks, InfoSources, InfoObjects, InfoCubes and extractors. By using the supplied Business Content, users of BW can not only save time, but also take advantage of information analysis ideas from many different sources.


BW Business Content Components

To show the diversity and scope of Business Content, the slide lists the various components and the number of examples of each as of the BW 1.2B release.

Demonstration of Business Content

5 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the participants where Business Content is located within the BW system.

1. From the Administrator Workbench: Tools Business Content

2. Show the various classes of Business Content available.

3. Then, Select InfoCubes Press F4 to see a list of delivery objects.

4. Repeat the process for any other objects of interest.

BW Overview: Unit Summary

Summarize the objectives of the unit and answer any additional questions from the participants.


Unit: Business Explorer

60 minutes

Contents of Unit

BEx Browser

BEx Analyzer


At the conclusion of this unit, the participant will be able to:

List the key functions of the BEx Browser

List the key functions of the BEx Analyzer

Explain the link between BW and MS Excel

Execute a workbook from the BEx Browser and manipulate the data

Course Overview: Business Explorer

Highlight the position of this unit within the course structure.

Business Explorer: Business Scenario

In analyzing BW, you now want to focus on the end user reporting capabilities of the product.


Business Explorer Components

Business Explorer (BEx) has several components, each designed for a specific purpose.

The two most visible components are the BEx Analyzer and the BEx Browser. The Analyzer uses Microsoft Excel as its basis and is the tool for defining and executing queries. The Browser uses a web browser style interface and is used to retrieve and execute queries stored in the InfoCatalog.

Query results can come from two sources: InfoCubes or the InfoCatalog. The Analyzer can retrieve results from either source, while the Browser only retrieves data from the InfoCatalog. Both the InfoCubes and the InfoCatalog reside on the BW server.


Business Explorer Browser

Shown here is an example of the BW Browser in release 1.2B. The only data that is presented to the user is that contained in the Channels to which the user subscribes. In this example, the user subscribes to the Sellers and Controlling channels, plus their own Favorites channels. Within the Favorites channel, the user has access to several queries that are arranged into groups, or Clusters. By right clicking on the query, the user can execute the query and retrieve the results, or perform other tasks.

Demonstration of BEx Browser

10 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the participants the basic functions of the BEx Browser.

1. Start Programs SAP Frontend SAP Business Explorer Browser

2. Logon to your BW system when prompted.

3. Show the channels displayed for your user id.

4. Select the Logistics channel and show the workbooks contained in the channel.

5. Show the clusters and the various tasks that can be performed for the workbooks.

6. Execute the selected workbook and show the results of the query.

7. Exit the workbook without saving.


Info Catalog

The InfoCatalog is the repository for stored query results. It is a separate database on the BW server and its contents are grouped into various channels. Within the channels, groups of workbooks are arranged into clusters for easy visual separation within the Browser. Channels, clusters, workbooks and user channel assignments are managed in the InfoCatalog section of the BW system.

Executing Queries

The focus now shifts to the Analyzer and the execution of queries. The three- step process to execute a query is shown on this slide. The user first clicks on the New icon on the Analyzer toolbar. Then, they select the query they want to execute and click on the Open button. The query definition is sent to the OLAP processor for evaluation and retrieval of data from the appropriate InfoCube. The results are then sent back to the Analyzer for presentation.

Demonstration of BEx Analyzer

15 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the participants how to execute a query from the BEx Analyzer.

1. Start Programs SAP BW Frontend SAP Business Explorer Analyzer

2. Show the Business Explorer toolbar, highlighting the meaning of each button.

3. Click on New… button and logon to the BW system.

4. Select a query, or use the Find button to locate a known query, and then click on Open.

5. A new workbook is opened and then filled with the query results. Remain on this screen.


Saving Workbooks in the InfoCatalog

Once query results have been displayed, they may be saved for later retrieval in the InfoCatalog. When saving to the InfoCatalog, the user gives the workbook a name and selects to store the workbook in their own Favorites channel, or make it available to others by saving it in the Enterprise catalog. From there, it can be placed into a channel to which other users can subscribe.

Demonstration of saving a workbook to the InfoCatalog

2 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the options available for saving workbooks in the InfoCatalog.

1. Click on the Save button on the BEx toolbar.

2. On the General tab, complete the Title field.

3. On the Access in InfoCatalog tab, describe the choices presented. Choose ‘in (private) user favorites and press Enter.

4. Optionally, you may also save the workbook to the Enterprise catalog with a different name.

5. Exit from the workbook, but remain in the BEx Analyzer.


Choosing a Workbook from the InfoCatalog

In the Analyzer, the user can retrieve workbooks from the InfoCatalog just like they do with the Browser. However, instead of seeing workbooks arranged in clusters, the user simply selects the appropriate workbook from a tree structure of their assigned channels.

Demonstration of choosing a workbook from the InfoCatalog

1 minute

The objective of this demonstration is to show how workbooks can be retrieved from the InfoCatalog.

1. Click on the ‘Choose from InfoCatalog’ button.

2. Select the workbook you saved in the earlier demo and click on the Open button.

3. Show the results of workbook displayed in the BEx Analyzer.

Creating a Query

Creating a new query with the Analyzer is a simple task. First, the user clicks on the New icon. Then, instead of choosing an existing query, they click on the New Query button. Then, they select the appropriate InfoCube to supply the data for the query.

Do not demonstrate the creation of a query in this unit, since the participants will not create a query until the next unit.

You will demonstrate the creation of a query in the next unit.

Choosing Characteristics and Key Figures

Once the proper InfoCube has been selected, the user can choose the desired Characteristics and Key Figures for their query and arrange them on the query worksheet using the ‘drag and drop’ technique.

On this slide, it would be a good idea to review the terms Characteristic and Key Figure with the participants.


Changing a Query

To change the definition of a query, the user simply clicks on the Change query icon. If the changes can be made with the selected characteristics and key figures, then the Change Query dialog provides that access. Changes made here only affect the current query result and are not permanent.

If more extensive changes need to be made, then the Extended Query Changes dialog can be accessed. Changes made here affect the query definition and will be permanent if saved.


Filtering Data in the Query Definition

When defining a query, the data can be filtered by placing restrictions on characteristics in either the Filter or Free Characteristics areas of the query definition worksheet.

Characteristics placed in the filter area do not appear in the query results and are not available for drill down. Characteristics placed in the Free Characteristics area do not appear in the query results but are available for drill down.

Demonstration of changing a query and adding a filter

5 minutes

1. From the existing query results, click on the ‘Change query’ button.

2. Describe the types of changes that can be done on the Change Query screen.

3. Click on the ‘Change Enhanced’ button.

4. On the Extended Query Changes screen, drag an unused characteristic to the Filter area of the query definition.

5. Right click on the characteristic and select ‘Restrict’

6. Enter a characteristic value and click on OK.

7. Save and execute the query.

8. On the results screen, point out that the filter characteristic does not appear in the results. Optionally, click on Layout Display text elements to show the filter characteristic and its value.

9. Remain on the analysis.


Filtering Data in the Worksheet

Often it is desirable to restrict the data that is displayed while viewing the query results. By right clicking on a characteristic, the user may select to restrict the results to a particular value of the characteristic. The selected value will be displayed in the top portion of the query next to the characteristic name.

Demonstration of filtering in the worksheet

2 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show how to filter the query results while in the worksheet.

1. Right click on one of the characteristics in the navigation area of the query Select filter value restricted choose a value and click on Copy.

2. Show that the query has been restricted to the values for the restricted characteristic.

Business Explorer: Unit Summary

Briefly summarize the objectives of the unit and answer any additional questions.


Unit: Data Warehousing

90 minutes

Contents of Unit

Data warehousing concept

Star Schema

Components of an InfoCube

Query builder



List the key differences between the data structure in the R/3 system and BW

Define the term ‘star schema’

Examine the impact of the InfoCube design on the granularity of the data

List and define the components of an InfoCube

Create a query from an existing InfoCube

Course Overview: Data Warehousing

Highlight the position of this unit in the overall course structure.

Data Warehousing: Business Scenario

The scenario for this unit emphasizes the need for end users to be able to create their own queries. This will be the focus of the exercises for this unit, but the content of the unit focuses on how data is stored in InfoCubes.


OLTP Structure

This slide is repeated from the BW Overview unit. At this point, stress that data in an OLTP system is stored in a variety of tables which makes the retrieval of data for reporting purposes difficult.

SAP BW Data Model

In contrast to the OLTP model shown on the previous slide, the BW data model is much simpler and is optimized for the retrieval of information about a business process.

The model uses Fact Tables that store key figure results, and Dimension Tables that store characteristic values.

This arrangement of multiple dimensions arranged around a central fact table is referred to as a Star Schema. This is a common database methodology used in data warehouses.

At this point, avoid presenting too much detail about the actual table structure.

Example: Sales

This slide shows a simple example of a star schema used for sales analysis. The questions posed on the slide could be answered with the data held within this star schema.

Dimensions

Now we can look more closely at the structure of the dimension tables.

A dimension is made up of one or more related characteristics, as shown in the slide. A primary key uniquely identifies each row in the table. Other characteristics that do not influence the key are also contained in the dimension. These are commonly known as attributes of the key characteristics.


Dimensions Example: Sales

For the sales example, here are shown several dimensions. The key characteristic is shown at the top of each dimension along with a list of related attributes.

Fact Table

The fact table stores the key figure values. A unique key identifies each row in the fact table. In a generic or industry-standard star schema, this key is made up of the various dimension keys from the dimension tables.

Facts Example: Sales

Returning to the sales example, the fact table is shown to contain several key figures of importance for analyzing sales data.

Star Schema

This slide combines the concept of dimension and fact tables into a star schema. This arrangement of data makes it easy to retrieve key figures from the fact table for specified characteristic values from the dimension tables.


Example Star Schema: Sales

Briefly show how the sales example star schema would look. Show that the key of each row in the fact table is made up of the combined keys of each dimension table.

Example Star Schema: Employee Time

For contrast, another example of a star schema is shown. Do not spend much time here unless you deem it necessary for your participant’s understanding of the concept.


SAP BW: Extended Star Schema

This is an important slide, but one that can take a long time to present if you get into too much detail.

The common definition of the star schema has been extended in BW. This “extended star schema” is different in several aspects.

First, the characteristics normally stored as attributes in the dimension tables now are stored outside the dimensions in their own tables (master data, texts and hierarchy data). This allows this data to be shared by other InfoCubes, promoting consistency between analyses and reducing the time spent on data maintenance.

Secondly, the external attribute data is linked to the dimension characteristics through an artificial key, known as the SID (set id) table. Likewise, the dimension key is also an artificial key, determined by the collection of set ids for each of the key characteristics.

It is not necessary in this course to get into a detailed discussion of the key structure of the extended star schema. However, the instructor should be very familiar with it in order to keep the discussion at the appropriate level.

Demonstration of BW extended star schema (Optional)

5 minutes

The objective of this optional demonstration is to show the graphical layout of the BW extended star schema on an actual InfoCube.

1. In the dialog box, execute transaction LISTSCHEMA.

2. InfoCube type: B (basic)InfoCube: BW200SDClick on Execute

3. Show the components of the InfoCube, starting with the Fact table, then to the Dimension tables, etc.


Master Data and InfoCubes (1/2)

This slide compares a common dimension table (Customer Dimension) on the left to how that same dimension might appear in the extended star schema. On the right, note that the dimension table is smaller, because only a few of the original characteristics are actually part of the dimension. The other characteristics are now outside the dimension in a separate attribute (master data) table.

Master Data and InfoCubes (2/2)

This slide expands on the relationship between master data and the InfoCube by including both text data and hierarchy data in addition to the attribute data.

Remember that this is an overview course and it is not critical to the participant’s success to understand all the nuances of the table and key structure. They should understand, however, the distinction between the industry star schema and the BW extended star schema and the benefits it provides.

Terms used with Industry Star Schema and BW

Use this slide to help distinguish between the meaning of common terms when used with the industry star schema and the BW extended star schema.

Data Granularity

When designing the structure of the data in a data warehouse, the decisions about what characteristics to use and how they are arranged in dimensions has a great effect on the size of the dimension tables and the fact table, and thus the performance of the system.

Cover the bullet points to make the distinction between different levels of granularity.


From Data Model to Database

Once decisions have been made about the logical design of the database (a task known as data modeling), then the logical design is implemented in BW as a physical database design, known as the InfoCube.

The following slides will show some of the details of an InfoCube and give a simple example of how it is used in BW.

InfoCube: SAP BW Design

Review with the participants that an InfoCube contains both characteristics and key figures. Physically, the InfoCube is a collection of dimension tables linked to a fact table.

Each InfoCube can have up to 16 different dimension tables. Three of these are defined by SAP for the InfoCube: the Time dimension, the Unit dimension and the Info Package dimension. The remaining 13 possible dimensions can be freely defined by the user.

The time dimension stores the units of time for the facts (daily, weekly, etc.) while the unit dimension stores the units of measure for the facts (pieces, tons, etc.) The info package dimension consists of a unique package id for each separate ‘load’ of data introduced to the InfoCube. Much like a batch number for the data, it is be used to identify ‘packages’ of data loaded into the InfoCube and can be used to delete specific packages without having to rebuild the entire InfoCube.


InfoCube: Example

The next three slides show an example of how InfoCube facts can be accessed via the dimension characteristics.

This particular InfoCube diagram does not show the time, unit and info package dimensions, but only the user defined dimensions of Region, Division and Customer Group.

InfoCube: Multi-dimensional Analysis

When defining a query to analyze the data stored in the InfoCube, the user chooses which characteristics from all the available dimensions will be used. Here, the user chooses Customer group, Division and Region.

When the query is executed, the OLAP Processor builds a subset of all the data in the InfoCube dimensioned by the selected characteristics. This subset of data is known as the Query Cache, or Query Cube. This smaller data set is easier to manipulate within the query results.

Since it contains all the data segmented by the selected characteristics, several analyses along different characteristic values can be performed without having to extract more data from the InfoCube. This is known as multi-dimensional analysis.


InfoCube: Characteristics and Key Figures

Once the proper segment of the query cache has been isolated (probably through the use of filter values and free characteristics), then the relevant key figures can be accessed and presented to the user.

Demonstration of creating a new query

10 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the creation and execution of a simple query.

1. Start the BEx Analyzer, if it is not already active.

2. Click on the New… button on the BEx toolbar.

3. Click on the New query button.

4. Select InfoCube BW200SD (SD Customer Cube BW200) and click on OK.

5. Select key figures ‘Incoming orders’ and ‘Inc. order quantity’ and drag them to the Columns area.

6. Select ‘Sold-to party’ from the Customer dimension and drag it to the Lines area.

7. Add ‘Material’, ‘Sales organization’ and ‘Distribution channel’ to the Free Characteristics area.

8. Save the query definition, entering a Technical name and Description.

9. Execute the query and view the results.

Data Warehousing: Unit Summary

Briefly review the objectives of the unit and answer any additional questions.


Unit: Administrator Workbench

60 minutes

Contents of Unit

How to maintain the BW system landscape

Meta data administration of InfoObjects and master data tables

Data transfer process

Scheduler

Monitor

At the end of this unit, the participant will be able to: List possible sources of data

Define Meta data and how it is maintained

Define the term InfoObjects

Define the term InfoSource

Explain the process of getting data from a source system into BW

Explain how the Scheduler is used to transfer data

Explain the purpose of the Monitor

Course Overview: Administrator Workbench


Administrator Workbench: Business Scenario

The focus in this unit is on evaluating the tools available for maintaining the BW environment.


Administrator Workbench

This slide highlights the three main functions of the Administrator Workbench:

Design and maintenance of the BW components

Scheduling and performing data extractions

Monitoring the status of data extractions

These areas will be explored in the following slides.

Demonstration of Administrator Workbench structure

2 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to review the layout of the Administrator Workbench with the participants.

1. Logon to the BW system, if necessary.

2. Click on the Administrator Workbench button and briefly review the tabs and their purpose.

3. You will return to each of the tabs as you cover the next slides.

Source System

In the BW architecture, the lowest tier is made up of various types of source systems. Source systems include all types of R/3 and non-R/3 systems, as well as sources of data that aren’t systems at all, like flat files.

The main point to be emphasized here is that you must define each source system used for data in the Administrator Workbench.

InfoObject within BW

An InfoObject represents each characteristic or key figure to be analyzed in BW. The InfoObject definition contains a large amount of information about the object itself and about the relationships it has with other objects. This information is commonly referred to as meta data – data about data.


Scenario for new InfoObject

InfoObjects are part of the Business Content delivered with BW. InfoObjects are already defined for common analysis fields occurring in R/3 applications.

However, since data may be supplied by non-R/3 systems, it is often necessary to define new InfoObjects to represent other source fields. This slide describes such a case where cost center information from both R/3 and non-R/3 systems is to be stored together in an InfoCube.

To accomplish this, the first task might be to create an InfoObject to handle the cost center number in the non-R/3 system, which as shown here, has a field length of 13 digits.

InfoSource: Features

Another important BW component is the InfoSource. An InfoSource is the logical definition of a set of related data. The data can be either transactional data or master data.

The InfoSource has several important components, as shown on the next slide.

InfoSource Components

On this slide, each component shown within the oval is part of the InfoSource definition. These components are linked together to form a path for the data from the source system to the communication structure in BW. Since this path is given a logical name, it is then easy to connect the InfoSource to the InfoCube via the update rules.

Briefly cover the purpose of each of the InfoSource components, reminding the participants that this topic is covered in more detail in BW210 and BW220.

A commonly asked question is why there is a need for both transfer rules and update rules. The brief answer is that transfer rules are available to convert source data once for use by all InfoCubes that get their data from a particular InfoSource, versus update rules that are used to convert data for one particular InfoCube.


Example: Master Data InfoSource

This slide shows relationships seen in InfoSources for master data. Shown are two different application components – Controlling and Overhead Cost Controlling. In the example, master data InfoSources are defined for three different characteristics. The InfoSource definitions, in turn, are made up of one or more InfoObjects.

While the InfoSource for Controlling Area gets its data from only one InfoObject (Controlling Area), the InfoSources for Cost Center and Activity Types show a relationship between two InfoObjects. This is referred to as a compound InfoObject. This occurs when it is not sufficient to refer to a value of one InfoObject (ex. Cost Center) without also knowing the value of the compound InfoObject (ex. Controlling Area).

Master data InfoSources are used to supply data to the master data tables outside of the InfoCube.

Demonstration of current cost center values

5 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the uploading of new attributes, text and hierarchy information to BW from an OLTP system.

1. On the InfoObjects tab Cost Center Accounting CCA: Characteristics Cost center (0costcenter) right click and select ‘Maintain master data’

2. Controlling Area: 1000Cost center : 3000 to 3999Execute

3. Show the list of Sales cost centers. Note that there is no cost center 3160.

4. Exit from ‘Maintain master data’.NOTE: Before attempting this demonstration, ensure that the proper connections have been created between the BW and OLTP servers. This is standard procedure for the instructor before every BW course.


Demonstration of creating a new cost center

5 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to create a new cost center in the OLTP system that will then be loaded to the BW system.

1. Logon to the assigned OLTP system.

2. Accounting Controlling Cost centers Master data Cost center Individual processing Create

3. Controlling area: 1000Press Enter

4. Cost center: 3160Valid from: January 01, 1998Reference cost center: 3100Reference controlling area: 1000Press Enter

5. Change the name and description: Sales MiscellaneousChange person responsible: your nameClick on Save.

6. Logoff of the OLTP system.


Warning: Before attempting the next portion of the demonstration, ensure that the transfer rules for your source system assigned to 0costcenter has a transfer routing on the Person Responsible InfoObject to convert all the name text to upper case. This routine is documented in the exercises for BW210 in the OLTP Extraction unit.

If the BW210 exercises are not available to you, then you should insert the following lines of code in a transfer routine for Person Responsible. Line 51: result = tran_structure-verak.New line 52: translate result to upper case.

Reactivate the transfer rules after the change.

Demonstration of master data upload

10 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show how to upload master data, texts and hierarchy information.

1. Administrator Workbench (InfoSources tab) Application Components Controlling Overhead Cost Controlling Cost Center Accounting Master data Overhead Cost Controlling in general Cost center (0costcenter) select the proper source system and drill down to show the existing InfoPackages.

2. Use the existing master data, text and hierarchy InfoPackages, or create your own. Show the contents of the InfoPackage briefly as you schedule the separate data uploads.

3. As each upload finishes, use the Monitor function to show the successful completion of the upload.

4. As a final step, return to the ‘Maintain master data’ menu for InfoObject 0costcenter and show that the new cost center now exists along with text and hierarchy entries.


Example: Transaction Data InfoSource

In a transaction data InfoSource, we see the InfoSource defined in terms of both characteristic and key figure InfoObjects. These are the InfoSources that will be used to supply data to the InfoCubes.

Meta Data Update for R/3 OLTP

In order to synchronize the InfoObjects in the BW meta data repository with their corresponding source fields in the source system, an update of the meta data repository is done via the Administrator Workbench. In this way, new fields in the source system can be made known to BW. This meta data update can be performed for both InfoObjects and for whole InfoSources.

Extraction from Multiple Sources

Using the flexibility of InfoSources and Update Rules, virtually any source of data can be extracted for storage in any InfoCube.

Point out that although it is technically possible to do so, it only makes business sense to combine multiple sources of data where the characteristic data in each source is related.

Extraction Methodologies

The extraction of data from the source system to BW can be accomplished in one of two ways: Either via ALE using IDocs or via transaction remote function calls (TRFC). Each method has advantages and disadvantages.

In order to use the operational data store (ODS) functionality, TRFCs must be used as the transfer method. The ODS serves as a storage area for packages of raw data (requests). Data in the ODS has not been processed through the transfer rules of the InfoSource.


ODS Functions in Administrator Workbench

If data in an InfoSource is stored in the ODS, then it can be maintained in the Administrator Workbench on the ODS tab. A variety of tasks can be done on the individual requests, as shown in the slide.

Briefly mention some of the tasks available without going into too much detail.

Scheduler

The scheduling function is used to define what data is to be extracted, when it is to happen and where the data is to be sent. Parameters in the InfoPackage determine how this is to happen.

Monitoring

The monitoring function is used to detect and correct problems that arise during data extraction. An extensive set of monitoring screens and tools are provided in the Monitor workbench.

Data Loading Status Indicator in the Monitor

The status indicator alerts the user to potential problems in the data extraction process. The slide shows possible meanings for each status.


Administrator Workbench Additional Functions

Listed here are additional tasks that can be performed using the Administrator Workbench. Highlight each one briefly, being prepared to discuss any questions that may arise. Time is not available to demonstrate each of the functions.

Administrator Workbench: Unit Summary

Briefly summarize the unit objectives and answer any additional questions.


Unit: Defining the User Environment

30 minutes

Contents of Unit

InfoCatalog

User groups

Authorization


At the conclusion of this unit, the participant will be able to: Define the purpose of the InfoCatalog

Explain how user groups and authorizations work together to give users access to the appropriate level of data

Course Overview: Defining the User Environment

Highlight the position of this unit within the overall course structure.

Defining the User Environment: Business Scenario

The focus of this unit is on the tools for maintaining the InfoCatalog and its components.


Enterprise InfoCatalog

The first tab in the InfoCatalog portion of the BW server is the Enterprise InfoCatalog tab. On the left side of the screen, the SAP InfoCatalog contents are shown. The content here would be any workbooks delivered as part of the Business Content that had not already been assigned to the Enterprise InfoCatalog.

On the right side of the screen are the Enterprise InfoCatalog contents. The system administrator can arrange the workbooks stored here in different folders for organizational purposes. When workbooks are saved to the InfoCatalog from the BEx Analyzer, they show up here.

Demonstration of InfoCatalog functions

10 minutes

The objective of this demonstration is to show the layout and functions of the InfoCatalog workbench.

1. As you cover each slide, demonstrate the available functions on that tab.

2. You should create a complete example of creating a channel and sub-channel, assigning one or more workbooks to the channel, assigning users to the channel (BW200-00 through BW200-20) and finally administering the Favorites channel for your user id.

Channel InfoCatalog

On the Channel InfoCatalog tab, the administrator can select workbooks from the Enterprise InfoCatalog on the left and ‘drag and drop’ them into Channels defined on the right. Channels and sub-channels and directories can be freely defined to help organize the workbooks for the enterprise.


User Channel Assignment

On the User Channel Assignment tab, user names on the left can be assigned to multiple channels on the right. This can be done one user at a time, or by right clicking on the channel, multiple users can be assigned at once.

User Favorites

The last tab in the InfoCatalog is the Favorites tab. Here the administrator can centrally maintain the contents of each user’s Favorites channels. The user can also maintain the contents of their Favorites channels, but they cannot affect others Favorites.

Business Explorer Browser

Shown on this slide is a representation of the BEx Browser screen, as shown earlier in the Business Explorer unit. Use this to discuss the arrangement of workbooks on the screen and the use of clusters to visually group related workbooks.

Defining the User Environment: Unit Summary

Briefly summarize the unit objectives and answer any additional questions.


Unit: Conclusion

30 minutes

Contents of Unit

Course Summary with preview of 2.0 new features

Review of the course objectives

Recommendations for follow-up courses and activities



Describe the new features of BW 2.0

Review the course objectives

Describe the recommended follow-up activities

Course Diagram: Conclusion


Conclusion: Business Scenario

Despite its name, the focus of this unit is to highlight the additional functions that will be available in BW release 2.0. These will be discussed briefly to develop awareness only. The BW 2.0 Delta course discusses these points more fully.


SAP BW 2.0 Availability

This slide maps the planned release schedule for the 2.0 release of BW.

General Features

This slide is a listing of the most important general features of the 2.0 release. Each point is described on the following slides, so do not spend very much time on this slide.

Geographical Information System (GIS)

Data that has a geographical component can now be displayed on a variety of maps to help visualize the data. These maps are provided as part of BW through an arrangement with one of SAP’s partners.

Drill Through

With release 2.0, users can now drill from the analysis to the ODS and on through to the OLTP source system. This enables the analysis of detailed record information without having to store that level of detail in the InfoCube.


Content Wizard

The Content Wizard makes the management of the Business Content much easier than in release 1.2. By selecting one object to activate, any dependent objects are automatically activated as well.

Transport Wizard

The Transport Wizard simplifies the transport of objects from one BW system to another.

Connection to Business Document Server

The Business Document Server is a repository of documents and now can be linked to BW to enhance the information available in various ways. In this way, documents, pictures and documentation can be linked to InfoSources, InfoCatalogs, InfoCubes and InfoObjects.

Users can add their own content to the Business Document Server.

More Authority Profiles for User Roles

The authorization process is enhanced by the delivery of new role-based authorization profiles. Since they can be modified, these profiles can serve as the starting point for enterprise-defined authorization schemes.


Name Space for Partners

By providing a ‘name space’ for partners, they will be free to develop Business Content to be added to the existing SAP-developed Business Content.

Business Explorer Features

This slide lists some of the most important new features for the Business Explorer. Each point is described more fully on the following slides.

BW 2.0 Business Explorer Browser

The screen design of the BEx Browser has been improved in line with R/3 release 4.6 to provide for easier use and more functionality.

Web Reporting: Features

With release 2.0, any web browser (ex. MS Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.) can be used to view BW workbooks. For the majority of BW end users, this provides a very easy-to-use solution while eliminating the need to install the BW frontend on the client machine.

The SAP Internet Transaction Server (ITS) provides the integration between the BW server and the internet.


Exception Reporting

Much like the Early Warning System in LIS, BW now can check analysis results for ‘exceptions’ and notify the user in a variety of ways including workflow and the alert monitor.

Analysis Functions

Additional functions will be available in the analysis such as showing the ‘Top N’ values and rankings.

MultiCube Query

In release 2.0, users will be able to define queries against ‘MultiCubes’ that are logical combinations of individual InfoCubes.

Business Content 2.0

Business Content will continue to be expanded with the addition of new types of content.

Highlight the various types mentioned on the slide.


Role-based Reporting

The role-based Business Content integrates with SAP’s mySAP.com initiative to provide relevant BW content to the mySAP.com Workplace.

Industry-Specific Channels

Industry-specific Business Content will provide even more specialized KPIs (key performance indicators) for specialized industry metrics.

Review of Course Objectives

Briefly review the objectives for the course, emphasizing the scope of topics that have been covered in the course.

Follow-up Activities

In conclusion, encourage the participants to attend additional BW courses where appropriate.


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BW200 Business Information Warehouse Overview

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