How to control access to NLS?

With BW data archived to near line storage, BW queries have the capability to
retrieve data from BW database and NLS seamlessly. This means, data is read from
BW and from NLS and data is merged in the query.

As of BW 7.3, NLS usage in queries can be configured at four different levels:

 In the properties of the BEx Query Designer (Level 1)

 In the query selection screen using near line storage variable (Level 1)
 In the properties of the Multi Provider (Level 2)
 In the properties of the Part Provider(Info provider part of multi provider) (Level 3)

The setting is prioritized Top-Down with Query Designer property and query selection
screen variable in the same level. For eg, If the BEx query is set to read from NLS, the
settings in the info provider is overridden and ignored even though it is disabled to read
from NLS.

As of BW 7.3, in the Default setting, access to data in near-line storage is disabled,

even if a data archiving process (DAP) with near-line storage exists for an Info Provider.
It has to be switched on and controlled to retrieve required data and avoid unnecessary
issues caused by NLS.

Let’s see how data retrieved from NLS can be controlled at each level. Assumption is,
there is a DAP with near line storage, data is archived in one or more part providers and
query is created on a Multi provider that includes these part providers.

I. In the properties of the BEx Query Designer:

Data read from NLS can be specified in Query Designer -> Query properties ->
Extended -> Near-Line Storage.
There are 3 options to choose from:
1. Do not Read Near-Line Storage
2. Read Near-Line Storage
3. Use Near-Line Storage according to part provider Setting

Do not Read from Near-Line Storage:

This is the setting of the query by default. This option will prevent the queries from
reading NLS even though data is stored in NLS.

Read Near-Line Storage:

As I said in the beginning, If the BEx query is set to read from NLS, the settings in the
info provider is overridden and ignored even though it is disabled to read from NLS. So,
it is advisable to use “Read Near-Line Storage” when all the part provider in the multi
provider needs to access NLS.
Use Near-Line Storage According to Part Provider Setting:
This option gives more control in enabling NLS access to some of the part providers
where NLS access is required.

For example, the settings below enable read from NLS on the part providers only where
Near-Line Access is switched on. It does not retrieve data from archive for those part
providers where Near-Line Access is switched off even though it has data archived.

BEx Query Designer – ‘Use Near-Line Storage According to Provider Settings’

MultiProvider – ‘Near-Line Access Set the Same as for PartProvider’
PartProvider – ‘Near-Line Access Switched On/Off
II. In the query selection screen using near line storage variable:
 Data read from NLS can be decided during execution of the query, the decision here
will override all the info provider/Multi provider setting and retrieve data from NLS.

This is achieved by using Near line storage variable in the User Input Screen.

Create a variable in the query designer on characteristics 0NEARLINE by clicking the

icon highlighted below.

Use the User Entry variable as the option for Nearline-Storage in Query properties.

This will let the user to decide and retrieve data from NLS even if it is switched off in the
properties of Info provider/Multi provider.
This option helps if online data in BW cannot be retrieved by the query due to issues in
NLS or poor performance in retrieving NLS data.
III. In the properties of the Multiprovider:

MultiProvider -> Extras -> InfoProvider Properties -> Change -> NLS Usage

NLS Switched on at the multi provider level will let the query to access archived data in
all the part providers irrespective of the NLS property in each part provider.
But again, NLS property of query will override if the query is set to “Do not read from
NLS”

IV. In the properties of the Part Provider

InfoProvider -> Extras -> InfoProvider Properties -> Change -> NLS Usage

The table below will help understand the data retrieval behavior of NLS data.
Query or
Multi Provider Part Provider Result
NearLine Variable
Do not Read NLS NLS Switched OFF NLS Switched OFF Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Read NLS NLS Switched OFF NLS Switched OFF Data Retrieved from NLS
According to
NLS Switched OFF NLS Switched OFF Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Part Provider Setting
Do not Read NLS NLS Switched ON NLS Switched OFF Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Read NLS NLS Switched ON NLS Switched OFF Data Retrieved from NLS
According to
NLS Switched ON NLS Switched OFF Data Retrieved from NLS
Part Provider Setting
Do not Read NLS Part Provider Setting NLS Switched OFF Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Read NLS Part Provider Setting NLS Switched OFF Data Retrieved from NLS
According to
Part Provider Setting NLS Switched OFF Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Part Provider Setting
Do not Read NLS Part Provider Setting NLS Switched ON Data Not Retrieved from NLS
Read NLS Part Provider Setting NLS Switched ON Data Retrieved from NLS
According to
Part Provider Setting NLS Switched ON Data Retrieved from NLS
Part Provider Setting

Turning on NLS? Need EXTRA Attention here!

While we saw the options to control NLS data retrieval at various levels, here are few
design considerations that need to be tested in existing or new BW objects to make
sure archived data can be extracted without any error when NLS is turned on.

1. Check for navigational attributes used in query

If a navigational attribute is used in the query created on top of a multi provider, the
multi provider should have the base characteristic of the navigational attribute available
in the multi provider AND it must be assigned to info object in all the part providers
where NLS is turned on/NLS data needs to be retrieved. For example, If
0MAT_SALES__0MATL_GRP_1 is used in the query, 0MAT_SALES must be available
in the multi provider and it must be mapped to 0MAT_SALES (in info object
identification) for all the part providers where NLS is turned on.
This design adjustment is needed to read data from NLS as navigational attributes are
not available (not archived) in NLS. Instead, its corresponding base characteristic is
requested from NLS and the attributes from BW database.
Query produces the following error if this adjustment is needed.
DBMAN 309 Missing mapping for characteristic ‘_‘ of InfoProvider ‘ _ $N’
Alternatively, this design adjustment is not needed if Smart-Data-Access (SDA) on
HANA is used.
2. Check for Constant value in the “Provider Specific properties”

If an info cube has a constant value in the “Provider Specific properties” and NLS is
turned on in that info cube, the constant value is not passed on to NLS interface
resulting in error or incomplete extraction. When data is read from near line storage
using a query or DTP or list cube, Query/DTP will return the following error or fail to
finish the extraction. In rare cases, it does not extract any data from NLS without any
error/warning message.

 RS_EXCEPTION101: Inconsistent input parameter (parameter: missing i_th_sfc-

chanm, value <CHAR>)
 DBMAN305: Error reading the data of InfoProvider <INFOPROV>$N

This is due to insufficient information sent to near line storage.

Check for constant value in the “Provider Specific properties” (for example
0FISCVARIANT set to constant value K4) and make one of the adjustments from below
options.

1. Add Field mapping 0FISCVARIANT = K4 in the transformation

(OR)
2. Add 0FISCVARIANT in query drilldown. It can be a hidden field if needed.
(OR)
3. For BW 7.4 and above, check SAP note 2164494 and implement if applicable
3. Check for Constant value assigned in Navigational Attribute
If a constant value is assigned to a Navigational Attribute in RSD1, the same error with
same symptoms as in point 2 can occur when NLS is turned on in an info cube which
uses this Navigational Attribute.

 RS_EXCEPTION101: Inconsistent input parameter (parameter: missing i_th_sfc-

chanm, value <CHAR>)
 DBMAN305: Error reading the data of InfoProvider <INFOPROV>$N

This is due to program logic used to retrieve information from near line archive.
Apply SAP note 2275935 to adjust the program logic and to avoid this error.
Tips for effectively reporting on NLS:

 Maintain the corresponding settings in the Query Designer and in the metadata
of the InfoProvider to prevent the system from reading data for a query from NLS
if no archiving has taken place for the affected InfoProvider.

 If data is read from NLS, avoid navigation attribute selections as much as

possible. This prevents master data from being read with some very complex
SQL statement.
 In case of using PBS CBW NLS(one of the certified vendor for NLS), update
master data and hierarchy snapshot into NLS on a regular basis.
 Use query statistics in RSRT to identify performance issues and optimize data
archiving. Cube name followed by $N in the Aggregate column shows data is
read from NLS, whereas cube name followed by $X indicates data is read from
HANA or BWA interface.

 As of BW 7.4 SP 8 and HANA SP7 ‘HANA Smart Data Access (SDA)’ can be
used for query access to data in Sybase IQ as a near-line storage solution. It
optimizes execution of queries by moving processing as far as possible to the
database connected via SAP HANA Smart Data Access.

Smart Data Access Vs Traditional Query Access:

Data from NLS is transferred to HANA via SDA. So, most of the processing happens in
HANA and sent to BW application server. From query perspective, data is retrieved
from BW only.
Fig: Reporting on archived data using SDA
Whereas in traditional BW query access to NLS even with HANA, data is retrieved from
NLS and from BW database and the final calculations are performed in the BW
application server. This is applicable for querying of BW data residing in NLS archive for
both partner solutions and native SAP IQ solution.
Fig: Reporting on archived data using traditional query access to NLS

I hope all this information will help in designing more optimized, controlled
NLS reporting and also throw insights on what to expect when planning an
NLS implementation. Thanks for reading!