Limitations of R/3 Reporting

Information on existing reports is either missing or unclear .Searching a

report among thousands of available reports in R/3 is a big problem.
Available reports are designed to meet operational and transactional
information needs .
Most reports are predefined , list oriented and provide very limited OLAP
functionality
Reporting tools are inconsistent , and designing reports is a complex
process.
Knowledge of how often a report is used is not available , such as which
reports are frequently used or ever used.
Fragmented reporting menu access requires extensive end user training
to navigate several multi-level menus to display a few reports.
Need of DW : In legacy systems the datasets(Data
marts) flow from on subsystem to another subsystem .
Data content in each data set is altered at each sub system
to meet special business needs.
The key benefit of a well-architect Data warehousing is
that it will fit right into current corporate information-
supply-chain framework and will adapt to new and
changing business intelligence.
An Enterprise data ware house architecture defines basic
principles , standards , technologies, methodology, and
common services needed to meet diverse data objects
needed for business intelligence across the corporation.
 Need of ERP DW

Simply extracting data from ERP application

package is not ERP data warehousing. An ERP data
warehouse supports a collection of integrated
applications to Report , Analyze, and Control
business events across the enterprise , not just the
data extractions.
Data warehouses, such as the SAP Business
Information Warehouse (BW), provide the kind of
decision-support system that is needed in todays
business environment.
 What is Data Warehousing
A Data Warehouse is a Subject Oriented , Integrated, Non-
volatile and time-variant collection of data in support of
management decisions ( by William H.Inmon).
Durable (non-volatile) - the data is stable, meaning that
data is consistent over time.
Subject-oriented - the data focuses on the major
subject areas of the business - customers or products.
Time -dependent - each set of data correlates with a
specific time component.
Integrated - data is combined from various operational
systems and environments manufacturing data, sales data,
invoice data, and so on.
Developed for the efficient processing of queries - the
technical environment and data structures are optimized
for answering business questions and not for processing
transactions.
Designed to be easily accessible - users are able to
access the information they need easily and efficiently.
Key functions of DW
Extract data From transaction Systems
Manipulate extracted data to generate reports
Make such reports accessible to the decision-makers
 SAP R/3 Centric Data Warehouse Environments

Database Centric Data Warehouse

ALE-Centric Data Warehouse
Third-Party-Tool-Centric Data Warehouse
SAP Business Warehouse
 Information Systems in DW
Data warehouse drive the corporate information supply
chain to support corporate business intelligence process.
BI is a set of concepts and methodologies to improve
decision-making in business through the use of
information systems.
BI is introduced by Howard Dresner of the Gartner
Group in 1989.
EIS DSS EIS OLAP MIS GIS
Management support Systems
 Components of Data Warehouse
The Architectural layers of a data warehouse
Data Provider : Is the primary gateway to the data sources
Service Provider : Is Responsible for managing and distributing
data objects across enterprise to support business intelligence
activities in a controlled and secured fashion.

Information Provider : Is used to Access the information

objects from a Data warehouse . ( Service Provider)
Data Warehouse Management Layer : Provides services to
manage all data objects in all layers .
The key services of Data Provider Layer

Data Transport
Data Transformation
Data Cleansing
Data Extraction
Subject Models
The key services of Service Provider Layer
Analytical Applications Integration
Data Distribution
Data Profiling
Data Partitioning
Information Authoring
Data Consolidation
Data Staging
Data Storage
The key services of Information Layer

Information Presentation
Search Engines
End User Data Synchronization
Data Conversions
Information Access APIs
Information Delivery
The key services of DW Management Layer
Governing Services
Track Resource Utilization
Audit & Controlling
Scheduling
Client Profile
Multi-Tiered Models
Warehouse operations
Source/target Management
Data Dictionary
Security & Meta data
 SAP Business Information Warehouse
SAP BW is the latest generation of business intelligence
solutions . SAP BW is not only a data warehouse , but also
forms a data integration hub for SAP new dimension products.
BW provides a robust set of abstract middle ware application
components for data extraction, data management, and analysis
for decision support and reporting capabilities . The ASAP
methodology for SAP BW is an excellent way to implement
BW. The SAP Business Information Warehouse enables Online
Analytical Processing (OLAP), which processes information
from large amounts of operative and historical data. OLAP
technology enables multi-dimensional analyses from various
business perspectives. The Business Information Warehouse
Server for core areas and processes, pre-configured with
Business Content, ensures you can look at information within
the entire enterprise.
Business Content : Purpose
Business Content is a pre configured set of role and task-relevant
information models based on consistent Metadata in the SAP
Business Information Warehouse. Business Content provides
selected roles within a company with the information hey need to
carry out their tasks.
be used without specific adjustment
be adjusted, meaning you can work with it to any degree of detail
serve as a template or an example for customer-defined Business
These information models essentially contain roles, workbooks,
queries, InfoSources, InfoCubes, key figures, characteristics,
update rules and extractors for SAP R/3, mySAP.com Business
Applications and other selected applications
 Objectives of DW
l Standardized structure and display of all enterprise
information
l Easy-to-use, single-point of access to all enterprise
information
l Self-service, high quality business reporting and analysis on all
levels
l Fast and cost-effective implementation
l High performance environment, with data staging from
heterogeneous sources
l Freed-up systems and IT resources in the source system
environment
 OLTP VS OLAP
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) refers to the
type of data processing typically done in an R/3
system. The reporting requirements in this type of
system vary greatly from those inan OLAP (Online
Analytical Processing) environment.
n BW is an OLAP (Online Analytical Processing)
system, providing users with data in a form
that makes reporting possible across different systems
and different applications.
n Operational environments (OLTP systems) are
characterized by the following criteria:
Detailed transaction data is essential
Current data is essential
Performance requirements are relatively
predictable
Patterns showing how users work in the systems
can be predicted
Data can be optimized for performance
Hardware/software can be optimized based on
performance characteristics
Decision-support environments (OLAP systems) are
characterized by the following criteria:
Integrated data is essential
Historical data is essential
Performance requirements are not predictable
Patterns showing how users work in the
systems cannot be predicted
Data can be optimized based on performance
characteristics
Hardware/software can be optimized based on
performance characteristics
OLTP OLAP
SAP (R/3) Source System
Definition
All systems that provide the SAP (BW) with data are described as
source systems.
! R/3 systems from Release 3.0D
! R/3 systems before Release 3.0D
! SAP (BW) systems
! Flat files, Metadata is maintained manually, and transferred
into BW via a file interface
! External systems, Data and Metadata is transferred using
staging BAPIs
Components
SAP (R/3) Source System Extractors
Extractors are SAP (R/3) Source System ABAP Programs that
enable the SAP (BW) System to extract data from the SAP (R/3)
Source System DataSets into the Extract Structure of a DataSource.
! Standard Extractor (Application Specific)
! Non-Standard Extractor (Generic)
SAP (BW) System
Definition
The SAP (BW) System is an enterprise-wide information hub,
which allows you to analyse data from R/3 and non-R/3
application and present it in an Excel-Based user interface.
Components
Administrator Workbench
The Administrator Workbench is the tool for controlling,
monitoring and maintaining all of
the processes connected with data staging and processing in the
SAP (BW) System.
Business Explorer (BEx)
The Business Explorer is the reporting tool for the Business
Information Warehouse and
consists of
! Business Explorer Analyser
! Business Explorer Browser
DataSource
! Data that logically belongs together is stored in the SAP
(R/3) Source System in the form of DataSources.
! A DataSource contains a number of fields in a flat
structure used to transfer data into SAP
(BW) System.
! A DataSource is an object that, at the request of SAP
(BW) System, makes data available in one of its redetermined
structures.
There are 2 Categories of DataSource
! Standard DataSource (Application DataSource)
! Non-Standard DataSource (Generic DataSource)
! DataSources for transaction data
! DataSources for master data
! Attributes
! Text
! Hierarchies
The components of a DataSource are
! Extract Structure
! Transfer structure
Extract Structure
In the Extract Structure, data from a DataSource is staged in the
SAP (R/3) Source System.
The Extract Structure contains the amount of fields that are
offered by an Extractor in the SAP (R/3) Source System for the
data loading process
Transfer Structure
The Transfer Structure is the structure in which the data is
transported from the SAP (R/3) Source System into the SAP (BW)
System.
In the Transfer Structure maintenance, you determine which
Extract Structure fields are to be transferred to the SAP (BW)
System.
When you activate the DataSource of the SAP (R/3) Source
System from the SAP (BW) System, an identical Transfer
Structure like the one in the SAP (R/3) Source System is created
in the SAP (BW) System.
InfoSource
Data that logically belongs together is stored in the SAP (BW)
System in the form of InfoSources.
An InfoSource contains a number of InfoObjects which structure
the information needed to create InfoCubes / ODS Objects in the
SAP (BW) System.
An InfoSource is an object that, at the request of SAP (BW)
System, makes data available to the InfoCubes / ODS Objects.
There are 2 Categories of InfoSource
! InfoSource For Transaction Data
! InfoSource For Master Data
The component of an InfoSource is
! Communication Structure ! InfoObject
Communication Structure In the Communication Structure, data
from an InfoSource is staged in the SAP (BW) System.
The Communication Structure displays the structure of the
InfoSource. It contains all of the InfoObjects belonging to the
InfoSource of the SAP (BW) System. Data is updated in the
InfoCubes from the Communication Structure.
InfoObject
InfoObjects are the basic information providers of BW. They
structure the information
needed to create InfoCubes/ODS Objects.
Types Of InfoObjects
Key Figures : Data part of an InfoObject. They are quantifiable
values. (Eg. Quantity Sold, Revenue)
Characteristics : Objects that are used to calculate and present Key
Figures. (Eg. Sales Office, Customer)
Time Characteristics : Characteristics that are assigned to the
dimension of
time. (Eg. Fiscal Year, Period)
Technical Characteristics : Only of structural use within BW.
Units : Units for the Key Figures
InfoArea
Logical collections of data that are based on data models and
business rules that are derived
from the enterprise model of the SAP (R/3) System. SAP (BW)
Systems store data in
InfoAreas which can contain ODS Objects and InfoCubes
DataTarget (InfoCube)
The central objects upon which reports and analyses in BW are
based, are called InfoCubes.
An InfoCube is a multidimensional data structure.
An InfoCube is a set of relational tables that contains InfoObjects.
An InfoCube consists of a Fact Table and a set of n Dimension
Tables that define the axes of its multiple dimensions.
Structure Of InfoCube : Snowflake Schema
An InfoCube consist of the following structure
! 1 fact table
! n dimension tables
! n surrogate ID (SID) tables
! n text tables
! n master data tables
Fact table : Contains the key figures, which are quantifiable
values.
Dimension tables : Contain the characteristics that are used to
analyse and report on the key figures.
Sid tables : Specify tables in the SAP (BW) System that contain
surrogate ids. Sid tables link the master and hierarchy tables
outside the dimensions of a star schema.
Text tables : Contain descriptive text that might be time or
language dependent.
Master tables : Contains attributes that are used for presenting
and navigating reports in SAP (BW) System. They can, however,
be extended to include other data. Master tables are also time-
dependent and can be shared by multiple InfoCubes.
3 Types of InfoCubes
BasicCube : "Data containers", on which reports and analyses
in BW are based.
BasicCubes are supplied with data from one or several
InfoSources.
The BasicCube is filled using the Scheduler, provided that the
Update Rules are maintained.
MultiCube : A MultiCube is a superior InfoCube that combines
data from several BasicCubes / RemoteCubes, and brings it
together into one context. The MultiCube itself does not contain
any data; its data comes exclusively from the BasicCubes it is
based on.
RemoteCube : A RemoteCube is an InfoCube whose transaction
data is not managed in the Business Information Warehouse but
externally. Only the structure of the RemoteCube is defined in
BW. The data is read for reporting using a BAPI from another
system.
Update Rules
The update rules specify how the InfoObjects (Key Figures, Time
Characteristics,
Characteristics) are updated in the DataTargets from the
Communication Structure of an
InfoSource. You are therefore connecting an InfoSource with an
InfoCube/ODS object.
Transfer Rules
In the transfer rules maintenance, you determine whether the
communication structure is
filled with fixed values from the transfer structure fields, or using
a local conversion routine.
SAP BIW Architecture Overview
SAP BW includes relational Online Analytical Processing
(OLAP), automated data extraction and staging tools, a
preconfigured data repository, a user-friendly frontend (the
Business Explorer), and an Administrator Workbench.
SAP BW has three layers:
Business Explorer:
As the top layer in the SAP BW architecture, the Business
Explorer (BEx) serves as the reporting environment
(presentation and analysis) for end users. It consists of the
BEx Analyzer, BEx Browser, BEx Web, and BEx Map for
analysis and reporting activities.
7
Business Information Warehouse Server:
The SAP BW server, as the middle layer,
has two primary roles:
Data warehouse management and administration:
These tasks are handled by the production data extractor
(a set of programs for the extraction of data from R/3 OLTP
applications such as logistics, and controlling), the staging
engine, and the Administrator Workbench.
Data storage and representation:
These tasks are handled by the InfoCubes in conjunction with
the data manager, Metadata repository, and Operational Data
Store (ODS).
The Persistent Staging Area (PSA)
is the input store for requested transaction data, master data
attributes, and texts from various source systems within SAP BW.
The requested data is stored unchanged from the source system.
An Operational Data Store (ODS)
object describes a consolidated data set from one or more
InfoSources. ODS stores consolidated and cleansed transaction
data on a document level in transparent, flat database tables. The
data from the ODS object can be updated with a delta update into
InfoCubes and/or other ODS objects in the same system or across
the systems. ODS object data can be analyzed with a BEx
Analyzer query or Infoset Query.
. The OLAP (Online analytical processing) processor is the
analytic engine of SAP BW. This processor uses a relational
database for analyzing and presenting various types of data such
as summarized OLTP data and market and syndicated data. The
OLAP processor allows many different types of analyses, such as
drilldown. In addition, it offers additional business functionality
such as currency translation.
Metadata (data about data) is used to describe the source,
history, and other aspects of data. The metadata repository
contains both business-related (definitions, descriptions, and rules
used for reporting) and technical (for example, structure and
mapping rules for the data extraction and staging process)
metadata. The metadata repository is central to the data
warehouse concept.
Aggregates :
An aggregate is a subset of info cube.
An aggregate stores the data of an InfoCube redundantly in a
summarized or condensed form in an aggregate table.
This aggregate table no longer contains certain characteristics of the
InfoCube and has been summarized across attributes , characteristic
values , or a hierarchy level.
Aggregates are used primarily to improve the performance of
business intelligence tools . Queries can be executed very faster .
Aggregates are updated when loading InfoCubes from an
InfoSource using the same update rules.
During loading , data are aggregated to the specified level of the
InfoCubes dimensions .
During query , the OLAP processor dynamically determines if an
aggregate exists to satisfy the query
If the Data changes, aggregate update program makes all data
changes effective in the associated aggregate and should be run
periodically
An infocube can have more than one aggregate and a query step
can have only on aggregate.
The strategies for building aggregates include
Dimension aggregation
Attributes and hierarchy aggregation
Summarization of facts
Exception aggregation
An aggregate that contains a navigational attribute can
cause high aggregate maintenance cost. There fore if an
aggregate is no longer used it should be either deactivated
or turned off. When an aggregate is deactivated data will
be lost. If an aggregation turned off no data lost .
Aggregates to be used
An info cube contains a lot of data
Attributes in queries are used often.
Hierarchies and attributes do not change much
Reporting is slow and performance is to be improved
Dos and Donts
An aggregate holds only transactional data
Aggregates must be recreated after changes to the master data
attributes or hierarchies
Aggregates are built against InfoCubes and cannot be built
against the ODS
Aggregates are fully useful only for keyfigures
Hierarchy structure time-dependent characteristics and
attributes of time dependent characteristics are not allowed in
an aggregate
Aggregates cannot be built with display attributes or time
dependent navigational attributes
The Business Explorer (BEx) helps to analyze
business data. The Business Explorer enables
the end user to locate reports, view reports,
and analyze information. You can execute
queries, create linked report output
(organized in workbooks), present data
from multiple application areas or systems,
and more. The queries in workbooks can be
saved to the respective user rolesin the BEx
Browser or mySAP Workplace.
The Business Explorer has the following
components:
BEx Browser
BEx Analyzer
BEx Map
BEx Web
The BEx Browser is a graphical interface for
organizing reports of SAP BW.
All activities can be organized in the respective
roles and functions. For
example, managers can organize tasks involving
the R/3 transactions,
reports, and frequently visited web sites in their
role folders according to the functions they
perform.
BEx Analyzer is a Microsoft Excel-based interactive
environment where analyses and queries are defined by
selected characteristics and key figures.
The selected data can be analyzed by navigating through
multidimensionaldata. Presentation in Microsoft Excel also
allows users to take a report viewand manipulate it as a
document. Furthermore, calculations, notes, charts,and
graphics can be added, different reports can be combined in a
workbook,and reports can be distributed using e-mail.
BEx Map
is SAP BWs integrated Geographical Information System
(GIS) in the Business Explorer.
A number of characteristics in SAP BW also have a
geographical significance, such as customer, sales region, and
country. This information can be evaluated in the BEx Map
together with the relevant business-oriented figures.
BEx Web
Use web reporting to publish queries that have been
defined in BEx Analyzer on the intranet or Internet. You
can insert and present queries on any HTML page. You can
embed different queries on an HTML page and use
predefined navigation buttons or graphics to display the
data.
The Reporting Agent schedules reporting functions in the
background. As a component of the SAP BW Administrator
Workbench (AWB), Reporting Agent automates routine tasks
such as the inspection of large datasets for exceptions and mass-
printing of query-based documents.
Exception Reporting:
Queries execute in background, and the result sets are inspected
for the occurrence of exceptions. An exception can trigger the
sending of an e-mail to SAP BW users, or Exception Monitor can
record execution log entries.
Background printing:
Queries execute in the background with formatted results printed
to a supported device.