2. 2
SAP BW Foundation Virtual Training Schedule
Day – Session name Date Session Timings Trainer Name
Day 1 – SAP BW Overview 19-May-14 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM vemuluri, Murali
Day 2 – SAP BW Data modeling 20-May-14 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM chukkala, Saritha
Day 3 – SAP BW ETL 21-May-14 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Patra, Biswajit
Day 5 – SAP BW Administration 22-May-14 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Gunasekar, Vinodh
Day 4 – SAP Reporting 23-May-14 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Raj, C V Vijay
4. 4
TERMINOLOGY - 2
Attributes
Text
Hierarchy
InfoProvider
Source System
Data Targets
Transformation
Data Transfer Process
Query Designer
BEX Analyzer
5. 5
SAP BW/BI Version History
Name Version Release
BIW 1.2A Oct-98
BW 3.0A Oct-01
BW 3.0B May-02
BW 3.1 Nov-02
BW 3.1C Apr-04
BW 3.3 Apr-04
BW 3.5 Apr-04
BI 7 Jul-05
BW 7.3
BW 7.4
7. 7
Purpose and Use of Data Modeling in BW
Data modeling is the “backbone” of the BI system.
It is a staging area helps to maintain large amount of operational and
historical data and the main purpose of data modeling is to structure and
organize the necessary data for Business users for data analysis.
Data Modeling serves as the tool for managing the middle phase of data
warehousing i.e. it helps managing the staging and transforming the data for
reporting.
It provides more flexibility in terms of data transformation as compared to
the source system due to availability of various methods of data
transformation.
9. 9
InfoObjects
InfoObjects are the basic information providers of BI and the smallest information
units in BI.
They structure the information needed to create InfoCubes/DSO Objects.
InfoObject types:
Characteristics
Key figures
Characteristics bear master data (i.e. attributes, texts or hierarchies)
in BI. Attributes are InfoObjects that are logically subordinate to a
characteristic.
Types of Attributes: Display Attribute and Navigational Attribute
Key Figures InfoObjects provide values to be evaluated such as quantity, amount,
or number of items.
11. 11
InfoObject Catalog
An InfoObject catalog is a collection of InfoObjects grouped according to
application-specific criteria/It is a directory of Infoobjects.
You can group Info Objects together in InfoObject Catalogs to provide both a
better overview to them and to arrange them logically.
Types of InfoObject catalog:
Characteristic: This is the collection of Characteristics InfoObjects
Key figure: This is the collection of Key figures InfoObjects
13. 13
Info Providers – Business Purpose
An InfoProvider is an object for which queries can be created or executed in
BEx. InfoProvider can be either physical storage of data or virtual collection of
data
Basic InfoProviders:
1. InfoCube
2. Data Store Objects (DSO)
InfoProviders can be displayed, created, and maintained in transaction
RSA1
14. 14
It is a multidimensional Structure/ Data Container used for Analysis &
Reporting Purpose.
An InfoCube can have maximum of 16 dimensions (3 dimensions are
provided by SAP i.e. Time, Data Package and Unit). A maximum of 256
characteristics can be included in each dimension.
A cube has 2 fact tables - E and F. When the requests in the cube are not
compressed the data exists in the F fact table and when the requests are
compressed the data lies in the E fact table.
InfoCubes
17. 17
ODS—Operational data store
DSO---Data store Object
It acts as a storage location for consolidated and clean-up transaction
data .
DSO object contains:
key fields
data fields and
key figures.
Data Store Object (DSO/ODS)
19. 19
Data Store Object (DSO)
Every DSO object is represented on
the database by three transparent
tables:
Active data table: latest data,
current status of the data and used
for reporting.
Activation queue/New data table
: Data stored before activation,
delete after activation.
Change log: Contains the
complete history of the changes.
20. 20
Data Store Objects
There are three different types of DSO’s in BI 7.0
Standard DSO
Direct Update DSO
Write Optimized DSO
DSO for Direct Update is same as Transactional ODS in 3.x
Write Optimized DSO is a completely new type of DSO.
21. 21
Write Optimized DSO
Consists of only one table of active data
Reporting is possible on the basis of these DataStore objects. However, we
recommend that you use them as a consolidation layer, and update the data
to additional InfoProviders, standard DataStore objects, or InfoCubes.
It also can be used as EDW layer for saving data. Business rules are only
applied when the data is updated to additional InfoProviders.
22. 22
Direct Update DSO
A direct update DSO object differs from a standard DSO object in the way it
prepares data.
Data Store object type is filled using APIs and can be read via a BAPI.
23. 23
Differences between Data Store Object Types
Type Structure Data Supply SID
Generation
Are BEx
Queries
Possible?
Standard Consists of three
tables: activation
queue, table of
active data,
change log
From data
transfer process
Yes Yes
For direct
update
Consists of the
table of active
data only
From APIs No Yes
Write-
optimized
Consists of the
table of active
data only
From data
transfer process
No Yes
24. 24
MultiProvider
A MultiProviders is a type of InfoProvider that combines data from a number
of InfoProviders and makes it available for analysis purposes.
The MultiProviders itself does not contain any data. Its data comes entirely
from the InfoProviders on which it is based. MultiProviders only exist as a
logical definition. These InfoProviders are connected to one another by a union
operation.
A query based on a MultiProvider is divided internally into subqueries. There
is a subquery for each Info Provider included in the MultiProvider. These
subqueries are usually processed in parallel.
25. 25
MultiProvider
• One can combine InfoCube, DSO
objects, InfoObjects and InfoSets in
a MultiProvider.
• A union operation is used to
combine the data from these objects
into a MultiProvider.
• Here, the system constructs the
union set of the data sets involved. In
other words, all values of these data
sets are combined.
27. 27
Data Targets
A data target is an object into which data is loaded. Data targets are the
physical objects that are relevant during data modeling and when loading
the data.
Data targets are:
InfoObjects (characteristics with attributes or texts)
InfoCube
DSO Objects
28. 28
Data Targets vs InfoProvider
Data targets physically store data in the underlying database tables.
InfoProviders not necessarily store data. Data can be populated on the
fly via infoproviders by the reports.
All data targets are infoproviders but vice versa is not always true.
29. 29
InfoProviders
An InfoProvider is an object for which queries can be created or
executed in BEx. InfoProviders are the objects or views that are relevant
for reporting.
Types of InfoProviders:
MultiProviders
InfoSets
Virtual Providers
DSO
InfoCube
InfoObject
38. 38
Introduction
Process chain is defined as a sequence of interdependent processes,
it is required to perform a complete task in BW
Process chains are graphical scheduling & monitoring tool to maintain
automation, visualization & monitoring of tasks/processes.
39. 39
Introduction
Transaction code for Process Chain Maintenance: RSPC.
Different Process Chain Views:
Planning View: Use to check the Plan status of the Process chain.
Checking View: Use to check the consistency of the process chain
Log View: The results of each run are monitored..
Types Of Processes
Start Process
Application Process
Collection Process
40. 40
Start Process
Defines the start of a Process Chain
Special features of a Start process:
Only the start process can be scheduled without a predecessor
process.
The start process cannot be a successor of another process.
Only one start process is allowed for each process chain.
A start process can only be used in a single process chain.
41. 41
Application Processes
Application process represent BW activities that are typically performed
as part of BW operations.
Sample Application Processes:
1. Create Index
2. Delete Index
3. ODS Activation
4. Build DB Statistics
5. Compress InfoCube
42. 42
Collection Processes
Used to manage multiple predecessor processes that feed into the
same subsequent process
Collection processes available in BW
AND
OR
EXOR
43. 43
Process Control in BW
Data Load
Monitor
Data Target
Maintenance
Start 1
Load into PSA
3
Load into ODS
4
Activate
Data in
ODS
5
Further update
6
Build Indices
7
Build DB
Statistics
8
Roll up
Aggregate
9
Drop Indices
2
44. 44
Process Control
1. ‘Start Process’ starts the process chain. It is triggered when process chain is
scheduled to run.
2. ‘Drop index’ is recommended by SAP prior to data load.
3. ‘Execute Infopackage’ is then executed to extract data from the source system
into the PSA.
4. Data is pushed from PSA to ODS after required staging.
5. ODS is activated as data is transferred from new data table to active data and
the change log tables.
6. Data is then updated to further Datatargets.
7. Indexes are rebuild at this stage to improve Database access and the query
performance, in turn.
8. In the next step, the system generates data on the performance of the BW
architecture and stores it as BW statistics.
9. The data thus updated is rolled into the aggregates (if any).
49. 49
Process Chain – Scheduling
• There are multiple modes to schedule a process chain:
o Immediate – Process Chain(PC) run starts immediately once
triggered.
o Date/time: PC is scheduled to run on specific date and time.
Using this, PC can be scheduled Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly.
o After Job : PC would be triggered after completion of the
specified job.
o After Event: PC would be executed once specified event is
triggered.
o At Operation mode: PC is triggered to run during the specified
mode of operation.
50. 50
Process Chain – Monitoring
• Process Chain logs can be viewed for different time periods i.e.:
o Same Day.
o Same day and Previous Day.
o One week ago.
o Current month and Previous month.
o Free Date: any timeframe starting 01/01/1000 to 31/12/9999.
• Symbols display the status of the runs of the individual process within the
chain:
o Yellow indicates that the chain is active.
o Green that the chain ended successfully.
o Red that the chain ended with errors or was terminated.
o Unknown is displayed if the status is unknown
56. 56
HelpMe
Browse through the below links for Self Study
1. http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70ehp2/helpdata/en/e3/e6
0138fede083de10000009b38f8cf/frameset.htm
2. http://service.sap.com/bi