SAP BW 7.4—Practical Guide

Amol Palekar is director of Analytics and Service Delivery at TekLink International Inc., where he leads the Application Management Services practice that focuses on global delivery engagements. In previous jobs, Amol has led the SAP BI Architecture Council and SAP BI Center of Excellence and worked on BI programs for several Fortune 500 companies. He has led BI project teams of various sizes for companies in the manufacturing, retail, CPG, automotive, and telecom industries. Amol is also a trainer and a regular speaker on the subject of BI, and he is recognized for his best-selling books on SAP BI and supply chain analytics. Bharat Patel has 20 years of IT experience covering the entire lifecycle management of data warehousing solutions, from evaluation and identification to upgrade and retirement. He is a regular faculty member at SAP Partner Academy and SAP Labs in India, and has published other books and articles on SAP BW. He currently manages a large and complex SAP BW system at Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd., a Fortune 500 oil company. Shreekant Shiralkar is a senior management professional with experience in leading and managing business functions and technical consultation. In a career spanning 30 years, he established, developed, and diversified business units for Fortune 500 companies. He has mentored authors, published best-selling books and white papers on technology, and holds patents for technology and services. Shreekant is currently leading the SAP analytic practice globally for a leading technology company.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Business Scenario: ABCD Corp.
Marketing Network
The Sales and Billing Process
Business Intelligence Requirements
The Business Planning Scenario
Summary
Overview of SAP Business Warehouse
Evolution of SAP BW
SAP BW Layers
Basic Navigation
The Data Warehousing Workbench Functions
Activation of SAP Business Content
Implementation and Architecture Options
Additional Resources
Summary
InfoObjects and Master Data
Types of InfoObjects
Creating an InfoArea
Creating an InfoObject Catalog
Creating a Custom Characteristic InfoObject
Configuring a Characteristic InfoObject
Creating a Key Figure InfoObject
Configuring a Key Figure InfoObject
Creating a Unit InfoObject
Summary
DataStore Objects
Introduction to DSOs
Architecture of the Standard DSO
Designing a DSO
Configuration of the Standard DSO
Configuration of Write-Optimized DSOs
Configuration of Direct-Update DSOs
Usage Scenarios for DSOs
Summary
InfoCubes
Modeling InfoCubes
Types of InfoCubes
Creating an InfoCube
Provider-Specific Properties
Summary
InfoProviders
MultiProviders
InfoSets
VirtualProviders
Semantically Partitioned Objects (SPOs)
HybridProvider
Transient Providers
Analytical Index
CompositeProvider
Open ODS View
Summary
Extraction, Transformation, and Loading
Introduction to ETL
Loading Master Data from a Flat File to an InfoObject
Loading Transaction Data from a Flat File to a DSO
Loading Data from a DSO to an InfoCube
Query as DataSource
Temporary Storage Areas and Error Stacks
Graphical Modeling
Special Topics for SAP HANA
Summary
Data Extraction from Source Systems
Configuring an SAP Source System for Extraction
Using SAP Business Content for Extraction: Logistics DataSources
Using Generic DataSources for Extraction
Data Extraction from Non-SAP Systems
Introduction to Operational Data Provisioning/Operational Delta Queue
SAP LT Replication Server for SAP BW
Summary
Creating Queries Using BEx Query Designer
BEx Tools Landscape
Introduction to BEx Query Designer
Creating a Simple BEx Query
Introduction to OLAP Variables
Creating OLAP Variables Using the Variable Editor
Creating Filters
Creating Structures
Creating Selections and Formulas
Creating Key Figures
Properties of Query Elements
Creating Conditions
Creating Exceptions
Configuring Report-to-Report Interfaces
Summary
Reporting and Analysis Tools
Running Queries in BEx Analyzer
Performing Information Analysis in BEx Analyzer
Local Properties and Formulas in BEx Analyzer
Saving and Reusing Workbooks in BEx Analyzer
Building an Analysis Application in BEx Analyzer
Running Queries in BEx Web Analyzer
Performing Information Analysis in BEx Web Analyzer
Analysis Filters and Settings in BEx Web Analyzer
Information Broadcasting Using BEx Web Analyzer
Information Broadcasting in BEx Web Analyzer
Maintaining Broadcasting Settings on Different BEx Objects
Creating a New Setting in BEx Broadcaster
BW Workspaces
Summary
Creating Applications Using BEx Web Application Designer
BEx Web Application Designer Overview
Creating a Simple Web Application
Web Items
Working with Commands
Web Template Properties
Summary
Creating Planning Applications
Introduction to the Integrated Planning Component and Planning Applications
Elements of a Planning Application
Building Planning Applications
Planning Locks
Changes to Data in Real-Time InfoCubes
Summary
Reporting with the SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite
Overview of SAP BusinessObjects BI Products
The Unified Semantic Layer and the Information Design Tool
SAP Crystal Reports
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards
SAP BusinessObjects Analysis
SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer
SAP Lumira
SAP BusinessObjects BI Launch Pad
Summary
Administration and Monitoring
DataStore Object Administration and Maintenance
InfoCube Administration and Maintenance
Aggregates
Compression
Process Chains
Analysis Authorizations
Other Administration and Maintenance Tasks
Summary
Advanced Features
Open Hub
Analysis Process Designer
Remodeling
SAP HANA Analysis Process (HAP)
Summary
Appendices
ABCD Corp. Case Study Data
Definitions of Additional InfoObjects for ABCD Corp.
Important Transaction Codes
Important SAP Notes
The Authors
Index