Creating a BW Query in SAP Business Explorer Query Designer

You must create a query that includes the cube that you wish to import. We recommend that you base the query on a single InfoCube in the database. A query based on multiple sources may result in SAP BW errors during data retrieval.

After creating the query, you can create a variable Create a Variable.

Procedure

  1. In Query Designer, click New Query.
  2. In the New Query dialog box, select the information provider that contains the cube that you want to import.
  3. Click the Tools icon to view the technical name of the InfoObject.
  4. Drag a characteristic that you wish to import from the InfoObject catalog on the left column to one of the fields on the right-hand side of the page. For example, Columns or Rows.

    The characteristics you select will define the metadata in the Cognos Transformer cube. The characteristics must adhere to the following restrictions:

    • You must have at least a single optional variable to segment the data.
    • Select a characteristic that is representative of the data source. The characteristics can be either key figures, which will become measures in Cognos Transformer, or dimensions, which will become the Cognos Transformer dimensions.
    • Do not assign any of the characteristics a display hierarchy, either explicitly or by a variable.
    • All key figures in the SAP BW query must be numeric.
    • Do not select the Currency/Unit characteristic.
    • Ensure that all selected key figures use the same currency.
    • Only include characteristics in the SAP BW query that you wish to extract using Framework Manager. Including unnecessary characteristics increases data volume, thereby adversely affecting performance.
    • Characteristics must be copied to the Columns or Rows fields of the query definition. If copied to the Free Characteristics or the Filter fields, the characteristics show as dimensions when importing from the package but the stream extract processing is not able to fetch the values.
    • If you have filters defined, they must reference only dimensions that have been included elsewhere in the query definition.
    • If you include a free characteristic, no values will appear for that characteristic in the key figures extract. A filter on a free characteristic acts as a filter on the returned SAP BW data. You can use this as a filter to define a subset of an InfoCube.
    • Use a picklist prompt, rather than a type-in prompt for the query. A picklist prompt provides values for segmenting the data.
  5. To define the metadata that will populate the Cognos Transformer cube, you must change the properties of each characteristic that you have selected for inclusion. Right-click a characteristic, and select Properties.
  6. In the Properties of Characteristic dialog box, change the Display As value to Key, and the Suppress Results Rows value to Always. Note that any restriction or filter applied here will be carried forward in Cognos Transformer.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each characteristic that you selected in step 4.
    Note: You should only select the characteristics that you require. To avoid excessive memory consumption, and decreased system performance or failure, carefully consider what characteristics you want to include in the query. We recommend that you consult an SAP BW administrator to ensure that the data volumes are not exceeded.
  8. Click the Queries Properties icon, and in the Extended tab select the Allow External Access to this Query check box. This exposes the query to Framework Manager.
  9. Click Save, and provide the new query with a Description and a Technical Name. We recommend that you use the SAP BW naming convention in the Technical Name field. That is, begin the entry with the letter 'Z' followed by an intuitive name or your standard naming convention. It is important to write down this technical name, as you will need it to find the query in Framework Manager.

Results

You are now ready to create a variable Create a Variable. For more information on using the SAP Query Designer, see your SAP BW documentation.