SAP BEx Simplified Business Explorer for End-Users

CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................xv
Exercise Scenarios ......................................................................................xvii
Chapter 1: Overview of Data Warehousing and BW ....................................1
Data warehousing ............................................................................................1
Background and overview ..........................................................................1
Fundamental concepts ..............................................................................1
Benefits ......................................................................................................2
Business Warehouse (BW) ..................................................................................3
What is the Business Warehouse ................................................................3
BW and SAP R/3 relationship ....................................................................4
BW data characteristics ..............................................................................4
BW queries ................................................................................................5
BW architecture and components ......................................................................6
Business Explorer ......................................................................................6
Business Warehouse Server ........................................................................7
Source Systems ..........................................................................................7
BEx architecture and components ......................................................................7
Business Explorer Browser (BEx Browser) ..................................................8
Business Explorer Analyzer (BEx Analyzer) ................................................8
Chapter 2: Impact of BW implementations ................................................10
New reporting and analysis paradigm ..............................................................10
BW access methods and process ........................................................................11
Access methods ........................................................................................11
Who can access BW reports ....................................................................12
Roles and authorizations ..........................................................................12
IDs and passwords ..................................................................................12
Which BW system to use ........................................................................13
Functional areas covered by the BW system ......................................................13
Report Tree ..............................................................................................13
How to view the InfoProviders ................................................................15
Miscellaneous ................................................................................................17
Knowing the limitations ..........................................................................17
Role of the legacy reporting tools ............................................................18
Getting help ..................................................................................................18
Online help ..............................................................................................18
Company support/Help Desk ..................................................................18
Chapter 3: Launching a BW report via the Analyzer ..................................19
How to launch the Analyzer ............................................................................19
Displaying the available reports ......................................................................21
How to select a report for execution ..................................................................27
How to find a report ......................................................................................27
How to launch a selected report ........................................................................31
How to enter values in the Query Selection window ..........................................32
How to execute the report ................................................................................33
How to refresh a report ....................................................................................33
Chapter 4: Specifying selection criteria for reports ......................................36
Query Selection window components ................................................................36
Minimum input requirements ........................................................................37
Entering values in the Query Selection window ................................................37
Using drop-down menus ..................................................................................38
Filters ............................................................................................................40
How to specify include filters ............................................................................40
How to specify exclude filters ............................................................................42
Using operators on the web ..............................................................................44
Using include/exclude filters on the web ............................................................45
Adding values and ranges on the web ..............................................................46
Chapter 5: Launching a BW report via the Browser/Portal ........................48
How to launch the Browser ..............................................................................48
Browser windows ............................................................................................49
Browser Toolbar ..............................................................................................50
How to navigate to a specific report ..................................................................51
How to find a report ......................................................................................51
How to select a report for execution ..................................................................53
How to launch a selected report ........................................................................54
How to specify the selection criteria for a report ................................................55
How to execute a report ..................................................................................55
Working with Browser windows and folders ......................................................56
Moving and organizing reports ................................................................57
Enhancing displays ..................................................................................58
Adding an Internet address ......................................................................61
Creating a new folder ..............................................................................64
Deleting a folder ......................................................................................65
Rearranging groups ..................................................................................66
How to access BW reports via the Portal ..........................................................68
Chapter 6: Anatomy of Excel and Web reports ............................................69
Excel report anatomy ......................................................................................69
Web report anatomy ........................................................................................70
How to analyze BW (Excel and Web) reports ....................................................72
Chapter 7: Analyzer tools and techniques ..................................................73
BEx Toolbar ..................................................................................................73
Context Menu ................................................................................................73
Chapter 8: Web reporting tools and techniques ..........................................77
Web Toolbar ..................................................................................................77
Generic Navigation Block ................................................................................77
Drill-down characteristics ................................................................................78
Context Menu ................................................................................................78
Chapter 9: Basic navigation and analysis functions ....................................80
Most commonly used functions ........................................................................80
Back ........................................................................................................80
Back to Start ............................................................................................80
Keep Filter Value ......................................................................................81
Select Filter Value ....................................................................................81
Other functions ......................................................................................81
Using common functions in Excel ....................................................................81
Back ........................................................................................................83
Back to Start ............................................................................................84
Keep filter value ......................................................................................85
Select filter value ......................................................................................88
Remove filter value ..................................................................................93
Using common functions on the web ................................................................95
Back ........................................................................................................96
Back to Start ............................................................................................97
Keep filter value ......................................................................................98
Select filter value ......................................................................................99
Remove filter value ................................................................................103
Chapter 10: Slicing, dicing, and drilling ..................................................104
What is slicing and dicing ............................................................................104
What is drill-down ......................................................................................105
Example of drill-down ..................................................................................105
What is drill-across ......................................................................................107
Example of drill-across ..................................................................................107
Chapter 11: Analysis using the Analyzer ..................................................109
Drill-down and drill-across ..........................................................................109
How to drill-down using the Context Menu ..........................................109
How to drill-across using the Context Menu ..........................................111
How to remove drill-down ....................................................................113
Drill-down by double-clicking ..............................................................115
Reversing a drill-down by double-clicking ..............................................117
Filter and drilldown according to ..................................................................118
How to swap axes ..........................................................................................121
What is swapping ..................................................................................121
How to swap ..........................................................................................121
How to sort ..................................................................................................124
Working with hierarchies ..............................................................................126
What is a hierarchy ................................................................................126
Expanding a hierarchy ............................................................................127
Collapsing a hierarchy node ..................................................................129
Deactivating a hierarchy ........................................................................131
How to jump ................................................................................................131
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous functions using the Analyzer ..........................133
How to export report results to Excel ..............................................................133
How to add a report to the favorites ..............................................................134
How to delete a report from the favorites folder ..............................................137
How to print a report ....................................................................................139
How to e-mail a report ..................................................................................141
How to receive a report via e-mail ..................................................................141
How to logoff ................................................................................................142
How to create a variant ................................................................................144
What is a variant ....................................................................................144
Creating a variant ..................................................................................144
How to retrieve a variant ..............................................................................147
How to delete a variant ................................................................................148
Chapter 13: Analysis on the web ..............................................................151
Drill-down and drill-across ..........................................................................151
How to drill-down from the Navigation Area ........................................152
How to drill-down from the Results Area ..............................................153
How to drill-across ................................................................................154
How to remove drill-down or drill-across ..............................................155
How to filter by a characteristic ....................................................................157
Using the Context Menu to filter ..........................................................157
Using the Navigation Block to filter ......................................................159
How to filter and drilldown according to ........................................................162
How to swap axes ..........................................................................................163
What is swapping ..................................................................................163
How to swap ..........................................................................................164
How to sort ..................................................................................................165
Working with hierarchies ..............................................................................167
What is a hierarchy ................................................................................167
Expanding a hierarchy ............................................................................167
Expanding a hierarchy node ..................................................................168
Collapsing a hierarchy node ..................................................................169
Deactivating a hierarchy ........................................................................170
How to use the jump function ........................................................................171
Chapter 14: Miscellaneous functions on the web ......................................172
How to export report results to Excel ..............................................................172
How to add a report to the favorites (Bookmark) ............................................174
How to delete a report from the favorites folder ..............................................175
How to print a report ....................................................................................176
How to e-mail a report ..................................................................................178
How to logoff ................................................................................................182
How to create, retrieve, and delete a variant ..................................................182
Chapter 15: Changing properties (Excel) ..................................................183
Query Designer ............................................................................................183
Launching the Query Designer ..............................................................183
Query Designer windows ......................................................................184
How to change properties ..............................................................................185
How to change the properties of characteristics ......................................185
How to change the properties of key figures ..........................................190
How to change the row display order ....................................................195
How to add an attribute ........................................................................197
Currency translation ..............................................................................200
Chapter 16: Changing properties (Web) ..................................................201
How to change properties ..............................................................................201
How to change the properties of characteristics ......................................201
How to change the properties of key figures ..........................................205
Currency translation ..............................................................................212

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