Lesson: SAP BW Workspace
Lesson Overview
BW Workspace
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• Leverage SAP BW Workspace
Business Example
Figure 119: BW Workspaces Introduction
SAP NetWeaver BW contains various functions that enable you to create ad-hoc scenarios for rapid prototyping. These functions are available in a BW workspace for users in specialist departments. Users can create ad-hoc scenarios in an environment specifically designed for these users. The environment is integrated
BW workspaces consist of an administrator tool, workspaces administration and the Workspace Designer – a Web-based working environment for business users.
• Creating and monitoring workspaces.
• Making indexed InfoProviders from the BW system available in the workspaces.
• Assigning authorizations for workspaces and data from the BW system.
The administrator has the following tasks to perform for workspace administration:
• The business user can do the following in Workspace Designer
• Upload his/her own data
• Create new data models based on their own data and InfoProviders. Create queries.
Figure 120: BW Workspace Tasks
A workspace has to be created by an administrator before a user can work in it.
The administrator defines settings such as lifetime, maximum disk space and the BW InfoProviders available in the workspace.
Call Workspace Administration from your user menu. You can use this to edit either just one individual workspace (transaction RSWSP) or to edit several workspaces via a structure (transaction RSWSPW).
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Figure 121: BW Workspace Configuration
Call Workspace Administration from your user menu. You can use this to edit either just one individual workspace (transaction RSWSP) or to edit several workspaces via a structure (transaction RSWSPW).
Editing Individual Workspaces
Select a workspace to edit or enter a name for a new workspace and choose Create.
Editing Multiple Workspaces
The folder <ROOT> is initial. You can create your own folders for your workspaces below this. You can also upload a folder structure from a CSV file.
More information: Managing the Folder Structure.
Choose a workspace to edit or create a new one by choosing Create Workspace in the context menu for your folder.
Tab: Settings
You can make settings to define how the workspace is used:
General Settings:
You can set an expiry date. Upon expiry, the workspace is no longer available in Workspace Designer. Following consultation with the user, the administrator can extend the validity of the workspace or delete it, together with the objects it contains.
You can set a prefix for the providers in the workspace. All providers and transient queires in the workspace are then given this prefix. This prefix cannot be changed once an object hast been created with it.
You can enter the name of two contacts who can be called upon if problems arise with the workspaces.
Settings for Central Providers:
You can assign a MultiProvider to the workspace. This is then assigned as a central provider. You need to explicitly select the InfoProviders you need from the MultiProvider on the Central Providers tab page. More information: The Assigned MultiProvider
Settings for Local Providers:
You can set the maximum memory space for your own data in the workspace and the maximum number of providers. One provider is created for each uploaded data source. The system also displays the used memory and the number of providers created.
If you select Data Backup, a backup will be made of the uploaded data on the BW database as well as in the BWA. More information: Activating Data Backups for Local Providers
Settings for CompositeProviders:
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Under certain circumstances, uploading local data can cause new master data attributes to be created when a query is created. The Creation of Master Data Allowed flag allows you decide whether or not this should happen.
If you set the Non-Unique Join Columns Allowed flag, a multiplication of key figures can occur if join links are used when modeling a CompositeProvider. For information about key figure multiplication, see: Union / Inner Join / Left Outer Join.
If you set the Key Figure Copying Allowed flag, you can copy calculated and restricted key figures, which have been defined for the individual InfoProviders of a CompositeProvider as the global key figures for the CompositeProvider.
Tab Page: Central Providers
You can drag indexed BW InfoProviders that are in-memory (BWA: BWA-indexed as secondary persistence; SAP HANA as primary persistence) from the object repository on the left to the right.
Note: If you subsequently call a workspace with central providers that have already been assigned, the object tree is not displayed automatically.
You have to choose (Build InfoProvider Selection) for this to happen.
You can also select DataSources that can be used in BW Workspace Designer as the source for creating a local provider. To select DataSources, choose (Display DataSource Selection). For DataSources of type File, the system checks whether the file is located on the application server. If not, it cannot be selected.
Note: Using DataSources in BW Workspaces is not recommended for mass data.
The InfoProviders that you drag to the right are assigned to the workspace and can then be used in Workspace Designer for modeling CompositeProviders.
The DataSources that you drag to the right serve as the source for uploads to a local provider that can be used for modeling.
By double-clicking on an InfoProvider, you can display it.
For InfoCubes from assigned MultiProviders, you can define whether they can be used for the workspace.
These local providers are edited in Workspace Designer. There is also a transaction that provides you with an overview of the local providers (analytic indexes) that you can use. More information: Managing Analytic Indexes.
You can also restore the analytic indexes if they are backed up in the BW system (if you are using a BWA). Choose (Restore).
Note: If data backup is activated, your models and data that you have uploaded are also restored during a complete restore of BWA indexes belonging to a BW system. In BW Accelerator Monitor (transaction RSDDBIAMON), you can use the Rebuild BWA Indexes function.
Tab Page: CompositeProviders
The system displays a list of the CompositeProviders that have been created in Workspace Designer. The system displays the status for each CompositeProvider.
OK, With Errors, Inactive or CompositeProvider does not exist.
You can remove workspace assignments from the list for CompositeProviders that no longer exist.
Tab: Users
The system displays a list of users who are authorized to work or run
workspace-specific queries in the workspace in question. The authorizations are checked using the assigned roles/profiles in the user master record. The various authorizations (Workspace Designer/query) are displayed in the list using flags.
Note: Note however that the list can only contain users that you are authorized to display user master record maintenance for.
Finish Editing the Workspace
Check the workspace. During the check, the system checks the active and revised version if one exists.
Note: There are two versions of the check if you have already activated the workspace (active version), made another change and only saved it for the time being (revised version).
Save and activate the workspace. You can only use activated workspaces in Workspace Designer.
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Figure 123: BW Workspace Administration 2
Enhancement Spot for BW Workspaces
Enhancement spot RSL_WORKSPACE for BW Workspaces provides you with two BAdIs:
RSL_WORKSPACE_DESIGNER_BADI: Enhancements in BW Workspace Designer
You can learn how these are used by taking a look at the example implementations
For more general information about using Business Add-Ins (BAdIs), see Business Add-Ins (BAdIs)
You can drag indexed BW InfoProviders that are in-memory (BWA: BWA-indexed as secondary persistence; SAP HANA as primary persistence) from the object repository on the left to the right.
Hint: If you subsequently call a workspace with central providers that have already been assigned, the object tree is not displayed automatically.
You have to choose the icon (Build InfoProvider Selection) for this to happen.
You can also select DataSources that can be used in BW Workspace Designer as the source for creating a local provider. To select DataSources, choose (Display DataSource Selection). For DataSources of type File, the system checks whether the file is located on the application server. If not, it cannot be selected.
Figure 125: BW Workspace Administration 4
Figure 126: BW Workspace Authorizations
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The following user roles have been created for BW Workspaces:
• The BW Workspace Administrator creates BW Workspaces, defines their properties, make central data available in them and manages the BW Workspaces.
• The business user can upload his/her own data for a BW workspace in Workspace Designer and create CompositeProviders.
• The query user can execute queries on CompositeProviders belonging to a BW workspace.
To allow you to work with BW workspaces, SAP provides authorization templates, authorization proposal data and a role. The authorizations are assigned using authorization object S_RS_WSPAC (workspace name and activities).
Figure 127: BW Workspace Designer
BW Workspace Designer enables business users to easily create new models for data analysis or enhance existing models. Various BW InfoProviders are available in the workspace. You can also upload your own providers. In a CompositeProvider, you can connect your own data to BW data by using union or join. This means you can react quickly to new or modified requirements.
Queries are usually based on MultiProviders. If new fields need to be added, these MultiProviders have to be changed on the back end. BW Workspace Designer
an Excel file. You upload the file with ABC data to your workspace. The two InfoCubes are automatically connected by union in your workspace. You can then link the data from your file by join.
Figure 128: BW Workspace Designer 1
Tab Page: CompositeProviders
Here you see a list of all CompositeProviders that have been created in the workspace.
You can create, change and delete CompositeProviders here. By pressing Display Data, you can view a CompositeProvider’s data. By pressing Inform User, you can inform a user by e-mail. If you select a CompositeProvider, its links and fields are displayed in the table at the bottom of the screen. You can then view a graphical display of the CompositeProvider and an overview of the associated queries. Here you can create, change and delete queries, as well as copy key figures.
You see the status of the CompositeProviders:
Draft: The CompositeProvider has been saved as a Draft but not activated yet.
Active: The CompositeProvider has been saved and activated.
Inactive: The CompositeProvider is given status Inactive if one of the local providers it contains has been deleted.
Inactive (obsolete): The CompositeProvider used to have status Active and has been changed and saved using Save Draft, but has not been activated yet.
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If CompositeProviders have status Draft, queries can only be saved as drafts too.
Hint: You can copy calculated and restricted key figures, which have been defined for the individual InfoProviders of a CompositeProvider, as the global key figures for a CompositeProvider.
Tab Page: Central Providers
Here you see a list of all the providers that have been assigned by the workspace administrator. These are providers that have been created centrally in the BW system and BWA indexed. Data content can be displayed and where-used lists run concerning usage in CompositeProviders.
Tab Page: Local Providers
The uploaded providers are dislayed here together with information such as file size.
You can create new local providers, delete existing ones, view data and create a where-used list.
Choose Reload Provider to load modified files from the original location or from a different one, and save them under the same name. This is only possible if the structure of the file has not changed considerably. You can add new columns to the right, but cannot remove columns or change column headers. Use:
Reload (with Changes) if you have added new columns to the right in the file.
Load Directly if you have only modified the data and not the column structure.
Tab: Settings
In the Settings tab, you see general information, such as the name and prefix of the workspace, the maximum memory space for your own workspace providers and the memory space currently used by your own providers, contacts and the expiry date. You can also check whether the option is configured for saving your own data in the database (only visible if you are using a BWA).
You can also check whether a MultiProvider has been defined. If an InfoProvider that is contained in a defined MultiProvider is used in a workspace for modeling a CompositeProvider, the links in the MultiProvider are taken over as they are and cannot be changed manually.
Figure 129: BW Workspace Designer 2
Figure 130: BW Workspace Designer – Create Local Provider
Creating Local Providers
If you want to use data, which is not available on the BW system, in a
CompositeProvider, you can upload this data manually to Workspace Designer. To do this, create your own local providers that get data from files, BEx queries or DataSources.
Procedure
Select a type of source and choose Start.
Unit 5: SAP BW Workspace BW362
Proceed as described below for the relevant source type:
Create Local Provider: File as Source Create Local Provider: BEx Query as Source Create Local Provider: DataSource as Source
Choose Upload Data. An analytic index is created and filled. You can now use the data as a local provider in Workspace Designer.
Creating Local Providers: File as Source Procedure
Select File
Select a file to upload to the workspace. The system can process text-based files containing comma-separated values (CSV files) and Microsoft Excel files.
You can specify the header that contains the field names.
Enter the first data row if it deviates from the default setting (in the default setting, the first data row is in row two).
For CSV files: Make settings for how separators, decimals, date and field separators are displayed. The field separator sign can be used to set special characters in the date field. If the field separator is contained in the date itself, it has to be set twice in the date field.
Note: If you CSV file is very large, and no field separator signs are required, you should remove the “” in order to improve load performance.
For the date, the format that the dates in the file are in has to be taken. During uploading, the date for storage in the analytic index is converted to the external format.
Note: With Excel files, the formatting generally taken from the file.
Therefore, it is recommended that you format the columns appropriately in Excel files.
By choosing Display Data, you can see where the first data row begins, and how many headers there are.
Select a BEx query. If a query contains variables, it can only be selected if a previously created variant is selected. You can create variants directly in Workspace Designer when creating the local provider, in the Query Monitor or in BEx 7.0.
More information: Query Monitor
For the BEx documentation: You can find more information in the SAP Library for SAP NetWeaver, under http://help.sap.com.
Variants in BEx Web Applications: In the SAP Library, choose Business Warehouse → SAP Business Explorer BEx Web Analysis & Reporting: BEx Web Applications Using Variables in Web Applications Creating Query Variants.
Variables in BEx Analyzer: In the SAP Library, choose Business Warehouse → SAP Business Explorer Analysis & Reporting: BEx Analyzer Analysis Mode Analysis → Functions Using Variables in BEx Analyzer Saving Query Variants.
Procedure
Select DataSource
Select a DataSource. You can choose from the following:
File DataSources
DB Connect DataSources and UD Connect DataSources
SAP DataSources and export DataSources for which direct access has been set as Permitted on the Extraction tab page during definition.
Change Columns
The data types are determined automatically from the DataSource. The system can also tell whether it is a characterstic or a key figure.
You can change a key figure into a characteristic if it is a time stamp for example, and you want to use the time stamp as a character string.
You can set a filter to restrict the data volume during the upload.
Hint: We recommend setting ths filter, as the upload takes place in the dialog and therefore cannot be packaged. This helps to limit the time it takes to upload the data. For larger amounts of data you should therefore create an InfoProvider in the BW system.
Select the fields that you need.
You can overwrite the field names.
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Figure 131: BW Workspace Designer – File as a Source (1)
Procedure
1. Select a file to upload to the workspace. The system can process text-based files containing comma-separated values (CSV files) and Microsoft Excel files.
2. You can specify the header that contains the field names.
3. Enter the first data row if it deviates from the default setting (in the default setting, the first data row is in row two).
4. For CSV files: Make settings for how separators, decimals, date and field separators are displayed. The field separator sign can be used to set special characters in the date field. If the field separator is contained in the date itself, it has to be set twice in the date field.
Hint: If you CSV file is very large, and no field separator signs are required, you should remove the ‘ ” ’ in order to improve load performance. For the date, the format that the dates in the file are in has to be taken. During uploading, the date for storage in the analytic index is converted to the external format.
Hint: With Excel files, the formatting generally taken from the file. Therefore, it is recommended that you format the columns appropriately in Excel files.
5. By choosing Display Data, you can see where the first data row begins, and how many headers there are.
6. Enter a name and a description for the provider you want to create. The file name must begin with the workspace prefix (if one has been set by the administrator).
7. Choose Continue.
Unit 5: SAP BW Workspace BW362
Figure 132: BW Workspace Designer – File as a Source (2)
Edit Columns
The system has analyzed the data.
For Excel files, the system has analyzed the formatting of the first data row and determined the data types from this. If a key figure has been formatted without decimal places in the Excel file, the system proposes INTEGER as the data type.
For CSV files, see The Data Analysis for CSV Files
Deselect the fields that will not be needed later on. If you have specified a header, the field names are taken from this row.
If you have not specified a header, the field names are generated by the system.
You can overwrite these field names.
The system has generated proposals for the field types of the individual columns.
The system has generated proposals for the field types of the individual columns.