Access to SAP BW Metadata and Data

When using an SAP BW data source, users' access to an InfoCube or InfoQuery metadata does not imply that they also have access to data within those objects. To enable Framework Manager to retrieve metadata from SAP BW, access privileges must be set up within the SAP BW system. To ensure that users have proper access permissions, verify the permissions assigned to the users' roles.

The following authorization objects must be configured so that Framework Manager can import information cubes or data sources, known as InfoCubes in the SAP BW system.

Tips:

• &NC& represents any table that does not have an authorization group. For security reasons, create a new authorization group and assign the table RSHIEDIR to it. The new authorization group restricts the user’s access to the above table only, which is needed by Framework Manager. Create the new authorization group as a customization in the SAP BW system.

• You can use the asterisk (*) to represent all values, when it appears alone, or partial values, when used anywhere in a string.

SAP BW Hierarchies

When importing metadata, Framework Manager generates a dimension in each SAP BW characteristic.

Only one hierarchy associated with a given characteristic can be used in a report. Therefore, you should group dimensions that represent the hierarchies of a single characteristic into a folder or model query subject to make reporting easier for your users.

If there are multiple hierarchies in an SAP BW data source, the first hierarchy that is imported becomes the default hierarchy.

Framework Manager supports the following types of hierarchies:

• characteristic

  This is a list of all the characteristic values.

• text node

  Non-leaf nodes contain only text and do not reference any other data source object.

• characteristic value

  The nodes of each level of a presentation hierarchy are values from another characteristic.

• recursive

  The nodes of the entire presentation hierarchy are from the characteristic itself.

If a characteristic is not in a time dimension but it is a date and is treated as a date in SAP BW, the characteristic is imported with the date data type.

Framework Manager does not support hierarchies that contain two or more types of nodes. These hierarchies are imported but are hidden in the Framework Manager model.

Because hierarchical metadata is automatically generated for SAP BW, you cannot change it in Framework Manager.

Versioned Hierarchies

You can import the following types of versioned hierarchies from an SAP BW data source:

• Version dependent hierarchy

  A hierarchy can have multiple versions. Each version of a hierarchy can have a different structure, such as Sales by Region and Sales by Manager. During metadata import, Framework Manager identifies each version as a separate hierarchy and creates a dimension for each.

• Entire hierarchy time dependent

  Each version has an associated time period that does not overlap with any other version of the same hierarchy. The structure of each version can be different. During metadata import, Framework Manager identifies each version as a hierarchy and includes the applicable time period as part of the dimension name.

• Time-dependent hierarchy structure

  There is a single version of the hierarchy, but nodes within the hierarchy can be assigned applicable time periods. Over time, the structure of the hierarchy can change with new levels being introduced or removed. For example, levels that represent different sales districts can be added over time. During metadata import, Framework Manager identifies a time-dependent hierarchy structure as a non-versioned hierarchy and recognizes the structure of the hierarchy as of the current date.

The type of dimension determines which hierarchy is used and, for time-dependent hierarchies, which date to use to control the version.

Framework Manager sets the query key date of time-dependent hierarchies based on dates that are contained within the time-dependent hierarchy. You can then select specific versions of hierarchies. For hierarchies with versions on time, the default is the current date and time. The hierarchy that you apply to a characteristic depends upon the type of query key date: fixed, current, or variable. The query key date is set for a specific date.

For fixed date, include only the version that corresponds to the fixed date in the underlying SAP BW Query. For example, if the SAP BW Query has a fixed date such as 2005, only 2005 is imported.

For current date, include only the version that encompasses a time span appropriate for the present until some reasonable time in the future.

For variable, set the date for the variable in Framework Manager and include only the version of the hierarchy applicable to that date.

When you use Framework Manager to model SAP BW data, any versions or dates applied to a presentation hierarchy in SAP BW are not imported into the model. Therefore, all versions of the hierarchy are accessible in Framework Manager.

You may have a time-dependant hierarchy and a variable defined in SAP BW to establish the effective date for the hierarchy. In this case, assign a fixed date to the variable in Framework Manager and include only the dimension that corresponds to that date in the model.

In Framework Manager, if a versioned hierarchy is not time-dependent and has a fixed version, include only the version of the hierarchy associated with the selected version. Otherwise your users are presented with a hierarchy that is inaccessible.

Conformed Dimensions

When you import multiple SAP BW Queries or InfoCubes, there can be two or more hierarchies that contain the same information.

You can conform these hierarchies in Framework Manager to create one dimension and one or more shortcuts. These hierarchies must have the same levels and properties. However, the order of the properties can be different. By conforming dimensions, your users can create reports that use multiple cubes without using an SAP BW MultiProvider.

A conformed dimension is represented by a dimension with one or more shortcuts to it. The dimension contains a list of data sources in which the dimension exists. If you want to retrieve data from a specific data source, ensure that you import the dimension from this data source before all others.

The dotted line in the diagram indicates a shortcut.

SAP BW Structures

Many existing SAP BW queries contain structures that you can use in Cognos 8 queries to control the amount and order of information that your users see. For example, with dual structures, you can create a crosstab report with one structure on each axis.

The structures are:

• key figure structure

  The SAP BW Query Designer automatically creates a key figure structure when you add key figures to a query. You must have at least one key figure to import the query metadata into Framework Manager. This is true even when you do not use the key figure in reports. Therefore, you will always have a key figure structure.

• characteristic structure

  A characteristic structure is a collection of characteristic values (members) from one or more dimensions. You create a characteristic structure in SAP by adding a structure to the query, and then adding the required members to the structure. In Cognos 8, the structure appears as an additional dimension that has only one multiple-root level.

When you import the SAP BW query into Framework Manager, the key figure structure appears in the measure dimension called Key Figures and the characteristic structure appears as an additional dimension.

If you re-import the same SAP BW query into Framework Manager, you must use the same setting for the SAP BW Dual Structures Support check box. Framework Manager does not allow you to select a different setting for the same query because different objects are then generated in the model and this leads to errors. You can use different settings for different queries.

In earlier releases of Cognos 8, dual structures imported into Framework Manager appeared as a measure dimension whose members were the cross product of the two structures. The key figure structure appeared as another dimension not as a measure dimension.