Business Scenario and SAP BW
The objective of data warehousing is to analyze data from diverse sources to support decision making. To achieve this goal, we face two challenges:
- Poor system performance. A data warehouse usually contains a large volume of data. It is not an easy job to retrieve data quickly from the data warehouse for analysis purposes. For this reason, the data warehouse design uses a special technique called a star schema.
- Difficulties in extracting, transferring, transforming, and loading (ETTL) data from diverse sources into a data warehouse. Data must be cleansed before being used. ETTL has been frequently cited as being responsible for the failures of many data warehousing projects. You would feel the pain if you had ever tried to analyze SAP R/3 data without using SAP BW.
SAP R/3 is an ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) system that most large companies in the world use to manage their business transactions. Before the introduction of SAP BW in 1997, ETTL of SAP R/3 data into a data warehouse seemed an unthinkable task. This macro-environment explained the urgency with which SAP R/3 customers sought a data warehousing solution. The result is SAP BW from SAP, the developer of SAP R/3.
In this chapter we will introduce the basic concept of data warehousing. We will also discuss what SAP BW (Business Information Warehouse) is, explain why we need it, examine its architecture, and define Business Content.
First, we use sales analysis as an example to introduce the basic concept of data warehousing.
Part I. Guided Tours
Business Scenario and SAP BW
- Business Scenario and SAP BW
- Sales Analysis A Business Scenario
- Basic Concept of Data Warehousing
- BW An SAP Data Warehousing Solution
- Summary
Creating an InfoCube
- Creating an InfoCube
- Creating an InfoArea
- Creating InfoObject Catalogs
- Creating InfoObjects Characteristics
- Creating InfoObjects Key Figures
- Creating an InfoCube
- Summary
Loading Data into the InfoCube
- Loading Data into the InfoCube
- Creating a Source System
- Creating an Application Component
- Creating an InfoSource for Characteristic Data
- Creating InfoPackages to Load Characteristic Data
- Checking Loaded Characteristic Data
- Entering the Master Data, Text, and Hierarchy Manually
- Creating an InfoSource for Transaction Data
- Creating Update Rules for the InfoCube
- Create an InfoPackage to Load Transaction Data
- Summary
Checking Data Quality
- Checking Data Quality
- Checking InfoCube Contents
- Using BW Monitor
- Using the Persistent Staging Area (PSA)
- Summary
Creating Queries and Workbooks
- Creating Queries and Workbooks
- Creating a Query Using BEx Analyzer
- Organizing Workbooks Using BEx Browser
- Using a Variable to Access a Hierarchy Node Directly
- Summary
Managing User Authorization
- Managing User Authorization
- Creating an Authorization Profile Using Profile Generator
- Creating an Authorization Object to Control User Access to the InfoCube Data
- Integrating Profile Generator and BEx Browser
- Summary
Part II. Advanced Topics
InfoCube Design
- InfoCube Design
- BW Star Schema
- InfoCube Design Alternative I Time-Dependent Navigational Attributes
- InfoCube Design Alternative II-Dimension Characteristics
- InfoCube Design Alternative III Time-Dependent Entire Hierarchies
- Other InfoCube Design Techniques
- Summary
Aggregates and Multi-Cubes
Operational Data Store (ODS)
- Operational Data Store (ODS)
- Creating an ODS Object
- Preparing to Load Data into the ODS Object, Then into an InfoCube
- Loading Data into the ODS Object
- Loading Data into the InfoCube
- Using 0RECORDMODE for Delta Load
- Summary
Business Content
- Business Content
- Creating an R/3 Source System
- Transferring R/3 Global Settings
- Replicating R/3 DataSources
- Installing Business Content Objects and Loading R/3 Data
- Summary
Generic R/3 Data Extraction
- Generic R/3 Data Extraction
- Creating Views in R/3
- Creating DataSources in R/3 and Replicating Them to BW
- Creating a Characteristic in BW
- Loading Data from R/3 into BW
- Summary
Data Maintenance
Performance Tuning
- Performance Tuning
- BW Statistics
- System Administration Assistant
- Tuning Query Performance
- Tuning Load Performance
- Summary
Object Transport
Appendix A. BW Implementation Methodology
Object Transport
Appendix B. SAP Basis Overview
Object Transport
- Object Transport
- Section B.1. SAP Basis 3-Tier Architecture
- Section B.2. Dispatcher, Work Processes, and Services
- Section B.3. Memory Management
Appendix C. Glossary
Appendix D. Bibliography
EAN: N/A
Pages: 106
