Enhancing Business Content | Business Information Warehouse for SAP (Prima Techs SAP Book Series)

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Business content in SAP BW 1.2B consists of several objects such as InfoObjects, InfoCubes, InfoSources, Update Rules (as part of InfoCubes), Queries, and Channels. To support business content in SAP BW, one must install SAP BW components in the SAP R/3 OLTP instance. These components consist of data extractors, delta capture tables, function modules, transactions, and associated metadata objects for InfoSources. Chapter 8 describes how to load business content in SAP BW from the SAP R/3 OLTP instance. This chapter describes how to extend SAP-provided InfoSources content, how to create new InfoSources, and how to build new data extractors in SAP R/3 OLTP instances for SAP BW.

The enhancement process starts with creating a project, assigning a class of enhancements, and defining all changes using user-exits under the same project.

Use transaction CMOD to create a project. Choose the SAP enhancement RSAP0001 as an enhancement to the project and activate the project, as shown in Figure 13-1.

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Figure 13-1: Creating a Project for Enhancements in SAP BW using Transaction CMOD.

The enhancement RSAP0001 has four components, the function modules, as shown in Figure 13-1 and as described here:

Note

Enhancements, in SAP terminology, have more of a special meaning than simply making changes to the code or tables. Enhancement of an SAP object is achieved by use of user-exits. User-exits keep custom changes transparent from the SAP maintenance level or release upgrades. User-exits are function modules that are called when an associated object is processed during a workflow thread. SAP provides application-specific user-exits. SAP BW provides user-exits to extend business content in the SAP R/3 OLTP instance, SAP BW OLAP level, SAP BW Monitor level, and the Business Explorer level.

EXIT_SAPLRSAP_001-Transaction Data

This function enables you to populate user-defined, additional fields attached to an existing InfoSource in the form of append structures. For example, if you want to collect additional fields in the Orders InfoSource 2LIS_01_S260, use this exit to populate new fields with data during the extraction process.
EXIT_SAPLRSAP_002-Master Data Attributes

This function module acts like transaction data. It fills additional master data attribute fields the user has defined. For example, if you want to add plant code as an attribute associated with material, you use the append structure technique to enhance the master data structure.
EXIT_SAPLRSAP_003-Master Data Texts

This function module is used to enhance texts associated with master data attributes. By default, only the short description is moved from the SAP R/3 OLTP instance to SAP BW. This user-exit can be used to populate medium or long texts from user-defined tables before text data is sent to SAP BW.
EXIT_SAPLRSAP_004-Hierarchies

This function module can be used to populate transfer tables generated for hierarchy data requests. For example, if you want to add additional elements for a hierarchy node for SAP BW navigation, you call this user-exit to restructure the hierarchy transfer table before it is sent to SAP BW.

Often, I have been asked when to enhance an existing InfoSource or to create a new InfoSource. Following are a few guidelines.

Enhance an Existing InfoSource
- when you have a few new data elements needed in conjunction with an existing InfoSource. For example, say the Order InfoSource 2LIS_01_S260 is missing the customer postal code. In most cases, you may not need the postal code; however, for demographic studies or GIS implementations, the postal code will provide you with detailed information for product sales analysis. In this case, you would append the postal code in the 2LIS_01_S260 InfoSource and fill in values during data extraction.
- when both the SAP provided InfoSource content and your additional data elements need to be extracted simultaneously.
- when the record length of an InfoSource does not exceed 1,000 bytes after appending additional fields when data associated with the InfoSource is transferred to SAP BW using IDOCs, or the total number of fields after new field appends is less than 255 when the InfoSource is loaded in the ODS using tRFC.
Create a New InfoSource
- when the new data items are not directly associated with an existing InfoSource and can be extracted independently. For example, SAP does not provide a program to extract pricing data. Here, you define a new InfoSource for pricing information and design a custom extract program to get all pricing condition types for sales orders and billing documents.
- when the SAP provided InfoSource provides too much information that is irrelevant to your analysis. Here, you define a new simplified InfoSource and extract needed data for the InfoSource.

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