How to Create and Maintain Info Objects Using Eclipse Data Modelling for SAP BW 7.5
Beginning with SAP BW 7.5, modelling in the Data Warehousing Workbench (SAPGUI) has been replaced by Eclipse-based Modelling tools.
Eclipse Modelling tools provide a unified modelling environment for configuration, management, and maintenance of BW and HANA metadata objects.
In this post I will walk you through the process of creating and maintaining Info objects using Eclipse. I’ll also discuss some additional features introduced in SAP BW 7.5.
Following are the major feature differences between SAP BW 7.4 and SAP BW 7.5 Edition for SAP HANA:
|
Info Object Features |
SAP BW 7.4 |
SAP BW 7.5 (Edition for SAP HANA) |
|
Time characteristics as attributes for 0CALMONTH, 0FISCPER etc. |
No |
Yes |
|
Extended characteristics such as Unit Conversion, Miscellaneous, and Extended |
No |
Yes |
|
View Data element, SID table, Master table, text table, and hierarchy table for info object |
Yes, available at corresponding tabs at info object |
Not available in Eclipse. Can be viewed in SAP GUI. |
|
Support for INT8 Key Figures |
No |
Yes (overcome the 2 billion limitation for integer values) |
|
Disable display attributes in Reference info object |
No |
We can hide the attributes of reference info objects in Attributes tab using a property called Visible to Consumers. |
|
Additional runtime Properties |
Available in Transaction Code RSRT |
Available as Runtime Properties tab in Info object |
In SAP BW 7.5 (Edition for SAP HANA), two additional tabs for maintaining Extended and Runtime Properties are introduced in the info object design/maintenance screen.
Procedure for creating Info object in BW Modelling tools:
Right Click on the info area to create info objects.
Enter name and description for the Info object and Info object type with Data Type, Click on ‘Finish.’
List of tabs available in Info object:
General Tab:
You will land on the default general tab. Check Master Data, Texts, and Usable as InfoProvider in Properties panel for Info object as info provider.
Options to create external HANA views for your characteristic are also available. This option enables you to use these views in other HANA models.
- External SAP HANA View for Master Data – Attribute view
- External SAP HANA View for Reporting – Analytics view.
If you enable master data and texts, you will see new tabs added below for Master data and texts, for Usable as Info provider – Runtime Properties.
You also have the option to edit the data type and the data length.
Master data/Texts Tab:
Unlike BW 7.4, master data and text table names (though unchanged) are no longer displayed.
Hierarchies Tab:
Attributes Tab:
Switch to the attibutes tab and click on ‘Add’ button to create display, navigation, and XXL attributes for the characteristics.
BI Clients Tab:
If you want the initial value in the query output to be displayed on top, select Include Initial Value in Sort Sequence.
Extended Tab:
Runtime Properties Tab:
Various settings at query runtime in Transaction Code RSRT are displayed as Runtime properties.
Hiding display attributes in Reference Info object:
When you create a new info object by referencing another info object, display attributes of the reference objects are also displayed in query designer. In BW 7.5, you have an option to hide display attributes of the referenced object (if required).
Create a custom Info object YCOSTCENT with reference to Info object 0COSTCENTER.
Visible to Consumers is default-checked to all the attributes.
Visible to Consumers property is available only in Reference info object display attributes. It can be used to disable/hide display attributes of Reference info object.
In this case, uncheck the Visible to Consumers checkbox for display attribute 0BUS_AREA.
Check the info object YCOSTCENT– no errors and Info object YCOSTCENT is successfully activated.
How can you ensure 0BUS_AREA display attribute of YCOSTCENT info object is really hidden?
Create a query on top on info object YCOSTCENT.
Provide the required details.
You can see below, YCOSTCENT – 0BUS_AREA attribute is not visible in info provider view.
At the same time it is visible in the 0COSTCENTER info object and creating a query on it will display 0BUS_AREA attribute in query view.
A Change for the Better?
SAP BW 7.5 makes life a little easier for developers by incorporating Eclipse-based Modelling tools for data modelling. This change provides a unified modelling environment for BW and HANA metadata objects – a substantial improvement.
Hi,
Is there a way to reverse Visible to Consumers default behaviour. It is default-checked, thus whenever an attribute is added to the reference info object, it'll be added to the referrer too by default. This isn't always the result one needs for e.g. sensitive info which may only be seen in the reference info object.
Cheers
Eddy
Hi Eddy,
There is no reverse behavior for Reference Info objects. If it is default checked in reference info object, it will inherit same property to referrer, you can choose to hide or display in referrer.
Hi,
how do you create an InfoObjectCatalog in Eclipse?
When I right-click on the InfoArea, I don't find "Create InfoObjectCatalog" in the context menu.
Regards,
Martin
Hi Martin,
In BW-MT tools you can create info object by specifying it as Characteristic or key figure, it will show you characteristic and key figures as folders under info area. Use the program RSDG_IOBJ_IOBC_MIGRATE_TO_AREA to migrate to do the Migration of InfoObjects in Catalogs to InfoObjects in InfoAreas
Can I repeat the question above How do you create an Infoobject Catalog ?
Lee
Hi Lee,
In BW-MT tools you can create info object by specifying it as Characteristic or key figure, it will show you characteristic and key figures as folders under info area. Use the program RSDG_IOBJ_IOBC_MIGRATE_TO_AREA to migrate to do the Migration of InfoObjects in Catalogs to InfoObjects in InfoAreas
Hi Soundtravel,
so your answer to "How do I create InfoObject Catalogues in the BW Modeling Tools" is,
you don't and you can't!
But, if you like, you can get rid of the InfoObject Catalogues after moving the InfoObjects to the InfoAreas using RSDG_IOBJ_IOBC_MIGRATE_TO_AREA.
Yes Martin,
Info Object Catalog are obsolete from SAP BW 7.50 SP04, so you need to migrate those using RSDG_IOBJ_IOBC_MIGRATE_TO_AREA
Hey guys,
Anyone knows where to maintain an InfoObject transfer routine now, since that can no longer be done on the RSA1 with BW 7.5 and I cannot find anywhere in Eclipse Data Modeling for BW?
Best regards,
Ronaldo Rigobello
Hi Ronaldo,
You can create info-object in eclipse, create and change transformation in RSA1(BW 7.5). If you want to do routine you can choose ABAP or AMDP Script for start, end and expert routine from RSA1 and in case of AMDP Script a AMDP class will get generated where you can do your routine in ABAP perspective in eclipse.
How do I Transport a Standard SAP IOBJ (like 0CALMONTH2)?
Recently we changed to BW on HANA 7.5 sp.6.
Sometimes we have to make changes to Standard (content) SAP InfoObjects and transport them by way of ' Repair'.
Now we changed some setting in the standard IOBJ: 0CALMONTH2 but Eclipse/HANA Studio does not give us a option to add it to a Repair-transport.
And regular RSA1 want's us first to add a (developer) package before we can add it to an transport, which we actually do not want to do as we want to tread it still as an repair (of an standard Object).
How in 7.5 can we add this standard IOBJ change still to a Repair transport (and transport it as such)?
Regards,
JRE
Josh,
Whatever SAP is releasing as Note for Standard objects will only come as Repair. Customers changing Standard objects are corrections that requires Package to add it as Correction/Development task with transport request, so you need to assign it in a package not as repair transport.
How do we know the master table names for this new created master info object?
You can view the table names for info object in Properties->DDIC as shown below.
Does anyone know why the SAP HANA View option is not showing up in the Read Access Type drown-down?
Hello,
Have you attached SAP HANA during creation of BW project in Eclipse?
We are experiencing same issue. No SAP HANA View option in Read Access Type drop down.
Is anyone aware of what has to be done to fix it? Or maybe someone has already filed a sup ticket for this?
Hello Alexandre,
Did you have solved the issue? I would like to use also the Read Acces Type “SAP HANA View”.
Thanks and regards,
Michael
Hello John,
Did you have solved the issue? I would like to use also the Read Acces Type "SAP HANA View".
Thanks and regards,
Michael
Please, look into that note:
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/0002369464
HI, I am unable to see text info object in RSA1.
How can I see that?
Hey guys,
After upgrading our BW 7.31 to 7.5 SP9, no infoobjects are shown in HANA Studio BW MT. I seached the internet for hours now and did not find any solution. I found the following note,
which is included in SP8....
Kind regards,
Thomas
Helpful .
How do you add a new Infoobject created in the Eclipse Modeling Tool to a transport, selecting the option in the Transport Connection under RSA1 terminates.
Kind Regards
Fiona
nice (y)