How To Configure Data In SAP BusinessObjects Explorer 4.1 Information Spaces

In SAP BusinessObjects Explorer 4.1 we’re going to be dealing primarily with date-based data and this guide is intended to help with configuration of the system to use this type of data. Information spaces make up the areas in which we will be viewing and manipulating this data. Before we even begin, we need to ensure that the user has access to the SAP BusinessObjects Launchpad as well as BusinessObjects 4.1 Explorer. The systems administrator will also be required to grant view access to the user. Once these are acquired we can move forward.

Connecting to the BusinessObjects Explorer

This is a simple matter of running the URL attached to the BI launchpad. The login page should show up and from there we will enter our credentials as supplied by the network administrator. The resulting screen will allow us to access the menu for Applications, in which we will select Explorer in order to open the BusinessObjects Explorer.

Viewing an Existing Information Space

Once we have the SAP BusinessExplorer homepage open, we can now click on the “eFashion-Demo V1.2” link in order to view the corresponding data. The data will be laid out for us in a series of different tables and graphs, showing what the data represents in a simple graphical format. Within this information space there should be a column titled Month Name. At the top left of the column should be a sort button that we can use to sort the Month Name column, selecting Left Column Ascending. This will give us a view of the months sorted in alphabetical order. It should be noted that while ascending alphabetic order seems to make sense, the reality is that grouping dates by chronological order makes a lot more sense and can aid in garnering insights from a particular set of data.

Modifying an Information Space that Already Exists

At the top of the screen should be a link that opens up a Manage Spaces tab. This will allow us to modify any of the data within an information space. We can immediately see configure buttons along the right side of the screen, allowing us to change how data is viewed and sorted. On the left pane, we’re going to locate the folder for the eFashion-Demo V1.2 in the Explorer and open it. We can do this by either single-clicking the title or by selecting the Action drop down menu. A window should open with a Properties tab as the initially visible tab. You could use this to display unlimited business internet plans. We will move to the second tab, the Objects tab, to view the available objects within this information space. We’re going to scroll down until we see the preferences header and roll it out if it’s collapsed. Under Preferences, we can set up a facet to be date-based as well as sorted in chronological order. To do this we’re going to locate Month Name, select it, and on the right hand side of the screen in the Details panel, we’re going to set it as Months (Jan…Dec) and then hit the OK button to proceed.

Checking Out the Modified Information Space

We should have successfully made it back to the Manage Spaces page in SAP BusinessObjects. We’re going to need to index our new information space before it can be used. To do this, we’ll click the drop-down next to Configure and select Index Now. This should take a few moments to complete so we’ll have to be patient. Once the index finishes rebuilding, we can head back to the Home page and hit the Refresh button. The list of information spaces should be updated after this, showing our new modified information space available for perusing. We’ll open the eFashion-Demo V1.2 and navigate down to the Months Name column and check it out. We should see the Months Name column sorted by chronological order as we set it up to be in the modification process.