InfoObjects are the smallest units of BW. Using InfoObjects, information is mapped in a structured form. This is required for constructing InfoProviders.
InfoObjects with attributes or texts can themselves also be InfoProviders (if in a query).
InfoArea is a folder to organize the InfoProviders. Max length 30 char, must start with alphabet.
InfoObject Catalog is a folders to organize the Characteristic or key figure InfoObjects.
when metadata of an InfoObject is activated, BW automatically creates the data element and domain in the ABAP dictionary.
Types of InfoObjects
Characteristics (Material, Employee) MD IO
Key Figures (Amount, Quantity)
Unit (Unit of weight, Currency)
Time (Year, Month, Week)
Technical (Request ID, Change ID)
Customer can create Characteristics, Key Figure and Unit InfoObjects.
Time and Technical InfoObjects are provided by BW, we don’t need to create.
All master data are represented with characteristics.
Unit gives proper meaning to the key figure.
Technical characteristics are generated internally.
Attributes is an additional information or information given to a char
Types of attributes:
Display attributes
Navigational attributes
Transitive attribute
Compounding attribute
Reference
Changes are not possible,
Only description can be changed.
Template
Changes are possible
Characteristic
Data Types
CHAR Numbers and letters of length 1-60 start with ! & # are never allowed
NUMC Numbers only of length 1-60
DATS Date of length 8
TIMS Time of length 8
Permission of lowercase letters
In the case of characteristics of type CHAR, the question of how to deal with lowercase letter comes up.
FM RSKC_CHAVL_CHECK to verify the validity of a characteristic string
TCode RSKC to maintain the permitted extra characters in BW
Conversion routine
Primarily ALPHA, NUMCV, GJAHR are the conversion routines
routine MATN1’s customization can be done by TCode 0MSL
SID Tables
SID is the master data identification number. (Data Element: RSSID)
SID is always of the type integer (4 bytes in length) may have a positive impact on performance despite its more complex data model.
Time Characteristics
We can use only time characteristics that BW supplies with BI content. Renaming/Change in description is allowed.
Hierarchies
A hierarchy indicates a parent-child relationship which consists of several nodes and leaves.
Hierarchy can be created manually or loaded from the SAP system or other non sap source systems. Hierarchy can be used to drill down or extract specific information about the business item.
Hierarchy Type
1] Standard
2] Local implementation
Ways of creating hierarchy
1] Manual
2] via program
3] Flat file load
Manual creation
Step 1: Right click on Characteristics InfoObject -> Create Hierarchy
Step: 2 Add the InfoObject (Customer node), Characteristic Nodes (external), Text Node
Foreign hierarchy characteristic.
Characteristics Nodes: to add the external characteristics in hierarchy ex. region
InfoObject has to be added in external characteristics in hierarchy.
Flat File load
Step 1: Create the file in below header format
NODEID
IOBJNM
NODENAME
LINK
PARENTID
LANGU
TXTSH
TXTMD
TXTLG
Step 2: Create DataSource, InfoPackage, Transformation(Segments), DTP
Business Contents are pre-delivered well build object developed by SAP when we buy the system.
All the InfoObjects that comes as a part of Business Content starts with ‘0’
The technical name of custom InfoObject should not start with ‘0’ & any special character
InfoObject name must be between 3 & 9 characters long.
We cannot start the tech name by using number, since they are reserved for SAP
0 for SAP BW
9 for APO
6 for DB
8 for Data marts
There are two types of objects:
SAP delivered: /BI0/
Custom created: /BIC/
Fact table, dimension table, SID table, master data (attr, text, hier)
M – /BIC/M (IO tech name) – Master Data View
P – /BIC/P (IO tech name) – Master Data Table (time independent)
Q – /BIC/Q (IO tech name) – Master Data Table (time dependent)
X – /BIC/X (IO tech name) – Attribute SID table (time independent)
Y – /BIC/Y (IO tech name) – SID table for time dependent nav attr
S – /BIC/S (IO tech name) – SID table for char
T – /BIC/T (IO tech name) – Text Table
H – /BIC/H (IO tech name) – Hierarchy table
I – /BIC/I (IO tech name) – SID Hierarchy Structure
K – /BIC/K (IO tech name) – Hierarchy SID table
J – /BIC/J (IO tech name) – Hierarchy Interval Table
BW 7.5 SP06 on-words InfoObjects are only being created in BW Modeler.
SAP ABAP for SAP BW 