8 Tips for Building Efficient BEx Queries for SAP BusinessObjects

by Mustafa Aydogdu, Senior BI Consultant, Turkish Telecommunications (June 2010)

After the acquisition of Business Objects, SAP has increased the integration between SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP BusinessObjects very quickly. However, some challenges with regard to performance still remain. Find out how you can improve the usability of BEx queries with SAP BusinessObjects to increase report performance.

Categories: BEx, BI/BW, Query Building, SAP BusinessObjects

Key Concept

To analyze a dataset in SAP NetWeaver BW, you define BEx queries for InfoProviders using BEx Query Designer. By choosing and defining characteristics and key figures in a query, you determine how to navigate through and evaluate the data in the selected InfoProvider. You can then display this data in a report format that is meaningful to you, for example, in a table or pie chart.

The best way to retrieve data from SAP NetWeaver BW for reporting in SAP BusinessObjects applications is by using BEx queries. Unlike InfoProviders, BEx queries provide flexibility for using data stored in SAP NetWeaver BW.

You can apply the functionalities of BEx queries with calculated key figures, restricted key figures, and variables. Because SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP BusinessObjects are separate products, you need additional steps when transferring data with MDX statements and universes from SAP NetWeaver BW to SAP BusinessObjects. For this reason, when it comes to building BEx queries for SAP BusinessObjects tools, you should be very careful to avoid performance problems.

I offer eight tips for creating efficient BEx queries for use in SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, or SAP Crystal Reports.

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