(Glue-2305) BEx Query Fetcher (BICS)

The BEx Query Fetcher allows you to use BEx Query as a data source using BI Consumer Services. For data read provide the BEx Query name. The BEx Query Fetcher supports filtering on query variables.

Prerequisites

  • SAP BW release from 740 SP19.
  • Make sure that the additional transport with BEx Query Fetcher based on BICS functionality is installed on the system.
  • Before creating BEx Query Fetcher, make sure you have at least an active and consistent Variable Variant created in Query Monitor (transaction RSRT). This is needed for the initialization of the BEx Query structure due to some limitations of BICS functionality.

Creation of a BEx Query Fetcher

Perform the steps outlined in the chapter (Glue-2305) Fetcher with the BEx Query Fetcher (BICS) option selected in Component implementation the a dropdown of step 4.

Activation of a BEx Query Fetcher

After creation, the object is in the saved state.

Mandatory inputs to fill in before the activation

  • BEx Query
    • Name of the BEx Query for data read
  • KYF in External Display
    • When checked Key Figures will be in an external format, i.e. currency conversion will be applied
  • Use customer-exit
    • When checked, the query is executed with the values for variables provided by customer-exit (CMOD)
    • Changeable before each extraction

After the BEx Query parameter is filled, the variables will be loaded into the variable filter definition. In the current version, all the variables will be checked for selection.

Optional inputs to fill in before the activation

Navigational State(button)

After the click on Navigational State button, a popup window with the navigational state of a query is displayed.

BEx Query Fetcher allows you to change the navigational state of a query with which it will be executed. The functionality is similar to the drill-down of free characteristics in Query Monitor (transaction RSRT). If you want to change the default navigational state of a query, you can drag and drop query elements between three screens: Rows, Columns, and Free Characteristics.

This might be useful when the structure of your BEx Query is not supported (check the BEx Query structure requirements section below) or if you want to include additional characteristics in the data output.

BEx Query structure requirements:

  • Row axis must not have a Key Figure structure. However, other types of structures (e.g. structures with characteristics or formulas) can be in the rows.
  • The column axis can contain only the Key Figure structure. Having any additional characteristic or structure in this axis will lead to an error.
  • All active hierarchies in characteristics in the row axis will be disabled automatically right before the extraction.
  • If a characteristic in the row axis uses a Key Figure as an attribute, the data for that Key Figure will come into one field, e.g. EUR 1.23, which means the value and currency will not be separated into two fields.
  • Characteristic in the row axis cannot have setting Display Value set on No Display.
  • Due to the complexity of some Calculated Key Figures and Formulas, it is sometimes impossible to figure out if these types of query elements have any unit or currency.
  • Calculated Key Figure or Formula with currency and unit in one cell (e.g. EUR/KM) is not supported.

Other restrictions:

  • Customer-exits (CMOD) in query variables. For variables of that type, you will need to fill the selection values manually, i.e. they will not be prefilled as in the Query Monitor screen (transaction RSRT).

Use of Bex Query Fetcher (BICS) with SNP Glue™ Consumer

To use BEx Query Fetcher along with SNP Glue™ Consumer, the corresponding SNP Glue™ table must contain fields imported by using the option Bex Query (BICS), as you can see in the screenshot below:

After you confirm the selection, an additional popup with the navigational state of the query will appear. There you can either manually drag and drop query elements the same way as in BEx Query Fetcher (BICS) or if you already created a Fetcher, specify its name into the corresponding parameter above the ALV screen and hit Enter to import already saved the navigational structure from the Fetcher. After confirming the selection, the query elements will be transformed into table fields and imported into SNP Glue™ Table.

You can also use search-help for the field Import nav. state from BEx Query (BICS) Fetcher to display all Fetchers which use the same Query as a source and select the desired one.

BEx Query Fetcher and SNP Glue™ Consumer must have the same structure. Therefore, it is strictly recommended to create a Fetcher in the first place and only then import fields into the SNP Glue™ Table using the option Import nav. state from BEx Query (BICS) Fetcher. This will ensure the structures of Fetcher and Consumer match.