Analyzer
The function of SAP BW InfoProvider Analyzer helps the user to analyze which data is most suitable for archiving. Data unsuitable for archiving would be data of current fiscal year, or data from very small tables, whose size would not be reduced significantly upon archiving. Data that is suitable for archiving would be data older than current fiscal years or in tables that range in size of several GB.
The advantages for using OutBoard are that:
- Data can be reloaded into their former InfoCube or a DSO from OutBoard.
- Data can be loaded into a different InfoCube or a DSO from OutBoard.
- Reporting can be done on data archived by OutBoard.
Introductory screen to InfoProvider Analyzer
The InfoProvider analyzer provides information about the DataStore Objects. Select which DSO(s) and/or InfoCube(s) to be include in the Run Name.
The SAP BW InfoProvider Analyzer allows you to Display (F5), Create (F6), Copy (F7) and Delete (F8) a particular Run Name.
⇒ To display a Run Name, type the name of the Run Name or press F4 to select values from a list, and then press "Display".
When the data in the DSOs / InfoCubes you have selected is changed users can create new Run Names to reflect these changes.
⇒ To create a Run Name, press "Create" and fill in the following attributes:
When creating or displaying a particular Run Name, you will be presented with the following parameters.
Creating a Run Name
To copy a Run Name, press "Copy" and fill in these attributes:
Copying a Run Name
"Description" is optional, but highly recommended to fill out. To delete a Run Name, type the name of the Run Name or press F4 to select values from a list, then press, "Delete". You will be prompted whether you wish to delete this Run Name.
Deleting a Run Name
Analyzer Run view
When creating a Run Name, tables of InfoProviders are selected and the statistics of their tables (database statistics) such as table size, count of rows, etc. are used to estimate the size of an archived object.
Parameters of objects analyzed in the Analyzer
InfoProvider – the name of the InfoProvider.
Technical name – technical name of the InfoProvider
Selection – selection that is used for the request in archiving.
Type – can be either a DSO or an InfoCube (designated by their specific icons). Data contained in a DSO is drawn from active tables and data in InfoCubes is from fact tables. Their current statistics do not have to correspond to their actual statistics.
Table size – size of the entire table.
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
Indexes size – the size of the indexes of the analyzed tables. (For column-oriented tables on HANA is this column empty)
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
Count rows – how many rows does the table contain?
Total size – this is the total size of the table and includes the size of the table's indexes.
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
Compressed size – the expected size of the table after archiving.
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
Calculate ratio – In OutBoard Analyzer, the ratio of compression is a fixed value 90% unless recalculation will be started. In case a DAP is created for an InfoProvider, an archive test of 100.000 rows will be executed and the correct ratio will be calculated and used in the analysis besides the constant.
Ad-hoc analysis
The selection allows the user to create an ad-hoc analysis of the data in the InfoProvider i.e. to determine count of rows for any given selection. To create an ad-hoc analysis, click on the gray arrow .
Press:
"Automatic analyze " buttonand select all InfoObjects which should be used in the analysis. The InfoProvider is selected in the lower part of the screen.
InfoObjects for Analysis
In the following screen you may restrict the values of some of the InfoObject to predefined value ranges or values:
Define ranges for Analysis
In the last third screen define, which of the InfoObjects chosen in first screen should be used as 'distinct' and which not. If you mark an InfoObject as 'Use distinct', in the final result, there will be a result row for each possible value of this InfoObject, if it fits the value ranges pre-defined in previous screen. This option is beneficial, if e.g. you want to find the data distribution for each calendar month in a pre-defined calendar year.
If multiple InfoObjects are chosen here, in the analysis result will be a row for each possible combination of values for chosen InfoObjects.
Distinct InfoObjects values for Analysis
The field "Maximum selection" represents the maximum number of analyses, which will be created (default 100).
Automatic analysis result
Column headings:
- Number of selection – unique ID of selection
- Selection – selected selection can be shown when clicking on icon
- Count of records – the number of records in this particular selection.
- Size – the size of this particular selection.
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
- Expected compressed size – the expected size of the selection after archiving.
Possible values: KB, MB, and GB
Default value: GB
- Saved money (EUR) – Money saved in EUR based on archiving this particular selection.
Press:
"Delete button" to delete selected analyses. The user can delete each analysis separately or choose option "Yes All" and delete all selected analysis
Old data Analysis
Old data Analysis
Before archiving the InfoProvider, it is recommended that the user should know as much as possible, such as the distribution of the data in InfoProvider, data growth, reporting characteristics and filters used for InfoProvider and flow of the data into InfoProvider.
The purpose of this analysis is to help the user by providing information regarding old data coming into the system by analyzing current requests.
Without the NLS writer old data is problematic, as it could cause the activation or insertion to fail. Even when using NLS writer, it is not recommend choosing time characteristics, where data is changing on a high frequency. Therefore as a result of this analysis will be also recommended characteristic for DAP time slice definition.
To start the analysis run TA: SE38 and execute the report /DVD/NLS_ANA_OLD_DATA.
Old Data Analysis input screen
Screen options:
- Run ID – Name of analysis run
Option Buttons:
- Start Analysis – for starting new analysis under a specified Run ID
- Display Results of Analysis – for displaying results of previous analysis under specified Run ID
- Delete Analysis – for deleting results form previous analysis for specified Run ID
Fill parameters manually:
- InfoProvider Tech. Name – Technical name of the InfoProvider, which is to be analyzed
- InfoObject Tech. Name – Technical name of an InfoObject, which is going to be analyzed in requests
- Fiscal year variant – specification of Fiscal year variant
- Archived records older than – definition of the date that will be taken as a boundary between old and new data
- Requests in last XX days – specify what request are relevant for analysis (based on request date)
- Detailed Analysis – when checked, results of the analysis will by displayed based on InfoProvider, InfoObject and requests, otherwise it is based only on InfoProvider and InfoObject.
Fill parameters from table:
Using this option, user is available to specify all parameters using database table /DVD/NLS_ANA_OIP.
- RUNID – Name of analysis run
- INFPRV – Technical name of the InfoProvider
- IOBJ – Technical name of an InfoObject
- FISCV – specification of Fiscal year variant
- DATA_RET_TIME – definition of the date that will be taken as a boundary between old and new data
- LAST_DAYS – specify what request are relevant for analysis
Table view in Data browser
Analysis example:
Let's say 3 InfoCubes are to be analyzed based on all InfoObjects from Time dimension. Enter a new Run ID that will represent this group and choose "Start Analysis" option button. During the first step these InfoCubes in "InfoProvider Tech. Name" should be listed. In the next step is to add all InfoObjects from Time dimensions in "InfoObject Tech. Name". It is mandatory to specify "Fiscal year variant", in case there are "fiscal-objects" in the Time dimension. Continue with choosing a boundary date for defining the age of data.
In the field "Requests in last XX days" enter number of days for which will be the requests checked retrospectively, then execute the analysis (F8).
Output example
Locked data analysis
History:
To display results from previous analysis runs, choose "Display Results of Analysis" option button, then select Run ID from search help (F4) and execute (F8). The "Detailed analysis" checkbox option allows you to display the results on request level detail.
For deleting the results of previous runs, select the option "Delete Analysis", specify a Run ID and execute.
Restrictions:
The analysis logic is designed to scan for data in the Changelog of the DSO and F-table of the InfoCube. Therefore compressed data in E-tables are not counted as affected.
Deletion of requests
The Archiving request can be deleted by calling the report /DVD/NLS_DELETE_REQUEST.
Request deletion screen
The following parameters can be specified:
- OutBoard Object name – name of Object(s) for which requests are to be deleted.
- Delete by Request – press F4 to display request(s) that are to be deleted.
- Delete by Date (absolute) – type in the desired date of request creation or press F4 to select a date of request creation from calendar.
- Delete by Date (relative) – specify a number and select Time period (Day, Week, Month or Year) of request creation. Calculated from current date.
To include InfoCube or DSO request "InfoCube, DSO" must be selected.
To include PSA or Change Log request "PSA, Change Log" must be selected.
Delete OutBoard request screen
When clicking on the "Delete" button only checked Objects will be deleted in background job.
Support of standard SAP deletion of archiving requests is described in SAP Note 1571882. If your BW release is supporting the standard deletion, on Archiving tab of InfoProvider, after double clicking on archiving request, you should be able to see the option "Delete Near-Line Request".
Process request
Automatic deletion of requests
For automatic deletion of requests the parameter "Delete by date (relative)" has to be specified. Variant with this setting will need to be set up. Automatic deletion of requests can be done by scheduling the report /DVD/NLS_DELETE_REQUEST periodically using the particular variant.
It is recommended not to use this functionality. As when an Outboard Archiving request is deleted the Data (archived Data) with in the request is also deleted.
For automatic deletion of requests there are few parameters to be specified. Fill in object name, select type of InfoProvider (InfoCube, DSO or PSA, Change Log) and decide which option is the most suitable one:
- Delete by Request number
- Delete by Date - relative
- Delete by Date – absolute
Each of these options has to be specified.
Drop NLS Data
Data stored in NLS can be dropped by calling report /DVD/NLS_DROP_DAP.
Drop DAP
When executing this report, all data stored in NLS will be dropped and the requests in the archive tab of InfoProvider will be marked as invalid. This report will also delete all the locks on archived area. By running report in "Test mode" will not delete the data. By marking checkbox "Delete DAP", Data archiving process will be deleted with NLS data. If option “Recreate DAP is checked, DAP is recreated after DAP deletion.
“Ignore Connection” allows to delete DAP when the storage is inaccessible.
“CTO Check” allows to delete DAP, to recreate DAP and to reload arch. request on closed system.
“Force mode” will execute DAP deletion with force mode ON.
Logs from the deletion can be found in transaction SLG1 under object /DVD/NLS_OTB and subobject /DVDV/NLS_RELOAD_LOG. It is also possible to drop the data via Process chain. In this scenario, class /DVD/NLS_DROP_DATA will need to be used in this process type. In case of problematic behavior read Authorizations part of this User Guide, to check if your user has enough access privileges.
Drop the Data