SAP BW Data Model

 One “Process” is modeled at

a time.

 Data storage is optimized for

reporting by a “Star Schema”. Dimension 2

 Characteristics are structured Dimension 1 Dimension 3

together in related branches
called “Dimensions” .
Facts
 The key figures form the
“Facts”.
Dimension n Dimension 4

 SAP AG 1999
From Data Model to Database

Product
Dimension
Customer Sales
Dimension Dimension

Product Dimension
Quantities
Revenues
Costs
Taxes

e
Time Competition

m
Customer Dimension

Ti
Dimension Dimension

Star Schema InfoCube

(Logical) (Physical)

 SAP AG 1999
Master Data and Info Cubes
Sales hierarchy

Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5

Territory 1 Territory 2 Territory 3 Territory 4 Territory 5 Territory 6 Territory 7 Territory 8 Territory 9

Customer master data: Attributes Sales hierarchy

Customer-no Name Location Industry key

Sales InfoCube
Customer dimension
C customer-no territory chain office head office

Fact table C P T quantity sold revenue discount sales overhead stock value

Time dimension
T period fiscal year
Product dimension
P product-no product group brand category

Product master data: Text

product-no language product description
 SAP AG 1999
Star Schema in BW 2.0

(1) Fact Table

(2) Dimension
(3) time-independent-SID
time-dependent-SID
traditional SID Char
(4) SID Attr

 SAP AG 1999
Architectural Changes: Navigational Attributes

As of BW release 2.0A there are also SID Tables for

navigational attributes.

 time-dependent (/BI0/XCUSTOMER)
 time-independent (/BI0/YCOSTCENTER)

 SAP AG 1999
Degenerate Dimensions*

Customer Material Sales Person

Sales
Transaction

 Degenerate dimensions arise in nearly every case where

the grain of the fact table represents an actual working
document like order number or invoice number.
 In a degenerate dimension with order number as
member all descriptive attributes are located in other
dimensions.
 Characteristics like order number group the data. This
allows us to make analysis of materials ordered on one
order.
*Ralph Kimball

 SAP AG 1999
Degenerate Dimensions 2.0

(1) Fact Table

(2) Dimension
(3) time-independent-SID
time-dependent-SID
traditional SID Char
(4) SID Attr

 SAP AG 1999
Where to set Line Item in InfoCube

Infocube LSSTARLI - the difference to LSSTAR

 SAP AG 1999
Master Data Tables

ls star time dep yes

ls star time dep yes

lsnamat
lsnacus

 SAP AG 1999
Master Data Tables

ls star time dep yes

ls star time dep yes

 SAP AG 1999
Master Data Tables - Hierarchy Tables

ls star time dep yes

ls star time dep yes

 SAP AG 1999
An InfoCube's Star Schema
Region Dimension
city region country

Sales Org Dimension

sales person
Time Dimension

day

division
month
distribution channel

year sales organization

product product
group (1) Fact Table

Product Dimension (2) Dimensions

 SAP AG 1999 (3) Characteristics
A Typical Query

region country = 'US' or 'CA'

month

relevant facts
year = 1999

product
group (1) Fact Table
(2) Dimensions
 SAP AG 1999 (3) Characteristics
Aggregates ...

... are like InfoCubes,

... summarize ("aggregate") data of the originating InfoCube,

... contain redundant information, but

... accelerate the access to that information,

... are for InfoCubes what DB indexes are for DB tables,

... are performance-enhancing features.

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Facts in BW

Aggregates Aggregates
can be created on cannot be created on

Dimension characteristics Navigational attributes of time-

dependent master data
Navigational attributes
Hierarchy levels where the
structure is time-dependent
Hierarchy levels
non-BasicCubes

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Examples

Define Aggregate

* group according to characteristic or attribute value

H group according to nodes of a hierarchy level

F filter according to fixed value

space do not use characteristic or attribute in aggregate

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Example

Data for queries like ‘sales for all countries’, ‘sales in

Germany’, or ‘overall sales’ can be read out of the
aggregate (country *).

Fact Table: Sales Data Aggregate Tables: Sales Data

Country Customer Sales Country *

Customer Space
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 10
Germany Ocean Networks 15 Country Sales
USA Funny Duds Inc. 5
Austria Ocean Networks 10 USA 40
Austria Thor Industries 10 Germany 35
Germany Funny Duds Inc. 20 Austria 20
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 25

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Example using filters

Data for queries like ‘sales for all customers in Germany'

can be read out of the aggregate (country F, Germany;
customer *)

Fact Table: Sales Data Aggregate Tables: Sales Data

Country Customer Sales Country F, Germany

Customer *
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 10
Germany Ocean Networks 15 Country Customer Sales
USA Funny Duds Inc. 5
Austria Ocean Networks 10 Germany Ocean Networks 15
Austria Thor Industries 10 Germany Funny Duds Inc. 20
Germany Funny Duds Inc. 20
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 25

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Example using master data

Master Data Table: Customer

Customer Industry

Buggy Soft Inc. Technology

Funny Duds Inc. Consumer Products
Ocean Networks Technology
Thor Industries Chemical

Fact Table: Sales Data Aggregate Tables: Sales Data

Country Space
Country Customer Sales
Industry *
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 10 Sales
Germany Ocean Networks 15 Industry
USA Funny Duds Inc. 5
Austria Ocean Networks 10 Technology 60
Austria Thor Industries 10 Consumer Products 25
Germany Funny Duds Inc. 20 Chemical 10
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 25

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Example using hierarchies

Hierarchy for Country All

Europe America

Germany Austria USA

Fact Table: Sales Data Aggregate Tables: Sales Data

Country Customer Sales Country H, Level 2

Customer Space
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 10
Germany Ocean Networks 15 Country Sales
USA Funny Duds Inc. 5
Austria Ocean Networks 10 America 40
Austria Thor Industries 10 Europe 55
Germany Funny Duds Inc. 20
USA Buggy Soft Inc. 25

 SAP AG 1999
Aggregates - Maintenance of

Show
aggregate Transpor
Activate & Switch hierarchy
Fill on/off t

BDS

unsaved
changes

 SAP AG 1999