How to Create and Use BW Workspaces in SAP BW/4HANA

BW Workspaces are a feature of SAP BW/4HANA that enable business users to upload local data and combine it with central data from the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). They provide a flexible and agile way to access and analyze data that is not available or integrated in the EDW.

BW Workspaces are based on the concept of self-service BI, which empowers business users to create and modify their own data models and reports without depending on IT. They can also leverage the existing data models and semantics of the EDW, as well as the performance and security of SAP HANA.

In this blog post, we will show you how to create and use BW Workspaces in SAP BW/4HANA. We will also explain the benefits and challenges of this approach, and share some best practices and tips.

Why Use BW Workspaces?

Using BW Workspaces has several advantages over traditional methods, such as:

Speed: You can quickly upload and integrate local data from flat files or other sources, without waiting for IT to create or maintain extractors or transformations. You can also react faster to new or changing requirements or scenarios.
Simplicity: You can use web-based tools to create and edit your own data models and reports, without requiring complex technical skills or knowledge. You can also use drag-and-drop features to combine data from different sources or levels.
Reusability: You can reuse and leverage the existing data models and semantics of the EDW, which are aligned with the business logic and processes of the applications. You don’t need to create or maintain redundant or inconsistent data models or reports.
Collaboration: You can share and publish your data models and reports with other users or groups, who can then use them for their own purposes or enhance them further. You can also provide feedback or comments to improve the quality or usability of the data models or reports.

However, using BW Workspaces also comes with some challenges and limitations, such as:

Governance: You need to ensure that the data and metadata are compliant and consistent with the standards and policies of the EDW and the organization. You also need to monitor and manage the lifecycle and usage of the data models and reports, as well as the access and authorization rights of the users or groups.
Quality: You need to ensure that the data and metadata are accurate and reliable, as they may come from different sources or formats that are not validated or verified by IT. You also need to avoid duplication or inconsistency of data or calculations across different data models or reports.
Performance: You need to ensure that the data extraction and loading processes are efficient and optimized, especially when dealing with large volumes or complex calculations. You also need to plan and execute your data loading strategies and schedules accordingly.

Therefore, using BW Workspaces should be done with careful planning, design, and optimization, to ensure that you achieve your business goals and requirements.

How to Create BW Workspaces?

To create BW Workspaces in SAP BW/4HANA, you need to follow these steps:

In SAP BW/4HANA, request IT to create a BW Workspace environment for you. The BW Workspace environment is a dedicated area in SAP BW/4HANA that is used to store and manage your local data models and reports. IT needs to define the following settings for your BW Workspace environment:
- The name and description of your BW Workspace environment
- The expiry date of your BW Workspace environment
- The prefix for your local providers and queries in your BW Workspace environment
- The contact person for your BW Workspace environment
- The central providers that you can access from your BW Workspace environment
- The submission targets that you can load your local data to from your BW Workspace environment
In SAP HANA Studio, open the SAP BW Workspace Designer tool. The SAP BW Workspace Designer is a web-based tool that allows you to create and edit your local data models and reports in your BW Workspace environment. You need to log on with your user credentials and select your BW Workspace environment.
In SAP BW Workspace Designer, create a new local provider. A local provider is a type of InfoProvider that stores your local data in SAP HANA tables. You can create a local provider by uploading a flat file from your local system or by selecting an existing flat file from a shared folder. You can also define the metadata of your local provider, such as the fields, descriptions, units, hierarchies, annotations, etc.
In SAP BW Workspace Designer, create a new query on top of your local provider. A query is a type of report that allows you to analyze your local data in various ways. You can create a query by selecting the fields and measures that you want to display, as well as the filters and calculations that you want to apply. You can also combine your local data with the central data from the EDW by joining your local provider with a central provider.
In SAP BW Workspace Designer, execute and preview your query. You can execute your query by clicking on the Run button, which will display the results of your query in a table or chart format. You can also preview your query by clicking on the Preview button, which will open the query in SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office or SAP Analytics Cloud, depending on your settings.

Conclusion

BW Workspaces are a feature of SAP BW/4HANA that enable business users to upload local data and combine it with central data from the EDW. They provide a flexible and agile way to access and analyze data that is not available or integrated in the EDW.

In this blog post, we have shown you how to create and use BW Workspaces in SAP BW/4HANA, as well as some benefits and challenges of this approach. We have also shown you how to use SAP BW Workspace Designer, local providers, queries, central providers, and submission targets in SAP BW/4HANA.

We hope you have found this post useful and informative.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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