How to Define and Use InfoObjects in SAP BW/4HANA
SAP BW/4HANA is a modern data warehouse solution that simplifies and optimizes the way you manage and analyze your data. One of the basic building blocks of SAP BW/4HANA is the InfoObject, which is a metadata object that represents a business entity or a measure.
In this blog post, you will learn what InfoObjects are, what types of InfoObjects are available, how to create and activate them, and how to use them in data models or reports.
What are InfoObjects?
InfoObjects are metadata objects that define the structure and semantics of data in SAP BW/4HANA. InfoObjects can be used as fields in InfoProviders (such as ADSOs or Composite Providers) or as InfoProviders themselves (such as Characteristics or Key Figures).
InfoObjects have a technical name (the unique identifier of the object), and a description (what the business user sees in a report). The technical names of all InfoObjects delivered by SAP begin with 0 (zero). If you cannot find a ready-made InfoObject that fits your requirement, you can define your own custom InfoObject.
InfoObjects have different properties and attributes, depending on their type and settings. Some of the common properties and attributes are:
- Data Type: This defines the format and length of the data stored in the InfoObject. For example, CHAR for character string, NUMC for numerical text, CURR for currency amount, etc.
- Aggregation Type: This defines how the data of the InfoObject is aggregated when used in a report. For example, SUM for summing up values, AVG for calculating average values, MIN for finding minimum values, etc.
- Master Data: This defines whether the InfoObject has master data or not. Master data is the descriptive data that provides context and meaning to transaction data. For example, customer name, product description, currency name, etc. Master data can have attributes (such as customer group, product category, currency symbol, etc.) and texts (such as short text, medium text, long text, etc.) that can be used in reports.
- Hierarchy: This defines whether the InfoObject has a hierarchy or not. A hierarchy is a logical structure that organizes data into levels and nodes. For example, a product hierarchy can have levels such as product group, product family, product line, etc. A hierarchy can be used to drill down or roll up data in reports.
What types of InfoObjects are available?
There are five types of InfoObjects in SAP BW/4HANA:
- Characteristic: This is a type of InfoObject that represents a business entity that provides context in a report. Examples are: Customer (0CUSTOMER), Cost Center (0COSTCENTER), Material (0MATERIAL), etc. Characteristics can have master data, attributes, texts and hierarchies.
- Key Figure: This is a type of InfoObject that represents a measure or a value that can be aggregated or calculated in a report. Examples are: Quantity (0QUANTITY), Amount (0AMOUNT), Revenue (ZREVENUE), etc. Key figures can have data type, aggregation type and unit.
- Unit: This is a type of InfoObject that represents a unit of measure or a currency key that provides meaning to key figures. Examples are: Unit of Measure (0UNIT), Currency Key (0CURRENCY), etc. Units can have master data and texts.
- Time Characteristic: This is a type of InfoObject that represents a unit of time, such as day, month, year, etc. Examples are: Calendar Day (0CALDAY), Calendar Year (0CALYEAR), Fiscal Year (0FISCYEAR), etc. Time characteristics can have master data and hierarchies.
- Technical Characteristic: This is a type of InfoObject that is used for operational and administrative purposes only within SAP BW/4HANA. An example of a technical characteristic is the Request Transaction Sequence Number (0REQTSN). This is a log number generated when you load data to SAP BW/4HANA and it helps you locate the request at a later date.
The following table summarizes the main characteristics and differences of the five types of InfoObjects:
| Type | Data Type | Aggregation Type | Master Data | Attributes | Texts | Hierarchy | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | CHAR or NUMC | None | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Representing business entities that provide context in reports |
| Key Figure | CURR, QUAN or other numerical types | SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX or other aggregation types | No | No | No | No | Representing measures or values that can be aggregated or calculated in reports |
| Unit | CHAR or NUMC | None | Optional | No | Optional | No | Representing units of measure or currency keys that provide meaning to key figures |
| Time Characteristic | DATS or TIMS | None | Optional | No | No | Optional | Representing units of time, such as day, month, year, etc. |
| Technical Characteristic | CHAR or NUMC | None | No | No | No | No | Representing operational and administrative information within SAP BW/4HANA |
How to create and activate InfoObjects?
You can create and activate InfoObjects using the SAP BW/4HANA Modeling Tools in Eclipse. The steps are as follows:
- In the Project Explorer, right-click on the InfoArea where you want to create the InfoObject and choose New > InfoObject.
- In the wizard, enter a technical name, a description, and a type for the InfoObject. You can also choose a template from the predefined ones or create your own template. Click Next.
- In the next screen, you can define the data type, length and aggregation type for the InfoObject. You can also specify whether the InfoObject has master data or not. Click Finish.
- The InfoObject is created in the inactive version and is displayed in the editor. You can make further changes to the InfoObject properties, such as attributes, texts, hierarchies, etc.
- To activate the InfoObject, right-click on the InfoObject and choose Activate.
How to use InfoObjects in data models or reports?
InfoObjects can be used in various ways in SAP BW/4HANA, such as:
- As fields in InfoProviders: You can use InfoObjects as fields in InfoProviders (such as ADSOs or Composite Providers) to define the structure and semantics of the data. You can also use transformations or DTPs to load data into or from InfoObjects.
- As InfoProviders themselves: You can use Characteristics or Key Figures as InfoProviders themselves to store master data or transaction data in SAP BW/4HANA. You can also use them as part providers for Composite Providers or as sources for DataSources.
- As reporting elements: You can use InfoObjects as reporting elements in queries or reports to display data in different formats and levels of detail. You can also use master data attributes, texts and hierarchies to enrich the data with additional information.
In this example, the following steps are performed:
- An ADSO (SALESCUBE) is created with fields that are defined by InfoObjects (such as 0COUNTRY, 0MATERIAL, 0QUANTITY, 0AMOUNT, etc.) to store sales transaction data in SAP BW/4HANA.
- A DataSource (SALES_DS) is created for the ADSO (SALESCUBE) to extract sales transaction data from an external system into SAP BW/4HANA.
- A Data Transfer Process (DTP) is created to load the data from the DataSource (SALES_DS) into the ADSO (SALESCUBE).
- A Characteristic (ZCUSTOMER) is created with master data, attributes (such as ZCUSTGRP) and texts (such as ZCUSTNAME) to store customer master data in SAP BW/4HANA.
- A DataSource (CUSTOMER_DS) is created for the Characteristic (ZCUSTOMER) to extract customer master data from an external system into SAP BW/4HANA.
- A Data Transfer Process (DTP) is created to load the data from the DataSource (CUSTOMER_DS) into the Characteristic (ZCUSTOMER).
- A Composite Provider (SALESJOIN) is created with type based on Join to join the ADSO (SALESCUBE) and the Characteristic (ZCUSTOMER) by customer number field. The Composite Provider also uses links to InfoObjects to access currency conversion factors from SAP BW/4HANA.
- A Query (SALESREPORT) is created on top of the Composite Provider (SALESJOIN) to display sales data by country, customer group, material and amount in different currencies.
Conclusion
In this blog post, you have learned how to define and use InfoObjects in SAP BW/4HANA, what types of InfoObjects are available, how to create and activate them, and how to use them in data models or reports. InfoObjects are basic building blocks of SAP BW/4HANA that define the structure and semantics of data.
Disclaimer: This content is generated by AI.