About This Guide

Typographical Conventions

About This Guide

Contents
Why This Guide....................................................................................................... xix
How This Guide Is Organized................................................................................xix
Who This Guide Is For.......................................................................................... xxiii
How to Use This Guide......................................................................................... xxiii
Navigating the System......................................................................................... xxiii
Special Icons............................................................................................................ xx
Typographical Conventions...................................................................................xxi

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About This Guide

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Welcome to Report Development Tools, the second book in the three-volume

Reporting Made Easy series. In book 1, we presented the tactical approach to
reporting and explored basic R/3 reporting concepts. Building on the material
covered in the first book, this book focuses on creating reports with standard R/3
tools.
In this book, we begin by reviewing the process of choosing a report
development tool. Later, we provide information on each of the reporting tools to
help you use them efficiently.
In this book, we not only cover the core report development tools that were
highlighted in book 1, but also several tools you may have only heard about.
Additionally, we discuss several reporting-related functions such as web
reporting, ABAP List Viewer (ALV), and Extended Export of Lists (XXL).
Other guides
in the
Reporting
Made Easy
series

The other two guidebooks in the Reporting Made Easy series are:
Book 1: Fundamentals of Reporting

Book 3: Commonly Used Reports: Illustrations and Perspectives

These guidebooks are intended to bridge the gap in R/3 reporting knowledge
and training. The guidebook series is geared toward users, implementation
teams, and consultants who need a deeper understanding of how reporting
works in the R/3 System.
For availability and ordering information, refer to the order form included with
the guidebooks or visit our web site: http://www.saplabs.com/rme.

Reporting Made Easy Guidebooks

1
Fundamentals of
Reporting

xviii

2
Report
Development Tools

3
Commonly Used
Reports

Reporting Made Easy

About This Guide

Typographical Conventions

Why This Guide

The primary goal of this guide is to help you create your own reports in R/3. Each
application area provides ways to retrieve information and develop reports. By
using the report development tools in an efficient manner, you can quickly
create reports that fit your needs.
This guidebook will help you:
Understand the nuts-and-bolts of R/3 report development tools such as
Logistics Information System, Report Painter, ABAP Query, Business
Information Warehouse, and more
Learn how to use the report development tools using step-by-step
examples to help you get started
Discover tips and tricks on getting the most out of the report
development tools (for advanced developers)
Use program templates to create your own ABAP reports

How This Guide Is Organized

This guidebook is organized as follows:
Part 1: Core Report Development Tools (chapters 1 through 6)

Part 2: Business Information Warehouse (chapters 7 through 11)

Part 3: Other Report Development Topics (chapter 12, appendices A

through F)

Part 1: Core Report Development Tools

The first part of this guidebook focuses on the core report development tools
identified in book 1. These core tools include:
ABAP Query

Report Painter/Report Writer

Drilldown Reporting

Logistics Information SystemStandard Analyses

Logistics Information SystemFlexible Analyses

As mentioned in book 1, the tools listed above are not the only tools available to
develop R/3 reports. The list includes only tools that are used exclusively to
retrieve information.
Tools such as the Business Information Warehouse (BW) or ABAP (the
programming language of R/3) are not considered core reporting tools because
they are not exclusively intended for report development; they do much more
than data extraction for reporting purposes. You will find more information on
these topics in Part 2.

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The chapters in this section are organized as follows:

Chapter

What you will learn

Chapter 1:
Choosing the Right
Report Development
Tool

Chapter 2:
ABAP Query

Creating a functional report in ABAP Query

Building a basic functional area using a logical

database
Maintaining a user group

Chapter 3:
Report Painter/Report
Writer

Chapter 4:
Drilldown Reporting

Chapter 5:
LIS Standard Analyses

xx

Creating a report using a functional area and a

user group
Improving your usability of ABAP Query
Differences between Report Painter and Report
Writer
How to create a simple report with Report
Painter
Helpful hints and information on the
Report/Report Interface, formula variables, and
creating your own evaluation structures
Organization of the components of Drilldown
reporting
Differences between Drilldown and other
reporting tools
How to create and execute a form (drilldown)
report

Selecting data for standard analysis

Navigating within an LIS standard analysis

Choosing which key figures to display

Customizing or controlling how the data is

displayed (for example, formats)
Running a statistical analysis (for example, an
ABC analysis)

Chapter 6:
LIS Flexible Analyses

Choosing the right report development tool for

your needs
Identifying report development tools that
support application areas in Release 4.0B
Using the Tools Summary Matrix to evaluate
different report development tools

Defining an evaluation

Generating and executing an evaluation

Modifying the report layout of a flexible analysis

Reporting Made Easy

About This Guide

Typographical Conventions

Part 2: Business Information Warehouse

The second part of this guidebook focuses on SAPs Business Information
Warehouse. The chapters in this section are organized as follows:
Chapter

What you will learn

Chapter 7:
Overview of Reporting
in the Business
Information
Warehouse

Chapter 8:
Creating Workbooks

Chapter 9:
Creating Queries

How to create and save a new query

How to define filters in a query

How to create restricted key figures and

calculated key figures in a query
How to create new formulas in a query

Chapter 10:
Working With the BEx
Browser

Chapter 11:
Business Information
Warehouse: Special
Topics

Report Development Tools

How the Business Information Warehouse (BW)

works as an enterprise-wide information hub
The overall architecture of the Business
Information Warehouse environment
Important concepts and terminology related to
the Business Information Warehouse
How to create a workbook template using the
BEx Analyzer
How to insert a query (or queries) into a
workbook
How to save a workbook template to the
InfoCatalog
How to add pushbuttons and textboxes to a
workbook template using simple Visual Basic
commands

How to work with drilldown, currency

conversion, charts, and other BW query
functions

How to create channels in the InfoCatalog

How to assign users to channels

How to add workbooks to Favorites

How to execute workbooks in the BEx Browser

How to create and populate clusters

How to create SAP transaction, Internet, and

workbook shortcuts
How to use the Administrator Workbench

How to work with SAP-delivered DemoCubes

How to organize workbooks in the InfoCatalog

How to get the most out of BW (tips and tricks)

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Part 3: Other Report Development Topics

Chapter or Appendix

What you will learn

Chapter 12:
ABAP Report
Templates

The basic structure of an ABAP report

Differences between traditional and interactive

reports
How to build traditional and interactive reports
using the report template
Useful tips and tricks on ABAP report
development

Appendix A:
ABAP List Viewer (ALV)

Appendix B:
Extended Export of
Lists (XXL)

What is the Extended Export of Lists (XXL)

What is the XXL List Viewer

How to use XXL to export an R/3 list to

Microsoft Excel

Appendix C:
SAP Open Information
Warehouse

What is the SAP Open Information Warehouse

(OIW)
How is the SAP OIW organized

How to prepare OIW source and meta data

How to download an OIW report into Microsoft

Excel

The functionality behind web-reporting

The remote function calls necessary for web

reporting interaction with R/3
The function modules you can incorporate into
your ABAP programs to enable web-based
reporting

Appendix D:
Web Reporting

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Some of the time-saving features of ALV, as

well as its ability to enhance information
display
Differences between reports written with and
without the ALV
Technical information (sample code) to help you
build reports with ALV functionality

Appendix E:
LIS Information
Structures

List of available information structures within the

SAP name spacestructures numbered between
S001 and S500. Structures are listed according to
the application area for which they were created.

Appendix F:
Creating a Drilldown
Report in Executive
Information System

How to create a form for an EIS report

How to create an EIS report using a form

How to execute and analyze an EIS report

Reporting Made Easy

About This Guide

Typographical Conventions

Who This Guide Is For

The target audience for this guide includes end users, consultants, and
implementation teams. This publication is intended to benefit a wide range of
userswith varying levels of familiarity with the R/3 System.
This guide assumes that you are:
Familiar with R/3 System logon procedures, menu-tree program selection,
and general navigation
Familiar with basic Windows or Macintosh system operations

Familiar with Microsoft-based applications such as Word and Excel

How to Use This Guide

While reading this book from cover to cover may make sense for some R/3 users,
others could easily scan, skim, and select portions that are of most interest. You
can use it as a reference or as a handbook.
Not all chapters are for all users; the guide seeks to accommodate different
needs.

Report Examples Use IDES Data

Almost all documentation in this guide uses sample data from SAPs
International Demo and Education System (IDES) Release 4.0B. To use these
report examples (with the specified data and results) as a tutorial, you will need
access to an IDES system. If you are not sure how to access the model company
data in IDES, ask your SAP system administrator for assistance. For more
information about IDES and its current availability, visit the SAP web site at
http://www.sap.com.

Training and Documentation

This material may be reprinted or reused for user training or to develop internal
company documentation. However, no part of this guide may be reproduced for
commercial purposes without the written permission of SAP AG and the R/3
Simplification Group of SAP Labs, Inc.

Navigating the System

You may navigate the R/3 System using menu paths, transaction codes, or
shortcut and function keys. If you use transaction codes, remember that you can
enter the codes from the main SAP R/3 screen.

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But if you wish to jump from one transaction to another, you must precede the
transaction with either /n or /o, as follows:
/n<trans code>

Example: /nVA01
Use /n to exit the current transaction and start a new
transaction. Your current transaction gets replaced by the
new one.

/o<trans code>

Example: /oVA01
Use /o to open a new session (window). Your current
transaction is maintained, while a new window opens with
the new transaction.

Before you use /n<transaction code>, make sure you have saved all
information. Otherwise, when you jump from one transaction to another, all
unsaved information is lost. If you wish to review transactions side-by-side,
you may want to start a new session by entering /o<transaction code> in
the command filed.

Special Icons
Throughout this guide you will see special icons indicating important messages.
Below are brief explanations of each icon:
Exercise caution when performing this task or step. An
explanation of why you should be careful will be included.

This information helps you understand the topic in greater

detail. It is not necessary to know this information to
perform the task.

This information provides helpful hints and shortcuts to

make your work faster and easier.

xxiv

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Typographical Conventions

Typographical Conventions
The table shown below lists the typographical conventions and symbols, and
icons used throughout this guide.
Word

What it Means

Click

Click the left mouse button to perform the action. Click

or double-click are used when the mouse is the only way
to perform a certain function. Choose is always used for
actions involving on-screen buttons or icons.
Example: Click the node for Production Planning.

Choose

When you see the word choose, you will either perform
certain actions by choosing particular buttons on screen
(using the mouse or a shortcut key, for example) or follow
given menu paths.
Examples:
1. Choose File Save.
2. Choose Back.
3. Choose Enter.

Select

Used with instructions for radio buttons and checkboxes.

Example: Select Generate Enterprise IMG.

Typeface Style

What it Means

User input

Type in the text exactly as shown.

Example: Enter 14287 in Personnel Number.

Object Style

Shown in italics, this word is usually an on-screen object,

for example, button, field, screen title, book or chapter
title, screen text or message.
Example: In the User Maintenance screen, enter SAP* in
User.

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Typographical Conventions

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Reporting Made Easy