What is SAP Query? Purpose and Advantages of SAP Query?
SAP Query is SAP’s tool to define and execute once own reports without knowing ABAP programming
language.
Let us see the key topics to explore SAP Query.
Topic # Topic
1 What is Query?
Purpose of Query.
Advantages of Query
2 Infosets/UserGroups/Query in Detail
3 Practical session covering important working models - I
4 Practical session covering important models-II
Various Lists and Background Scheduling
In this document we shall cover Topic#1.
What is SAP query and why do we need queries?
Many times a need arises for SAP Users and Functional Consultants to generate quick reports without
getting any ABAP coding done – time taken to complete the coding in development, transport and test it
in QA system and then transport to production – is sometimes too long. In such cases, SAP query is a
tool provided by SAP for generating these kinds of reports.
Purpose
The SAP Query application is used to create reports not already contained in the default. It
has been designed for users with little or no knowledge of the SAP programming language
ABAP.
SAP Query offers users a broad range of ways to define reports and create different types
of reports such as basic lists, statistics, and ranked lists.
These outputs can include lists on screens in table format, ALV grids, downloadable
spreadsheets, and downloadable flat files. The internal report generator creates an ABAP
program corresponding to the definition of the list.
Features:
The SAP Query comprises five components:
Queries
InfoSet Query
InfoSets
User Groups
Translation/Query
Classic reporting- the creation of lists, statistics and ranked lists- are covered by theInfoSet
Query and Queries components. Other components’ range of functions cover the maintenance of
InfoSets, the administration of user groups and also the translation of texts created in the SAP
Query. All data required by a user for a report can be read from various tables.
To define a report, you first have to enter individual texts, such as titles, and select the fields and
options, which determine the report layout. In the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mode,
you can edit the lists using Drag & Drop and various toolbars.
Overview:
The following sections describes the individual SAP Query components and provides general information
about query areas, transport and authorizations
Menu Path Used For Transaction
Code
SAP Query Queries Maintaining Queries SQ01
SAP Query InfoSets Maintaining InfoSets SQ02
SAP Query User Groups Maintaining User Groups SQ03
Translation Query Language Comparision SQ07
Query Components
The Queries component is used by end users to maintain queries.
You can carry out the following tasks:
Execute Queries and Generate Lists
Define Queries
Change Queries
Infosets Components
InfoSets are special views of data sources.
An InfoSet describes which fields of a data source can be reported on in queries.
InfoSets are assigned to user groups.
End-users are able to work only with those InfoSets that are relevant to their particular area, as
designated by the role or user group that they are assigned to.
Eg: Vendor master data can be important in purchasing as well as in accountancy. The relevant
InfoSet is assigned to both roles/user groups. This means that queries based on this InfoSet can
be copied and executed by both groups.
User Groups Components
1. The User Groups component is used to maintain user groups. The system administrator uses it to
set up the work environment for end-users.
2. Every user assigned to the user group is able to execute the query.
3. Users are not allowed to modify queries from other user groups, although they may, under certain
circumstances, copy and execute
Translation/Query Component
A great deal of text is generated when defining queries, InfoSets, and user groups.
The SAP Query displays these texts in the language that you chose when you logged on to the
SAP system.
You can compare the text languages using the component Translation/Query.
A related text in one or more additional languages is made available for each of the texts created
when defining the query.
Query Areas
A query area contains a set of query objects (queries, InfoSets, and user groups) that are discrete and
consistent.
There are the following query areas:
Standard area
Global area
Standard Area
1.Client specific
2.Query objects are not attached to the Workbench Organizer
Advantage :-End users can develop queries (ad-hoc reports) in their own client that are not meant for use
in the rest of the system.
Global Area
1.Cross client
2.Query objects are attached to workbench organizer
Advantage:-The global query area is well suited for centrally developing queries meant for use and
distribution throughout the system.
Authorizations
End-users, system administrators, and translators must all be assigned the appropriate authorizations
allowing them to work with the SAP Query.
In order to give individual users targeted, specific rights, the following options are available:
Roles/user groups
Authorizations
Steps to create a Query
Step Description TCODE
1 Create a infoset or functional area SQ02
2 Assignment of user group to infoset SQ03
3 Creation of query based on infoset SQ01
Tools for Queries
The following are the tools to manage, create and change queries.
Infoset Query
Queries
Quick viewer
Working with Infosets, User Groups, Query in detail
By Suraj Kumar Pabbathi, YASH Technologies
In this document we shall cover Topic#2. For topic#1, click here.
Infosets Components
InfoSets are special views of data sources.
An InfoSet describes which fields of a data source can be reported on in queries.
InfoSets are assigned to user groups.
End-users are able to work only with those InfoSets that are relevant to their particular area, as
designated by the role or user group that they are assigned to.
Eg: Vendor master data can be important in purchasing as well as in accountancy. The relevant
InfoSet is assigned to both roles/user groups. This means that queries based on this InfoSet can
be copied and executed by both groups.
Creating and changing Infosets
Creating Infosets – Prerequisites
Assign Data sources
Infoset Display/Change
Definition of field groups
Obtaining additional information
Creating Selections
Further Codes
Application Specific Enhancements
Creating Infosets – Prerequisites
The following questions help in meeting the prerequisites of creating an infoset.
Which data source corresponds to the requirements?
For example: Material reports in Materials Management
Document reports in Financial Accounting
Which fields do you need to include in the InfoSet?
Do you need additional information which is not available in the data source? (This means you are
going to have to connect additional tables and the definitions of additional fields.)
Do you need parameters and selection criteria? (Parameters and selection criteria appear on the
selection screens of queries that are created using the InfoSet).
Do you need to include any particular measures such as access protection?
Do you need to be able to change the long texts and headers for the selected fields?
Assign Data sources
1. Name
2. Authorization group: This means that only users authorized to execute programs from this
authorization group are able to execute these queries. Use Tcode: AUTH_DISPLAY_OBJECTS
3. Choose Data Source:
Table join using a table: Is used when Query is prepared for retrieving data from more than one
database tables having relationships.
Reading tables directly: Is used when Query is prepared for retrieving data from one table.
Logical databases: Is used when Query is prepared for retrieving data based on a Logical
database (LDB)
4. Using programs to retrieve data: Here a program can be written with own logic. Declaration in
data section of the program will help the query to select the elements of data to be retrieved from
database. As per the logic, data is validated, processed. The selection screen can be prepared in
Query and data is retrieved for output.
Sequential datasets
4. Options
No Automatic Text Recognition
Fixed Point Arithmetic
Display/Change Infoset
The InfoSet display allows you to examine or change the structure of the InfoSet.
Assigning additional tables
Creating additional fields
Creating additional Structures
Extras
Selections
Further Code
Application Specific Enhancements
Definition of field groups
A field group combines related fields together into a meaningful unit.
Fields must be assigned to a field group before they can be used in queries.
Include all table fields
Include key fields
Create empty field groups
Note:
Logical Database having more than 4 structures has different way of creating field groups.Eg: PNP
User Groups Components
The User Groups component is used to maintain user groups. The system administrator uses it to
set up the work environment for end-users.
Every user assigned to the user group is able to execute the query.
Users are not allowed to modify queries from other user groups, although they may, under certain
circumstances, copy and execute
1.Creating infosets or functional areas
Tcode-SQ02
`
2. To create user groups and assign to infosets
Tcode-SQ03
3. To create a query
Tcode-SQ01
Steps to create selection criteria to the query
Tcode-SQ01
