SAP Business Explorer 初探
Part I: 什么是SAP BEX ?
SAP Business Explorer is a frontend tool to design Data visualization on Business Intelligence information in SAP Business Warehouse system. It is a popular product that provides extensive report formatting and designing features along with Web Application Development and broadcasting of objects developed in Business Explorer.
Part II：SAP BEX 架构
The architecture of SAP Business Explorer can be separated into 3 areas:
Ad-hoc Query and Analyse: This mainly consists Web Analyzer.
Reporting and Analyse Design: Main components are Web Application Designer and Report Designer.
Microsoft Excel Integration: This consists Analyser (Add-in).
The graphic below outlines the functional areas of the Business Explorer and how they relate to SAP NetWeaver Portal and SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer.
Part III: SAP Bex有哪些工具？
SAP Business Explorer (SAP BEx) provides you the set of tools to perform reporting, query analysis to support strategic decision. This tool provides a lot of queries and report designing functions.
The following tools are available under SAP Business Explorer −
Analyzer
Query Designer
Report Designer
Web Application Designer
Analyzer
The Analyzer under Business Explorer is a reporting and designing tool, which provides integration with Microsoft Excel. You can use this tool to analyze data in an Info Provider under SAP BW. This can be used for planning by writing queries in a BEx Query Designer.
Query Designer
The BEx Query Designer can be used to analyze the data in InfoProviders under the SAP BW System. You can define the characteristics and the key figures in a Query Designer to analyze the data in any InfoProvider.
Report Designer
A Report Designer can be used to create formatted reports by using extensive formatting options and these reports can be used for printing and can be generated in different formats such as – PDF.
BEX variable Entry Report,
BEX Ad-hoc analysis report，
Web Application Designer
The Web Application Designer can be used to create web based applications using BI Content. These applications contain HTML pages which can be accessed via Web Browsers in the client machines or can also be published on the NetWeaver Portal under the Knowledge Management Content.
Part IV：SAP BEX 主要特点
The following is the list of features that are provided by SAP Business Explorer BEx Suite –
BEx Query Designer Key Features
You can use queries in the BEx Query Designer for OLAP reporting and for enterprise reporting.
Queries can contain different parameters like variables for characteristic values, hierarchies, formulas, text, etc.
In the Query Designer, you can apply a filter to restrict the whole query. While defining the filter, you can add characteristic values from one or more characteristics or also key figures in the filter. All the InfoProvider data is aggregated using the filter selection of the query.
You can also use user-defined characteristics and determine the content of the rows and columns of the query. This is used to specify the data areas of the InfoProvider through which you want to navigate.
You have an option of navigating through the query that allows you to generate different views of the InfoProvider data. This can be achieved by dragging any of the user defined characteristics into the rows or columns of the query.
BEx Analyzer Key Features
BEx Analyzer is divided into two modes for different purposes −
Analysis mode − It is used for executing OLAP analyses on queries.
Design mode − It is used for designing the interface for query applications.
Analysis Mode − You can perform the following tasks in the Analysis mode −
You can access the BEx Query Designer to define queries.
You can analyze the InfoProvider data by navigating in the queries.
You can use different functions like sorting, filtering, drilling, etc., which are common in OLAP.
Distribution of workbooks with BEx Broadcaster.
For advanced programming, you can embed your own customized VBA programs.
You can save workbooks on the server/locally on your computer or into favorites.
Design Mode − You can perform the following tasks in the design mode −
It can be used to design the query and you can embed different query design items like dropdown box, radio button groups, grid and buttons into your Microsoft Excel workbook.
You can also customize your workbook with Excel’s formatting and chart functionality.
BEx Report Designer Key Features
You can perform the following tasks with the report designer −
You can use formatting options to create report for printing and presentation.
Different Layout functions that can be used to design corporate reports to meet business requirements.
You can print web applications and reports in various formats.
BEx Web Application Designer (WAD) Key Features
You can perform the following tasks with the web application designer −
You can use BEx WAD to generate HTML pages which contain BI specific contents such as, Tables, Maps and different Chart types.
Web Applications can be published on the portal and can be accessed via a web browser.
Use of standard markup languages and Web Design API.
You can create and design web templates that can be saved and used in Web applications.
