Web Intelligence makes it easy for you to access your corporate data by enabling you to work with familiar business terms to retrieve data from a database rather than using technical code required by the data source. One of the possible methods Web Intelligence uses to accomplish this task is to use a universe.
An SAP BusinessObjects universe is the semantic layer that maps everyday business terms to the data stored in the database. Using a universe, you can retrieve data that interests you by dragging and dropping the desired objects.
In your company, universes are created by a universe designer using the Information Design Tool. The designer then makes the universes available to you and other users in your organization so that you can select the appropriate business terms to create queries and retrieve data from the database. Within each universe, these business terms are listed as objects, while similar types of business terms are grouped into folders.
Objects are elements in an SAP BusinessObjects universe that correspond to the data in the database. Ideally, the universe designer names the object with business terms that you use in your daily activities, such as Sales revenue or Customer name. You use these objects to build queries and retrieve the data you want to show in your report.
The components of a universe are as follows:
- Folders and Sub-folders organize objects into logical groups.
- Objects are elements that map data in a relational database and are named using familiar business terms. For example, named objects in the eFashion universe include Year, Quarter, and Sales revenue.
The types of objects are as follows:
- Dimension: A Dimension object retrieves the data that provides the basis for analysis in a report. Dimension objects typically retrieve character-type data, for example, Customer name, Store name, or Date.
- Attribute: An Attribute object provides descriptive data about a Dimension. An Attribute is always attached to the Dimension object for which it provides additional information. For example, the Customer name Dimension can have Age and Address detail objects associated with it because those objects provide additional information about a customer.
- Predefined Query Filters: A Predefined Query Filter restricts the information returned by objects, such as limiting data pertaining to revenue of a specific year. Filters can also prompt the person viewing the report to select a value, such as the Which product? query filter.
- Measure: A Measure object retrieves numeric data that results from calculations on data in the database. For example, Sales revenue is the calculation of the number of items sold multiplied by the item price. Measure objects are often located in Measures folders.
