Working with the Query Browser

The Query Browser is an SAP Fiori application that you use to discover and launch analytical queries.

Analytical queries are a key component in SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics. They collect all data relevant to a specific business scenario and project that data into a reporting tool known as the Multidimensional analysis tool.

There are a very large number of analytical queries in an SAP S/4HANA system and the Query Browser provides an easy way to locate an analytical query using simple search words.

Technically, analytical queries are ABAP CDS views that sit at the very top of the virtual modeling stack. They are consumption type views that include a setting to indicate they can be consumed by analytical tools. Analytical queries consume interface views that are defined as as cubes. These interface views provide the attributes and measures for the analytical query.

Analytical queries contain rich meta data, which include the default position of each field (row or column), default filters, calculated columns, parameters, and restricted columns.

A large number of analytical queries are provided by SAP but customers can develop their own.

The Query Browser displays all the SAP standard and customer created analytical queries to which the user has access, so it is important to ensure the appropriate privileges have been granted to the user who is browsing.

When the Query Browser is launched, an unfiltered list of analytical queries from all business domains is displayed. In reality, a business user will only work with queries that relate to their role.

Apart from using the search field for ad-hoc searches, there are two options to reduce the list of analytical queries:

• Add to favorites - mark all frequently used analytical queries so they are displayed when the view is switched to favorites
• Tag queries - add a meaningful tag name to each analytical query which can then be used as a filter

Once an analytical query is selected, all columns defined in the query are listed so the user can decide if the analytical query is suitable.

If the field names don't provide enough information, the user can launch the analytical query to check the actual live data. The results appear in the multidimensional report app.

A key use-case of the Query Browser is for a business user to search for a query and then create a tile to launch that query using the multidimensional reporting tool directly from their Launchpad. This is useful if the query will be used frequently and might be simpler than trying to locate the query each time it is needed using the Query Browser.

Launch the video to learn how to locate and launch an analytical query using the Query Browser app.