Working with the New Tools of SAP BW/4HANA

In the SAP BW/4HANA Modeling perspective, you can open and edit all BW metadata objects that are displayed in the BW projects.

While using SAP BW 7.4 or SAP BW 7.5 on SAP HANA, you had the choice to either work in SAP GUI or BWMT. This is no longer the case in SAP BW/4HANA. The Data Warehousing Workbench in the SAP GUI still exists but the modeling tools have been removed. As you can see in the figure above, all SAP BW/4HANA modeling artifacts have been fully integrated into BWMT.

The BW Reporting Preview view displays preview data modeled on the data model or BW query. You can customize the style this preview should be executed in, or even provide multiple options to the developer. In the customizing guide of SAP BW/4HANA (Tr. SPRO), select Set Query Execution for Query Design Tools from the SAP BW/4HANA / Analysis area. The options include:

• Analysis Office
• BW Cockpit Preview
• Freestyle URL
• Analytics List UIBB (User Interface Building Block)

You can create and edit BW DataSources in the BW Modeling Tools. This is available for all source systems supported by SAP BW/4HANA. SAP GUI transaction RSDS is still available as a fallback option for now. However, SAP recommends that you fully leverage the BW Modeling Tools for DataSource maintenance.

You can also create source systems in the BW Modeling Tools. However, the Data Warehousing Workbench still offers the full functions for source system setup and customizing. Hence, you still have a choice of where to maintain source systems because both user interfaces are available.

There are several ways to open the SAP BW/4HANA Cockpit:

• SAP BW Modeling Tools (BWMT): Choose Open BW/4HANA Cockpit in the context menu of the SAP BW project or the corresponding icon in the header toolbar. Depending on the function you call from the context menu of BW objects, the SAP BW/4HANA Cockpit opens automatically and the user is directed to the corresponding app and object. Example: Select Manage DataStore Object (Advanced) from the context menu of an DataStore Object (advanced) will open the app Manage Requests.

• SAP GUI: Call transaction BW4WEB.

• Browser URL = <protocol>://<host name>:<port>/sap/bc/ui2/flp?sap-client=<client>&sap-language=<language>

The SAP BW/4HANA Cockpit provides a new central entry point for the administration, monitoring, and modeling of an SAP BW∕4HANA system. It is an intuitive, Web-based user interface that is available with an SAP Fiori launchpad. It contains various SAP Fiori apps, organized in groups, for following key operations related to SAP BW/4HANA:

• Process Chain Editor:

  The system displays a list of all process chains in the system. You can create, change, and delete process chains here. To create and edit process chains, you can use the graphical editor in the app. You can insert processes there by selecting process variants, or you can define processes directly in the editor.

• Process Variant Editor:

  The system displays a list of all process variants in the system. You can create process variants for many process types here. You can use these process variants in process chains.

• Analysis Authorizations Editor:

  You can create and change analysis authorizations.

• Process Chains - Display Dashboard:

  The system displays various charts with an overview of important statistical analyses of process chains and process chain runs. From here, you can navigate to the monitoring list of process chains or to the list of process chain runs.

• Process Chains - Display Latest Status:

  The system displays a list of all process chains with status information. You can schedule, de-schedule or repair process chains here, and can call the log for the current run.

• Process Chain Runs:

  The system displays a list of all process chain runs in the system with status information. You can repair a run here or call the log of a run in order to analyze errors.

• View Processes

  List of core BW/4HANA processes and related status

• Remodeling Requests

  You can manage remodeling requests.

• Operational Data Provisioning - Queue Monitor

  Manage outbound ODP Queue and its subscribers

• Data Volume Statistics

  The system displays an overview of memory usage and provides a helpful overview of the Data Tiering setup in the system.

• Data Selection Statistics

  The system displays an overview indicating the frequency with which various data is used in BW Queries. By default this is switched off and the data collection has to be enabled by a special function available in this app.

• DataStore Objects - Manage Requests

  The system displays technical information about the content of the DataStore Object (advanced). You can view details of the various requests in the DataStore Object (advanced) object display, and perform administrative tasks such as deleting and activating requests. For archiving requests, you can also view details and create new archiving requests. You can view logs for all requests.

• InfoObjects - Manage Requests

  The system displays technical information about the content of the InfoObject. You can view details of the various requests in the InfoObject, and perform administrative tasks such as deleting and activating requests. You can view logs for all requests.

• OpenHub Destinations - Manage Requests

  The system displays all loading requests into OpenHub Destinations. You can view logs for all requests.

• DataStore Objects - Manage Data Tiering

  The system displays an overview of all DataStore Objects (advanced) and their temperatures. In addition, you can change and manage the temperature for the partitions of the DataStore Objects (advanced).

• InfoObject Master Data Maintenance

  You can display and update InfoObject attributes and texts in a very user-friendly way.

• InfoObject Hierarchies Maintenance

  You can display and maintain hierarchies of InfoObject Characteristics.

• Query Data Preview

  You can preview BW Query data and enhance it with charts, conditions, and exceptions.

• InfoProvicer Data Preview

  You can preview the data of an InfoProvider.

Provided that you have the necessary authorizations in the SAP BW∕4HANA Cockpit, you can also add further SAP Fiori apps for SAP BW∕4HANA administration tasks, along with functions that are not implemented as SAP Fiori apps, like SAP BW/4HANA transactions that leverage their own web UI. This means the transactions for user management, system monitoring, data tiering, and many others can also be called from this Web environment to minimize the need to work in the classic SAP GUI. By using the App Finder or the Edit Home Page function in the Me Area, you can add apps to your home page.