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SAP BW

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Monday, October 20, 2008

Update types in BW/BI

With the update type, you control whether a key figure/data field is updated in the InfoProvider.
Functions
For InfoCubes:

· Depending on the aggregation type you entered in the Key Figure Maintenance for this key figure, you are given the options Addition or Maximum or Minimum. If you choose one of these options, new values are updated in the InfoCube.

The aggregation type (addition, minimum & maximum) determines how key figures are updated where primary keys are the same. Thus the total, the minimum or the maximum for these values is formed for new values.

If you entered one of these aggregation types in the key figure definition, it is transferred for the update. Otherwise, the aggregation type addition is automatically selected.

· If you choose no update, the key figures are not updated in the InfoCube, meaning that no data records are written in the InfoCube with the first data transfer, or that data records that already exist, will remain in place with subsequent transfers.
For InfoObjects:

Only the Overwrite option is available. With this option, new values are updated to the InfoObject.
For ODS Objects:

1. Depending on the type of data and DataSource, you have the options Addition, Minimum, Maximum or Overwrite. If you choose one of these options, new values are updated in the ODS object.

For numerical data fields, you are given a proposal for the update type through the characteristic 0RECORDMODE. If only the after-image is delivered, the system proposes Overwrite. However, it could make sense to change this: For example, with the meter data field “# Changes”, which is filled with a constant 1 but still has to be updated through addition, although only an after-image is delivered.

Characteristic 0RECORDMODE is used to pass indicators of the DataSource (from SAP systems) to the update.

You do not need characteristic 0RECORDMODE as long as you do not load delta requests in the ODS object or only from file DataSources.

a. Addition:

Addition is not supported with the data types CHAR, DAT, TIMS, CUKY and UNIT. To be able to use the addition function, make sure the DataSource is compatible with an additive delta.

b. Overwrite:

Whether overwriting is supported is determined by the delta-compatibility of the DataSource.

In this example, the order quantity changes after it has been loaded into BW. With the second load process the data is overwritten since it has the same primary key.

First load process

Document No. Document Item Order Quantity Unit of measure
100001 10 200 Pieces
100001 20 150 Pieces
100002 10 250 Kg

Second load process

Document No. Document Item Order Quantity Unit of measure
100001 10 180 Pieces
100001 20 165 Pieces

When you update data, the system keeps to the time sequence of the data packages and requests. You have to decide the logical order of the update yourself. Meaning, for example, orders must be requested before deliveries; otherwise the wrong results may appear when you overwrite the data.

c. If you choose no update, the data fields are not updated in the ODS object, meaning that no data records are written in the ODS object with the first data transfer, or that data records that already exist will remain in place with subsequent transfers.