In SAP business Intelligence, InfoProviders are the basis of most of the reporting you will be doing in the real time. They are the objects that serve your reports with data. Hence the name InfoProviders.
There are two types of InfoProviders, these are listed below
- InfoCube, this type of InfoProvider stores the data in the system and makes it available for reporting.
- Virtual providers for example a Multiprovider, this will be covered in a later lesson but basically, this is a type of InfoProvider that does not store the data physically but combines the data from multiple InfoCubes into one view.As far as reporting is concerned, it does not know how the data is stored. Physically or not, the data is being presented to the reporting query in the same way.
A standard installation of SAP BI comes with a lot of default InfoCubes that models many business processes from Financials to Sales and distribution. As a SAP BI consultant, most of the time you will not need to create your own InfoCube but rather use one out of the box or customize the existing one to suit your needs.
An InfoCube is modelled after the extended star schema shown in the picture above. The fact table in the center of the cube contains the key figures. The fact table is surrounded by dimensions which contain characteristics.
These are some statistics that are important if you plan to take the certification exam or during interviews.
- An InfoCube consists of one fact table that is used to store key figures.
- The maximum number of key figures that the fact table can store is 233
- The same fact table can have a minimum of 4 and a maximum 16 dimension tables.
- 3 of these dimension tables are supplied by SAP. They are the Unit, data package, and time dimensions.
- The customer can create 13 dimensions.
- Each of the 13 dimensions can have a maximum of 248 InfoObjects.
- Each InfoObject can also contain master data in the form of Text, Attributes and Hierarchies.
So you can see how advanced modelling is done in SAP business intelligence. This allows for efficient reporting at the later stages.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
James,
I have just stumbled across this blog and I have to say that you have done a good job so far on the content of the blog. I have also written and passed the SAP BI 7.0 Exam successfully and thought if you would allow me to add to the blog it may provide others with a better learning experience than I had.
To start with and please feel free to correct me (if my memory doesnt serve me well):
* It may be worth mentioning that the default property of an Infocube is ‘Cumulative’ i.e. Addition, which is why there is often a Data Store Object added to the layer to take care of Delta’s – changes in data.
* This is not really that important but it will help readers with the ‘Navigation’ aspect of the training: It may be worth mentioning that the Attributes, Text and Hierarchies table are referred to as the [P], [T] and [H] table.
This will assist users in linking the concept of the Extended Star Schema with that of the SID (Surrogate ID) and enable them to visualise (or I will draw a picture) as to how the Master Data Tables are linked to the Fact Table.
Again a minor ammendment, which I think may be worth adding now?
Just a small note maybe worth adding now as it will help clear up some potential confusion later on.
Thanks
Saqib
Thanks for the insight, Saqib… I will be glad to post an article for you if you write it.
James,
Your explanation is very simple to understand and probably serves the purpose of your blog best. I am reading a book on Mastering BI, and was looking online for simple explanations, and not a book, which is what Saqib probably wants to post (no offence).
In essence, from my experience, I am assuming people would want to get help/simpler explanations of terms they can not understand, and not a book/certificate Course. There is a reason why there are books and certifications, and then youtube videos and blogs.
James, you saved me 2 hours with your simple approach to explain SAP BI concepts…. I look forward to more of your style.
Just to add my two pence worth, baccar whilst I appreciate your comments and no offence taken, I think the purpose of my points above is fairly simplistic.
As James will go onto discuss the EDW Layer ((which I assume he will do at a later stage) it will be clear that an Infocube has a property of Cumulative and a DSO has a property of Overwrite.
If these two concepts are not understood it can confuse the heck out of a person in configuring/drawing a EDW Layer.
A simple 1 liner in addtion to James’s points above would be useful, in my opinion and not a book.