Advanced Object Properties for ‘Objects can be used in’

• Both options ‘Results’ and ‘Conditions’ are respected
  • If you use an object where ‘Conditions’ is not allowed then you’ll get a ‘Unable to retrieve contexts’ error
  • We’re working to resolve misleading error message. Please let us know if we missed any others
    • Tip! If you get ‘unable to retrieve contexts’ it could mean ‘a problem occurred somewhere with the query’. And not be context related!

Filtering data

• Use the ‘Model’ query panel as earlier described
• Story level Input Controls and ‘Advanced Page Filters’ provide the means to build complex filters, but these still may be short of existing Universe filters
• Additional ‘derived’ universes, with fixed complex filters, may be needed to fulfil complex filter functions
• Filtering on measures requires a universe prompt (roadmap item)
• Possible Solution: Push the logic into Business Layer Filters and use @Prompt where necessary

Business Layer Filters

• Mandatory Filters with and without Prompts are supported
  • Includes mandatory filters defined with Native SQL (@Prompt) and Business Layer prompts
  • Enables a universe to filter on a particular dataset or business use-case
• Optional prompts are currently not supported

@Prompts

• Query panel for live connectivity doesn’t provide an opportunity to define prompts
• Instead they must all be defined with @Prompt or @Variable in the SQL
  • Business Layer (SELECT, WHERE) or in the Data Foundation

Limitations:

• Cannot use a formula to set dynamic default value
• Optional prompts are currently not supported
• Cannot use List of Values on Objects with Primary Keys in the modeller query panel. Objects with Primary Keys are otherwise supported.

• Single values answers, not multiple, for
  • Hardcoded list of values (so the selection mode is always ‘mono’, ‘multi’ is ignored)
  • When constrained mode is ‘Free’
  • Applies to Business Layer and Data Foundation
• If multiple values are needed, use a list of values on an object
• For multiple free text entry use multiple prompts with ‘OR’ in the SQL

List of Values referred to by @Prompt

• Needed to provide multiple value answers
• Supported:
  • All the types of ‘List of Values’
  • Multi-column
  • Cascading prompts (that then form a hierarchy)
• Limitations:
  • Custom Hierarchy List of values, no delegated search etc.
• Best Practices for List of Values
  • Keep the list short to provide good performance in the user interface

Multiple and Single Answers to @Prompt

Prompt data-types

• Alphanumeric (A), Number (N), Date (D) and Datetime (DT)
• Date provides a calendar pop-up
• Datetime requires data entry

Universe Prompts  in SAP Analytics Cloud modeller

• Select ‘Variables’
• Currently no options available

How Prompts work within a Story

Different Variables at chart/table and Story level

• Set a visualisation to use either story or chart variables
  • Allows for different visualisations to use different variables
  • Once a Chart level variable is set, the user will no longer be prompted, the prompt is at the Story level only

Dynamic Text to show prompt/variable values

• Dynamic text can be added to show prompt/variable settings
  • Works at both Story and Visualisation levels

• Result is two visualisations, each using a different prompt/variable
• No need to create a model per set of variable values, rather re-use the existing model and change the variable on the story/visualisation

• • System name
  • Universe name
  • Any Universe Context used

• Optimize Story Building Performance
  • Default is off
  • Best Practice: In general this should be enabled, especially when the data set is large
  • Performance for story building will be noticeably improved once enabled

• Tip
  • When a new model is needed, copy an existing model to save rebuilding the query from scratch

Story Creation

Link Variables

Restricted Measures

• Create new Restricted Measures without the need to create new BusinessObjects
  • ŸFor example ‘Web Intelligence Events’, which are ‘Events’ where a Dimension ‘Object Type’ has a value ‘Web Intelligence’
  • ŸThe logic is pushed down to the Web Intelligence server

Calculated Measures

• Create new Calculated Measures without the need to create new BusinessObjects
  • ŸFor example ‘Events / Sessions’
  • ŸMany Formula Functions, Conditions and Operators are available
  • ŸPress CTRL + [SPACE] for the pop-up help
  • ŸThe logic is pushed down to the Web Intelligence server

Multiple Models per Universe

• ŸA single story can host visualisations from multiple models
• ŸEach model may or may not be based off the same universe
• ŸAny prompts defined in the models can be linked so a user answers the prompt once, not multiple times

Mixing Multiple models with Linked Variables and Chart level variables

• ŸThe Variable Linking must be performed after the Chart/Table level Variable is set
• ŸThe Chart/Table Variable is ‘fixed’, the user is not prompted
  (regardless if linked or not)

Supported Smart Assist (Predictive) Capabilities

Supported:

• ŸSmart Grouping on Bubble and Scatter Plot Charts
• ŸTime-series forecasting on time-series (not on a line chart)

How to enable

• ŸAs System Administrator select ‘System-Administration’ and then ‘System Configuration’
• ŸEnable the business toggle ‘Live Data Models: Enable Smart Grouping and predictive forecasting in Time Series Charts’
• ŸTake note of the tooltip, as data is uploaded to SAP Servers in order to run the algorithms
  • ‘Enable Time Series Forecast and Smart Grouping on Live Data Models. Data processing occurs on SAP Servers’

Smart Grouping

• ŸClick on ‘Smart Groups’ to change the number of groups

• ŸGive the Groups a label, such as ‘Store Group’

• Video

Time-series forecasting

• ŸRequires a ‘date’ object, not ‘datetime’
• ŸEnable by selecting ‘Automatic Forecast’
• ŸThere is currently no hierarchy support on time. For example clicking on the date hierarchy just shows ‘Day’, no: ‘Month’, ‘Quarter’, ‘Year’
• ŸAdvanced Options enables you to override the automatically selected algorithm and force the ‘triple exponential smoothing’ algorithm

Iterate

• ŸNeed to adapt the Universe and the SAP Analytics Cloud model to meet changing business requirements
• ŸTypically this will be defining complex filters, filters on measures and prompts
• ŸMultiple Models based upon a single Universe is likely

Platform Recommendations

• Create calculated measures / restricted measures requires BI 4.2 SP4 Patch 3
• General performance improvements requires BI 4.2 SP5 Patch 1
• Performance improvements specifically for large data sets requires BI 4.2 SP5 Patch 4

Useful Wiki links