BusinessObjects (BOBJ) Super User

Web Intelligence User Guide

Ad-Hoc Reporting
This document created by: EBS Training Team in collaboration with EBS Technical
Team and BOBJ Functional Lead

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Ad-Hoc Reporting ................................................................................................... 4
2. Getting Started ........................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Questions to Ask .................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Data Sources.......................................................................................................... 5
2.2.1 Using a BEx Query as Your Data Source ......................................................... 5
2.2.3 Query Descriptions ........................................................................................... 6
2.2.3 Quick-start Matrix ........................................................................................... 11
2.2.4 Dimensions, Details and Measurements ........................................................ 13
3. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report using a BEx Query ........................................................ 14
4. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report Using an Excel Spreadsheet ......................................... 21
4.1 Tips and Tricks for Using Excel as Your Data Source .......................................... 26
5. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report Using a Universe .......................................................... 28
6. Formatting Your Report ............................................................................................ 29
Appendices ................................................................................................................... 30
A. City of Portland BI Environment for SAP Data ....................................................... 30
B. City of Portland BI Environment for Non-SAP Data ............................................... 31
C. Dimension Reference ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1. Introduction

This guide provides the following information for City of Portland Web Intelligence
(Webi) report users who have the BOBJ Super User role:
Overview of Web-Intelligence Ad-Hoc reporting
Data sources available for Ad-Hoc reporting
How to create a Web-Intelligence Ad-Hoc report
Note: Basic information on accessing, refreshing and viewing a created Webi report is
located in the BOBJ End User Guide on the SAP Learning Center website. Please
review that guide first if you are new to Webi reports. Information on the BOBJ
SuperUser Role and modifying City-wide Webi reports is located in the BOBJ Super
User Guide.

1.1 Ad-Hoc Reporting

Ad-Hoc: Latin for as the occasion requires.

The BOBJ SuperUser can use Ad-Hoc Reporting to access data quickly to answer an
immediate question, and to create and save a report that can be used by their bureaus
Super Users and End Users. This process is different than modifying a City-Wide
report. The user starts with a blank report screen and chooses the data elements
he/she wants to include in the report. The user can add prompts, custom variables and
formatting to meet business needs.

2. Getting Started
2.1 Questions to Ask

Prior to creating an ad-hoc report in BOBJ, the designer must answer a variety of
questions such as:
What question(s) am I trying to answer?
What data will I need to answer the question?
What time period am I looking at?

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 Who will view the report?
How do I want users to be able to filter the report?

Once you have answered these and any other questions about the report, you need
to determine what data to access.

2.2 Data Sources

When designing an ad-hoc query there are

multiple sources you can use for a data
source: BEx Query, Universe, Excel
Spreadsheet, and Analysis View.

2.2.1 Using a BEx Query as Your

Data Source
This connection type is new as of
BusinessObjects version 4.0. which allows
for faster connections, and better support
for SAP BW-specific features. All new
development (for SAP data) will use the
new BEx query data source type.
The names of the BEx queries give you a
good idea of what kind of data is available
in the query and the level of detail
provided. The first characters are for
identifying the SAP module or submodule
that (the majority of) the data was extracted
from.
For Example: FM Funds Management
module.
The last portion of the name (surrounded by square brackets) contains the granularity of
the data. This should give you an idea of what detail drilling into the most detailed view
of the data will provide.
[Detail] The data is the most detailed data that the system could provide usually the
line item.
[Medium] Data sources marked [Medium] contain data aggregated at a slightly
higher level than those sources marked [Detail]. Where a source marked [Detail] will

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include dimensions that describe atomic transactions (e.g. Document Number, Line
Item, Posting Key, Line Item Text), the [Medium] sources omit transaction details and
instead opt for data aggregated to important account assignment dimensions (e.g.
Funds Center, Commitment Item, Fund, Posting Period).
For example, the FM Funds Management Budget To Actual Figures [Medium] data
source doesnt include transactional details for actuals and commitments because
budget isnt posted during actual and commitment transactions, budget is posted to
Account Assignment objects during the BUMP load. The account assignment aggregate
level is least common intersection of data elements from the Budget tables versus the
Transactional tables.

2.2.3 Query Descriptions

FM Funds Management Commitments & Actuals Line Items (Document Journal)
[Detail]
This data source contains detailed transactional line items from the FM module. The line
items contain actuals and commitments, without budget key figures. It will yield a set of
results similar to the SAP Document Journal reports. This data contains real postings as
well as statistical postings, so you must ensure that you are filtering the records should
you choose to use the Raw actuals
Below is a description of each of the measures used in the query.

Measure Description

Purchase Requisition Commitments The Purchase Requisition Commitments

measure includes only amounts where
funds have been committed/encumbered
via Purchase Requisitions

Purchase Order Commitments The Purchase Order Commitments

measure includes only amounts where
funds have been committed/encumbered
via Purchase Orders

All Commitments This measure includes the sum of both

PR and PO commitments, as well as all
other forms of commitments that can be
entered in the FM module.

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 Measure Description

Parked FI Docs This key figure allows you to include the

budgetary impact of parked journal
entries in your report. Though these
havent yet been posted, there may be
value in reporting on these expected
amounts.

Statistical Postings Statistical postings in this model

represent those postings in the FM
module that dont carry real value.
Because FM is the Budget module, you
will find that postings to balance sheet
accounts (commitment items) are
considered statistical in FM.

Actuals This measure represents actual amounts

recognized through various business
processes.

Other Non-Actuals This is a junk measure that includes all

value types that werent used in the
previous measures. It should be zero in
all cases for the City of Portland SAP
implementation, but it is included should
the citys implementation change.

FM Funds Management Budget to Actual Figures [Medium]

This data source contains aggregate Budget, Actuals, and Encumbrances data for the
most commonly used FM account assignment dimensions. It does not contain detail to
the document number or line item grain (because budget is not posted at that detail).
Use this model when you must include budget figures in your reports.
Below is a description of each of the measures used in the query.

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 Measure Description

Purchase Requisition Commitments The Purchase Requisition Commitments

measure includes only amounts where
funds have been committed/encumbered
via Purchase Requisitions

Purchase Order Commitments The Purchase Order Commitments

measure includes only amounts where
funds have been committed/encumbered
via Purchase Orders

All Commitments This measure includes the sum of both

PR and PO commitments, as well as all
other forms of commitments that can be
entered in the FM module.

Parked FI Docs This key figure allows you to include the

budgetary impact of parked journal
entries in your report. Though these
havent yet been posted, there may be
value in reporting on these expected
amounts.

Statistical Postings Statistical postings in this model

represent those postings in the FM
module that dont carry real value.
Because FM is the Budget module, you
will find that postings to balance sheet
accounts (commitment items) are
considered statistical in FM.

Actuals This measure represents actual amounts

recognized through various business
processes.

Other Non-Actuals This is a junk measure that includes all

value types that werent used in the
previous measures. It should be zero in
all cases for the City of Portland SAP

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 Measure Description
implementation, but it is included should
the citys implementation change.

Raw amount This amount includes all value types in

raw form. Using this measure without
filtering Value Type in some way will yield
nonsensical results.

CO Plans, Actuals, and Encumbrances [Medium]

This data source contains data from the Controlling module aggregated to common
account assignments over an accounting period. This is where the best costing data
can be found. If you will be reporting on projects data, this is the best source for costing
data.
Below is a description of each of the measures used in the query.

Measure Description

Plan Planning amounts posted to cost objects.

Actual Actual amounts posted to cost objects.

Encumbrances Encumbered amounts posted to cost

objects.

Raw amount This amount includes all value types in

raw form. Using this measure without
filtering value type in some way will yield
nonsensical results.

FI General Ledger Line Items [Detail]

This data source contains line item details from the FI module. It will yield results similar
to FAGLL03 reports in SAP ECC. This data model will be useful for financial reporting
on Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, or any manually entered journal entries.
Line items include accounts of all kinds, both income and expense, but also balance
sheet accounts. Use this data when reporting using modified or full accrual bases of
accounting. There are no budget figures in this model. There are no statistical postings

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in this model postings to STBU (or other statistical orders) will be reflected in the
same line item as its underlying cost center (as in the SAP FI module).
Below is a description of each of the measures used in the query.

Measure Description

Amount This amount includes the total of both

debit and credit postings. This is not an
account balance (unless you include the
postings from the beginning of time).

Total Debit Postings Only debit postings.

Total Credit Postings Only credit postings

Quantity Quantities posted (if relevant).

FI General Ledger Totals [Medium]

This data source contains FI module figures without the line item detail. It will yield
results similar to FAGLB03 in SAP ECC. Use this model when you do not require the
detail of the FI General Ledger Line Items [Detail] model because query performance
will be much faster. Balances will include all account types, income, expense, and
balance sheet accounts. Use this data when reporting using modified or full accrual
bases of accounting. There are no budget figures in this model.
This model is deemed [Medium] grain because the data is rolled up by accounting
period.
Below is a description of each of the measures used in the query.

Measure Description

Amount This amount includes the total of both

debit and credit postings. This is not an
account balance (unless you include the
postings from the beginning of time).

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 Measure Description

Total Debit Postings Only debit postings.

Total Credit Postings Only credit postings

Cumulative Balance Account balance at end of relevant

period. This is the account balance.

2.2.3 Quick-start Matrix

Use this matrix to help determine what data source to use.
Im looking for

Subject Recommended Data

matter data source Source
Type

The projects system is tightly integrated

with the Controlling module. All financial
CO Plans, Actuals, postings in the Projects system take place
BEx
and Encumbrances in CO. This will be the best data source
Query
[Medium] for project costing data, though if you are
concerned with budget, this will not
provide that data.

If you are concerned with reporting on

Projects
FM Funds Project budget, this will be the model you
System
Management BEx need to include. Budget is posted to
Budget to Actual Query Funded Programs, but this model maps
Figures [Medium] Funded Program to Project Definition for
simplicity in reporting.

The FI model will provide nearly the same

FI General Ledger BEx results as the CO model. If you are
Line Items [Detail] Query reporting on balance sheet accounts, this
will be the best option.

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Subject Recommended Data
matter data source Source
Type

The FI model provides financial postings

for fixed assets in detail. However,
postings via the Fixed Asset module are
recorded in detail for only the modified
accrual basis of accounting. The full
accrual balance is posted periodically
FI General Ledger BEx during month end closing so the detail is
Line Items [Detail] Query lost by summary. Thus, you will only see
summary amounts for full accrual
accounting purposes, while you will have
an opportunity for granular reporting on
the modified accrual basis. Use the Asset
Fixed dimension to see postings for a specific
Assets asset (in modified accrual).

Asset movements post in FM statistically.

If you include the Statistical Posting
FM Funds
measure, you will see amounts that were
Management BEx
posted to asset related commitment
Budget to Actual Query
items. You will not be able to trace the
Figures [Medium]
posting to a specific asset using this
model.

The FI model will provide nearly the same

FI General Ledger BEx results as the CO model. If you are
Line Items [Detail] Query reporting on balance sheet accounts, this
will be the best option.

This model provides the payroll results as

they post to the Controlling module. It
Time /
ZPY_M01_QBO_01 Universe provides posting details specific to an
Payroll
Employee and pay period. Some wage
types are obfuscated for confidentiality.

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 Subject Recommended Data
matter data source Source
Type

This will provide Activity Allocation

CO Plans, Actuals, amounts with Employee specific details. It
BEx
and Encumbrances does not include Employee information for
Query
[Medium] regular payroll postings, only Activity
Allocation-based postings.

2.2.4 Dimensions, Details and Measurements

Within each BEx query the data is organized by Dimensions, Details and Measures.
The blue diamonds
represent dimensions.
The dimension represents descriptive
attributes of transaction data such as
the Funds Center. You will use
dimensions as column and/or section
headers in the reports. Dimensions
are descriptive, and will never be
aggregated (via Sum, Average, or
other function), even if the dimension
is numeric.
When you expand the + sign to the
left of the dimension you will see
hierarchies ( ) and details ( ) (aka
attributes). The details provide
additional detail about the dimension
such as a name, description, and any
other fields in which the dimension is
a determinant. The hierarchies are
defined in SAP and provide drill
capabilities in your report. The
hierarchy with a black arrow ( ) is
the default hierarchy defined in the BEx query. Default hierarchies are NOT defined in

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any of the citys BEx queries, so choosing it will yield the same results as the
dimension would. Please note that using the default hierarchy instead of the
dimension will cause problems if you would like to add a filter to dimension in the query
pane.
The measure objects are represented by orange rectangles. The measure
object retrieves numeric data or is the result of a calculation and is always
numeric. The measure is additive or semi additive in nature. They are
usually dollar amounts or quantities. They have a default aggregation (which is usually
summary) so that as you drag in extra dimensions it will gracefully expand and contract
like a pivot table. Examples are Current Budget, Actuals, and Purchase Requisition
Commitments.

3. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report using a BEx Query

Step 1: Open BusinessObjects BI Platform by browsing to ireport.city.
Step 2: Choose Web Intelligence from the Applications menu.
Launching Web Intelligence this way opens the program in Java mode.

Step 3: Click the New icon to create a new report.

Step 4: Double click on BEx to choose your data source.

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Step 5: Expand the SAP BEx OLAP Connections folder and the Citywide folder.
Double click on the BEx query you want to use as your data source.

Step 6: Double click on the query in the right window pane.

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Step 7: Now you can start building your report by dragging relevant dimensions, details
and measures into the results panel.
Left click on the dimension, detail or measure you want in the left Universe Outline
window pane and drag the object into the Results Object window to the right.
The screen shot below shows data elements in the Result Object screen for a budget to
actual report:

The dimension that appears as is the City of Portland, All Commitments

Items hierarchy with just the expenses and descendent nodes (excluding revenues).
You can do this with hierarchies by:
a. Dragging the hierarchy dimension in the results object pane.

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 b. Click on the drop down menu.

c. Expand the City of Portland, All.

d. Right click on Expenses and check descendants and click OK.

This can be done with other hierarchies so you are only showing what you want on the
report.
Step 9: You can set up filters on the data by dragging a dimension into the Query
Filters section and formatting for your needs. The screen shots below show creating a
filter for Fiscal Year.
a. Drag Fiscal Year into the Query Filters section.
b. Using the dropdown on the right of the entry, choose Value(s) from list.

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 c. Search for Fiscal Year *2014 in the search box, and add it using the arrow. Please note
the asterisk wildcard (*) prepending the year this is a good habit to get into for
searches. Some queries require that we prepend a technical field to the beginning of the
string to fully qualify the key (e.g. V9/2014).

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 Click on OK.

Step 10: You can create a user Prompt. The screen shots below create a user prompt
for Fund.
a. Drag the Fund dimension into the Query Filters section.
b. Use the dropdown on the right of the entry and choose Prompt.

c. Click on question mark:

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 d. Check Optional
Prompt. Click OK.

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Step 11: Click Run Query. Click OK.

You can now view the report, make changes, save the report in your Favorites folder or
in your Bureaus SuperUser Work Area if you want other Super Users in your bureau to
be able to view the report. You can also save the report as a PDF and send it those
who dont have the Super User Role.
Note: Please contact Chan Aaby chan.aaby@portlandoregon.gov if you want the
report promoted to your Bureau folder so End-Users can access the report.

4. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report Using an Excel

Spreadsheet
To create an ad-hoc report using an Excel spreadsheet as your data source, you must
first add the spreadsheet to your favorites in BOBJ.
Step 1: Click on the Documents tab, right click in the Favorites panel, go to New>Local
Document. This will allow you to upload an Excel spreadsheet.
.

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Step 2: Browse for the spreadsheet you want to use and click on Add.

Step 3: The spreadsheet will now be available in your Favorites folder.

Step 4: Choose Web Intelligence from the Applications menu.
Launching Web Intelligence this way opens the program in Java mode.

Step 5: Click the New icon to create a new report.

Step 6: Double click on Excel to choose your data source.

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Step 7: Double click on the spreadsheet you want to use as your data source.

Step 8: You can choose to have all the fields display or choose a range to display.
Click on OK.

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Step 9: You can now run the query and edit and format the report as you wish
including adding prompts.

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Note: You can join data sources in your report
by using the drop down in Add Query and
choosing a new data source. There has to be a
common field in order to join the data.

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4.1 Tips and Tricks for Using Excel as Your Data Source

The data must be a nice, square, range of data. Webi doesnt like Data Tables. To
convert a table to a range, select a cell in the Table and click Convert to Range in
the Table Design ribbon:

Always include descriptive headings for your data columns these names are pulled
into the Webi query wholesale, so choose meaningful names.
Naming the range of your data makes it easier to select the right range in the Webi
query panel use the box as highlight below, type a name and hit enter.

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5. Creating an Ad-Hoc Report Using a Universe
Step 1: Open BusinessObjects BI Platform by browsing to ireport.city.
Step 2: Choose Web Intelligence from the Applications menu.
Launching Web Intelligence this way opens the program in Java mode.

Step 3: Click the New icon to create a new report.

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Step 4: Double click on Universe to choose your data source.

Step 5: Double click on the universe you want to use.

Step 6: Follow the same steps you used when using a BEx query to build your report.

6. Formatting Your Report

There are many ways you can format your report to have it look exactly the way you
want it. Below are some references to use when formatting your report.
For an explanation of the different tabs and some basic formatting information go to the
BOBJ Super User Guide.

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For more in depth information go the SAP Guide.

Appendices
A. City of Portland BI Environment for SAP Data

This diagram provides an overview of the City of Portlands BI Environment for data
originating in SAP ECC.

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B. City of Portland BI Environment for Non-SAP Data

This diagram depicts the reporting environment for non-SAP systems. Notice that
reporting on these systems does not involve the SAP BW data warehouse but the
source system databases or non-SAP BW warehouses.

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