2020.

Last week a colleague and I look into the XXL InfoObjects in SAP BW/4HANA. We searched the online help and there is a short video about the topic. But after that we had no clue how we can use it. Can we use it in Analysis for Office? Or just in the query or Composite Provider? What is the purpose of these InfoObjects? Can we store a documentation and open it directly from the query?

Since last Friday the latest version of SAP Analysis for Office is now available. You can download it in the SAP Launchpad. As the last version we have some bugs which are now hopefully fixed:

• All crosstabs are removed from workbook (s-note 2990456)
• Date picker control using wrong calendar or chosen date is incorrect (s-note 2981896)
• Exception when saving a workbook with a chart sheet (s-note 2981234)
• Search result does not show translated texts (s-note 2977530)
• Planning sequence execution uses wrong variable values (s-note 2975399)
• Excel hangs after copy and paste as Worksheet object (s-note 2974961)
• Non-SAP worksheet cell referencing SAP Crosstab cell changes its number format (s-note 2974435)
• AO: SAC - Unsupported S/4HANA Cloud connections are listed in Live Data Connections overview (s-note 2973887)
• [a42d-4b73-7e] ServerGroup and SNC Information are Missing When Used Analysis Office Recent List (s-note 2972745)
• Input has invalid format error when using exponential / scientific notation in new lines (s-note 2971200)
• The Chart has empty data series or categories after swap crosstab axes or data refresh (s-note 2970169)
• Suppressing all messages (s-note 2970000)
• Refresh All button is disabled for AO workbook (s-note 2969805)
• Incorrect sort order of BW systems in Replace System dialog (s-note 2968291)
• Error [3291-74de-1b] when using Excel with Traditional Chinese or ClientLanguage is set to "ZF" (s-note 2967800)
• Opening a workbook from BIP results in a nested exception [1b72-be52-de] (s-note 2967546)
• Exception when using an embedded sheet in Word (s-note 2966861)
• Saving a workbook results in a nested exception [e525-fb53-d4] (s-note 2966368)
• Symbols of the Conditional Formatting are not removed (s-note 2966312)
• SAC Logon Error in Analysis Office - No connection to system INA_SAC (s-note 2964461)

At the end of last month I ask on Twitter why I should create a join between an Advanced DataStoreObject and an InfoObject to read the attributes from this InfoObject when I even can activate the attributes on the output tab of the Composite Provider in SAP BW/4HANA. The answers on Twitter was not satisfactory, and I ask a colleague if he knew a reason. So I build a Composite Provider with a join between an InfoObject and an ADSO in our BW/4HANA system.

Since a couple of days the latest version of Analysis for Office 2.8 is available. Michael was a little faster and notice it on Twitter before me. So let's look into it. SAP fixes a bunch of bugs with this service pack. Here is an overview:

• AO 4 SAC: \"Group Members\" functionality not available when using BW Live Data Connections (s-note 2962476)
• AO: BEx Workbook Conversion - An exception occurs when trying to save a converted BEx workbook which contains formulas (s-note 2965890)
• Action has been cancelled due to invalid input values (s-note 2958731)
• Analysis for office responds slow in AO 2.8 (s-note 2966651)
• BIP Logon Issues (s-note 2976169)
• BIP OLAP Connection targeting another system (s-note 2972912)
• BIP Workbook fails to save back to the platform (s-note 2963966)
• Error [3291-74de-1b] when using Excel with Traditional Chinese or ClientLanguage is set to \"ZF\" (s-note 2967800)
• Exception when the Number of NewLines is set to 0 (s-note 2961082)
• Exception when using an embedded sheet in Word (s-note 2966861)
• Filter Dialog - Change state of Tree Node if its text was clicked (s-note 2938903)
• Input has invalid format error when using exponential / scientific notation in new lines (s-note 2971200)
• Insecure Connection Message with BIP OLAP (s-note 2967910)
• New Lines - F4 help does not display member of respective cell (s-note 2963872)
• Refresh All button is disabled for AO workbook (s-note 2969805)
• Refresh Workbook with BIP OLAP SSO Connection Fails in Analysis Office (s-note 2957833)
• SAC Logon Error in Analysis Office - No connection to system INA_SAC (s-note 2964461)
• SAP Formulas in Scheduled Workbooks are Displayed as #NAME? in Excel (s-note 2765716)
• Saving a workbook results in a nested exception [e525-fb53-d4] (s-note 2966368)

Open ODS are a long time available in SAP NetWeaver BW. You can access directly database tables, database views or BW/4HANA DataSources (for direct access). In this blog post I want to look into the fast and agile modeling with Open ODS Views. So we start with a flat file we for example received from our customer to build a new data flow for reporting. The file has the following structure:

• Country
• Product
• Business Category
• Controlling Area
• Profit Center
• Month
• Year
• Amount

I lately looked deeper into the modeling of Composite Provider in BW/4HANA 2.0 and found some difference between a BW/4HANA 1.0, BWonHANA 7.50 and the latest version BW/4HANA 2.0. So let's compare them and see what's new, and we can go deeper in further posts. We start with the context menu of the scenario for the provider.

Last week I ask on Twitter if anybody knows a good strategy to get all sources of a SAP HANA Calculation View (CV). I got different answers I want to share with you. One approach is really fascinating.

You have different ways to store the logic of your customer exit variables in SAP BW/4HANA. After my last post about Customer Exit Variables with an own enhancement spot I want to share another solution with you. In this blog post I want to show you how you can implement a BAdI implementation with a Z-Table (Customer Table). In this table you find the assignment between the BEx variable and the corresponding class for the customer exit. This is how the table will look like:

For a long time we used for checking and manipulation of customer exit variables the enhancement RSR00001. Since SAP BW 7.3 SAP offers the BAdI RSROA_VARIABLES_EXIT_BADI. Since BW/4 you only could use this BAdI and not anymore the enhancement RSR00001.

The BAdI RSROA_VARIABLES_EXIT_BADI is a filter based BAdI. As filter object is used the InfoObject which the variable is based on. Every implementation calls the interface IF_RSROA_VARIABLES_EXIT_BADI~PROCESS. So now let's create an example customer exit variable. The variable is based on Sales Channel (ZQV_ZSALCH_CEO_001) and can handle multiple single values.

I recently got a BW/4HANA 2.0 project. So I want to share some ideas and thoughts I discover in the whole process. First things first. Everything and I mean everything is only available in the BW/4 cockpit now. ADSO, InfoObject, Hierarchy management and even the Process Chain management is only available in the web. Some things are very confusing when you see it first. But let's dive in.

My video course about Analysis for Office is done. It will be released on 06.07.2020 @ 8:00 am MESZ. You find it under video.analysisoffice.net and you get more than 4 hours of 4k content for only 199€. The content will be extended if it is necessary. Here is a overview of the curriulum. 

• Installation and Configuration
• Customize Analysis Office 
• Basic Functionality
• Advanced Funtions
• Reporting with Analysis API and VBA

Every chapter has a lot of videos to explain certain functions in detail. You can also view some letures as a preview for the course so have a look into it. Here are some examples with to show you what you can expect.

I know its been a while since the last blog post. But I am currently working on the Analysis Office Video course to get it done. When you follow me on Twitter or Linkedin you get an update all the time. But back to topic. Analysis Office 2.8 SP3 is available almost over one week so let's look into it.

These bugs are fixed now:

• #VALUE error for hierarchy leaves in SAPGetData in Fomula-optimized mode (s-note 2928899)
• BAdI is not executed when launching (s-note 2923786)
• Exception After Deleting an Excel Sheet (s-note 2907359)
• Saving a workbook results in exception 0x800AC472 (s-note 2925165)

So its not much but after SAP released the standalone addin for SAP Analytics Cloud, they still working on Analysis for Office.

Currently I am working on my Analysis Office Video Course. It will be a full discover of Analysis for Office. So if you are interested in it, you can join the list to get a special price when it will be launched. 

Thank you for all your support.

After the latest service pack of Analysis Office 2.8 was released this week, the online help is now available. Analysis Office now offers a button for creating and deleting of comments in the ribbon menu. In former versions, SAP used the text of Microsoft Excel for comments. As Microsoft renamed the comments to notes, it was inconsistent in the ribbon and the context menu. Now it is consistently again.

Also new is the file system setting UseLegacyModeForFormulaContext which allows you to specify the mode for creating formulas with Table Design. And in the planning area there is a new setting called PlanningFunctionUploadFolder, which allows you to upload the values for executing planning objects from a file.

So it is nothing big, but Analysis Office is still developing and not dead, even if there is a new SAC Addin. I hope there will be some feature I submitted. 

Since today the latest version of Analysis Office 2.8 (release notes) is available. You can download it with your s-user in the SAP Support Portal.  There are only a few fixes:

• AO: BEx Analyzer Workbook Conversion - Not all filters of Text Element converted (s-note 2902130)
• Chart Data Series are added again as Chart Data (s-note 2898931)
• Exception thrown when the login process is interrupted (s-note 2900972)
• Hierarchy selection disappears after confirming Filter Dialog in case of HANA (s-note 2897838)

If you want the latest edition of Analysis Office - The Comprehensive Guide, you can get it now with a 20% discount until easter 2020. Use the code Easter2020 in the online shop. 

If you want to read a review first, have a look at the review from Tammy Powlas or from Xavier Hacking. Tammys review is about the 3rd edition and Xaviers about the 1st edition.

If you have any questions or need any help, don't hesitate to contact me.

Until now, we speak of Analysis Office 2.8, if you have different text maintained for an infoobject, Analysis Office shows only the short text in the prompt dialog. The maintenance view of the InfoObject shows all different texts.

It is done, the latest version of my book Analysis for Office - The Comprehensive Guide is available. It was a lot to do and so the book has now 346 pages. The 4th edition had only 299 pages. So there is some new stuff inside. The first 5 who contact me will get a promo discount code. Also I am happy if you want to write a review you get a review discount code. 

So you can buy it in the store. In future I will create more videos if there is any interest. So please leave a comment.