BEx Query: Release of external access to query

BW queries can be consumed by 3^rd party BI tools for long time. This feature needs to be enabled for particular query. To enable it there are settings that are to be done in BEx Query Designer. Furthermore there are even more settings that can be set in the query level with regards to external access to the query’s data. In this blog post I look at these settings.

Following flags are available in BEx Query Designer under Properties section of the query and on tab called “Extended”.

1. flag 'By OLE DB for OLAP' = Allows to consume the query in external reporting tools that uses the query as data source. Sometimes such a query is it is referred as ODBO provider or just ODBO (Ole DB for Olap. The flag is present physically in following database tables:

RSRREPDIR-RFCSUPPORT - Report supports access using OLAP API

RSZELTPROP-RFCSUPPORT

2. flag 'By Easy Query' = so called Easy Query (EQ) flag. It allows an access of the query for external access as an Easy Query. The EQ is static query with no formatting settings and it can be used as SOAP service. Once this flag is enabled for particular query then it needs to be managed in Easy Query Manager (tcode EQMANAGER) in BW’s backend system. The flag is present physically in following database table:

RSZELTPROP- EQSUPPORT - Query: RFC Publishing as VirtualProvider (yes/no)

3. flag 'By OData' = so called OData Query flag. It allows consuming of the query data by ODATA service. It is also an integration of SAP Business Warehouse with SAP Gateway system where it provides analytic queries of in BW system as BW OData Queries for mobile scenarios. The flag is present physically in following database table:

RSZELTPROP-ODATASUPPORT

Both the EQ and OData techniques are focused on so called lightweight consumption. This means that need SAP Gateway to be used. Easy queries can be used also via SOAP or RFC as REST based services.

The above two techniques are also part of BW’s Open Analysis Interfaces. This is meat with regards to extraction of the data from source systems and analyzing of the data in BW in various reporting front-end tools.

4. flag 'HANASUPPORT' – Means generation of external SAP HANA view for BW object. There are many BW’s objects for which the HANA view can be generated and the BEx query is one of these. The HANA view is not used by BW itself but by SAP HANA natively while accessing the SAP BW. The flag is present physically in following database table:

RSZELTPROP-HANASUPPORT

For assigning the HANA external view flag to other SAP BW objects see here.

Please note that flag no 1 is available for long time and was introduced in BEx Query Designer 7.x. However for flags 2 and 3 there is a prerequisite to run SAP NetWeaver 7.0 BW Front End for GUI 720.

Useful information:

SAP BW Easy Query

SAP Gateway

Open Analysis Interfaces

1598778 - Query property 'Release for External Access by Easy Query'

1601473 - Query property 'Release for External Access by Easy Query'

2103222 - Generation and Transportation of BEx Query with active OData-Flag

SAP BW Easy Query

Concept of Easy Queries in SAP BW was introduced in BW 7.3 particularly in SP05 although they were available but not fully functional in lower SPs like SP02. Another prerequisite to use Easy Queirs is to have BEx Query Designer with revision of level 671 or higher.

What is SAP BW Easy query? It allows external access to the BEx queries. By the external access it is meant here that the BEx query can be consumed by web service. There are other interfaces that can be used to connect 3^rd party tools to BEx queries, such as: OLE DB for OLAP (ODBO), OLAP BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface), XML for Analysis (XML/A), OData and finally Easy Query.

First of all such query needs to be enables for this access. This can be done in BEx Query Designer.  Follow to query properties and on Advanced tab page for the query there is a check box in section “Release for External Access” called “By Easy Query”.

Once the query is enabled for Easy Query BW system generates configuration needed to access it in BW’s background. This in particular means that SOA configuration profile is generated. To see generated objects you can use Easy Query Manager (transaction EQMANAGER) in the BW system. Note that transaction is webdynpro JAVA based (wda_eq_manager) so it runs in your web browser via HTTP server built in NetWeaver.

Afterwards the query can be used as a SOAP service. There are certain limitations in this scenario. See full documentation here.

One of common error which you can encounter while setting flag of easy query in BEx QD is that such a query will fail while attempt to transport it. There will be following error while import phase of the transport:

The easy query is wrongly or incompletely configured Message no. BW_BICS_EQ029

The easiest way to solve is to uncheck the flag and recollect the query into new transport request. However if your intention was to use the query for easy query purposes you need to check the query’s generated objects in TA EQMANAGER.