SAP IDT (Information Design Tool)

Information Design Tool (IDT) is a SAP Business Objects metadata design

environment that extracts, defines, and manipulates metadata from
relational and OLAP sources to create and deploy SAP Business Objects
universes. This tutorial explains the key concepts of SAP Information Design
Tool (SAP IDT).
Overview & User Interface
Information Design Tool (IDT) is a Business Objects design tool that extracts
the data from different data sources using an OLAP and Relational
connection to create Universes. There are different Universe parameters
that can be passed at time of Universe creation.
A Universe is called as logical collection of dimensions and objects that
allow business users to analyze the business data. Objects and dimension
represent different hierarchies, measures, custom calculations, and
attributes.
Universe can be created on the top of relational databases like SQL Server,
Oracle or also on top of an InfoCube in SAP Business Warehouse (BW)
system. Different types of connections can be created to these data sources
like personal connection, shared connection and a public connection. A SQL
or MDX statement is generated according to data source respectively Relational and an OLAP.
A Universe created using an IDT can be used with different reporting tools in
Business Objects. When a Universe is published to a central repository, it
can be used in the following reporting and dashboard tools

SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence (WebI)

SAP Business Objects Dashboard Designer (Earlier known as Xcelsius)

SAP Business Objects Crystal Reports

SAP Business Objects Explorer

Different Components in IDT while Designing a Universe

An OLAP or a Relational connection to data source

Extracting the tables and joins from Relational database or an OLAP

cube.

Building a data foundation from extracted tables and joins.

Creating metadata objects from data foundation layer and these

objects are managed in Business layer.

Using Universe parameters and to share the resources in Universe.

Publishing a Universe which includes Business layer, Data Foundation

and a Universe connection to database

Universe can be published to the central repository to be used by other SAP

Business Objects reporting applications.
Security profiles are used to provide access on Universe data and metadata
objects.
IDT is primary used by application managers and report developers who
wants to create analytical reports on the top of data stored in the different
data sources. To create reports on top of Universes, a person needs
technical understanding of IDT tool and functional knowledge of Data
Warehouse.
Resources

There are various resources in Information Design Tool that can be used to
extract the data from data sources and to create a Universe
Project
A Project is a local workspace where you store the resources used to build
one or more Universes. This is used to manage the local objects, which are
used for Universe creation. A single project can contain objects for one or
multiple Universe. A local project can contain multiple number of objects like
data foundation layer, business foundation, and data source connection, etc.

Data Foundation
Data Foundation layer allows you to import tables and joins from different
relational databases. All the joins are imported and you can also define
derived tables, custom calculations, additional joins, contexts and prompts.

Relational and OLAP Connection

A connection is used to define how data is extracted from a relational or an
OLAP data source. A Universe always uses at least one connection to extract
the data. You can also build a multisource that extracts data from one or
more data sources using multiple connections.
A connection can be saved locally with .cnx file and all Universes created on
the top of local connections cant be published to BO repository. To publish a
Universe to repository, you should use a secured central connection with
.cns file.
.cns- secured Repository connection
.cnx-local unsecured connection. If you use this connection, it will not allow
you to publish anything to repository.l

Business Layer
In Business layer, you define measures and dimensions. You can also apply
Aggregations like Sum, Count, Avg, Min, Max.
To complete the Universe creation, you need to save the project and then
publish the business layer to the repository.

UDT vs IDT
In UDT, a Universe is created with file extension as .unv. In IDT, a Universe
file extension is changed to .unx file.
To open unv file in IDT, it cant be directly opened but you can convert unv
file to unx file to open in Information Design tool. You cant open an IDT .unx
file in Universe Design tool nor you can convert it to unv file.
Universe Design Tool is a single-source enabled tool. However, IDT is a
multi-source enabled tool meaning you can extract the data from different
data sources while creating a Universe.

Universe Design Tool

(UDT)

Information Design Tool

(IDT)

Universe file extension- .unv

Universe file extension - .unx

You cant open .unx file and also

it cant be converted to unv to
open in UDT

You can open unv file by converting

unv file to unx file extension

It is single-source enabled

It is multi-source enabled

It cant be directly connected to

Dashboard designer and Crystal
Reports latest version

It can be directly connected to

Dashboard designer and Crystal
Reports latest version

User Interface in IDT

When you retrieve an existing Universe in IDT by connecting to the
repository, following are the available interfaces. These are the same when
you design a new Universe in Information Design Tool.

Local Projects
It defines the existing connection in use (.cnx or.cns), Data foundation layer
(.dfx) and Business Layer that are local in Universe as shown above.
You can click on each object under Local Projects to see the details and to
make any changes. Click on the connection .cns file to see the connection
details. Similarly, you can open .dfx or .blx object.

Repository Resources
Once you connect to the Repository, you can retrieve all the objects that are
designed and published to that repository.

To insert objects from the Repository, click on + sign and select Insert
Session. Enter the system details, the username and password, and you can
see all the objects in the Repository.

Business Layer
This layer contains all the classes and objects, you can check dimensions
and measures that are defined in a Universe. When you publish the business
layer in the repository, this shows the completion of Universe creation.
You can check the summary of Business Layer to see the number of
attributes, dimensions, measures, classes, LOVs, etc.

Data Foundation Layer

This layer is used to define data foundation that includes tables from data
source, joins, etc.

To check the structure of data foundation, you can click on .dfx under local
projects and it will take you to Data Foundation layer and its components.

Setting and Resetting Preferences in IDT

You can customize Information Design tool user interface by setting
preferences. This can be reset to default using Reset to default display
option. To set the preferences in IDT, go to Windows Preferences.

Once you click on Preferences, a new window will open. You can define
preferences under General, Help and Information Design Tool preferences.

Information Design Tool Preferences

Business Layer Editor

Check Integrity

Data Foundation Editor

Languages, etc.

Using Reset to Default display option under Window tab allows you to reset
all the values to default or you can also use Restore Default option on
Preferences window.

Creating Universe
To create a Universe in IDT, go to Start All Programs SAP Business
Intelligence SAP Business Objects BI Platform 4 Client Tool.

In Information Design Tool, you have to create a New Project. Go to File

New Project. Enter the Project Name and Click on Finish.

Once the project is created, next is to create an OLAP or Relational

connection to connect to a data source. A Relational connection is used
to connect to the Database layer to import tables and Joins. An OLAP
connection is used to connect to the multidimensional model like an
Information View in SAP HANA.

Right-click on Project name New Select Relational Connection Enter

connection/resource name Next.

Choose SAP from the list SAP HANA Select Drivers JDBC Next Enter
details.

Enter the system details, username, password, and click Next.

Click Finish.
Under General Information Click on Test Connection Successful.

We have to publish this connection to the Repository to make it available for

use.
Right-click on the connection name Publish the connection to the
Repository Enter BO repository password Click on Connect Finish
Yes.

Once you click on finish, it will create a secure Repository connection.

.cns secured Repository connection

.cnx local unsecured if you use this connection it will not allow you to
publish anything to repository.

The next step is to create a Data Foundation Layer on this secure

connection.
Right-click on .cns Repository connection New Data Foundation.

Enter Resource Name and click on Finish. It will show you a list of all
available schemas in the database. You can add Tables and Joins from
Schema to Data Foundation layer. This can be done by dragging the table or

by a double-click. Apply the joins on Dimension and Fact tables to create a

logical schema.

To define a Join, double-click on Join between tables. It will show you both
the tables. You can select from different Joins as per data requirement and
click on detect Cardinality to define cardinality - 1:1, 1:n, n:n.

Next is to create a Business Layer on the Data Foundation. Click the Save All
icon at the top of the screen. Then, right-click on Data foundation .dfx
New Business Layer.

Enter Resource Name (Generating Business Layer for Data Foundation)

Finish. It will add Business Layer .blx under the Local Project.
It will show a list of all dimensions and measures under Data Foundation.
You can define dimensions, measures, aggregation, etc.

To define an Aggregation, you can select from Projection Function. You can
also hide few objects in the report if you want by using the dropdown next
to measures and dimension. You can select Hidden for a particular object.

Once you define Business Layer, click Save All icon at the top of the screen
as shown in the following screenshot.

To publish a Universe to the Repository, right-click on .blx Publish To a

Repository.

Select Resources Next In Publish Universe window, select Next Select

the Repository folder where you want to publish Universe and click Finish.

You will get a confirmation that Universe published successfully.

To check the Universe under Repository, go to Repository resources and
check for the Universe that has been created.

Creating a Universe on SAP ERP

You can build a universe on SAP ERP by using Data Foundation in IDT. You
have to create a relational connection to ERP data source, info sets, SAP
queries, and ABAP functions that are treated as tables in the connection.

You can create a single source Data Foundation to support local connections
but it doesnt support Joins and calculated columns between the tables
inserted from an ERP connection.
To use a calculated column, joins, you need to create a Data foundation that
is multi-source-enabled on a secured connection.

When a table is added in Data Foundation layer, the table type of info set,
SAP query, or ABAP function is saved as a table property in the data
foundation. To add an ABAP Function table, there is one data foundation
table created to map the main function.
The table contains input columns for the input parameters of the function.
These parameters can be mandatory or optional. To assign a value to
mandatory parameters, you need to edit the input columns.

Limitations of Using SAP ERP

When you use measures that contain aggregate functions it cant be used
as filters in the Query Panel as the output SQL expression consists of
HAVING clause, and it is not supported by the SAP ERP connection. Hence, if
a measure is added that contains Aggregation function as filter, it throws an
error while refreshing the query.

Creating a Universe on SAP BW

If you want to use SAP BW to design a Universe, you should use a data
foundation based on multi-source enabled structure. All the tables and joins
in SAP BW are automatically imported to Data Foundation. When a Business
Layer is created on Data Foundation, all objects are automatically moved to
the Business Layer.

If you dont want to insert tables and joins automatically, you can unselect
the Detect tables by going to advance properties while adding connection to
Data Foundation.
You can also turn off insertion of Business Layer objects by unchecking the
option to automatically create classes and objects when selecting data
foundation in New Business Layer.

Creating a Universe on Microsoft Analysis Services

You have to create Business Layer on Microsoft Analysis Services (MAS) and
business layer objects are created by default. Following is the mapping of
objects in Business Layer

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Creating a Universe on SAS

You can build a Universe on SAS by using multi-source enabled data
foundation and using a secure connection.
Connection to SAS data source are managed by data federation service.

Multilingual Universes
You can also create multilingual Universe in Information Design tool. This
allows you to use multilingual solution by using single Universe metadata
model.
Following are the steps to use multilingual Universe for report creation
Step 1 Use Universe designer to design Universe in source language in
IDT.
Step 2 Use translation management tool to translate the metadata in the
data foundation and business layer.
Step 3 Use report designers to build the reports on the same Universe,
which can be displayed in different languages as per user preferences.

Step 4 Go to Information Design Tool Preferences Preferred Viewing

Locale determines the language of the metadata and data in the Query
Panel.

This can be used if you have support for the following

Translations are available in the language (metadata).

The connection supports the language parameter (data).

.unv Universe Introduction

A .unv Universe is created in Universe Designer in SAP Business Objects XI
3 or Universe created using Universe Design tool. It can be converted to unx
file in Information Design tool.
Following SAP Business Objects version can create unv files

Universe Design Tool (UDT)

Universe Design Tool Desktop Edition

Universe created using UDT is stored with a file name .unv in the local
folder or in the central repository

To use .unv Universes in IDT, you first need to convert them. You can
convert the following unv Universes in Information Design Tool

Relational Universes created using SAP BusinessObjects 4 UDT tool or

Desktop edition

Relational Universes designed in SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI3

design tool

Converting .unv Universe in a Repository

Universe file .unv to be converted should be stored in the repository. If the
Universe is created with a Design tool earlier than SAP BusinessObjects 4.0,
then you should upgrade the Universe using Upgrade management tool.
To convert a Universe in IDT, go to File Convert.

In the next window, you have to select unv file from the repository to
convert to unx file. Enter the Repository username and password to connect.

Select Universe from the repository that you want to convert. Click OK.

Select the Destination Repository folder Browse to select a folder in the

repository where you want to save .unx Universe. To create named
parameters for prompt, select the checkbox as shown in the following
screenshot.

Save for all users option allow all users to open the Universe without
entering the Repository password. Click OK to start conversion.
Once you click OK, conversion starts, and you get the following confirmation
message.

Converting .unv Universe Locally

To convert a Universe in IDT, go to File Convert.

In the next window, you have to select .unv file from the local folder.

Select the Destination Repository folder Browse to select a folder where

you want to save .unx Universe. To create named parameters for prompt,
select the checkbox.
You can now publish the business layer to create the .unx universe file. This
creates a local universe.
To publish the universe to the repository, continue with the next step.
Publish the local connection to a repository.
Edit the data foundation and change the connection to use the secured
connection published in the last step. Next is to publish the business layer
to the repository.

Integrity Check while Conversion

When you convert .unv Universe, it is recommended to perform an integrity
check in IDT. Following error types can be corrected
Errors on column data types - It includes refreshing the structure in Data
Foundation that allows you to fix the data type errors in integrity check.
Errors on Self Joins with Prompts - To use a Join expression with prompts and
LOVs, you need to work on Joins in converted Universe.

Features Supported by .unv

When you convert .unv Universe in IDT, the conversion process creates
same features in resulted Universe. Following is the list of features that are
supported
Features in .unv
Universe

Features in .unx Universe

These objects are created in Data Foundation

Universe Schema

Tables

Alias Tables

Derived Tables

Joins

For Prompts, you need to check integrity in Self Join

Context You need to manually restrict the Context
definition

Multilingual Universes Language settings, locale settings are converted

Outline

All classes and subclasses converted to Folders

Dimensions

Measures

Details converted to attributes

Conditions converted to filters

Query Limits

Query limits are converted and edited in business

layer

SQL Parameters

Query, SQL statement and Cartesian product are

converted

Strategies

Custom strategies are not supported in IDT

Connections

Same secured relational connection is used by .unv

and .unx Universes. Relational connection can be
created in both UDT and IDT and published in the
repository.
Personal and shared connections are converted to
local connections.

Following functions can be converted

Functions

@Aggregate_Aware

@Prompt

@Derived Table

@Select

@Variable

All these functions are supported

List of Values LOVs

Named list of values are created in business layer in

IDT for dimensions and measures that show LOVs

Dealing With Published Universes

You can retrieve a published Universe from the local file system or from the
Repository. To retrieve a Universe from the local file system, you need a
local projects view where business layers and referenced resources are
saved. In local projects view, right-click project folder, go to Retrieve
Universe from a Local Folder.

Select the Universe you want to retrieve and click Finish.

Retrieving a Universe from a Repository

To retrieve a Universe from the local file system, you need a local projects
view where business layers and referenced resources are saved. You can
retrieve a Universe from a Repository in two ways

Method 1
Right-click Local Project folder Retrieve Universe From a Repository.

Enter Repository password and click Connect.

Select the Universe from available folders in Repository and click Finish.

Method 2
Another way is by going to the Repository Resources section and select the
Universe you want to retrieve.

Select a Local Project for retrieval and click OK.

To remove the local security requirement, select the Save for all users
option when selecting the Universe in the repository.

Projects
To design a Universe in IDT, the first step is to create a project in Local
Project views. All the resources like Data Foundation and Business layers are
managed in a project. You can navigate to local projects and access the
resources in the local project using Information Design Tool (IDT).
Once you create a Local Project, resources can be populated under it in
different ways

You can create new resources using New option.

Convert .unv Universe created from Universe Design Tool.

Retrieve a published Universe.

To edit a resource, you can double-click on a resource under Local

Project.

Checking Existing Projects in IDT

You can open an existing project in IDT. Go to File Open Project.

A new window will open. You can select from the root directory or from
archive file to import an existing project.
To import from the root directory, click on Browse, select the Project you
want to import and click OK.

Creating a New Local Project in IDT

To create a new project in IDT, go to File New Project.

Enter Project Name, location and click Finish.

The project is created under Local Projects views.

Editing an Existing Project

You can also edit an existing project. Open an existing project by going to
File Open Project. You can also open an existing Universe under any Local
Project area.
Once you open an existing project, you can go to each object by double
clicking the object name under Local Project folder.

Make changes as required and click the Save button.

Deleting a Project in IDT

To delete an existing project, right-click on the project under Local Project
area.

To delete a project permanently, you can select Delete project contents on

disk option in the "Confirm Project Delete" dialog box.
If you select this option, the deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Click on Yes to confirm the deletion.
If you did not delete the project contents permanently, you can open the
project to make it available.

Project Synchronization
Project synchronization deals with comparing resources in local project
views with an associated shared project in the repository. Using project
synchronization, you can detect add/delete resources, difference between
resources. Based on differences, the local project view and shared resources
can be updated.

Under Project synchronization, there are two different panes

Shared Project Pane

It lists the resources in shared project on the server. If there is a lock icon in
the form of resource, it means the resource is locked. Synchronization status
lists the status of each resource by comparing resources in shared and local
project views.

Different Synchronization Status

Added Locally A resource is added in the local project but not in the
shared project.
Changed Locally A resource was changed in the local project but not in
the shared project.
Deleted Locally A resource was deleted in the local project but still
exists in the shared project.
Added on server A resource is not in the local project but exists in the
shared project.
Changed on server A resource was changed in the shared project but
not in the local project.
Deleted on server resource exists in the local project but was deleted in
the shared project.
Synchronize Both resources are identical.

List of Resources in Synchronization Status Pane

Shows all resources. This clears the filters and lists all resources
regardless of their status.
Shows/Hides the resources with a status Synchronized

Shows/Hides the resources in the local project that have changed

with respect to the server.

Shows/Hides the resources with a status of Conflicting.

Shows/Hides the resources on the server that have changed with

respect to the local project

How to Perform Project Synchronization?

To perform Project
Synchronization.

Synchronization,

go

to

Windows

Project

Click Change session to open a session on the repository system where the
shared projects are saved.

Select a project to synchronize in the shared project list.

Locking a Resource
To lock a resource in Project Synchronization, it should be under shared
project. Lock informs other developers that you are working on the resource.
To lock a resource Select the shared project from shared project list.
Expand the project. Select the resource Right click Click Lock.

Unlocking a Resource
To unlock a resource, select the resource under Project Synchronization.
Right click Unlock.

Saving Resources in IDT

It is also possible to save any resource in a local project as a report in the
local file. To save a resource, right-click on any resource, Save As.

In the Report Location box, enter a file path, file name, and file type for the
report. The file type can be .pdf, .html, or .txt.

To browse the local file system to find a file path, click the browse button.
For larger resources (data foundations and business layers), you can select
which metadata elements to include in the report in the Metadata Elements
box.
Click Generate to create the report.

Managing Connections
A connection in IDT is used to connect to a relational or an OLAP data source
using SAP BusinessObjects reporting tool. It can be a local connection or a
connection published in a central repository.

Different Types of Connections Supported in IDT

Following are the types of connections that are supported in IDT

Relational Connection
This is used to design Data Foundation layer in Information Design tool. You
can import tables and joins from data source.

OLAP Connection
Using an OLAP connection, you can design a business layer while creating a
Universe. It allows you to connect to multidimensional schema directly and
to import them for Universe design. Later, they can be used with SAP
Business Objects reporting tool.

BICS Client
To connect to SAP NetWeaver BW, you can use SAP BICS client middleware
to provide access to BEx query. Connections in IDT can be locally saved or
they can be secured and published in a central repository.

Local connections are saved as .cnx files and they can be accessed by any
user who is running IDT. Once you publish the connection to the repository,
they are changed to a secured connection.
A secured connection is published into the repository and saved in
Connection folder. You can also create secured connections by using Insert
Relational and Insert OLAP connection commands from the repository
resource view.
Following are the key properties of a secured connection

Users must be authenticated.

User rights can be defined at the user level to grant or deny access to
connections or connection properties.

Secured connections can be used or shared by authenticated users.

Creating a New Connection in IDT Relational

Go to Information Design tool under BI client. To create a new Relational
connection, first start with a new project under Local Project view.
Click New Project Enter the Project Name Finish.
Right-click on Project name New Relational Connection.

Enter the connection/resource name click Next.

Select the middleware as per data source. You can select SAP or non-SAP as
data source and set up a relational connection to the database.
We have selected SAP from the list SAP HANA JDBC click Next.

Enter the Authentication mode, user name and password. Enter the host
name and the Instance number and click Next.

In the next window, you can define connection parameters like - Time out,
Array fetch size, Array Bind size, etc. Click Finish.

A Relational connection to source database is created with .cnx file

extension. You can click Test Connection.

Lower part of Window tells you about connection parameters - Login

parameters, configuration parameters, etc.
Test Connection Successful
Similarly, you can create a Relational connection for other data sources.
We have to publish this connection to the Repository to make it available for
use.
Right Click on connection name Publish connection to Repository Enter
BO repository password Connect Finish Yes.

.cns- secured Repository connection

.cnx-local unsecured - If you use this connection it will not allow you to
publish anything to the repository.
This shows how a relational connection can be created in the Information
Design Tool. To summarize the steps that are involved in creating a
connection

Enter the name of the connection

Select the middleware for the target database

Enter the login parameters to connect to the relational data source

Configure and customize parameters to optimize the connection and

Finish

To change it to secure, publish the connection to the Repository

Renaming or Deleting a Connection

To rename or delete a connection, right-click on connection name under
Local Projects area.

You can also delete or edit a Relational connection like this.

Creating a New Connection in IDT OLAP

An OLAP connection is used to connect to multidimensional view or a data
model to design Business Layer in Information Design tool.
To create a new OLAP connection, right-click on Project name New OLAP
Connection.

Enter the connection name, description and click Next.

Next, select an OLAP middleware driver. It shows a list of all available OLAP
data sources. You can select any of OLAP data source as per requirement.
Note that you dont need to create a Data Foundation, as an OLAP directly
hits the Business Layer. You can define dimensions and measures and other
properties at Business Layer.
Select the suitable middleware driver to connect to OLAP data source and
click Next.

Enter the connection parameters, authentication details, system name,

instance number, etc. and click Next.

You can also select a specific cube to connect or all the cubes in the design
time repository. If you select a particular cube, then using this OLAP
connection you can design Business Layer only on the objects available in
that cube.

Click Finish.

Now, you need to publish the connection to the Repository. Right-click on

connection Publish the Connection to the Repository.

Login Parameters for Connection

When you create a relational or an OLAP connection in IDT to connect to any
data source, you have to provide login parameters of source database such
as Host Name and Instance Number.

Connection Parameters
While creating a connection, you can configure various connection
parameters
Connection Pool Mode This is used to keep the connection active.
Pool Timeout When you set the connection pool mode to keep
connection active for, length of time in minutes to keep connection open.
Array Fetch Size This tells the maximum number of rows that can be
fetched from the database.

Example Suppose you enter a value of 25 and you query returns 150
rows so it will be fetched with 6 fetches of 25 rows each.
Array Bind Size This field is not required for designing Universe in IDT.
Login Timeout It determines the minutes a connection attempts timeout
and an error message is displayed.
There are various custom parameters that can also be defined like
ConnectInit, Hint.

Editing a Connection
To edit a connection, double-click on the connection name in Local Project
View.
Go to General Information tab Edit.

To edit the connection parameters, click Edit button. You can edit the
authentication details and connection parameters.
To change the middleware driver, click Change Driver. Select the Driver from
the dropdown list.
You can also test the availability of the database server, click Test
Connection.
The "Connection Definition" pane shows the information stored about the
connection Login parameters, Configuration parameters, etc.

Managing Resources In Repository

The resources in repository includes Universe and connections published in
the repository. Universe folder contains all Universes that are published
using Information Design Tool or UDT. The connection folder contains all the
connections that are created using IDT or using UDT.

You can perform the following tasks while managing the repository
resources

Managing Secure Connections

You can edit an existing connection.

You can publish a new relational or an OLAP connection in the

repository.

You can create a shortcut in the local project from an existing secured
connection.

You can delete a secured connection from the repository.

Managing Universe

You can perform integrity check.

You can double click on Universe under local project view to run the
query in the query panel.

You can retrieve a Universe under the repository to Local Project View.

You can rename or delete a Universe from the repository.

You can also convert .unv Universe to .unx Universe and save it under
Local project or can also publish them to the repository.

Opening and Closing a Session

To open a session that is already defined in the repository, you can use the
Repository resources view.
Go to the Repository Resources and right-click Open Session.

Click OK and the session will be opened under the Repository resources
section.
You can also insert a new session, which is not already defined in the
Repository resources view. To insert a session, click on + sign.

Enter the session details, system, username, password, and authentication.

Type OK

To see list of available objects, click Expand and you can see a list of
Universes and Connections inside it.

Closing a Session
When you close Information Design tool, all the active sessions are
automatically closed. To close a session individually, right-click on the
session name and click Close.

Data Foundation Layer

A Data Foundation contains one or more tables and joins from one or
more relational databases that forms the design of Business Layer. A
relational connection is used to design Data Foundation layer. You can add
various other objects at Data Foundation that enhances the capabilities like
- Derived tables, custom calculations, context, LOVs, etc.
It is also possible to design multiple Business Layers on a single Data
Foundation thus allowing you to build multiple Universes on single Data
Foundation Layer.

Types of Data Foundation

In Information Design Tool, you can build Data Foundation that is Singlesource enabled or multi-source enabled.
Single-source Data Foundation supports a single Relational connection.
Single Source Data Foundation supports a local or a secured connection so
the Universe designed on this can be maintained locally or can be published
to the Repository.
Multi-source enabled Data Foundation supports one or more relational
connections. Connections can be added when you design the Data
Foundation or can be added later. Multi-source enabled Data Foundation is
designed on secured connections published in a Repository.

Data Foundation Editor

A Data Foundation editor is divided into multiple panes

View Pane

Properties Pane

Browsing pane

The Data Foundation view pane contains tables and joins. Master contains
tables and joins that are connected with each other in a logical manner.

Properties pane defines properties of each object. To check the properties,

you have to select any object in the Master tab.

Using the browsing pane, you can work on different elements in data
foundation like connections, Data Foundation, Aliases and Contexts, LOVs
and parameters.

You can also perform a search in Data Foundation. To perform a search, click
the

icon.

Building Data Foundation

To build a Data Foundation, it can be created on a Local Project view. Rightclick under Local Project New Data Foundation.

You can select a Single-source enabled or Multi-source enabled. Follow the

wizard and select the connections.
Data Foundation is created as .dfx file and it starts the Data Foundation
editor. Insert the tables and joins in Data Foundation editor.

Insert Tables from the Connection

In connection pane, open and browse the tables in connection. You can also
search the tables in the connection pane. Drag and drop the tables you want
to add to Data Foundation master view.

Insert Tables Using Wizard

You can also insert tables using Insert + option in Data Foundation tool bar.
You can insert tables, joins, keys, derived tables, etc.

To insert joins in Data Foundation, you can use Insert option in toolbar or
you can click on Edit Join to open the dialog box.
Double-click on Join to open edit Join dialog box. Detect option can be used
to detect Join between columns.

To define Cardinality, you can use Detect option in the toolbar or you can
open Edit Join dialog box.

You can add derived tables, alias tables, parameters and prompts, LOVs to
be associated with prompts. Under aliases and contexts tab, you can
click detect aliases and contexts to detect aliases and contexts
automatically.

Right-click on .dfx file and select Check Integrity to run an integrity check.

Save the Data Foundation by clicking the Save icon at the top.

Filter and Insert Tables

To filter a table in the connection, select the connection for which you want
to filter and insert the tables.
Click on the down arrow mark to select a table type. You can select a
particular table type by checking the option.
Select All/Unselect All option is used to select or unselect all the options in
the dropdown.

To insert the tables Select Insert Tables from the Insert menu in the
data foundation view. The "Insert Tables" dialog box lists the connections
defined in the data foundation.

Expand the connection to see the database tables referenced in the

connection.

Editing Table Properties

You can edit the name and description of a table. It is also possible to
remove columns from the table display, edit column data types, and change
primary keys.
Select the table you want to edit and right-click on the table header Edit.

In the next dialog box, you can edit table name, description and properties
of column.

Click OK and the table and column properties will be updated.

Changing Data Types of a Column

To change the datatype of columns in a table, select the table you want to
edit and right-click on the table header Edit.

To edit the data type of a column, click on the arrow mark in front of data
type.

Select the data type for each column as per requirement and click OK.

Qualifiers & Owners

In Data Foundation, you can also change qualifiers and owners name of
standard tables. To change the name, go to Data Foundation editor by
clicking on .dfx file in Local Project View.
Right-click on the table header in Data Foundation editor Change Qualifier
and Owners.

In the "Change Qualifier/Owner" dialog box, click the browse button in the
Qualifier field and select a new qualifier. If the qualifier name is delimited by
default, the Delimit option is selected. To override the default delimitation,
select or unselect Delimit.

In the "Change Qualifier/Owner" dialog box, click the browse button in the
Qualifier field and select a new qualifier. If the qualifier name is delimited by
default, the Delimit option is selected. To override the default delimitation,
select or unselect Delimit.

Defining Table Keys

There are two types of keys in a table in Data Foundation layer
Primary Key Unique and only one primary key in a table.
Foreign Key It is used to match a unique value in other table.
To define a key, go to Data Foundation Editor. Select Table Click Detect
Detect Key.

You can also define a column as primary key or foreign key by selecting the
particular column in a table Right-click Set as Key Primary/Foreign
Key.

Joins In Data Foundation

Joins are used to combine tables in Data Foundation. It defines how data is
queried in the tables. Joins are defined when you link one column of a table
to other column. It is possible to insert Joins manually or to insert
automatically by clicking on Detect Join option.
To insert a new Join, go to Insert Insert Join.

Select Table 1 from the dropdown, Table 2 from the dropdown from all the
tables in Data Foundation. Select columns from Table 1 and Table 2 to join.
Select the type of Join you want to insert OK.

Editing an Existing Join

To edit an existing Join, double-click on Join and it will open Edit Join editor
as above.

Derived Tables
A derived table is a virtual table in the data foundation that combines other
tables using calculations and functions.
You can use derived tables for the following purposes

To create a table with columns from other tables. The column definitions can
include complex calculations and functions.

To create a single table that combines two or more tables.

To create a table that contains a selection of columns from different tables.

To Insert Derived table, select table header right click insert derived table.

Enter the Unique name and click OK.

Table Alias
An Alias table is known as reference to a standard table in Data Foundation.
The data in Alias table is completely same as the original table.
Alias tables are used to break loops in Join path in Data Foundation layer. An
Alias table can also be used to rename a table.

Insert an Alias
To create an Alias table, select the table on which Alias has to be created.
Right-click the table header Insert Alias table. To create an Alias table
on more than one table, use CTRL key to select multiple tables.

Alias is used to break any loop and to handle Fan trap and Chasm trap
issues.
Detect an Alias
To detect an Alias, go to Detect under Data Foundation layer.

To detect a table alias, the following condition should be met.

Contexts
Contexts are also used to break the loops in Data Foundation when you are
not able to break the loop using an Alias table.
When you have multiple fact tables that are connected to a single
dimension table, you create a Context for each fact table in this case.
In a context, there are three states defined for a Join
Included Joins In a part of the schema that is ambiguous, the context
solves the loop by defining a path with the included joins.
Excluded Joins In a part of the schema that is ambiguous, the excluded
joins define the path that context will never take.
Neutral Joins They are in a part of the schema that is not ambiguous,
and are always included in the query path of the context. Any join that is not
explicitly included or excluded is neutral.
A Context can be defined manually or by clicking detect Context option.

To detect Context Open the data foundation editor by double-clicking the

data foundation name in the Local Projects View.
From the Aliases and Contexts pane, select the Detect Contexts icon.

The command analyzes the join paths and proposes contexts to resolve any
loops that cannot be resolved by alias tables.
Next, open Detect Contexts dialog box, select the contexts you want to
insert.
To see the context highlighted in the data foundation view, click the
proposed context name. A join that is included in the context is shown by an
included icon
A join that is excluded is shown by the excluded icon
the selected contexts into the data foundation.

. Click OK to insert

Business Layer
Business Layer in IDT consists of metadata objects like dimensions,
measures, attributes, and filter conditions. Business layer can be designed
on the top of Data Foundation layer or can be created directly on an Info
cube or on a Modeling view in HANA.
When you design a Business Layer, it can be published to the repository or
to a local folder. Business layer is used to manage metadata objects before
it is published to BI repository.
An Object in Business Layer can have the following three states

Active This is default state of an object and objects are available in

the query panel.

Hidden These objects are valid but are hidden in the query panel.

Deprecated These objects are not valid and hidden.

You can create different type of objects in Business Layer

Dimension Dimension
Business layer.

represents

contextual

information

in

Measure Measure represents the factual data on which we perform

the analysis. These are numerical values where you perform
aggregations and calculations.

Attribute Attribute is defined as an object which is associated with

another object to provide more information about the object.

Filter Filters are used to limit the data that are returned in the
query. You can define business filters on dimensions and measures by
creating and combining conditions.

While using an OLAP data source, you can find the following objects

Hierarchy

Level

Named Set

Calculated member

Building a Relational Business Layer

You can create a Business layer on the top of Data Foundation that already
exists under Local Project view.

You can also create a new Business Layer in a Local Project view. Right-click
on Project name New Business Layer.

Follow the wizard Select the type of Data Foundation Enter Business
Layer name and Description Select Data Foundation (.dfx) Finish.

It creates .blx file under local project view and automatically opens under
Business Layer Editor.
By default, it takes all the objects as dimensions in the business layer. You
can define measures manually using Turn into Measures option or using Type
option at the top and projection function to define Aggregation.

You can perform various functions in Business layer to improve the

functionality of Business layer

Attributes to provide descriptive information for dimensions

Additional measures

Pre-defined filters (mandatory or optional) that can limit data returned

in queries

Parameters with optional prompts

Set SQL options and SQL generation parameters in the business layer
properties

Set up aggregate awareness to improve query performance

You can perform an integrity check on Business Layer. Right-click on

Business Layer Check integrity.

You can select the objects you want to perform integrity check. Click on
check integrity. To save the Business layer click the Save icon at the top.

Naming and Data Source for a Business Layer

When you enter a name of a business layer and its description, it defines
the name of Universe that is published from Business layer.
To create a Business Layer, you can select two types of data sources:
Relational and an OLAP data source.

Relational The Business Layer is based on a Data Foundation when you

use a Relational data source.
OLAP The Business layer is based on an OLAP cube.

Building an OLAP Business Layer

You can create an OLAP Business Layer in a Local Project view. Right-click on
Project name New Business Layer.

Follow the wizard Select the type of Data Foundation OLAP Enter
Business Layer name and Description click Next.

Objects in the business layer are inserted automatically based on the cube.
You can add the following functions to enhance the features in Business
Layer

Using analytical dimensions, hierarchies, and attributes

Named sets

Calculated members

Insert measures

Pre-defined filters (mandatory or optional) to limit data returned in

queries

Parameters with optional prompts

Lists of values to be associated with a prompt

Business layer views to restrict the objects seen in the Query Panel

You can perform an integrity check and save the business layer by clicking
the Save icon at the top.

Business Layer Editor

Business layer editor is used to manage Business layer objects and its
properties efficiently. Business Layer editor is divided into three panes

Browsing Pane

Editing Pane

Data Source Pane

Business Layer browsing pane consists of different elements of Business

Layer

Business layer

Queries

Parameters and LOVs

Navigation paths

Business layer editing pane allows you to edit the properties of objects that
you select in the browsing pane.
You can define Name of object, description, type and Projection function. You
can also check SQL definition, source information, custom properties and
advance properties.
The data source pane contains information about Data Foundation or an
OALP data source.

Business Layer Properties

There are different tabs that come under Business Layer Properties.

Properties
It consists of the name of Business layer, description, summary, change
data foundation and parameters subtabs.

Summary tab gives you summary of all the objects in Business Layer.

Change Data Foundation is used to change the data foundation.

Parameters is used to change the value of query script parameters.

Query Options
This defines query execution properties - limit number of rows, number of
minutes to limit the time passed for query execution, etc.

Comments
You can add comments about Business Layer in this tab.

Custom Properties
This is used to add custom property for Business Layer.

Business Layer Objects and Summary

Properties It consists of name of Business layer, description, summary,
change data foundation and parameters subtabs.

You will get Business Layer summary in a new window.

Folders In Business Layer

To add a folder in Business Layer, click insert + option and select a folder to
insert a folder in Business player.

The following properties can be set for this folder as it appears in the query
panel.

Name and Description

Active State - Active, hidden, Deprecated

Contents

A list of objects in the folder that lets you define properties that describe
what the object is used for in the query (for result, for filter, for sort). You
can change the order of the objects in the folder using the up and down
arrow keys to the right of the list.
Custom Properties Optional field
Inserting and Editing Dimensions You can edit an existing dimension
and can also insert a new dimension. To edit an existing dimension, select
the dimension in Business Layer.

To insert a new dimension, select the folder in which you want to insert a
dimension click on insert option at the top Dimension.

It will add a new dimension in the target folder. You can define the
properties of an added dimension in Properties pane.

Following are the tabs in the above screenshot

Name

Description

Data Type

State

SQL of OLAP definition

Keys tab

Advanced tab

Source information, etc.

Defining the Keys

This option is available for dimensions that are built on data foundation. To
define keys in Business layer, select the dimension in Business layer pane.
Under Dimension properties Keys tab.

To add a key, scroll down in Keys tab and click on Add key button. You can
define one primary key and multiple foreign keys.

To detect existing keys in the database, you can click on detect tab. To
change the key type, you can click on the dropdown. To change a key to
active, click on active column.

To save the changes, click the Save icon at the top.

Defining the Measures
You can edit an existing measure and can also insert a new measure. To edit
an existing measure, select the measure in Business Layer.

To insert a new measure, select the folder in which you want to insert a
measure click the insert option at the top measure.

It will add a new measure in the target folder. You can define the properties
of an added measure in Properties pane. You can define Projection function
for the measures. Similarly, you can define attributes in a Business Layer.

Adding Filters
You can edit an existing filter or add a new filter. To insert a new filter, select
the folder and click on insert.

Adding Hierarchies
You can insert hierarchies only in OLAP Business Layer. You can edit an
existing hierarchy or add a new hierarchy.

To edit an existing
hierarchy

To insert a hierarchy

Select the hierarchy

Select the folder or analysis dimension in which

you want to insert the hierarchy. To insert a
hierarchy at the top level, select the top node
(business layer name) in the tree.
Click the Insert object icon
at the top of
theBusiness Layer pane and select Hierarchy

You can define the following properties of a Hierarchy

Name and Description

State - Active, hidden or deprecated

MDX definition

Advance tab

Custom properties

Source Information

You can define the following objects in a hierarchy in Business Layer

Levels

Attributes

Named sets

Calculated members

Defining Named Sets

You can insert Named set only to OLAP Business layer. You can edit an
existing named set or add a new named set.
Once a named set is defined, you can define various properties of Named
set

To edit an
named set

existing

To insert a named
set

Select the named set

Select the folder, analysis dimension, or

hierarchy in which you want to insert the named
set. To insert a named set at the top level,
select the top node (business layer name) in the
tree.
Click the Insert object icon
at the top of
theBusiness Layer pane and select Named
set

Defining SQL and MDX for an Object

To define SQL/MDX expression of an object in Business layer, select the
object. In Object properties pane, select SQL definition tab.

You can enter Select statement directly or click on SQL assistant button to
define SQL expression. You can define aggregation for measures like Sum
(efashion."Shop_facts"."Amount_sold").
Enter the WHERE statement directly, or click the SQL Assistant button to use
the SQL editor to build the statement.
Save the business layer by clicking the Save icon in the main toolbar.
You can edit the MDX expression for objects inserted into the business layer.
If you want to edit the definition of a native object (an object generated
automatically from the cube when the business layer was created), copy the
native object and edit the copy.
Open the business layer in the editor by double-clicking the business layer
name in the Local Projects View.
In the Business Layer pane, select the object.
In the object properties pane, select the MDX Definition tab.
Enter the Expression directly, or click the MDX Assistant button to use the
MDX editor to build the statement.

Setting Access Levels

You can define various access levels of an object

Private

Public

Controlled

Restricted

Confidential

When you define an object as public, all users can access the object. If an
object is defined as restricted, only those users that are granted access
level of restricted or higher can gain access.

To Define Access Level of Objects

Select the object in Business layer for which you want to define the access
level. You can use CTRL key to select multiple objects. Right-click on object
Change Access Level.

Access level for an object can also be defined in Advanced tab.

Defining Display Formats for Objects

Display option can be used to create, edit, or remove a display format for an
object. By default, the object has no format.
Go to Advanced tab of an object as shown in the following screenshot.

Business Layer View

It is possible to modify the display of Business layer objects by using
Business layer views to restrict the number of objects displayed in the
Business Layer pane. Use business layer views to group objects that share a
business relationship.
Business layer views can be selected in the Query Panel. You can use
business layer views to define security to grant or deny the use of business
layer objects to certain users or groups.
Creating Business Layer View
To create or edit Business Layer view, open Business Layer editor by clicking
on Business layer in the local project.
Click Manage Business Layer view option in the Business layer view pane.

When the Edit Business Layer view dialog box opens, to add a new view,
click on New button. Edit the view name in the Name textbox.

In the Objects in view box, select or clear the checkboxes next to objects in
the business layer to include or exclude them from the view.
To work with only the objects already included in the view, select Show
selected objects only as shown in the following screenshot.
Enter or edit a description for the view in the Description textbox.

Click OK to save the changes.

Note You cant change Master view.
Parameters
You can create a parameter in Business Layer or Data Foundation that
requires a user input or predefined input value.
A Parameter can have the following input types

User input as a response to prompt.

A predefined fixed value.

Prompt to users

If selected, the user is prompted to enter a

value at run time.

If cleared, a pre-defined value is entered at

runtime for the parameter.

prompt Text

The text for the prompt question or directive

if Prompt to users is selected.

Set Values

Available when the prompt to users option is

unselected. Lets you enter one or more
values to be used for the parameter at the
run time.

Data Types

Allow
values

The data type required for the answer to the

prompt.

multiple

Keep last values

Index
prompt

Associated
values

If selected, the last value chosen by the

user is kept when the prompt is re-run.

aware

list

If selected, lets the user take multiple

values from the list of values.

If selected, the key column is included in the

prompt to restrict the values in a list. The
key column is not visible to the user.

of

A list of values to provide values for the

prompt.

Select only from list

If selected, the user is forced to select a

member in the list.

Select
value

default

Lets you select values to be used as default

Inserting and Editing Parameters

When you define a parameter in Data Foundation, they are directly inherited
to business Layer on top of Data foundation. These parameters cant be
edited in Business Layer and you have to edit them in Data Foundation.
To insert a parameter, click on parameters and LOVs tab in the browsing
pane Click on Insert Parameter icon.

Parameters properties are shown in the right pane. You can use various
properties as defined in the previous topic.

To edit an existing parameter, select the parameter from the list and edit it.

LOVs and Properties

Using LOVs, you can select the value of a prompt from the list of values
associated with an object. It allows a data set to be restricted to the
selected values.
You can use LOVs for an object in Data Foundation or Business Layer.
Different types of LOVs can be used.

LOVs based on Business Layer Objects In this case, LOV is

based on other query or on a hierarchy that includes

Static LOVs It includes List of specified values manually or

imported from file.

LOVs based on SQL It is value return by specific SQL expression.

Inserting and Editing LOVs

To insert or edit an existing LOV, go to Parameters and LOVs tab in the
editor. Click on Insert + sign in the LOV pane

The properties of LOVs appear in the right pane. To edit an existing LOV,
click List of Value in the list.
The Properties tab in LOVs properties lets you edit the column properties on
LOVs. You can edit the following properties by clicking the property column
in the table of properties

Column Name You can edit the name of the column.

Key Column You can select a column to be index aware key.
Data Type You can select the data type for the column.
Hidden If you select this option, the column will not be displayed.
Queries in Business Layer
A Query panel is used to create queries and query objects are associated
with the Business Layer. These are normally used in IDT to validate the
Business layer.
Inserting and Editing a Query
To insert a new query or edit an existing query, click the Query pane in the
Business Layer pane.

Click Insert Query to add a new query. This will open the Query panel. You
can create a new query or edit an existing query and click OK. Select the
objects in Query panel OK.

Enter the name and description of Query. You can edit the objects in query
by clicking Edit query option. To execute the query Execute Query.

Aggregate Awareness
Using aggregate awareness, you can use pre-aggregated data in tables in
the database. It is used to improve query performance by processing less
number of rows.
When you add an aggregate aware object in query, the query generator
retrieves the data from the table with the highest aggregation level.
For example Consider a Sales Fact table where sales is aggregated by per
month. If your query asks for sales per month, the query generator will
retrieve the data from aggregated table.

Setting Up Aggregate Awareness

To use aggregate awareness, first the aggregated table has to be loaded to
database and then add the table to Data Foundation.

Define aggregate aware objects. These are the objects in the business layer
for which you want queries to use the aggregate tables when possible,
instead of performing aggregation using non-aggregate tables.
In the SQL expression for the object, define the SELECT statement to use the
@Aggregate_Aware function
@Aggregate_Aware(sum(aggr_table_1), , sum(aggr_table_n))

Select the object in Business Layer go to SQL Assistant under Functions

Aggregate Awareness.

Building Query In Query Panel

You can use the query panel to create or preview queries on a Business
Layer or on top of Universe published in the repository. The query panel
allows you to add objects in the query and to preview the query results. A
query panel can be opened using the following methods
Go to Queries Insert Query.

To select the objects that you want to include in the query, drag objects from
the business layer on the right into the Result Objects pane.

For hierarchy result objects, select members to include or exclude in the

results. To open the MemberSelector, click the arrow to the right of the
hierarchy object name

To filter the results of the query, drag objects from the business layer into
the Filter Objects pane.

Selecting Named Sets

Named set are defined in Business layer while creating Universe. To select
members by named set, your hierarchy should define minimum one named
set.
Named sets are displayed when you click on metadata under the member
selector. If you cant find a named set folder under metadata, it means the
hierarchy has no named set.

Selecting Calculated Measures

You can also use calculated measures with hierarchy but hierarchy should
have minimum one metadata defined. They are defined in Business layer.
Like named sets, calculated measures are also displayed when you click on
metadata under member selectors.
Dependency Among Resources
In a Universe there can be many objects which are dependent on each other
and moving, deleting a resource can impact other resources that depends
on that resource.
To check the dependency between different resources, you can select show
local dependency. When you select a resource, it displays two tabs dependent and referenced resources.
resource. The Dependent Resources tab lists resources in the same local
project that depend on the selected resource. The Referenced
Resources tab lists the resources in the same local project that are
referenced by the selected resource.
If you want to check the resources that will be impacted when you change
the Data Foundation, you can right-click Show Local Dependency.

Under Dependent Resource, it will show Business Layer and Referenced

resources will show Relational connection.

Repository Dependency
If you want to see dependent resources in the Repository for a particular
resource under the local project, right-click and click on show Repository
Dependency.

Enter the session details where resources are published and click on log in.
It will show you a list of published Universes in the repository that are based
on selected resource under the local Project.

Publishing
When you design a Universe, this is the last step where you can publish your
Business Layer to the local file system or the Repository. When you publish a
Universe, the publish wizard exports the Business layer, data foundation and
connection shortcut, and allows reporting tools and available users to
access this Universe.
You can publish a Universe to the local file system. This can include a
Business layer based on an OLAP connection or a Business Layer based on
Data Foundation with a local connection.
When you publish a Universe to the repository, you implement a security
mechanism by publishing on the Central Management Server (CMS). All
objects of Universe inherit object level and other security policies defined for
CMS.

Publishing a Local Connection

You can publish a local connection to the Repository that is available under
the local Project view. When you publish a connection, it changes from local
unsecure .cnx connection to .cns secured connection under the repository.
To publish the connection, right-click on .cnx under local project Publish
Connection to a Repository.

When you publish a connection, it is changed to .cns.

Selecting a Folder
When you publish or retrieve a connection, you can select a folder where
you want to publish connection.

Security
Security of a Universe is defined when it is published into the repository. All
published universes are available under the Universe folder and all
connections are available in the Connection folder. To access a Universe or a
connection in the repository, you can use Repository resources.

Security policy on Universe, connections is applied on users and groups

created in CMC. In Information Design tool, you can define security policy
using Security editor. You can create security profiles in IDT and these
profiles are assigned to users and groups.
You can define two types of security profiles in IDT

Data Security Profile In data security profile, the security policy is

applied on Data Foundation objects and connections.

Business Security Profile This include objects in Business layer on

which the security profile is applied.

Security Editor in IDT

The Security Editor can be viewed in two ways: Using Universe or using
users/groups. Select the tab in the Security Editor pane to display the view
you want to work with.
The Universes/Profiles tab lets you to do tasks by first selecting a universe in
the repository.
The Users/Groups tab lets you to do tasks by first selecting a user or group.

There are three icons in the Users/Groups panel that allows you to display
users and groups in different ways

Show Users

Show Groups

Show Hierarchies

How to Open Security Editor in IDT?

In information design tool toolbar, click the Security Editor icon.

Enter the session details to open in the security editor. If you are not already
logged into the selected session, enter the required information.
The Security Editor opens in a new tab.

Inserting and Editing Data Security Profiles

Go to Universes/Profiles pane in the Security editor. To insert a new profile,
right-click on Universe Insert Data Security profile.

This will open a new window, you can define data security profile setting in
different tabs. When you have defined all of the settings, click OK.
To save the changes to the security settings in the repository, click the save
icon in the main toolbar.

When you have defined all of the settings, click OK.

To save the changes to the security settings in the repository, click the save
icon in the main toolbar. All Data Security profile settings are applied to
Universes created on Data Foundation using Relation connection.
Connectio
ns

Defines Replacement Connections

Controls

Defines replacement query timeout and size

limits

SQL

Defines replacement query options

Rows

Defines an SQL WHERE clause to restrict rows

returned in the query

Tables

Defines replacement tables

When you define more than one Data Security profile on one Universe, it is
also possible to change the Data Security Profile Priority.

This will open a new window Change Security profile priority. You can use
up/down arrow to change the priority of security profiles.
To save the changes in the repository, click the save icon in the main
toolbar.

Inserting and Editing a Business Security Profile

Select a Universe in Universe/Profile pane under the Security Editor. To
insert a new Business Security Profile Right-click Insert Business
Security profile.

You can define security in each tab of Business Security profile. Reset option
is used to reset the setting to default. Once the setting is defined, click OK
to close the window and Save icon at the top to save the profile.

Create
Query

Defines the universe views and business layer objects

available to the user in the query panel
Note Create Query settings secure metadata only.

Display
Data

Grants or denies access to the data retrieved by

objects in the business layer when the user runs a
query.

Filters

Defines filters using objects in the business layer.

Running a Query On a Published Universe

You can also run a query on Universe published in the repository. When you
run a query on published Universe, security profile defined for Universe will
be applied on the query panel.
To run a query on published Universe, go to Repository resources view
Select Universe right-click and Run query.

It opens the Query panel, you can add available objects to Result Objects
and run query. Data Preview can be used to see the preview of resulted
objects Refresh button.

Format Editor Overview

Format editor allows you to define display format for date, time, and
numeric values. You can create custom formats or can also use default
formats for the objects. Custom formats are used when default format
doesnt meet the requirement.
Default formats are based on common locale data repository CLDR. You can
select from 15 default formats for Date and time, and 4 formats for numeric
values.
Custom formats can be created using the format editor. Custom format
contains text and tokens. A token is defined as predefined part of date or
numeric value.
Date & Time Format Tokens
There are 15 date and time format tokens that are defined using the format
editor. Consider the following date and time tokens for category - Day.
Category
Token

Description

Day 01-31

Day is represented by 2 digits 01-31

Day 1-31

Day is represented by 1 or 2 digits from

1-31

Day Name

Day Name like Monday, Tuesday

Short Day Name

Day Name like Mon, Tue

Day of year

Day is represented by 3 digits - 001-366

Day of year 01-366

Day is represented by 2 or 3 digits - 01-

366
Day of year 1-366

Day is represented by 1, 2, or 3 digits

Day of week in a
month

Day of the week in month like 2 for

2ndTuesday of July

Uppercase Day
Name

Day name in uppercase - Tuesday

Lowercase Day
Name

Day name in lowercase - Tuesday

Capitalized Day
Name

Day name starts with capital - Tuesday

Uppercase short day

name

Day name is represented in short format

in uppercase - Mon

Lowercase short day

name

Day name is represented in short format

in lowercase - Mon

Capitalized short
day name

Starts with capital in short format like Mon

Similarly, there can be time tokens for minutes, hour, week, month, quarter,
and year format.
Number Format Sections
A number format section can be defined as consists of

The sign

The integer value

Grouping separator

Decimal separator

Decimal separator

Exponential symbol

Consider the following example, which shows how a number can be

displayed using different format defined in the editor.
Example How number -1,234 will be displayed using number tokens?
Format Defined with Tokens

Preview
Display

[Sign][#]

-1234

[Neg.start][0][0][0][0][0][Neg.end]

(001234)

[sign always][#][dec.sep][0][0]

-1234.00

[sign][#][decimal separator][0][0][E+][0][0]
[0]

-1.23E+003

Revenue: [Sign always][#][Decimal

separator][0][0]

Revenue:
1234.00

[Boolean]

True

You can use different list of number format tokens like sign, digit,
separators, exponents, percent, and Boolean.