SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer User Interface

New: 14 April 2006

Reporting Services provides a graphical query designer for building Multidimensional Expression (MDX) queries for a SAP NetWeaver® Business Intelligence data source. Reporting Services also provides information about how to design queries for a SAP relational database. This topic describes the MDX query designer. For more information about working with a SAP relational data source, see Defining Report Datasets for Relational Data from an SAP Database. For more information about working with a SAP multidimensional data source, see Defining Report Datasets for Multidimensional Data from an SAP NetWeaver BI System.

The MDX graphical query designer has two modes: Design mode and Query mode. Each mode provides a Metadata pane from which you can drag members from an InfoCube, MultiProvider, or Web-enabled query defined on the data source to build an MDX query that retrieves data when the report is processed.

This section describes the toolbar buttons and query designer panes for each mode of the graphical query designer.

Graphical Query Designer in Design Mode

In Report Designer in Data view, when you create or edit a dataset with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence data, the graphical query designer opens in the default Design mode. The following figure labels the panes for Design mode.

The following table describes the function of each pane.

Pane	Function
Select Cube button	Displays the currently selected InfoCube, MultiProvider, or Web-enabled query.
Metadata pane	Displays a hierarchical list of InfoCubes, MultiProviders, and queries. Queries created at the data source may appear under the corresponding cube.
Calculated Members pane	Displays the currently defined calculated members available for use in the query.
Data pane	Displays the results of running the query.

You can drag dimensions and key figures from the Metadata pane, and calculated members from the Calculated Member pane onto the Data pane. If the AutoExecute toggle button on the toolbar is on, the query designer runs the query every time you drop an object onto the Data pane. If AutoExecute is off, the query designer does not run the query as you make changes to the Data pane. You can manually run the query using the Run button on the toolbar.

Toolbar for the Graphical Query Designer in Design Mode Toolbar

The query designer toolbar provides buttons to help you design MDX queries using the graphical interface. The following table shows the buttons and describes their functions.

Button	Description
Dataset	Select a dataset.
	Edit the selected dataset.
	Delete the selected dataset.
	Refresh fields for the selected dataset.
	Generic Query Designer. Not enabled for this mode.
	Refresh metadata from the data source.
	Display the Calculated Member Builder dialog box.
	Switch between showing and not showing empty cells in the Data pane. (This is the equivalent to using the NON EMPTY clause in MDX).
	Automatically run the query and show the result every time a change is made, for example, deleting a column in the Data pane. Results are shown in the Data pane.
	Delete the selected column in the Data pane from the query.
	Display the Variables dialog box. This button is enabled only when the selected cube is a Query cube (because only query cubes support variables). When you assign a default value to a variable, a corresponding report parameter is created.
	Run the query and display the results in the Data pane.
	Cancel the query.
	Switch between Design mode and Query mode.

Graphical Query Designer in Query Mode

To change the graphical query designer to Query mode, click the Design Mode toggle button on the toolbar. The following figure indicates the parts of the query designer in Query mode.

The following table describes the function of each pane.

Pane	Function
Select Cube button	Displays the currently selected InfoCube, MultiProvider, or other cube.
Metadata/Functions pane	Displays a tabbed window that shows a list of available metadata or functions that can be used to build the query text.
Variables pane	Displays the currently defined variables available for use in the query.
Query pane	Displays the current query text.
Result pane	Displays the results of the query.

From the Metadata pane, you can drag key figures and dimensions from the Metadata tab onto the MDX Query pane; the technical name for the metadata is inserted at the cursor. You can drag functions from the Functions tab onto the MDX Query pane. When you execute the query, the Result pane displays the results for the current MDX query.

If your selected cube is a Web-enabled query, you will be prompted to set static default values for the existing variables. You can then drag variables onto the MDX Query pane.

The Metadata and Variable panes display friendly names. When you drop the objects onto the MDX Query pane, you see the technical names needed by the data source entered into the MDX query.

Toolbar for the Graphical Query Designer in Query Mode

The query designer toolbar provides buttons to help you design MDX queries using the graphical interface. The toolbar buttons are identical between Design mode and Query mode, but the following buttons are not enabled for Query mode:

• Generic Query Designer ()
• Add Calculated Member ()
• Show Empty Cells ()
• AutoExecute ()
• Delete ()

External Resources

Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

See Also

Other Resources

Using SAP NetWeaver BI MDX Query Designer in Design Mode
How to: Create a Dataset (Report Designer)
How to: Set a Variable for an SAP NetWeaver BI MDX Query (Report Designer)
Using SAP NetWeaver BI MDX Query Designer in Query Mode

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance