For SAP-BW (Business Warehouse)
In SAP BW (Business Warehouse), InfoObjects are fundamental components that represent business entities and key elements used in data modeling and reporting. They are the smallest units of information within SAP BW and serve as the building blocks for creating data structures like InfoCubes, DataStore Objects (DSOs), and MultiProviders. Understanding InfoObjects is essential for anyone working with SAP BW because they define the granularity and semantics of data in the warehouse.
InfoObjects are predefined, reusable data fields or attributes that describe characteristics (dimensions), key figures (measures), or other properties in a BW system. They encapsulate metadata that defines the nature of data and how it can be used in reporting and analysis.
InfoObjects are primarily classified into two main categories:
These represent descriptive data, such as:
Characteristics help slice and dice the data and act as dimensions for reporting.
These represent quantitative data used for calculations, such as:
Key Figures are used in analytical queries to perform summations, averages, and other mathematical operations.
Each InfoObject includes several components:
Besides Characteristics and Key Figures, SAP BW includes other special InfoObject types:
InfoObjects are combined to create complex data structures:
In each case, InfoObjects define the semantic meaning of data fields, ensuring that the data warehouse reflects business reality.
Consider a sales data scenario:
Characteristics:
Key Figures:
These InfoObjects allow the creation of a sales InfoCube where business analysts can report on sales revenue by customer, product, region, and time.
InfoObjects are the backbone of SAP BW data modeling and reporting. They provide the metadata framework that defines the semantics, structure, and meaning of data stored in the data warehouse. Mastering InfoObjects enables BW consultants and analysts to build flexible, scalable, and accurate data warehouses that support enterprise-wide business intelligence and decision-making.
Understanding the different types of InfoObjects, their components, and their role in data modeling is essential for anyone looking to specialize in SAP BW.