Chapter 6. Using Reporting Selection Screens: Advanced Skills
In this chapter
Now that you
understand how important selection screens are and how you can use them to
produce multiple types of reports from a single query, you can take them a step
further. This chapter covers the advanced usage of selection screens and how you
can use them in query-based reporting.
Module-Specific Options on a Selection Screen
Depending on the data source (InfoSet) selected and the module
for which it is designatedHuman Capital Management (HCM), Accounts Payable,
Sales and Distribution, and so ondifferent options may be available. This book
covers many of them, but to best familiarize yourself with the items specific to
the reporting area you are interested in, you should begin with a basic list
report from within your area of interest and vary your selections to view the
result on your selection screen and on your report
output.
|
Using Multiple Selection Buttons
Next to many of the fields on a selection screen is a multiple
selection button (see Figure 6.1).
Figure 6.1. Each multiple selection button is a right-pointing arrow.
This button, located immediately to the right of the input
field, allows you to specify multiple selections. In an example in Chapter 5, "Basics of Using Reporting
Selection Screens" (refer to Figure 5.4 and Table 5.2), you input a value of 1 in
the Employee Group field so that the report output would contain only associates
(that have a number 1 designation in the Employee Group field) on their records.
The multiple selection button gives you even more options.
Single-Value Inclusions
The first tab available in the Multiple Selection dialog box
is Single Vals (indicated by two green circles), which gives you the ability to
designate more than one single (nonsequential) entry. For example, if I select
the multiple selection button to the right of the Employee Group field on the
HCM report example from Chapter 5, I
am indicating that I want to include associates from Employee Groups 1, 2, and 5
in the report, as shown in Figure
6.2.
Figure 6.2. By indicating Employee Groups 1, 2, and 5, I ensured that associates classified in those categories are included and that all others are excluded.
Range Inclusions
The second tab available in the Multiple Selection dialog box
is Ranges (indicated by two green circles), which gives you the ability to
designate a consecutive range of data by indicating start and end values. This
data can be numeric or alphabetical; in either case, you enter the lower value
in the first box (for example, A) and the higher value in the second box (for
example, C). For example, if I selected the multiple selection button to the
right of the Employee Group field on the HCM report example and then selected
the Ranges tab, I could then indicate that I want to include associates from
Employee Groups 1 through 7 in the report, as shown in Figure 6.3.
Figure 6.3. By indicating a consecutive range for the Multiple Selection option for the employee group, I ensured that associates classified in any of the Employee Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are included in the report output.
Single-Value Exclusions
The third tab available in the Multiple Selection dialog box is
Single Vals (indicated by two red circles), which gives you the ability to
designate more than a single entry to be excluded from your report output. For
example, when I click the multiple selection button to the right of the Employee
Group field on the HCM report example and select the Ranges tab, I can indicate
that I want to include associates from Employee Groups 1 through 5, as shown in
Figure 6.3. If I then select the Single
Vals (indicated by two red circles) tab and input value 3, I would be including in the report output
associates in Employee Groups 1, 2, 4, and 5 and excluding Employee Group 3, as
shown in Figure 6.4.
Figure 6.4. By indicating any values on the Single Vals tab (indicated by two red circles), I ensure that I will output all values except those where an employee group equals 3.
Range Exclusions
The fourth tab available in the Multiple Selection dialog box
is Ranges (indicated by two red circles), which gives you the ability to
designate a consecutive range of data to exclude by indicating start and end
values. This data can be numeric or alphabetical, and again, you enter the lower
value in the first box (for example, 1) and the higher value in the second box
(for example, 3). For example, when I click the multiple selection button to the
right of the Employee Group field on the sample HCM report and then select the
fourth tab, I can indicate that I want to exclude associates from Employee
Groups 1 through 5 in the report by indicating a starting value of 1 and an
ending value of 5.
Helpful Hint
You can tell if multiple selections have been input for a field
because the multiple selection button (to the right of the field) includes a
green box under the existing yellow arrow. This signifies that values are input
somewhere on the Multiple Selection dialog box for that field. (See the
Personnel Number multiple selection button in Figure 6.7 later in this
chapter.)
The Multiple Selection Dialog Box Toolbar
By now you have noticed that the Multiple Selection dialog box
has a toolbar at the bottom (see Figure
6.5). The following sections describe each of these toolbar buttons.
Figure 6.5. The toolbar options present in the Multiple Selection dialog box give you even more flexibility in excluding or excluding data.
Execute
The first button on the Multiple Selection dialog box toolbar
is the Execute button. This button functions the same as the Enter key: When you
click it, any selections on the dialog box are transferred to the selection
screen.
Check
The second button on the Multiple Selection dialog box toolbar
is the Check button. This button functions as the validation key that checks
your selections for validity and applicability.
Selection Options
The third button on the Multiple Selection dialog box toolbar
is the Selection Options button. This button gives you even greater flexibility
in selection, including options for equal to, greater than or equal to, less
than, not equal to, and so on. This button was available in earlier versions of
SAP, before the multiple selection button was enhanced.
Insert Lines and Delete Lines
Two buttons, Insert Lines and Delete Lines, allow you to insert
and delete lines in a dialog box so you can insert or remove indicated
values.
Delete
The sixth button on the Multiple Selection dialog box toolbar
is the Delete button. This button deletes any entry or selections in any area of
the dialog boxnot just the displayed tab.
Help
The next button on the Multiple Selection dialog box toolbar is
the Help on Screen button. This button is available on almost all dialog boxes,
and it serves as a specific item help reference.
Multiple Selection
The Multiple Selection button serves the same function as the
multiple selection arrow button that appears next to a field. Clicking this
button brings up a list of all available options that are valid for the selected
field.
Import from Text File
The Import from Text File button on the Multiple Selection
dialog box toolbar allows you to restrict your report output based on a
pasted-in or imported set of values. This button is covered in the next
section.
Restricting Values in a Report Based on an Existing List of Values
The Import from Text File button on the Multiple Selection
dialog box toolbar is the button you are likely to use most often when
reporting. It serves a couple different purposes. This button allows you to
specify the precise list of data you want in your report output by using a
pasted-in or imported list of values from any source.
For example, in my job, I am often provided with data from
third-party solutions, such as a large Excel file that contains a list of
associates' Social Security numbers. Let's pretend that this list of associates
is from my benefits vendor, which is alerting me that the list of associates
contains associates who can expect to have a benefits coverage change. I would
like to easily identify these associates so that I can send each of them a
personalized letter, informing them of the change. In the old days, I could use
a Microsoft Access database to compare data from two sources and merge similar
data (which is discussed in Chapter
23, "SAP Reporting with Microsoft Access"), or I could use
Excel's VLook-Up function to compare two data sources. However, by clicking the
Import from Text File button, I can paste or upload the data I want directly
into the selection screen to restrict my SAP query report output to contain only
the records that match those included in the third-party file. For example, if
my SAP HCM database contained 15,000 associate records, and my vendor sent me a
list of 1,000 Social Security numbers, I could look up each one manually to find
the correct name and address, use a Microsoft solution, or leverage the
functionality of the Import from Text File button and simply reference the
third-party values in one of the two ways described in the following
sections.
Pasting in Third-Party Values
The first way to restrict values in a report is by pasting
third-party values. To reference third-party values, you can either design a new
SAP query report or use an existing one. In my third-party values example, upon
execution of the query, when the selection screen is presented, I can go to the
field that contains a value from the third party. In my list of Social Security
numbers, I would simply make sure that the Social Security Number field is
available on the selection screen. (For a quick refresher on how to add fields
in a query to a selection screen, see the section "The Selections Screen" in Chapter 3, "Creating Basic Reports with
the SAP Query Tool.") When I am viewing the query's selection screen, I minimize
the SAP environment and navigate to the third-party file. Its format is
relatively unimportant, so it is best to open it in a known application, such as
Notepad or Excel. Then I select the datain this example, all 1,000 Social
Security numbers contained in the fileand then press Ctrl+C to copy this list to
the Windows Clipboard. Next, I navigate to the SAP query report and the
selection screen for the report and click the multiple selection button followed
by the Import from Text File button. A second dialog box appears. When I click
the Paste button, the list of 1,000 Social Security numbers is pasted from the
Windows Clipboard memory to the value selection for the dialog box. When the SAP
Query tool is executed, it will not contain all 15,000 records in the database;
instead, it will contain detailed data for only the 1,000 values specified on
the selection screen.
Transferring Text From a Text File
Instead of copying and pasting, you can restrict values in a
report by transferring data directly from a file by clicking the Transfer button
instead of the Paste button in the Import from a Local file dialog box and
indicating the navigation path where the source file can be found (for example,
c:\My Documents\source file.txt). When I use this
methodology when the SAP Query tool is executed, the report will not contain all
15,000 records in the database; instead, it will contain detailed data from SAP
for only the 1,000 values specified in the source file that have been
transferred to the selection screen.
Using Variants
As mentioned throughout this chapter and Chapter 5, you can use a single SAP query report to
satisfy multiple reporting needs simply by changing the values entered on the
report's selection screen. To spare a user from having to enter the
values each time a report is executed, you can save entries on a selection
screen as a variant. A report can have an unlimited number of variants
associated with it.
As discussed in Chapter
5, which introduces the concept of selection screens, one basic report (for
example, a list of all associates at Mama Tricarico's Restaurant) can be run
with three different variations on the selection screen to produce three
different reports. The following sections describe how to make a saved version
of a selection screen for an SAP query report.
How to Create a Variant for an SAP Query
You can create a variant in several different ways. The
following instructions work for any version of SAP, beginning with version
4.0:
|
1.
|
Begin at the main screen of the SAP Query tool, which you
reach by using transaction code SQ01.
Select the query for which you would like to create a variant by selecting
(highlighting) the gray bar to the left of the table or by typing the query name
in the box at the top of the screen. (The example used here uses a test HCM
query. To follow along, you can use an existing query of your own from any
application module.)
|
|
2.
|
Select Goto, Maintain Variants. The screen ABAP Variants -
Initial Screen, shown in Figure 6.6,
appears.
Figure 6.6. You use the screen ABAP Variants - Initial Screen to create variants for SAP queries. |
|
3.
|
Type a name for your variant (for example, DLS_Variant01, where you replace
DLS with your initials) and then click the Create
button. You are presented with the selection screen for the report for which you
decided to create a variant in step 1. This screen gives you the opportunity to
input selections that will be saved as a variant (see Figure 6.7).
Figure 6.7. This selection screen lets you input selections that will be saved as a variant. |
|
4.
|
Input values on the selection screen that you want to save.
Which specific values you input for the example are unimportant, but for the
sake of this example, input the Period field as of today and enter the value
1 in the Employee Group field. After inputting
any values you want to save, click the Save button on the Application toolbar.
The first time you save the variant, the Save Attributes screen, shown in Figure 6.8, appears. When you modify an
existing variant, you can click the Variant Attributes button to access this
screen.
Figure 6.8. The Save Attributes screen looks the same for all reporting variants. |
|
5.
|
The only required field for entry on the Save Attributes
screen is the Description field. Enter a description for your variant in this
field and then click the Save button to complete the variant creation process.
It is a good idea to use a description that describes the variant (refer to Figure 6.8).
|
|
6.
|
Click the green Back button to return to the Maintain
Variants screen.
|
|
7.
|
Click the green Back button again to return to the main SAP
Query tool screen.
|
To see that the variant you created is now available for the
report, you need to execute the report that has the variant, as described in the
following section.
Executing a Report with a Variant (Execute with Variant)
Upon report execution, you can select a variant for use in your
report. By using variants, you can use a single report for multiple things,
based on the information entered on the selection screen. Multiple variants can
exist for a report, and you can decide which one to use prior to report
execution by following these steps:
|
1.
|
Begin at the main screen of the SAP Query tool, which you
reach by using transaction code SQ01.
Select your report and then click the Execute with Variant button on the
Application toolbar. A dialog box that contains a drop-down field of all the
variants for the selected report appears.
|
|
2.
|
Select the variant you want to use and then press
Enter.
|
|
3.
|
Click the Execute button. The report executes, displaying the
saved variant.
|
Executing a Report with a Variant (Execute)
You call also select the variant of your choice from a report's
selection screen. Multiple variants can exist for a report, and you can decide
which one to use upon report execution by following these steps:
|
1.
|
Begin at the main screen of the SAP Query tool, which you
reach by using transaction code SQ01.
Select your report and then press F8 or click the Execute button. The report's
selection screen appears.
|
|
2.
|
On the Selection screen's Application toolbar, click the Get
Variant button (immediately to the right of the Execute button). A dialog box
containing a drop-down field of all variants for the selected report
appears.
|
|
3.
|
Select the variant you want to use and then press
Enter.
|
|
4.
|
Click the Execute button. The report executes, displaying the
selected variant.
|
Saving an SAP Query with a Variant
In addition to selecting a variant prior to or upon report
execution, you can save a variant with a query as a default, such that when the
report is executed, that variant is automatically used to populate the report's
selection screen.
|
1.
|
|
|
2.
|
In the Special Attributes section of the Title, Format
screen, select the Variant drop-down box to see a list of all variants that
exist for the selected report.
|
|
3.
|
Select the variant you want to use and then press
Enter.
|
|
4.
|
Check the Execute Only with Variant check
box.
|
|
5.
|
Click the Save button and then press F8 or click
Execute.
|
|
6.
|
Click the Execute button. The report executes, displaying the
saved variant. Because it was saved with the query, every time it is executed,
the saved default variant will be used. The variant can be overwritten with new
values, or a new variant can be selected after execution; however, it will
always be presented as the default.
|
Editing a Variant for SAP Query (Directly on the Selection Screen)
After a variant is created, you can modify it on the selection
screen by following these steps:
|
1.
|
On the selection screen, change the values as desired and
then click the Save button on the Application toolbar. A confirmation box
appears, asking if you want to overwrite the existing
variant.
|
|
2.
|
Click Yes. The changes to your variant are
saved.
|
Editing a Variant for SAP Query (on the Maintain Variants Screen)
After a variant is created, you can modify it on the Maintain
Variants screen by following these steps:
|
1.
|
Begin at the main screen of the SAP Query tool, which you
reach by using transaction code SQ01.
Select the query for which you would like to modify the variant by selecting
(highlighting) the gray bar to the left of the table or by typing the query name
in the box at the top of the screen.
|
|
2.
|
Select Goto, Maintain Variants. The screen ABAP Variants -
Initial Screen appears.
|
|
3.
|
Select your variant from the drop-down box and then click the
Change button. You are presented with the selection screen for the
report.
|
|
4.
|
Modify the values on the selection screen as you like and
then click the Save button on the Application toolbar.
|
|
5.
|
To modify the attributes, click the Variant Attributes button
and make the desired changes.
|
|
6.
|
Make any other modifications desired on this screen and then
click the Save button to complete the variant modification
process.
|
Advanced Functions for Variants
|
1.
|
Begin at the main screen of the SAP Query tool, which you
reach by using transaction code SQ01.
Select the query for which you would like to modify the variant by selecting
(highlighting) the gray bar to the left of the table or by typing the query name
in the box at the top of the screen.
|
|
2.
|
Select Goto, Maintain Variants. The screen ABAP Variants -
Initial Screen appears.
|
|
3.
|
Select your variant from the drop-down box and then click the
Change button. You are presented with the selection screen for the
report.
|
|
4.
|
Click the Variant Attributes button to view the available
options on the Save Attributes screen (refer to Figure 6.8).
|
The Save Attributes screen has dozens of available options. Table 6.1 describes the general options
available.
|
Option
|
Description
|
|---|---|
|
Variant Name
|
This field contains the name of the variant that is input on
the Maintain Variants screen during the creation process.
|
|
Description
|
This field contains the required description field that users
must populate with a description of the variant.
|
|
Created for Selection Screens
|
This field displays the number of the R/3 dynpro (screen) that
is displayed at runtime. It may also be recorded in trace or logging
information.
|
|
Only for Background Processing
|
If you select this check box, the variant can be executed only
in the background. If you do not select it, it can be run both in the background
and online.
|
|
Protect Variant
|
If you select this check box, the variant can only be changed
by the person who created it or who last changed it.
|
|
Only Display in Catalog
|
If you select this check box, the variant name appears in the
directory but not in the general input help.
|
|
System Variant (Automatic Transport)
|
This system variant is transported
automatically.
|
The Field Attribute options listed in Table 6.2 can be indicated for any of the fields by
placing a check mark in the bog next to each.
|
Option
|
Description
|
|---|---|
|
Required Field
|
This attribute indicates that the designated field requires
entry on the selection screen prior to report execution.
|
|
Switch GPA Off
|
The field contents are ignored when the variant is
imported.
|
|
Save Field Without Values
|
If you select this field, the value of the corresponding field
on the selection screen is not affected when you start the program by using a
variant.
|
|
Selection Variable
|
If you select this field, the field on the selection screen is
assigned a value from a variant variable.
|
|
Hide Field 'BIS'
|
If you are using BIS, if you select this option, the
corresponding field is not displayed when the user starts the program using this
variant. However, you can still assign a value to the field in the
variant.
|
|
Hide Field
|
If you select this option, the corresponding field is not
displayed when the user starts the program using this variant. However, you can
still assign a value to the field in the variant.
|
|
Protect Field
|
If you select this option, the user cannot overwrite the value
in the field on the selection screen.
|
Note that the bottom section of the Save Attributes screen
lists every field available on the selection screen. Each is classified with a
type. The field type indicates whether the field is a parameter (P) or selection
option (S).
Helpful Hint
The selection screens designated for the program are displayed
one after the other. Because a parameter or selection option can occur on more
than one screen, the attribute fields for that field accept input only the first
time they appear.
Things to Remember
-
The Multiple Selection dialog box has four key tabs.
-
The Import from Text File button allows you to restrict your report output to data contained in a third-party list or data source.
-
You can create a virtually unlimited number of variants for a single SAP query report.
-
You have multiple options when executing a report with a variant, including saving the variant in the SAP Query tool as a default for a specific query.
-
You can prevent users from modifying entries on a report's selection screen by using the Protect option.
