Jan 14, 2016
jQuery has been around for a while and it has become one of the de-facto web development plugin due to its powerful DOM manipulation capabilities. While SAP Design Studio does not directly support jQuery (inside its default BIAL script editor), we shall see ways in which we can integrate jQuery with SAP Design Studio to enhance the features & capabilities of the applications.&JQuery and DOMFor the beginners in us, JQuery is a JavaScript library that helps us “do more for less code&. It essentially wraps the common JavaScript tasks into functions that allow web developers great flexibility and use. Its ability to manipulate DOM (Document Object Model) – using which containers and elements in a web page are arranged in a logical tree hierarchy – is extremely powerful. The following are some of the things that JQuery can do.HTML/DOM manipulationCSS manipulationHTML event methodsEffects and animationsAJAXUtilitiesIn addition to the above, jQuery can also do a lot more which is outside the scope of our review. Its popularity can be seen by the fact that 63% of the top million sites by traffic volume use it today (Source: Libscore).&Adding JQuery in Design StudioWhile jQuery cannot be used inside the BIAL Script Editor in SAP Design Studio, it can be used in the following scenarios:Using the HTML Box and Script Box editors that are part of the VBX Extensions for SAP Design Studio released by Visual BI.jQuery can be used inside the SDK custom extensions – but this is outside the scope of our topic&&HTML BoxThe HTML box is a simple but powerful utility that delivers HTML editing capabilities to SAP Design Studio.You can paste your HTML code in the additional properties sheet (see image) of this component to get started.Script boxThe script box is a similar component using which you can incorporate custom JavaScript into your SAP Design Studio application. It natively includes the JQuery library and supports all JQuery scripts.The usage is very similar to HTML box, and the script is applied globally to the application developed.&JQuery + SAP Design Studio in ActionI have included some samples of what is possible by leveraging jQuery inside SAP Design Studio.The possibility of JQuery is limitless. The following are few of the things that are done using JQuery in SAP Design Studio.&ZoomClick on Click outside to zoom out
&Dynamic GridAbility to drag and drop visualizations to rearrange controls
&Rock-Paper-ScissorsHave fun playing Rock-Paper-Scissors on SAP Design studio.
&These are just simple ideas, and the potential for using jQuery with SAP Design Studio is much larger.&Read more @
Jan 14, 2016
This Blog explains how to Process Data Sources in Parallel by using Processing Group, Un-Merge Prompt and Global Scripts Object. &Scenario: Your Application contains many numbers of Tabs and each has multiple Data Sources. Also, you have to apply filter to all these data sources based on the user input. &Challenges: Your Dashboard performance is going to take a hit, because of the number of Data sources to be loaded. Also, there is a need for the application of filter to all these Data sources, and whenever there is any change in filter values, these Data Sources to be reloaded again. &Solution: Design Studio 1.5 has many performance improvement features. We will take a look at few of them and how to use them effectively while creating the Application. &Process the Data Sources in Parallel &By default, the Data sources are process one after other, in a sequential order. This process consumes more time, and the Application load will take lots of time. To avoid this, we can process the Data Sources in Parallel. &Step 1: For each of the Data Source, make the property Load in Script: True. &&When we select a Data source to Load in Script, application will not load the Data source on_Startup. Developer has to load the Data Source though a script. By this, we can decide when each of these Data Source to be loaded. Also specify a Processing Group. This can be any user defined name. While mentioning Processing Groups, you can group a set of Data Sources into one group. All Data Sources, belongs to one group get processed Sequentially and each Processing Group get processed in Parallel. &Like the below diagram, Processing_Group1, 2 and 3 will be processed in Parallel. Under each Processing Group, Data sources will get processed sequentially. So DS_1, DS_2 and DS_7 will be processed in Parallel, DS_3, DS_4, DS_8 after that and DS_6 and DS_5 in the next stage. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& By processing in Parallel, the Application loads fast. &Step 2: Un-Merge Prompts: Set the Merge Prompts and Force Prompts on Startup option to False. This scenario is required for use of parallel query execution. Even you want to merge the variables, technically you need to use unmerge. With additional synchronization scripts you have to achieve a "simulated Merge" mode. In order to activate the parallel query execution, you have to run the application in unmerge scenario. &&Step 3: As mentioned above, we have to stimulate the Merge scenario through Script. We have to load each Data Source by applying the filter values to them. In Design Studio 1.5, Global Scripting Object can be used as a Function to process repeatedly used tasks. Instead of loading each Data source and applying the filter one after other, we can use this functionality to create a Global Script Object and load the Data Sources by passing them through this script. This helps us in ease of Application maintenance. If a new Data Source to be added later, or a New Filter to be applied, this can be achieved by Adding / Changing a single line of code. &You create an initial screen to capture the filter / prompt values. For the &On Click’ value of Refresh button, you can call the Global Script Object. &Step 3.1: Create a Global Script Object by selecting Global Scripts Object from the Technical Components Menu. &&By right clicking the new Global Script Object and selecting Create Script Function we can create a new Global Script Object. &Step 3.2: Create the new Global Scripts Object. You have to create one Input Parameter by selecting Insert button. This Input Parameter should be of DataSourceAlias type. Write the script similar to the one shown below. Load the Data Source (loadDataSource()) and pass the prompts (setVariableValueExt()) to it, by referring to the Incoming Data Source Name assigned through the Input Parameter. &&Step 3.3: Create the new Tab, where we capture the Prompt values and process it through the script. We call the Global Scripts Object from the Refresh button &On Click’ event.&&We will pass all Data Sources through the Global Scripts Object by calling the function like: &Having a Global Script will help us in managing the Application easily. If a new Data Source to be added or a new filter to be incorporated, all we need to change at one place only.&Thus, by combining Load in Script, Processing Group, Un-Merge of Prompts and Global Scripting Object we will be able to Load the Dashboard much faster.
Jan 14, 2016
Conditional formatting for Charts is a very important topic and the out of the box charts as part of SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio are only offering some basic functionality in this area and with release 1.6 and the new InfoCharts all your conditional formatting has to come already as an Exception from the assigned data source (BW) - which means you still are missing some advanced options.&If this is an important topic for you - keep reading.&&So lets assume we have a data source which shows a dimension Product Group and three measures : Revenue, Cost, and Profit.&&So now we are going to setup a chart that shows the Revenue by Product Group.&&So our charts does not show all three measures, but we still would like to be able to use any of the measures in the assigned data source to setup a conditional formatting.&So lets look at the options we have available. In the first scenario we can setup a comparison based on a Single Measure.&&&In that scenario we can choose a "Highlighted Measure" - which can be any of the measures in the data source - and then we can selected a Comparison Measure - which can be any of the measures in the data source.&&So for our example we configured the Highlighted Measure to be the Revenue (Net Value) and the Comparison Measure is the Profit. We can then decide if we want to use a static value for comparison or if we want to make it dynamic - which then gives us the option to either setup a Data Cell Selection or we can assign another measure as the Comparison Value (see above).&The second option is to setup a Conditional Formatting based on a Measure Calculation (see above). In such a scenario we can also select a "Highlighted Measure" and we can then setup a calculation as Comparison value.&And last but clearly not least is the option to setup a Conditional Formatting based on a Target Value definition. In our example we are using the Revenue (Net Value) as Highlighted Measure. Our Comparison Measure is the measure Cost and our Target Value is the Revenue (Net Value).&We then defined 2 rules for the highlighting:&- In case the Cost is in 75 to 100% of our Revenue, then the particular item will be Red in the Chart.- In case the Cost is in the range of 50 to 75% then the item will be orange.&So with those rules our chart looks like shown below.&&As shown in the steps here:&You can setup conditional formatting for charts based on measures that are in the data source but are not necessarily in the chartYou can setup conditional formatting using a Single Measure, a Calculation, or a Target ValueYou can setup conditional formatting using static values and dynamic values.&&In case you interested in such advanced capabilities - feel free to look here for further details:&Happy formatting.....
Jan 14, 2016
Are you part of SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio projects ?Are you looking for options to increase you SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio skills ?&If you would answer the questions with yes - then join me in a 2 days packed workshop on SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio Advanced Topics.&Date :& Wednesday, January 27, 2016 –& Thursday, January 28, 2016&Location: San Francisco&Prerequisite: You should already have basic Design Studio skills&Trainer: that would be me &&You can find the complete details here:&&&I hope to see you there.
Jan 11, 2016
Some of you might have started working with SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio (Design Studio) with previous knowledge and projects on the Web Application Designer and some of you might have started in Design Studio with previous experience in SAP Dashboards (former Xcelsius).Especially if you have developed dashboards in SAP Dashboards previously, you most likely integrated a component into your dashboard which so far does not exist as an out of the box component with SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio - a simple slider.&As part of our next package of extensions we created now a Slider component that is able to offer several advanced functionalities.&In general the slider component is able to create three different types of sliders:&Slider based on numeric dataSlider based on Date valuesSlider based on Dimension members&&So lets create a slider based on numeric information:&After we added the Slider component to our dashboard in Design Studio we can open the Additional Properties (shown below)&&&Here we can decide:if we would like to setup a Single or a Dual Sliderif we would like to setup a Horizontal or Vertical Slider&In our example we setup a Dual Slider going from 0 (Minimum Value) to 100 (Maximum Value) and we define the default start and default end values as a range going from 20 to 80.&&Simple as that.&&So if we now change the Type of Slider to the option Date, we have the following options to us:&&Not only can we now configure a Minimum and Maximum Value for our Slider, we also have the option to define the exact format for the Display, Input, Return Value.Display Format refers to the actual display of the date valueReturn Format is the value format for the scripting and filteringInput Format is the value format that is used in the Additional Properties.&We can also specify the granularity of the slider - which for our example is the Day / Date option.&In our example we configure the display with a short weekday name, the full month name, and the year value.&&For the Return Format you have similar options like you can leverage in Microsoft Excel for formatting date values.&&So now lets look at the third options and we change the Slider Type to "Data Points" and we assign a data source to it.&&So in our example we have a Dimension Product and as soon as we assign the data source to the Slider component, the user can select the Dimension Product or the Dimension Measures.&&So after assigning it the user gets the dimension members displayed as part of the slider and could use the dimension members for example as a filter value.&&In addition to all those features, the slider also provides the option to setup a Conditional Formatting.&&&You can setup conditional formatting for the Slider Scale, Slider Background, Slider Handle, or the Slider Tooltip and you can decide to use Static values, or Percentage values in relation to the Maximum, or you can configure a Target Value definition where you can define ranges based on target value achievement.&&&Above is a Slider going from 0 to 200 with several conditional formatting ranges defined for the Slider Scale.&&I hope that I was able to show what is possible with the slider and how it can help - especially for projects moving from SAP Dashboards to SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio.&A collection of blogs showing additional functionality provided by Visual BI Extensions is available here:
Jan 11, 2016
SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio is now in its 7th release (release 1.6) and the ability to create extensions has evolved with each release. Here I will collect blogs around what customers are able to do using Visual BI Extensions and how customers are able to close some important gaps in SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio. In addition it also show what type of extensions can be developer using the SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio SDK.&&List of blog entries&001:& 002: 003: 004: 005: 006: 007: 008: 009:
Jan 8, 2016
Portable Fragment Bookmarks are a very powerful and useful feature in SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio. It allows users to create bookmarks of an application and share it with business users. When a bookmark is saved to a folder, users with access to that folder can retrieve the bookmarks.At Visual BI Solutions, we had a scenario where we had to populate all the fragment bookmarks for an application in a listbox and let the users open the required fragment bookmark. When implementing Portable Fragment bookmarks and running SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio on BI platform mode, we ran into one drawback – that is that the bookmarks get replicated on the platform when different users open the same bookmark. This causes the bookmark folder to have replicas of the same bookmark. When listing the available bookmarks in a listbox, this causes the list to have replicas and the list becomes confusing.To overcome this, we can use scripting to remove duplicates from the listbox of saved bookmarks and also to delete all the associated(replica) bookmarks when we delete a particular bookmark.To Load only the original bookmark in the List box:We can check for duplicates with respect to the title of the bookmarks, since each of the replica bookmarks has a unique id.var bmk = Bookmark.PortableFragmentBookmark.getAllBookmarkInfos("ONLINE_COMP");& //Retrieving all the bookmarks of the foldervar list=""; //String to save the unique bookmark titlesbmk.forEach(function(element, index) {if(Convert.indexOf(list, element.title)==-1){&& //Checking for replicaLISTBOX_SAVED_ANALYSIS.addItem(element.id, element.title);}list=list+";"+element.&&& //Adding bookmarks to a listbox});&To Delete a Portable Fragment bookmark and its replicas:var title= "";if (LISTBOX_SAVED_ANALYSIS.getSelectedValue()!=""){title = LISTBOX_SAVED_ANALYSIS.getSelectedText();var bmk1 = Bookmark.PortableFragmentBookmark.getAllBookmarkInfos("ONLINE_COMP");bmk1.forEach(function(element, index) {if (element.title==title){Bookmark.PortableFragmentBookmark.deleteBookmark(element.id);}});LISTBOX_SAVED_ANALYSIS.removeAllItems();&Load the list box as mentioned earlier, so that no more replicas are present.One limitation of this workaround is that not more than 1 bookmark can have the same name even though the enterprise IDs may change. While creating bookmarks, this is a useful work-around to include in our application to avoid such scenarios during sharing of the bookmarks.Source :
Jan 8, 2016
Here the updated list of webinars for January 2016 (Happy New Year to everyone)&For all webinars :&Start Time : 11:00 AM (CT), 12:00 PM (ET), 10:00 AM (MT), 9:00 AM (PT)Duration : 1 hour&SAP Cloud for Analytics is a new generation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that redefines analytics by providing all analytics capabilities for all users in one product.& It is built natively on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform to simplify access to a new public cloud experience that customers can trust. In this session you will understand the components that make up the solution, how it’s positioned and its key differentiating features.&&&Find out the different options to get your data today into SAP Cloud for Analytics, whether it is stored into BW, HANA or other types of sources on premise or in the Cloud. This brand new analytics Cloud platform is fast evolving so we’ll also be taking a sneak peek into the future and look at what are the plans to expand the list of datasources supported.&&&&&ASUG members who use or plan to use SAP Analysis Office are invited to join the ASUG BI Community in learning how they can influence the future direction of the software.& This is a re-launch of the successful ASUG Analysis Influence Council and because Analysis for Office and the EPM Add-in for Microsoft Office are converging, we also welcome EPM users.&ASUG Influence Councils provide structured forums where members collaborate with peers and SAP solution managers to solve similar product challenges, share ideas, and influence specific SAP products and services.& The participant profile includes both IT and business users.& This is a unique ASUG benefit to you to influence SAP on future direction.&&&Attend this session to discover how mobility has revolutionized IT and the ways over 1,800 users across the globe work. We explore the processes of building and deploying a mobile BI solution for its global sales representatives. We also review how architecture, IT structure, and business organization for online and offline consumption on a tablet was impacted and how adding mobility to the tool mix has revealed the need for a new skill set in IT and a sustainability organization.& Solution includes using Web Intelligence.&&&&SAP Cloud for Analytics is a new, single experience for decision making where you can discover, visualize, plan and predict, all in one place.& Learn advanced techniques for administering Cloud for Analytics in your organization.& Topics include:- Efficiently create user security settings and enable Single Sign-on.- Deploy pre-created content throughout your organization.- Connect Lumira datasets and universes into Cloud for Analytics&&&&This session provides an overview of three focal areas: 1) New usage potentials experienced while using the SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio SDK with examples of a new data source extension, new visualization and map experiments, and an overview of the new SDK functionality available with 1.5. 2) A recount of experience with using SAP Lumira VizPacker and the SAP Web IDE VizPacker plugin. 3) Leveraging and the challenges faced with common libraries such as SAPUI5, D3, CVOM, and RequireJS.&&&After going live with SAP in April of 2009 Fairfax Water struggled with standard reporting in SAP. While some transactions gave FW good reporting options using list edits and variants FW realized they needed better reporting in SAP. After purchasing SAP Crystal Reports in 2012 FW saw they could get the information they need out of their SAP system in a way that their end users could understand.&Lessons:-Embedding SAP Crystal Layout inside of standard SAP transactions-Using SAP Crystal to analyze data in a manner not possible with standard SAP layouts (grouping, conditional counting, etc.)-Using Multiple data sources to mash data into a logical report-Turn-around time for implementation is minimal&&&SAP Cloud for Analytics is a new generation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that redefines analytics by providing all analytics capabilities, including BI, predictive and planning, for all users in one product.&In this session, we use the example of a Sales Analyst to show how SAP Cloud for Analytics enables his day-to-day work by allowing him to seamlessly transition between his different analytical needs. First, the analyst explores the historical sales data of a product that’s heavily impacted by seasonality, he then runs a time series forecast on this data using the SAP Cloud for Analytics’ predictive capabilities and incorporates the outcome of the time series analysis is in his planning process.&&&&&&&I hope you enjoy these session.&Please note, that these are webinars organized by the ASUG BI group and for attending you need to be a ASUG Member.
Jan 7, 2016
Change Log&01/15/2015 - Updated the download with included GeoJSON file type support in File dialog boxes.& (Screenshot at bottom)01/14/2015 - Updated the download to include all fixes and enhancements from 01/12/2015 - to 01/14/2015.& Try the update!01/13/2015 - Several bug fixes01/13/2015 - YouTube Video showing component property editing added.01/13/2015 - Marker Size Scale Support (Example at bottom of post)01/12/2015 - Color Scale Support in Markers (Example at bottom of post)01/12/2015 -
support in markers.01/08/2015 - Custom Marker Images added! (Example at bottom of blog post)01/08/2015 - Markers, Cluster Markers, and Heat Layers added! (Examples at bottom of blog post)01/08/2015 - First version now released and available to download!01/07/2015 - Blog posted&Planned Enhancements&Bubble LayersMultiple Data Source support.& This doesn't appear to be possible just yet in 1.6 SP0 since bindable properties for result sets do not appear to be working as expected.Quick Video&Link to YouTube to view larger/full screen: &
&New Year, new maps.& &Multiple Base Tile Layer Support&Support for as many map tile overlays as you like, to allow your users to switch between them at run time.& Example follows:&By default, two Open StreetMap base maps are configured (labeled Standard and Satellite).& The 'Active Base Layer' property specifies which tile layer should be visible initially.& In this case, it is the 'Standard' map tile set that happens to be the same as the standard SAP Design Studio Geo Map component.& Also available, and selectable at runtime, is an Open StreetMap Satellite overlay.Let's see how easy it is to add a new one.& We click the [+] button:&A pop-up comes up, with some fields for your map tile layer.& But, we also have a ton of presets I've compiled already.& I've added around 18 different map tile server configurations, however you can feel free to enter your own manual properties if you have a favorite tile server or one on your corporate intranet.& I'll pick an ESRI National Geographic tile set.&Next, I'll rename the label to reflect the map layer, also we see all the map tile settings that were configured for you from the preset:&Now, if I simply close the details pop-up, and change the name of my active layer to 'National Geographic', we can see the results in the design-time canvas:&So at runtime, we can see how to switch simply by using the layer control by hovering over the layer icon to expand the choices, and selecting one of the three map tile layers available:&Pretty simple!&Map Overlays&Map tiles are cool and all, but we actually need to plot some data on them for them to be useful.& Here's an example of how.&First, we find the Overlays section under Layers, and again click the [+] button to create a new layer.&We now get all the layer details we can use:&By default, you can see in the canvas that a grey country level overlay has been added, but let's look at all the properties and explain what they are for:&Simple Cosmetics:&Layer Key - Like the base maps, this is the label that will appear in the layer menu at runtime that you can toggle on or off.Visible - Whether the layer is initially visible or not.Default Feature Color - This is the default fill color of the geographic feature when no data is mapped to it.& In this case, light grey.Default Feature Border Color - This is the border color of each feature, in this case, a darker grey.Line Weight - The thickness of the feature border.Border Opacity - Controls how transparent/solid the border is.Fill Opacity - Controls how transparent/solid the feature color fill is.Color Scale Measure and Color Scale:&Color Scale Measure is a way to select your measure that you wish to plot to your map.& I prefer to take a flattened data approach instead of tuple selections, so let me explain by binding this to some data.& In this case it's just country populations by year:This data set has a single dimension in rows (Country) and a Key Figure/Measure structure in Columns.& We are not limited to one element in rows or columns, however in this case it just makes sense.& If we were to have something like 'Product' in columns, the flattening concept will concatenate the values together in columns (and rows) to maintain a 2-dimensional selection.& So let's illustrate with the Color Measure selector options:By default, I set Color Measure to be 'By Position' with a position of 0.& So if we look at what this would translate to, it would be the '1960' measure.& If the columns change at runtime due to filtering etc, it will always look at whatever is in column 0.& Sometimes this may be what you want.If your dashboard is prone to change columns due to other data interactions and you ALWAYS want to select on 1960, you would select 'By Name' and set it to whatever intended column:Color Scale is how we apply coloring to the features based on the Color Scale Measure we have set.First we have 'Scale Colors', which is a palette of colors to provide to the scale.& The Options button contains tons of preset colors to switch to as you may have seen in many of the other components I've written.& You can configure as many or few as you like.Next, we have 'Scale Type'.& I provide three different D3 scale options here.& Depending on how your data is set, you may prefer Quantile over Quantize scale.& You can read about the differences here:&&& Quick visual difference between Quantize and Quantile (in this case, I think the winner is obvious):I do want to quickly elaborate on Linear Scale though...& Linear Scale gives some additional scale options, as well as linear color interpolation instead of the color 'bucketing' that is done with Quantile and Quantize.& Below is an illustration of a polylinear scale going from red to white to green, where the range is set using Median * 2 or Mean * 2, the min and max, or manual.& Again, depending on your numbers, one of these 4 options may yield better results.& I've chosen the 'Mean' method here, which takes the mean of the values in 1960, and multiples by 2 to determine the max of the scale.& I've also set 'Clamp Scale' on, that way values over mean * 2 are clamped to the green.& Also you see I provide the 3 color interpolation options of RGB, HCL, and HSL here.& You can read more on d3's color interpolation here: Tooltip TemplateRather than painting you into one particular type of tooltip, I decided just to give you an HTML template to work with.& Below is the default, followed by the runtime result when clicking on a feature.So how does this work?& Depending on certain token string placeholders in your HTML, I'll replace them either with feature properties, measure labels, or measure values.& Here's your cheat sheet:TokenDefinition{featurekey}Will replace with the feature property you've selected as your feature key{feature-property}Will replace with the feature property.& For example, {feature-income_grp} will replace with the GeoJSON feature property value (illustrated in the pic above){colormeasure-label}Replaces with the name of your selected color measure.& In the above example, the phrase 1960.{colormeasure-value}Replaces with the value of your color measure.{measure-position-label-n}Replaces with the label of the measure at the position n.& For example, measure-position-label-1 would select the label 1970.{measure-position-value-n}Replaces with the value of the measure at the position n.{measure-key-label-key}Replaces with the measure name based on measure key.{measure-key-value-key}Replaces with the measure value based on measure key.TODO:TODO: Perhaps include tokens for formatted values, as well.Map TypesNext, something I thought was pretty cool... How to change the map overlay out.& I provide 3 options:By URLYou can simply link to a GeoJSON/TopoJSON map by HTTP URL.& You can see that the default url has a {ds-maps} placeholder.& This is just a placeholder that points to the default GeoJSON map that Design Studio comes with (world countries).& I also have included preset links to all the canned maps I made for the Chroropleth maps.& Example preset menu:By FileYou can also upload your own GeoJSON into your design studio application file repository.& Below is an example of a GeoJSON file I made in this blog:& Pictured below: Buildings in a local shopping center.CustomYou can also draw geographic feature directly in the property sheet.& Below is a screenshot of it in action.& There's some limitations here and I'd still suggest drawing custom GeoJSON in a proper editor like QGIS//geojson.io - Also I'd not recommend using large custom GeoJSON and stick to small sizes.Another pic of the 'Source' tab:Initial Map Center and Zoom Level&And finally, we can set a map center and zoom level.& Not only that, but if your map is re-rendered due to being hidden and shown, or being bookmarked, the map center and zoom level state is saved.& This currently still is not possible in the out of box Geo Maps component.&&Marker Layers&Simple Marker LayerCluster Layer:Heat LayerCustom Image MarkerFont Awesome Icon Support and Measure-based Color Scale:&Marker Size Scale based on Measure:Note, I even place largest markers at bottom so you they don't hide smaller ones.& &GeoJSON file type support in Local and BIP Mode file dialogs:&(Click to see better)&&&This version is nearly done and should be available for download in the usual spot (details here: ) by tomorrow.& Questions/Comments/Feedback always welcomed.&More SDK interest?&If you are an ASUG member, you may want to sign up to attend a webinar presentation on Design Studio and Lumira visualization extensions on Jan 26th.& Details can be found here:
Jan 6, 2016
In my , I showcased how you can use Crosstab to control the hierarchyinteraction within a scorecard. In this blog we will create the hierarchy expand and collapsefunctionality directly within scorecard using scripting. As there is no in-built functionality forhierarchy, we will have to achieve this via scripting.&We follow pretty much the same process as detailed in the , but we willenhance our scorecard by adding additional columns for which we will write a code snippet.I am focusing on the Delta.&Defining the datasource with a hierarchy:&Create a blank SAP Design Studio application.Assign a datasource and configure the initial view to have a hierarchy. In my scenario&&&&&& I am using a hierarchy on Country dimension, expanded to level 2.&&&&&Assigning the datasource to a Scorecard Component:&Once you are done configuring the rows and columns, go ahead and press OK&&&& 2. Now we start building and customizing our scorecard component. Drag and drop&&&&&& the scorecard component from the Analytic Component panel on the left.&&Defining the row scope&Assign the datasource and define the row scope up to country dimension and&&&&&&& press “Generate Initial Scorecard&.&&&&&&& 2.& Let’s start customizing the scorecard columns.&Customizing the scorecard columns and properties&Adding New Columns&Let’s start by adding 2 new columns before COLUMN_1: “HIER_EXPAND& and &&&&&&& “HIER_COLLAPSE&.&& 2.& For “HIER_COLLAPSE&, we make the following changes to its properties:&Bind the Icon: Country DimensionMember Display: Member Node StateDisplay Mode: set it to “Icon Only&&Bind the Show Icon Property: Country DimensionMember Display: Member Node StateShow Text is selected.&&&&&Now we add conditional formatting to Icon property:&&&&&&& We are assigning icons from SAP UI5 library for “EXPANDED& node state and &&&&&&&& “COLLAPSED& node state. Therefore, the configuration for setting the conditional &&&&&&&&&& formatting (invoked by pressing the& icon next to the Dimension Member Content &&&&&&&&&&& text box. To add additional conditions, use the +&
icon.&&&&&&&& Add 2 conditions, and map it to the icons from SAP UI5 library as shown in the figure below:&&Next in the Column Properties, we set the Column width in Pixels to a small value like 26 or smaller, so that expand and collapse icons are not too far away from text.&&& b.& This is where we make the distinction of setting a default conditional formatted value&&&&&& for “HIER_COLLAPSE& column. Add a value “EXPANDED& and check it. Uncheck&&&&&& the checkbox for default.&&&&&& 3. Now we set the properties of “HIER_EXPAND&. Everything remains the same&&&&&& as what we did for “HIER_COLLAPSE&, except for setting the conditional formatting&&&&&&& defaulted value to “COLLAPSED&.&&I am highlighting the piece where you make the distinction between Collapsed node andExpanded node. The screenshot below showing the default condition format set to “COLLAPSED&.&&&&&&&&&& Next in the Column Properties, we set the Column width in Pixels to a small &&&&&& value like 26 or smaller, so that expand and collapse icons are not too far &&&&&& away from text.&&&&&Customizing the Hierarchy Column&Click on Column 1 and rename it to “HIER_COLUMN&, and unbind the header text by&&&&&& clicking on the triangle below the Header text and choosing “Reset to Default&.&&&&&&& 2.& Key in custom text and name the Header as “Country Hierarchy& and press enter.&&&&&&& The header text in scorecard is updated accordingly.&&Configuring Country Hierarchy column:&Select Country Hierarchy, and set the properties as follows. Please note there are&&&&&&& no conditional formatting required for this column as we have already set them for the previous 2 columns.&&&&&& 2.& Finally, we now switch to “Cell Layout& to configure the padding property.&&&&&&& This is required to indent the different levels of hierarchy nodes display.&&Cell Padding will take care of the top, right, bottom and left margins for content alignment&Data binding for country dimension needs to be defined.Member display needs to be set to “Member Level&, and we set a default value&&&&&& as Conditional Format to “10px 10px 10px {value}0px&. Please notice that we have&&&&&& a {value} in braces, which will be replaced by the value fetched by the “Member Level& i.e.&&&&&& if we have 3 levels in our hierarchy and we select level 2, then the {value} will be replaced&&&&&& by 2. As we have {value}0px, the result will be 20px. I hope that explanation helps.&&&&Code snippet for enabling Hierarchy Expand and Collapse&Select the scorecard component and in the property sheet, launch the script editor for “On Select& event:&&&&&& 2. The script for this event is as follows:&//Define variable for selecting the column id and user selections.var selColumn = SCORECARD_2.getSelectedColumnId();var selection = SCORECARD_2.getSelection();&var hierKey="";&//Loop to access the hierarchy node value based on the key (Z_COUNTRY is the dimension)&selection.forEach(function(value, key) {&if(key=="Z_COUNTRY"){& hierKey = value[0]; }});&//Expand and collapse the nodes based on what the user clicks&if(selColumn=="HIER_EXPAND"){&& &&&&& DS_2.expandNode("Z_COUNTRY", hierKey);&& }&if(selColumn=="HIER_COLLAPSE"){&& &&&&& DS_2.collapseNode("Z_COUNTRY", hierKey);&& }&&Save and launch the Application&Save the application and launch it in local mode:&&&You can enhance the code to pass the selected values between components. I hope you findthis blog useful. I would also like to thank SAP Design Studio product team for theirvaluable inputs.
Dec 31, 2015
Hi Everyone,&SAP Early Knowledge Transfer for SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio 1.6 is now available in After you have the access to SAP Learning Hub with Enterprise, Customer or Partner Edition Subscription, you will be able to see following Learning Maps for consultants.&SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio 1.6: Learning Map for Application Consultants (search term: EKT_BODESIGN16APP).SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio 1.6 Overview and RoadmapSAP BusinessObjects Design Studio 1.6 OverviewSDK ChangesGeo Map ComponentNew Chart Component and It's Configuration OptionCSV File as Data SourceNew Application DialogDemo Lists: Scorecard Introduction DemoScorecard Standard Properties DemoScorecard Single Cell Properties DemoScorecard Additional Properties Column Definition DemoScorecard Cell Header Layout Text Properties DemoScorecard Binding Introduction DemoScorecard Binding Concept for Non Input Properties DemoScorecard Content Type Content Display DemoScorecard Advanced Conditions (ExampleHierarchy) DemoScorecard Hierarchy Display DemoScorecard Hierarchy Display Expand DemoScorecard Hierarchy Display Expand and Collapse DemoScorecard Content Type Trent Charts(Line_Column_Bubble) DemoScorecard Content Type Comparison Charts Demo If you don't have the subscription yet, please go to , choose your region and find the Local Education Contact in the bottom of the page.
Dec 30, 2015
Overview:In this blog we will try to concentrate on how to use the Portable Fragment Bookmarks in SAP Business Object Design Studio BIP mode and use those Fragments also called as Smart objects in creating a dashboard using the online composition template in the BIP mode. We will also see where in the BIP the Bookmarks are managed and how are they stored. Before I go into details I would like to point that their is a blog written by my colleague Ravin Angara which talks about simulating the Online composition template in local mode, using portable fragments (Bookmarks). Please have a look at that blog too. In Design Studio there are three types of bookmarks. There are blogs and documentations explaining what these three bookmarks are in detail but just as a quick recap here is the small definition of 3 types of bookmarks.Standard Bookmarks: Used when application user wishes to serialize the state of entire application and persist that state in their BIP or SAP NW backend. Fragment Bookmarks: If the application user just wants to serialize only a selected part of their analysis application. Portable fragments / Smart Objects - Used when application user wants to serialize the selected part of the application. The application user can use these smart objects in the online composition template and build their own online dashboards on demand.Steps: Login into the Design Studio in the BIP modeCreate an Application using the Generic Analysis template, Make sure you save the application in the right folder in the BI LaunchpadCreate one more Application using the Online Composition template. Login into the BI Launchpad, browse to the folder where the Application is savedRun the Application and assign the Data Source. In this scenario we will use BEx Queries as the data sourcesSelect the BEx query , drag and drop required fields into rows and columns so that crosstab and charts are filled with data.Save the Crosstab and charts as the smart objects in the bookmark folders. Folders are already created in the CMC under manage folders option. Once saved as bookmarks you can assign a new data source to the same generic analysis template and create new smart objects.Go back to folders in BI Launchpad where the Online Composition template is stored and run the templateWith online composition build the dashboard using the different smart objects coming from different data sources.Check the CMC how and where the bookmarks are stored, how to identify the fragments and what is group identifier.Step 1:Login into the SAP Design Studio client in the BIP mode. Provide the valid BIP logon credentials. If the Design Studio client is started in the local mode then to change it to start in BIP mode go to Tools -& Preferences -& Application Design -& Preferred startup mode and select the BIP. It will prompt to restart the Design Studio client and next time when you start the Design Studio it will start in the BIP mode.Step 2:In order to create the bookmarks in the BIP mode, you have to use the Generic Analysis template. Design Studio 1.6 version has simplified and categorized the delivered templates well. Create a new Application SALES_APPLICATION in the Design Studio clinet, select the folder in the BI Launchpad where you want to save the Application. For Template, lets keep the default selection "SAPUI5" option. In Design Studio 1.6 version they have introduced template types as SAPUI5 and SAPUI5m. SAPUI5m is used when you have a plan to integrate Design Studio Apps into Fiori.& Lets just use the SAPUI5 standard library and select the Generic Analysis template. Click on create button to create the application.Step 3: Similarly lets create one more Application ONLINE_COMP_APP using the Online Composition Template. Make sure to save the Application in the same folder where the SALES_APPLICATION is saved.Step 4:Now both the Applications are created in the BIP mode so logon to the BI Launchpad and browse to the folder where the Applications are saved.Step 5: Double click on the SALES_APPLICATION and the application opens in a new tab. Assign the BW query and create couple of charts for e.g. a Column Chart, Crosstabs and save them as them Smart objects or Portable fragment bookmarks. In the below image at the bottom right you see a pin like icon, click on that and you will see the Create new smart object pop-up window. Here we will select the SALES folder and will save the smart object in this folder. These folders are created in the CMC and users with proper authorizations only will be able to save smart objects in the folders.Save one smart object in the FINANCE folder too.Step 6:Now lets see how to manage these folders so that users can save their smart objects.Login into the Central Management Console and select the Application from the Dropdown or from Manage option.Step 7:Under Applications , select the Design Studio Runtime to manage the Folders and Bookmarks. Usually this tasks are done by the administrators.Step 8:Once you select the Design Studio Runtime option , you will observe that "Actions" option gets enabled. Click on the arrow and see the options to manage Bookmarks. Folders, Properties and User security. Step 9:In order to create the Folders in CMC, select the "Manage Folder" option under Actions and here you can create new Folders and arrange them in a certain structure. We can also maintain the security of the folders so that the users who have access to the folders can only see or save the smart objects in authorized folder.Step 10:To manage Bookmarks, we need to go to the Manage Bookmarks option. When the Manage Bookmark windows opens, you can see different types of Bookmarks created by different users. Administrator can manage the Bookmarks by deleting or moving the Bookmarks to folders. Usually Bookmarks maintenance is done by Administrators only and regular users will not have access to the CMC.From the below figure you can see the Bookmark types. As mentioned earlier there are 3 types of Bookmarks. Fragment Bookmarks, Portable Fragments Bookmarks and Standard Bookmarks. If there are too many Bookmarks then we can narrow down the results by applying some filters or simply searching the Bookmarks. For Portable Fragment Bookmark / Smart Objects, if we see in the screenshot below, a Group Identifier "ONLINE_COMP" is assigned. Usually this group identifier will be will assigned if you create the smart object using Generic analysis template. The Bookmarks which have the Group identifier will be read by the Online Composition template. We can also create custom applications and write / modify code to have custom group identifier. Please refer to the blog created by my colleague Ravin Angara on how to simulate the Online Complication template in local mode, have custom group identifier and how custom Online composition template reads the smarts objects created in the local mode.Step 11:Now lets build the Dashboard using the Smart Objects created earlier. Login into the BI Launchpad and browse to the folder where the Online Composition Application is saved. Double click on the Online Composition Application to open it in a separate tab. The Online Composition Application consists of 2 pages. 1st page will show the created Dashboards in tiles or as thumbnails and in the 2nd page actually the Dashboards are created. Select the "Create" option on page 1 and it will take us to the page 2. We can also select the dashboard thumbnail and edit or share or delete the dashboard. We can also export the dashboard to the pdf format or share the link through email.Step 12:On the Page 2, we see the Fragment gallery on the right side which displays the folders which are available for users. Upon selecting the Folders the Smart objects will appear. To create the Dashboard, the smart objects are dragged and dropped from the fragment gallery to the spilt cell container area on the left. These smart objects are connected to different Data sources and can belong to different Applications. So using the Online Composition template we can create a Dashboard with different smart objects coming from different applications and different data sources. Lets select the SALES folder and we see the 3 Portable fragments which we created earlier using the generic analysis template. Lets drag and drop the smart objects to the split cell container area to create a Dashboard. We can set the folder level authorizations for each users in CMC so that only users will proper authorizations would be able to access the folders and see the smart objects for e.g. here the users who have access to the SALES folder will only be able to see the SALES folder. Upon selecting SALES folder we can see the two smart objects which we created earlier All the folders, user authorizations will be maintained by the administrator in the CMC.So we have successfully created the Portable Fragments using the Generic Analysis template in the BIP mode. We also checked where and how to manage the bookmark in the CMC, how to manage the folders, how to identify the different types of bookmarks. We also created a simple Dashboard using the Online composition template with smart objects stored in different folders. This concludes the blog.
Dec 30, 2015
This is a short blog to show how you can embed images dynamically within the scorecard component.Quick Steps&Create a blank application and assign a DatasourceAdd and Configure scorecard properties and assign imagesSave and launch the application&&Create a Blank Application and assign Datasource&Create a blank application and assign a Datasource. In the Initial view,&&&&&& select the dimensions and measures which you want to assign to the&&&&&& scorecard component.&&&&& 2.& Images for different countries are stored in the repository folder.&&&&&Add and Configure scorecard properties and assign images&Drag and drop the scorecard component and define the row scope.&&& 2.& Configure the cell content for COLUMN_1Dimension Binding to “COUNTRY&Member Display set to “Value Presentation&&&&&&&& 3.& Set the properties for Icon:Dimension Binding to “COUNTRY&Press the Conditional Formatting icon adjacent to the “Dimension Member Content&Set the default value to {value}.png – This will bind the country images to matching&&&&&&&&&&&&&& individual cell values. Like in our example we have “world&, “North America&, “South America&,&&&&&&&&&&&&&& “Asia& as our data values for "COUNTRY" dimension. When we set the default to&&&& &&&&&&&&&&&&&& {value}.png, the value in braces gets substituted with the value of the dimension&&&&&&&&&&&&&& suffixed by “.png&. As we have already saved “.png& images in our application&&&&&&&&&&&&&& folders the images will align with the appropriate countries.&&&&&&&&& d.& The last setting to be made is to “Display Mode& set to “&Icon with Text&. This will&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& enable icons to be displayed along with the data values.The above settings will update the scorecard component and this is what you will see within the Designer Window:Save and launch the application&Save and launch the application in local mode.&&This concludes the short blog on dynamically embedding images within scorecard content.
Dec 30, 2015
In this blog, I will cover how the Translation Management Tool can be used to translate a SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio application/dashboards into multiple languages.& In large organizations, it's common for end users to be located in different countries and have different language backgrounds.& The goal of the designer is to design a single application that can cater to the language needs of the diverse user base.&To highlight how this can be done, I've created very simple Design Studio application that contains a few components(Text Box, Radio Button Group, Button) and set their appropriate text and items properties.&&The application also contains the TEXT_POOL component which can be used as a container to store text values that will be referenced dynamically in the application.& I am using the TEXT_POOL to store a single text value.& In my simple application when the button is clicked, the text property of the Button is changed from "Button" to "New Button".&& The screenshots below show the entry in the TEXT_POOL component and the script for button's On Click event to dynamically set the new text value.&&Note: The TEXT_POOL component must be added to the application in order to use the Translation Management Tool to translate the application.& This is true irrespective of whether you plan on dynamically setting any text values in your application.& If you have no requirements to dynamically change text values in your app, simply add an empty TEXT_POOL component.&Note: The Design Studio application must be saved in the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (SAP BI4.1 SP6+) in order for it to be available for translation in Translation Management ToolTranslation Management ToolOnce the application is created and saved to the BI4.1 SP6+ system, it is ready to be translated using the Translation Management Tool.& The Translation Management Tool is part of the SAP Business Objects BI4 Client tools package.&Once the tool is launched, choose File && Import strings to translate from &&& System Repository.&&Navigate to the folders structure where your Design Studio application is saved and click the Add button and click Finish.&If you see "Invalid filepath: localization.properties. (FWM 02081)" error during the import, this would indicate that your Design Studio application doesn't have the TEXT_POOL component.& See my note above.&If everything goes well, the tool will show the different text values from the applications that are available for translation.& Notice that all text values for my Radio Button Group, Text box and Button are available for translation.& In addition, the text values from my TEXT_POOL component, the name and description of my application are also available for translation.& Time to practice your secondary language skills and start translating.& Simply choose from the list of available languages and type in the translated strings.& You may choose to translate to one or more languages to support the diverse user base in your organization.& I chose to translate to German, but I don't know German so I've simply added the suffix [DE] to the end of my string to indicate the translated values.&&Save your translations back to the BI4 system by choosing "Export translated strings" from the File menu.&&BI LaunchpadIn BI Launchpad, the users can set their language preferences and the Design Studio application should now be displayed in their local language.& To set the language preference, the user will need to change the Preferred Viewing Locale in BI Launchpad preferences.& Since I've only translated my app to the German language, I've set my Preferred Viewing locale to German(Germany).&&With the German locale set, when I view my Design Studio application in BI Launchpad, I see that all the text objects now show the German translation.& If I click on the Button to dynamically change it's text value, the new text value also shows the German translation.&&The translated strings are saved as part of the InfoObject property of the Design Studio application in the CMS database.& This can be validated by looking at the properties of the Design Studio application using Query Builder.& The properties TRANSLATABLE_TEXT_STATE,& TRANSLATABLE_TEXTS, and SI_TRANSLATION_STATE are populated to show that the app is translated to German language.& If the app had been translated to additional languages, the properties would reflect that information.&
Dec 29, 2015
In this blog I will showcase how you can embed a dimensional hierarchy within a scorecard.There is a certain level of customization required to achieve this using the scorecard component options.Very briefly, the steps involved in embedding the hierarchy within Scorecard component are:&Define a datasource with a hierarchy. I will be using a hierarchy on country dimension.Create a cross-tab and scorecard based on the datasource.Define the row scope for the scorecard component.Customizing the scorecard columns and propertiesConfigure node state, type and levels of hierarchy using scorecard cell content and layout options.Save and view the hierarchy using cross-tab and scorecard component.&Next, I will elaborate the steps mentioned above:&Defining the datasource with a hierarchy:&Create a blank SAP Design Studio application.Assign a datasource and configure the initial view to have a hierarchy. In my scenario I am using&&&&&&& a hierarchy on Country dimension, expanded to level 2.&&&&&&&&&&Creating a Crosstab and assigning the same datasource to a Scorecard Component:&Once you are done configuring the rows and columns, go ahead and press&&&&&& OK + Create CROSSTAB: &&& 2.&& The crosstab is generated and the hierarchy data is represented as follows:&&&3.& Now we start building and customizing our scorecard component. Drag and drop&&&&& the scorecard component from the Analytic Component panel on the left. &&&&Defining the row scope&Assign the datasource and define the row scope up to country dimension&&&&&& and press “Generate Initial Scorecard&.&&&&& 2.&& The generated scorecard looks like this:&&&&& 3.&& Let’s start customizing the scorecard columns.&&Customizing the scorecard columns and properties&Click on Column 1, and unbind the header text by clicking on the triangle&&&&&& below the Header text and choosing “Reset to Default&.&&&& 2.& Key in custom text and name the Header as “Country Hierarchy& and press enter.&&&&&& The header text in scorecard is updated accordingly.&&&&& 3.&& Next we will define additional columns. Place the selection on column 2 and press&&&&&&& the “+& button. This will add a new column after Column_2.&&&4. Once the column is added (COLUMN_3), set the following options:In the Header area, key-in a Header Text: “Node Type&In the Cell Content, bind it to “Country& dimension andAssign the “Member Display& to “Member Type&&&&&& 5.& Next add another column after COLUMN_3 and set the following options:In the Header area, key-in a Header Text: “Node State&In the Cell Content, bind it to “Country& dimension andAssign the “Member Display& to “Member Node State&&&&&& 6.& Now for the final column, COLUMN_5. Go ahead and add COLUMN_5,&&&&&& and set the following options:&In the Header area, key-in a Header Text: “Node Level&In the Cell Content, bind it to “Country& dimension and Assign the “Member Display& to “Member Level&&&&&Now that we are done with setting the options on new columns, let’s get back tosetting and customizing our “Country Hierarchy& Column.&&&Configuring Country Hierarchy column:&1.& Select COLUMN_1 (Country Hierarchy), and start by configuring the “Icon& property:a.&&& Binding Type is dimension member content, which is straightforward. &&&&&& We are binding the country dimension.b.&&& Member display requires a bit of configuring, as we will require to set it to &&&&&&& “Member Node State& and set Conditional formatting. Please note this is &&&&&&&& essential as we will require to expand and collapse the hierarchy when we &&&&&&&& select a node in the Crosstab. We are assigning icons from SAP UI5 library for “EXPANDED& node state and “COLLAPSED& node state. Therefore, the configuration for setting icon next to the Dimension Member Content text box.
To add additional conditions, use the& conditional formatting ( invoked by pressing the&+&
icon.&&&&&& c. Now to finally view all the icons you have configured in the previous step, it is required to&&&&&&&& set the “Display Mode& to “Icon with text&.&&&&&& 2.& Next we configure the “Show Icon& property:Set the binding to “Country& Dimension.Set the “Member Display& to “Member Type&.Add conditional formatting by clicking on the icon adjacent to the Dimension&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Member Content text box. Add an additional condition and key-in “HIERARCHY_NODE&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& and set it to default selection by checking the checkbox. Uncheck the default value checkbox.&&&&& This setting will set the icon display to show HIERARCHY_NODE. Icon will show only for HIERARCHY&&& NODES.&&&& 3.& Finally, we now switch to “Cell Layout& to configure the padding property.&&&&&& This is required to indent the different levels of hierarchy nodes display.&&&Cell Padding will take care of the top, right, bottom and left margins for content alignmentData binding for country dimension needs to be defined.Member display needs to be set to “Member Level&, and we set a default value as&&&&&& Conditional Format to “10px 10px 10px {value}0px&. Please notice that we have a&&&&&& {value} in braces, which will be replaced by the value fetched by the “Member Level& i.e.&&&&&& if we have 3 levels in our hierarchy and we select level 2, then the {value} will be replaced&&&&&& by 2. As we have {value}0px, the result will be 20px. I hope that explanation helps.&&&&Save and view the hierarchy&Save the application and launch it in local mode to test the hierarchy.You will notice that when you expand or collapse the hierarchy within the&&&&&& cross-tab, you will also see the hierarchy expand and collapse in the scorecard.&&This concludes the blog on embedding and configuring a Hierarchy within SAP Business Objects Design Studio 1.6Scorecard Component.As this is the first release of the component, there is a possibility of additional refinementsin the future releases.&To remove the dependency on cross-tab to manage the hierarchy(expand and collapse) within scorecard, refer to this blog:}