Creating a Semantic Layer

with SAP Business Objects

Universe (Desktop version)
MOTIVATION

LEARNING METHOD

This material is an
introduction to how to
developa SAP Business
Objects Universe. It is aimed
at students at universities,
universities and other
educational institutions with
limited experience with
Business Intelligence.

The learning method used is

guided learning. The benefit
of this method is that
knowledge is imparted
quickly. Students also acquire
practical skills and
competencies. As with an
exercise, this method
explains a process or
procedure in detail.

It can be used in the

classroom or for self-study.
On completion of the course,
students will be able to
understand the basic
concepts of a universe and
how to design and develop a
universe.

Exercises at the end enable

students to put their
knowledge into practice.

The material also serves as a

reference for occasional users
of SAP systems.
This version of the notes is
designed for the SAP BOBJ
Enterprise version
This version of the notes is
designed for the SAP BOBJ
Interactive Analysis trail
version.

Product

Requirements

SAP Business Objects

Universe Design Tool

Level

SAP Business Objects

Interactive Analysis
installed

GBI.mdb data set.

Beginner

Focus
Semantic Layer

Author
Paul Hawking

Version2

Paul Hawking

June 2012

SAP Business Intelligence provides a broad range of reporting tools to facilitate decision making of
the different end users. These tools can interact with data from different data sources. SAP Business
Objects provides a semantic layer (universe) which facilitates the interaction with data sources and
the extraction of data. This tutorial provided you with a step by step explanation of how to construct a
universe which will be utilised in later reporting exercises.
.

Scenario
Global Bike International (GBI) is a world class bicycle company
serving both professional and amateur cyclists. The company
sells bicycles and accessories. In the touring bike category,
GBIs handcrafted bicycles have won numerous design awards
and are sold in over 10 countries. GBIs signature composite
frames are world-renowned for their strength, low weight and
easy maintenance. GBI bikes are consistently ridden in the Tour de France and other major
international road races. GBI produces two models of their signature road bikes, a deluxe and
professional model. The key difference between the two models is the type of wheels used, aluminium
for the basic model and carbon composite for the professional model. GBIs off-road bikes are also
recognized as incredibly tough and easy to maintain. GBI off-road bikes are the preferred choice of
world champion offroad racers and have become synonymous with performance and strength in one
of the most gruelling sports in the world. GBI produces two types of off-road bike, a mens and
womens model. The basic difference between the two models is the smaller size and ergonomic
shaping of the womens frame.
GBI also sells an Accessories product line comprised of helmets, t-shirts and other riding accessories.
GBI partners with only the highest quality suppliers of accessories which will help enhance riders
performance and comfort while riding GBI bikes. Figure 1 displays the GBI range of products.

G
B
B
I
I
K
E

Traditionally GBI was a wholesaler who sold their bikes to retailers who then resold the bikes to the
end consumers. Recently GBI has decided to sell their bike to the end consumer via the internet.

Paul Hawking

June 2012

Organisational Structure
GBIs headquarters are located in Dallas and the European subsidiary company (GBI Europe) is
based in Heidelberg, Germany. In regards to the GBI sales process there are two sales organisations
for America (Eastern US and Western US) and two for Germany (Northern Germany and Southern
Germany). All sales organisations have a wholesale distribution channel responsible for delivering the
products to the customers. However only one sales organisation is required in each country to
support internet sales. The diagram below displays the GBI organisation to support the sales
process.

Requirements
GBI management currently SAP ECC to manage and automate their business processes. They have
discovered that one of their departments are using a Microsoft Access database to record sales data.
The Department Heads have indicated thatthey would like the information provided in a user friendly
format. This will facilitate them to gain greater insight to their sales data to understand the trends and
sales performance. In response to these concerns, it was decided to build a number of reports using
SAP Business Objects Interactive Analysis. To provide the connection between the data source
(Microsoft Access) and the reporting tool a universe needs to be created..

Paul Hawking

June 2012

SAP Business Objects Universe

What is a Semantic Layer?
A semantic layer is a business representation of corporate data that helps end users access data
using common business terms.
Often when database developers build databases their main objectives involve the efficient creation,
updating and deletion of data. They are not usually concerned about whether non database people
understand the complexities of the underlying structures. While business users want to create reports
based on the data contained in the database to facilitate decision making. The semantic layer
insulates the business users from the underlying data complexity while ensuring the business is
accessing the correct data sources and using consistent terminology.

The semantic layer enables users to use common business terms rather than the technical database
language to access, manipulate, and organise information, it simplifies the complexity of the business
data.The following diagram displays the various components of the semantic layer.

Paul Hawking

June 2012

SAP Business Objects Universe

A Universe is a semantic layer tool used in Business Objects to map the data in your data source
using everyday terms. The Universe enables the user to create a query to extract the data from a
data source, describe it using common business terms and then analyse the data using different
reporting tools.The Universe is used to run queries against the data source to extract data.

Paul Hawking

June 2012

Below is an example of a Universe based on the GBI data.

TheUniversestructure contains:
Connection details to a data source
SQL structures (called Objects) to map the database structures (columns, tables, and
database functions)

A schema of the tables and joins used in the database

On the right of the screen is the schema of the database. While on the left are Universe objects that
are required for reporting.
A Universe can be used to connect to a variety of data sources (Databases, Excel, XML, Text, Web
Services.

The release of SAP Business Objects 4.0 provided functionality to connect directly with SAP
solutions and thus a universe is no longer required to connect to SAP.

Paul Hawking

June 2012

Building a Universe
You use the Business Objects Universe Designer (also referred to as Universe Design Tool) to create
a Universe. However before you create a universe you need to create a database connection.

Creating a database connection

A data access driver is the software that connects the Universe to your middleware. Data access
drivers provided with Business Objects include: IBM DB2, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
Sybase, Teradata, Hyperion, Generic OBDC.
For this exercise you are going to use OBDC connection drivers. OBDC (Open Database
Connectivity) is Microsofts interface for accessing data in a heterogeneous environment of relational
and non-relational databases.
1.

Choose

StartSettingsControl PanelAdministrative Tools

This is dependent on your operating system. An alternative might be:

Choose
StartProgramsAdministrative Tools

2.

Double-Click

Data Sources (OBDC).

3.

Click

to move to this screen.

4.

Click

to display the Create New Data Source screen.

You now need to select the appropriate driver for your data source. For this exercise you will be
using a Microsoft Access database.

Paul Hawking

June 2012

5.

Click

6.

Click

Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb) need to scroll down.

to proceed to the next step in the process.

The OBDC Microsoft Access Setup screen appears.

You will now need to name your data source and link it to the GBI database.
7.

Type

<your name>GBI in the Data Source Name: field.

8.

Press

<TAB> to move to the next field.

9.

Type

GBI Data Source in the Description: field.

10.

Click

11.

Locate

the GBI (GBI.mdb) database. Refer to workshop leader for the location

12.

Click

GBI.mdb to select it.

13.

Click

14.

Click

Paul Hawking

to link to the GBI database.

June 2012

You will notice that your new Data Source connection is listed.

15.

Click

Paul Hawking

to complete the process.

June 2012

Creating a Universe
You create a Universe using the Universe Designer. To access the Universe Designer:
16.

Choose

StartProgramsInteractive AnalysisUniverse Designer.

The Universe Designer path maybe different depending on which version of Business Objects you
are using. An alternative path is:
Choose
StartProgramsSAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0SAP
BusinessObjects Enterprise Client ToolsUniverse Design Tool.

After a short time the Universe Designer Wizard appears.

This wizard walks the user through the steps in creating a basic Universe. For the purpose of this
exercise you will initially us the wizard. You can see that there are four steps in the process.

20.

Click

to begin the process.

Step 1: Define the universe parameters

This step involves linking your new universe to the database connection you created previously.
17,

Type

<name> GBI Universe in the Enter the universe name field.

Although you have created a ODBC connection you have not created a connection to your universe.

Paul Hawking

10

June 2012

18.

Click

to create this connection.

You will select a target database middleware, then configure the data access driver that you use to
access the middleware. You can also set certain parameters to optimize your connection.
19.

Type

20.

Click

GBI Connection in the Connection name field.

to move to the next step in the process.

The Database Middleware Selection screen appears.

21.

Type

GBI Connection in the Connection Name field.

You will now need to select the OBDC driver for Microsoft Access 2007.
22.

Scroll down

till OBDC Drivers

23.

Click

this driver to select it.

24.

Click

MS Access 2007 appears.

to move to the next step in the process.

You now need to specify the logon details to your data source. You are going to accept the default
credentials.
25.

Click

Paul Hawking

in the Data Source name: field to display the available options.

11

June 2012

Notice that your previously defined data source(<your name>GBI) appears.

26.

Click

<your name>GBIto select it.

Before you continue any further you should test the data source connection.

27.

Click

The following message should appear:

If not contact your workshop leader.

28.

Click

29.

Click

to move to the next step in the process.

The Configuration Parameters determine how the universe interacts with the data source.

30.

Click
process.

to accept the defaults and to move to the next step in the

31.

Click

to complete the connection.

Note more details about settings for the data source connection can be found in Help. You can
access Help by pressing <F1>.
You have now defined the Universe Connection Parameters.

32.

Click

Paul Hawking

12

June 2012

Step 2: Create Classes and Objects

A Universe uses classes and objects to represent the databases structures. An objectrepresents a
column (data element), calculation or function in a data source. It represents a meaningful entity,
fact, or calculation used in business environment. Objects are selected to construct a query. Once the
query is performed, the objects are returned with values.
A class is a logical collection of objects. Most classes in Business Objects correspond to a table in
the database. But this may not be user friendly for a business user.
The Create Initial Classes and Objects dialog screen lists the tables in the data source.

Your data source may require many tables or columns that are not required in your query for
analysis. This screen gives you the options of only selecting objects you require.
33.

Scroll down

34.

Click

to display

table.
to select it.

You can view the contents of the table to check that it is the table you require for the query.

35.

Click

Some of the Material table values appear.

36.

Click

Paul Hawking

to close the screen.

13

June 2012

You have determined that the Material table is required for analysis and therefore should be included
in your Universe.

37.

Click

to include the table in the universe.

Notice how the table now appears in the classes and objects area.

38.

Click

next to

to expand the class and display the objects.

39.

Click

to close the Material class.

You now need to add the remaining tables to your Universe.

40.

Add

Paul Hawking

the following tables to your universe.

14

June 2012

Your screen should appear similar to below:

41.

Click

to move to the next step in the process.

Step 3: Create Measure Objects

Measureobjects retrieve numeric data, or calculated data based on data in the database. A
Measureobjects usually reflects the value of a transactions such as amount, quantity etc.
Measureobjects are usually aggregated (sum, min, max, count etc) in some way.
For the purpose of this exercise you will create Measure Objects using the wizard and manually.
Currently the Create Measure Objects dialog screen appears. Notice that the tables that were
previously were selected for classes and objects appear on the left of the screen. Also notice that
there are different aggregation functions options (count, sum, minimum, maximum). You will define
the Quantity field in the GBI Transactions table as a Measure Object and use the Sum aggregation
function.

Paul Hawking

15

June 2012

42.

Click

next to

43.

Click

44.

Click
Measure Object.

to display the fields.

Quantity to select it.

to select this aggregation function and define the

Notice that Quantity now appears on the right of the screen.

45.

Click

to move to the next step in the process.

Step 4: Generate the Universe

Your Universe has now been generated and can be further enhanced manually. Your screen should
appear similar to below.

46.

Click

Paul Hawking

to view your newly created universe.

16

June 2012

Universe Design Tool

The Universe Designer appears on screen with the Objects and Classes that you previously
defined.

Screen components
The screen contains a number of areas which you will be using in this tutorial.

Structure Pane
This contains a graphical representation of the underlying target database of theUniverse. It includes
the tables and joins to which you map objects that end users use to run their queries
Universe Pane
This contains theClasses and objects defined in the universe.These are the components of the
Universe thatusers see and use to create their queries.

Paul Hawking

17

June 2012

Adding a Table
Previously you used the wizard to add the necessary tables to your Universe. An alternate method is
to add the tables manually using the Table Browser. You have realised that you require the Material
Group table data for future reports and will need to be added to the Universe. To add another table:
47.

Click

on the Editing toolbar to display the Table Browser.

48.

Click

to select this table.

49.

Click

50.

Click

to insert the selected table to the Universe.

the dialog screen.

Notice the new table appears in the Universe.

51.

Drag

Paul Hawking

the Material Group table to re-position it near the Product Category table.

18

June 2012

Defining Table Joins

You will notice that many of the tables in the Structure Pane are related to each other through the
use of joins. These have been determined by the wizard based on the name of fields. You need to
check these carefully as they can often be incorrect and will impact the data extracted from the data
source. You will also notice that some of the tables (Sales Organisation, Material Group)are not
related to any other tables. You will need to create a join. You can do this manually by using the
mouse to drag a line from a column in one table to a matching column in another table.
52.

Drag
the Sales Org field in the Sales Organisation table to the Sales
Organisation field in the GBI Transactions table.

Notice that a line appears between the two fields to indicate a relationship (join).

53.

Drag
the Material Group field in the Material Group table to the Material Group
field in the Product Category table.

Paul Hawking

19

June 2012

Setting Cardinalities
Setting cardinality is a critical step in a universe design.Cardinality refers to relationship between
two tables based on the join. It indicates how many rows in one table will match those in the other.
You can detect cardinalities automatically or create them manually. You will notice that the joins
between many of the tables looks differently to the joins you just created. This indicates that the
cardinality has been automatically determined. To automatically detect cardinality:
54.

Click

55.

Click

56.

Click

57.

Click

the Material Group join to select it if it is not already selected.

on the Editing toolbar to detect cardinalities.
the Sales Org join to select it.
on the Editing toolbar to detect cardinalities.

Notice that the join graphics have changed. To better understand joincharacteristics:
58.

Double-click

the Sales Org join to display the Edit Join dialog screen

Notice the screen explains the type of join and displays the corresponding SQL statement. You could
have created the join cardinality manually using this dialog screen

59.

Click

Paul Hawking

to close the dialog screen.

20

June 2012

Describing Classes and Objects

Using the wizard you defined a number of classes and objects. A class was used to group
relatedobjects.
60.

Click
objects.

next to

to expand the class and display its corresponding

In a Universe you can define three different types of objects. Measureobjects are the key metrics
contained in a query. For example, sales amount, quantity, result. They are usually aggregated.
Dimension objectsare used to analyse and provide meaning to a Measure object. For example,
product and customer Dimensions objects provide a better understanding of a quantity measure
object. Lastly a Detail object provides a description to a Dimension object. For example the
Distribution Channel Dimension objecthas the Distribution Channel Description Detail object. ie
IN > Internet

Defining A Class
A class is a logical grouping of objects in a Universe. The naming of a class should indicate to the
user the type of objects it may contain. Currently the classes contained in the universe reflect the
database design. You need to change these classes to make them appear more logical to the end
user and query developer. The proposed design is:
Class
Material

GBI

GBI Sales

Paul Hawking

Objects
Material Group
Material Group Description
Product Category
Product Category Description
Material
Material Description
Standard Price
Unit Cost
Sales Organisation
Location
Distribution Channel
Distribution Channel Description
Date (Year of Date, Quarter of Date, Month
of Date)
Quantity
Revenue
Cost

21

June 2012

You currently dont have the GBI or GBI Sales classes. You can either create a new class or rename
and existing class.
61.

Right-Click

<your name> GBI Universe Measures class to display the context menu.

62.

Choose

Class Properties to display the dialog screen.

63.

Type

GBI Sales as the new Class name.

64.

Click

to accept the change.

Notice that the class has been re-named.

To create a new class:
65.

Click

on the Editing toolbar.

The Class Properties dialog screen.

66.

Type

67.

Click

GBI.

to accept the change.

You can move objects between classes using drag and drop.
68.

Click

next to each class to display the contained objects.

According to the proposed design the Material Group object should be part of the Material class. To
achieve this:
69.

Drag

to

Notice that the Material Group object now appears in the Material Class. The Material Group
Description should also appear in the Material class. This object does not currently appear in the
Universe Pane. You can create an object by dragging a field from the Structure Pane to the
Universe Pane.
70.

Drag

Material Group Description from the Material Group table to

Notice that the Material Group Description object now appears in the Materialclass.

Paul Hawking

22

June 2012

71.

Drag

the following objects to corresponding classes:

Class
Material

Objects
Product Category Description

GBI

Sales Organisation
Location
Distribution Channel
Distribution
Channel
Description

Notice that some Dimensions appear twice in the Universe. You will need to delete these to prevent
any future confusion.
72.

Right-click

to display the context menu.

73.

Choose

Clear

74.

Press

<ENTER> to accept the deletion

75.

Delete

and

Defining A Detail Object

A Detail object provides descriptive data about a Dimension and is always attached to a Dimension.
After an analysis of requirements the following Detail objects have been determined
Dimension
Material

Sales Organisation
Distribution Channel

Detail
Material Description
Standard Price
Unit Cost
Location

Material Group

Distribution
Channel
Description
Material Group Description

Product Category

Product Category Description

Currently many of the proposed Detail objects appear as Dimension objects. These can be changed
through the Object Properties.

76.

Right-Click

Material Group Description dimension to display the context menu.

77.

Choose

Object Properties to display the dialog screen.

78.

Click

Paul Hawking

to display these options.

23

June 2012

Notice that you can define the type of object on this screen.
79.

Click

to select this option.

Notice that options appear to indicate which Dimension this Detail object is associated with.
80.

Click

81.

Click

82.

Click

to display the Dimensions.

Material Group to select it.

to accept the change.

Notice that Material Group Description appears as a Detail object associated with the Material
Group dimension.

83.

Define the following Detail objects:

Paul Hawking

24

June 2012

Creating Measure Objects

In addition to Dimension and Detail objects you can define Measure objects. From the analysis it
has been determined that 3 Measure objects are required: Quantity, Revenue, Cost. Using the
wizard you created the Quantity measure already. You will now create the other measures:
84.

Right-Click

Revenue dimension to display the context menu.

85.

Choose

Object Properties to display the dialog screen.

86.

Click

87.

Click

to display these options.

to select this option.

Notice that the aggregation function appears (Sum).

88.

Click

to accept the change.

Notice that the Revenue object now appears as a measure.

89.

Repeat

the process for the Cost measure.

One or the purposes of a universe is to make it easy for the query designer to understand the
business requirements and hide the technical aspects of the underlying data source. To prevent any
confusion:
90.

Drag

91.

Drag

92.

Delete

93.

Rename

94.

Rename

to
and

to
.
to Quantity

to Sales Organisation Description

Currently end users will be able to analyse the data by the Purchase Datedimension. In other words
they can analyse the date by day. However they would like to be able to also analyse sales by month,
year and quarter to get a better understanding. This can be achieved by using a time hierarchy.
95.

Right-Click

Purchase date dimension to display the context menu.

96.

Choose

Object Properties to display the dialog screen.

97.

Type

Date to change the dimension name

Paul Hawking

25

June 2012

Notice that the Universe Design Tool has determined that this dimension is a date type.
98.

Click

to display these options.

As it has been determined that this is a date data type a new option appears.
99.

Click

The following screen appears with different date options:

100.

Click

101.

Click

to accept the changes.

102.

Click

to accept the changes.

Notice that a
103.

Click

Paul Hawking

each date option to select it.

next to the Date dimension.

next to

to display the date variables.

26

June 2012

You have completed your Universe which will be used as a basis for reporting using SAP Business
Objects Web Intelligence (Interactive Analysis). Your Universe should look similar to below:

You need to save your Universe.

104.

Click

105.

Click

on the Standard toolbar to display the save dialog screen.

to accept the default name and save the Universe.

The Universe you have created can be used as a basis for the Reporting With SAP Business
Objects Interactive Analysis workshop.

Paul Hawking

27

June 2012