Hierarchies

Definition
A hierarchy is a method of displaying a characteristic structured and grouped
according to individual evaluation criteria.
A BW hierarchy has the following properties:
 Hierarchies are created for basic characteristics (characteristics containing master data).
The characteristic 0COSTCENTER is an example.

 Hierarchies are stored in master data tables. They are also similar to master data, and
can therefore be used and modified in all InfoCubes.

 You can define several hierarchies for a single characteristic.

 A hierarchy can have a maximum of 98 levels.

 You can load hierarchies from the R/3 system, or from a flat file. You can also create and
change hierarchies manually in the BW system.

Use
Hierarchies are used in two main ways:
 Firstly, the structured display of characteristic values (tree display) in a presentation
hierarchy.

 Secondly, selecting a defined quantity of characteristic values as a selection of hierarchy

nodes.

Structure
A hierarchy consists of nodes. A node can be assigned to a higher level node.
There is exactly one top node (root). All nodes on the same level of the hierarchy
(nodes that are the same distance away from the root) form a hierarchy level. A
characteristic hierarchy consists of nodes that can and nodes that cannot be posted to.
Hierarchies can be created only for those characteristics that do not reference
other characteristics. (See also: Creating InfoObjects: Characteristic).

The characteristic Cost Element can be structured according to cost element

groups. The highest hierarchy level consists, for example, of personnel costs,
material costs, administration costs, and so on. Personnel costs are divided up,
for example, into the cost element groups pay, salaries, and personnel overhead
costs. The cost element group ‘pay’ contains the cost elements ‘individual pay
costs’, ‘pay overhead costs’ and ‘other pay costs’.
 Another typical example of a characteristic hierarchy is the grouping of the
characteristic Region into districts that are themselves sub-divided into areas.

Integration
You can
 load characteristic hierarchies from a source system

The source system can be an R/3 OLTP system or an external system (BAPI, file). If you
want to load a hierarchy from an external system, you have to first maintain the Metadata
for this hierarchy. You can load a hierarchy directly from an R/3 system – the Metadata is
already delivered with it.

See: Loading Hierarchies

 create characteristic hierarchies in the Business Information Warehouse

See: Creating Hierarchies

If you are working with aggregates and are loading or creating new hierarchies,
or changing existing hierarchies, you have to reconstruct the aggregates that are
affected by the changes afterwards (see: Adjusting Changes to Hierarchies and
Attributes).

Prerequisites
You have to determine in the InfoObject-Maintenance whether or not you want the
characteristics to have hierarchies. The properties of the hierarchy (for example,
the hierarchy versions, time-dependent hierarchy structure) are also defined here.