1. End User Reporting with SAP Query (Everything You Need to Know)
Session Code: Danielle Larocca Signorile

2. Your Reporting Options in SAP
SAP Standard Delivered Reports
Information Systems Reporting (EIS, LIS)
Custom ABAP Reports (hard-coded reports created by ABAP programmers)
InfoSet Query and Quick Viewer
SAP Query
Reporting Options Outside of the R/3 Environment
BW (Business Information Warehouse and Data Warehouse)
Third Party Reporting Tools (Crystal reports, Microsoft Access etc.)

3. What is SAP Query?
SAP Query, formerly known as the “ABAP Query” in versions earlier than 4.6 is an end user reporting tool that can be used to easily create reports from any application area in SAP
SAP Query offers users a broad range of ways to define reporting programs and create different types of reports such as basic lists, statistics, and ranked lists.

4. How Does it Work? Language Comparisons Query Groups SAP R/3 SAP Query
Application Areas
Query Groups
(User Groups)
SAP R/3
Security
SAP Query
InfoSets
(Functional Areas)
SAP R/3 Database

5. How Long Does it Take to Setup The SAP Query?
The actual configuration of the tool takes less than 5 minutes to complete. Prior to setting up the tool you should review the slide titled “Administrative Decisions on SAP Query Use” found at the end of this presentation
Review Administrative Standards
Create Query Groups (User Groups)
Assign Users to User Groups
Create InfoSets
Assign InfoSet to Query Group

6. What is a Query Group?
A “Query Group” or “User Group” is a defined grouping area in SAP where queries are housed
Users groups are NOT about security groupings, they are only for logically grouping reporting users in categories
For example a user group called Benefits Group would contain all of the report users in the benefits department and all of their queries would be grouped together into a single user group to make accessing their InfoSets and queries easier.
Users can be in more than one user group and can have one set as their default.

7. Create SAP Query Groups
Navigate to Transaction Code SQ03
Type in a Query Group Name and select the Create button

8. Assign Users to User Group
From the main screen select the Assign users button.
Type in the SAP User ID’s for all users you want in the group and select the Save button

9. What is an InfoSet?
An “InfoSet” (formerly known as a “Functional Area in versions earlier than 4.6) is a prearranged grouping of data from the SAP R/3 database
The SAP Query tool uses an InfoSet as the source of the data used for reporting. It can be a table, a program or the most popular option, a Logical Database (LDB).
The LDB is a hierarchal pre-arranged subset of data. There are hundreds of LDB’s delivered with your SAP system.

10. Create an InfoSet Navigate to Transaction Code SQ02
Type in a InfoSet Name and select the Create button.

11. Create an InfoSet Continued . . .
Give your InfoSet a name
Select a Logical Database and then select the Enter key

12. B A C Create an InfoSet Continued . . .
The InfoSet screen is divided into 3 areas.
A – Lists the tables contained in the LDB
B – Lists the “Field Groups”
C – Field level detail B A C
Note: InfoSets look different in version 4.6 (shown here) than in earlier versions.

13. B A Assign Fields to Field Groups
All of the tables from your LDB are listed in the “A” window. You can right click on the fields within the tables to add them to the Field Groups shown in window B.
Only the fields added to field groups will be available for reporting using the SAP Query.
Once you have added all of the fields you wish to add select the Save button followed by the Generate button. B A

14. Assign InfoSet to Query Group
From the InfoSet main screen, select your InfoSet and then select the User Group Assignment button.
The User Group that you created in step #2 will appear, select it and select the Save button.
The configuration of SAP Query is complete.

15. Configuration of SAP Query Recap
The configuration of the tool itself takes only 5 minutes to complete and once it is configured you can create an unlimited number of queries from it.
At this point you are probably starting to think about some of the administrative options regarding the configuration and the use of the SAP Query, we will address those questions in a slide at the end of this presentation titled Step #1 Review Administrative Standards.
Lets create a report using the SAP Query!!

16. Create a Report with the SAP Query
Give the report a name
Select field groups
Select fields
Add fields to the reports selection screen
Specify the order and output of your fields
Selection screen
Your finished report

17. Creating an SAP Query Report - Step by Step
Navigate to the SAP Query (SQ01).
Type in a name for your report and select the Create button.
You will be prompted to select your InfoSet.

18. Screen #1 – Title Format Screen
Stores the name of the report, page size and other basic information
You can navigate between the basic screens using the directional arrows on the toolbar

19. Screen #2 – Select Field Groups
This screen is where you select the Field groups that contain the fields that you want to output in your report.
(This list of Field groups is from the InfoSet we created moments ago)

20. Screen #3 – Select Fields
This is where you select fields from the Field groups (highlighted in blue) indicated on Screen 2 to be included in your report

21. Screen #4 – Add Fields to Selection Screen
This will list all the fields you selected on the previous screen.
From here you can select fields to appear on the selection screen (screen #6) to be used as additional selection criteria.

22. Screen #5 – Basic List Line Structure
Here is where you set up what you want your report to look like.
Specify the order and output of your fields and indicate any counts or totals.
Select Save to save your report
Select F8 to Execute your report
Test

23. Screen #6 – Selection Screen
The selection screen lets you specify exactly what data you want to see in your output. Fill in any specifications and select the Execute button to see the finished report.
The fields added in Step #4 (Plane type and Airline Carrier ID) are now displayed on the selection screen under Program Selections.
Enter your selections and select F8 to Execute your report

24. Screen #7 – Your Finished Report
In Ver 4.6 your default report is displayed in the in the “SAP List Viewer” shown here.
Versions earlier than 4.6 your report is displayed as a basic ABAP list by default.

25. Comparing Report With Screen 5

26. SAP Query
Creating SAP Queries is very easy using the 7 Basic screens outlined.
In addition to these 7 basic screens – there are 7 additional screens that can be used to further detail your reports.
I refer to the first 7 screens as the “basic screens” and the latter seven screens as the “advanced screens”. The strategy for training the tool is best when you teach the basics (screens 1-7) and then, once mastered, teach the remaining 7 advanced screens. This is my lingo only. In SAP’s eyes there is no distinction between the screens.
To navigate to the advanced screens, begin from screen #5 Basic List screen and use the forward arrow to sequentially advance through each of the advanced screens.

27. SAP Query Advanced Screens
Add Subtotals to the report
Change Subtotal texts
Format the list line
Alter the column widths, add colors, hide leading zeros and create templates
Insert text to appear before output for each line
Create custom headers and footers
Create graphics (charts and diagrams)

28. SAP Query Sample Report

29. Screen #8 Add Totals to the report
This screen increases the options you have for varying the layout of your list.
Any field indicated on screen 5 as a “Sort” is available here
You specify sub-totaling from this screen.

30. See What the Subtotal Looks Like

31. Screen #9 - Change Subtotal Texts on the Report
This screen increases the options you have for varying the layout of your list.
Any field selected on screen 8 for subtotaling is available here
You can modify the way the sub-total texts appear on your report from this screen.

32. See What the New Subtotal Text Looks Like
Before
After

33. Screen #10 - Change Line Output Options
This screen increases the options you have for varying the layout of your list.
You an change the color of the list, remove the headers and insert blank lines or pages.

34. See What the New Changes Looks Like
Before
After

35. Screen #11 - Field Output Options
This screen increases the options you have for varying the layout of the columns in your list.
You can change the color of a column, vary position in the file, change column widths, hide leading zeros and create templates.

36. See What the New Changes Looks Like
Before
After

37. Screen #12 - Inserting Text Before Data Output
Any field selected on screen 11 for template is available here
You can insert texts into the report output for each individual line item.

38. See What the New Changes Looks Like
Before
After

39. Screen #13 - Create Custom Headers & Footers
You can insert Headers and Footers into your report, including the insertion of page numbers, dates, etc.
Shortcuts
&%DATE
&%TIME
&%PAGE

40. See What the New Changes Looks Like
Before
After

41. Screen #14 - Graphics
One-line basic lists, statistical lists, and ranked lists can be displayed in graphical format.

42. See What the New Changes Looks Like
Before
After

43. How Long Does it Take to Setup The SAP Query?
The actual configuration of the tool takes less than 5 minutes to complete. Prior to setting up the tool you should review the slide titled “Administrative Decisions on SAP Query Use” found at the end of this presentation
Review Administrative Standards
Create Query Groups (User Groups)
Assign Users to User Groups
Create InfoSets
Assign InfoSet to Query Group

44. Review Administrative Standards
1. What will be your client/transport strategy?
A popular best business practice is to design the InfoSets in your development environment and maintain your Query(User) Groups and the Queries themselves in your live productive environment.
Will objects be created in the Standard or Global Application area?
A popular best business practice is to create objects in the Standard area and to keep them client specific.
3. Who will “own” the InfoSets?
A popular best business practice is to determine ownership of the InfoSets. Because they can be completely customized to your needs, a well trained technical member of the team should “own” them, work on them in the development client, move them to QA for testing against queries created in QA and once they pass testing, move them to live production client.
For more information on the administrative decisions read the SAP Professional Journal Vol 4, Issue 2 March/April 2002

45. Other Cool Things that SAP Query Can Do
Create local fields within the query and do calculations (hire date + a year, salary + 4% etc.)
Add additional ‘tables’ to your existing logical database
Use it to create interfaces (flat files, positional files)
Schedule queries to run behind the scenes on a schedule (weekly, monthly etc.)
Add queries to transaction codes so that they be run by users who do not have access to the tool
Insert symbols and icons into your reports
Use the query for standard downloads to Microsoft (Excel, Word, Outlook and Access)

46. Some Popular SAP Query Questions

47. Is the SAP Query a Resource Hog?
Proper Configuration is the Key to Ensuring that the SAP query Does Not Become a Resource Hog!
Enforce the use of Logical database in the creation of InfoSets (avoid the use of custom programs or direct table reads for transactional based tables)
Properly train your end users on the use of selection screens and variants
Enhancements made to the tool (formerly known as the ABAP Query) were made in ver 4.0 and later including enhanced database indexing to improve data retrieval

48. Can SAP Query Be Used for Payroll Results?
You can evaluate payroll results using a query. A number of predefined infotypes are available for the evaluation. The wage types required for the evaluation are entered in these infotypes:
You can either activate these predefined infotypes or create your own infotypes using the same structures. You can enhance these infotypes by using additional wage types and then activating the infotypes. This makes the necessary data, from the payroll results, available on the PNP logical database.
More Info: select the Find button and type in “Infotypes for Evaluating Payroll Results ”

49. #2 Review the SAP Professional Journal Articles
Want More Information?
#1 Visit the ASUG Website and review these past conference presentations
2002 Conference
Session Code “4024” Human Resources Reporting Using the ABAP Query (version )
2001 Conference
Session Code “2810” End-User Reporting with ABAP Query (version )
2000 Conference
Session Code: “2601” End User Reporting in SAP (version 4.0)
#2 Review the SAP Professional Journal Articles
SAP Professional Journal Vol 4, Issue 2 March/April 2002
Reconsidering the ABAP Query for Your Reporting Needs, proper Configuration is the Key to Success (versions )
SAP Professional Journal Vol 5, Issue 3 May/June 2002
Create Powerful reports Quickly and Easily: A train the Trainer Approach to Learning and Teaching the ABAP Query Tool (versions 4.0 – 4.6)
Or stop by their SAP Professional Journal booth at the vendor fair for more information

50. Thank you for attending!
Please remember to complete and return your evaluation form following this session.
Session Code: 2802