View Definition Parameters
View Definition parameters are used by the Retrieve View and Compare View actions to define the structure of the SAP table data to be retrieved or compared.
To set the value of a View Definition parameter, open the Property Editor and click the field to the right of the parameter’s ‘View Definition’ action property. The View Definition Editor dialog is displayed in the lower portion of the Workflow Editor, showing the name of the parameter being edited. Note that the workflow diagram may not be edited while this dialog is displayed.
The initial dialog displays a list of available Business Areas. Select the area for which to create the View Definition to display the following dialog, which displays an example View Definition for the selected Business Area.
Modify the XML code for the View Definition and format it as required using the Tab and Enter keys. Alternatively, if the ‘Format XML’ check box is selected, the XML code will be formatted automatically. The XML code is syntax-checked as it is entered, and appropriate messages are displayed underneath the dialog’s title.
The XML should contain a single top-level node. If a processing instruction is included in the first line, (for example <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>), this will be removed when the editor is closed.
The Creating View Definitions help topic describes the components of a View Definition. For examples of View Definitions, please see the workflows in the APO templates package.
Click ‘Save’ to save the View Definition or ‘Rebind...’ to select a different Business Area.
To examine the details for a View Definition parameter after a workflow has been saved, select ‘View Details’ from the node’s context menu. The Details screen includes the following sections:
Alias Tables Section
The Alias Tables section specifies the SAP tables that will be extracted by a workflow that uses this View Definition. Since SAP data is often stored in several related tables, each View Definition requires one parent table, and normally includes one or more child tables. The following details are shown for each table definition.
Heading
Each table has a heading which indicates the alias name used for the table by LiveCompare. The alias name is used in the Key Relations section (described below) to define relationships with other tables. The heading also indicates which is the primary table for the View Definition.
Each table definition has the following sections:
ID Columns:
This section lists the key columns for the table. Key columns may be used to define relationships with other tables in the View Definition. These relationships are listed in the Key Relations section.
Usage:
This section indicates how the table definition will be used when data is retrieved from SAP according to the View Definition. If MAIN is shown, the associated dataset will include a Table object containing data extracted from the aliased table. If ADD_COL is shown, columns from this table will be added to another table in the View Definition when the data is retrieved.
Table:
This section indicates the name of the SAP table referred to by the alias.
Ignore:
This section lists the table columns which are to be ignored in the View Definition. Ignored table columns are not retrieved, compared or reported upon when a workflow is executed.
Exception:
This section defines the constraints that are to be applied when table data is extracted by the workflow. Within the View Definition, exceptions are listed in a table with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Tag | This column contains either TYPE or COL. If the Tag column contains TYPE, then the Text column (described below) refers to the name of an exception. If the tag column contains COL, then the Text column specifies a table column to which the exception will be applied. |
| Text | If the Tag column contains TYPE, the Text column refers to the name of an exception. If the Tag column contains COL, then the Text column specifies a table column to which the exception will be applied. |
LiveCompare supports the following exception:
| Exception | Description |
|---|---|
| UNIQUE_VALUES | Values retrieved in the columns specified for the exception should be unique. |
Add:
This section specifies columns from a second table which are to be joined to the aliased table when the workflow is executed. Each additions table in a View Definition has the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| COL | The name to be used for the additional column when it is added to the aliased table. |
| SOURCE_ALIAS | The alias for the table from which the additional column is to be obtained. |
| SOURCE_COL | The name of the additional column from the SOURCE_ALIAS table. |
Don’t Compare:
This section lists the table columns which will not be compared when the Compare View action is run against the retrieved data.
Key Relations Section
The Key Relations section lists the relationships defined in LiveCompare between the alias tables in the View Definition. The following details are shown for each Key Relation:
Rel No.
A number assigned to the Key Relation by LiveCompare.
Column Mappings
This section describes a mapping between columns in two aliased tables. The mapping is shown in a table with alias names as column headings, and rows which lists the field values to be matched in each of the alias tables. If a field to be matched has the same name in both tables, the name is shown only in the first column.
View Conditions Section
The View Conditions section lists the conditions applied to the table aliases in the View Definition. The View Conditions are shown in a table with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Alias | The table alias to which the condition is applied. |
| Selects | The conditions to be applied to the table alias. Each condition includes a field name, a comparison operator and a value. |
To examine the details for a View Definition parameter after a workflow has been saved, double-click the node or select ‘View Details’ from the node’s context menu.