Filters in Business Objects

It keeps amazing me just how many types of filters there are in Business Objects.

• First : there are the Query filters. The most limiting filters, which have an effect on the datacube - everyone knows (I hope) about these filters, and uses them. They depend a lot on the database and have a big influence on the speed of the report (depending on indexing in the database).
• Second : there is the report-filter. Few documented, easy to use, a filter set on a report only applies on the report and on all tables in it, but not on the other reports.
• Third : the table-filters. Commonly used to filter inside a table, each table in a report can have its own filters. (first and second can be found in Format>Filters

These are the ones you see in a basic BO class (2 days) and continue with in the advanced class (1 day) But there is a fourth (little known) way to filter, and I found it most useful in some situations.

That fourth filter is what I would call : the object-filter -- it means that you can filter out a certain object based on a given condition. How :

In the properties of a table, a chart, a section and some other stuff, you can activate the "Hide Block" checkbox. If you do so, and confirm with ok, then the block is gone, and you can only get it back if you switch BO into structure view (View > Structure) -- so don't do that. But you might have asked yourself.. what is that box underneath ? well, here you can enter a condition - but you have to enter it manually in this format : =function(<object>) operator value. e.g. =Sum(<sales>) < 8000000

The result of the comparison has to be a boolean value (true/false). e.g. on a chart you could count how many years you have available and only show the chart if you had more than 1 year. e.g. =count(<year>) > 1. The chart will remain hidden as long as you don't have more than 1 year. When you refresh and an extra year was added to the result of the query, then the chart would show up. Pretty nice trick.

No File menu in Business Objects

This is a bug I came across some time ago.

Here is the solution :

Follow these steps:
       1. Go to Microsoft Visual studio in Business objects
       2. Press Ctrl + g
       3. copy paste this command
"Application.CmdBars.ActiveMenuBar.Visible = True" in newly opened window
i.e. immediate window
       4. Press 'Enter' button
found this on ittoolbox website

Customised List of Values

Business Objects has many features. In previous articles I already explained some of them — but this next one is quite interesting and well hidden.

Imagine the following situation. You create a query on a database using Business Object. You are an account manager for a certain number of customers, and you only draw information from the database for those customers. But – the list of customers is long. Each time, you have to select YOUR customers from that list. A lot of work. You can create your own list of values, containing only your own customers, so you don’t have to select them from the endless list. Here is how :

Let’s say you had this kind of List of Values(LOV) :

It is a long list, and you only use specific products. You could then create your own list of values, to display only the products YOU work with. First of all, you would need to put those names or numbers in a textfile.

The first line of this file is the title. (If you don’t put anything here, then BO will call the list F1. Not very nice.) Once the file is ready, (containing the customers/products/customercodes), you can then link it to the universe you use by opening Business Objects. Go to the “Tools” menu and choose “Universes”. From the list of universes, select your own Universe.

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And click the button “Lists of Values”

Of course, you need to select :“Personal Data”, which automaticaly puts you in the “file selection” dialog :

here, you browse to the right place on your computer, choose the right delimiter (I used an Enter..so I chose character) and don’t forget to select “First row contains column names”. Confirm with OK. Done.

From now on, when you ask for a list of values on categories, you get :

 

Easy — no ?