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BEx Web Application Designer

Introduction The BEx Web Application Designer is a desktop application for creating Web applications with BI-specific content. Using the BEx Web Application Designer, you can create an HTML page containing BI-specific content such as various tables, charts, or maps. This HTML page (Web application) forms the basis of Web applications with complex interaction, as well as Web cockpits and iViews. The command wizard and pattern wizard are integral parts of the Web Application Designer. Using the command wizard, you can easily generate commands from the Web Design API and include them in your Web template. Using the pattern wizard, you can configure BI patterns to a certain extent and tailor them to meet your needs. Features The initial view of the BEx Web Application Designer has four different screen areas in addition to the menu and toolbars as depicted in the figure below

Web Items Screen Area (1) Web Template Screen Area (2) Errors and Warnings Screen Area (3) Properties Screen Area (4)

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You can adjust the appearance of the Web Application Designer to meet your requirements. The object on which you are working, namely the Web template, is handled differently from the tools and help windows with which you are working. You can show and hide the individual screen areas and toolbars using the View menu option. You can reposition the three toolbars and the Web Items and Properties windows as required. Depending on where you position the object, it is either anchored or appears freely as a toolbox. Since the Web Application Designer is a Multiple Document Interface Application (MDI Application), you can open and manage different windows with Web templates simultaneously. You can use the Window menu option to arrange the windows differently: cascading (overlapping), vertical, or horizontal. Web Items Screen Area The Web Items window offers a pool of Web items that you can use to create your Web application. A Web item describes the way in which the data from a data provider is displayed, such as tables, maps and graphics (i.e. Chart).

The Web Items screen area is divided into the following sections: The selection groups for Web items (master Web items) are located in the upper area, divided into various categories:

Standard: The following Web items are part of the Standard grouping: Analysis Chart Report Navigation area Filter area Button group Dropdown box Radio button groups Checkbox group List box Hierarchical filter selection Extended: The following Web items are part of the Advanced grouping: Web Template Container Layout Container

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Tab Pages Group Single Document Document List Map System Messages Information Field Input Field

Miscellaneous: The following Web items are part of the Miscellaneous grouping: Data Provider Information Text Link List of Exceptions List of Conditions Menu Bar Properties Pane Ticker Context Menu Script

Web Template Screen Area The Web Template window contains the Web templates that you edit in the design process and that form the basis of your Web applications.

Structure In the upper section of the Web Template screen area, there are three tab pages you can use to change the view of the Web template in the same way that you do in an HTML editor.

Layout tab page In the layout view, you have a visual focus and specify the layout of the Web application. To do this, you use drag and drop to insert Web items from the pool of Web items into your Web template. For more information about other options and procedures for the layout of Web templates, see Layout Design of Web Templates and Context Menu in Web Templates. In the lower section of the layout view, you can create data providers. When you doubleclick New Data Provider, the dialog for creating data providers opens. You can also create data providers in the Web Items screen area.

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XHTML tab page The XHTML view displays the XHTML that corresponds to the layout view. Each element of the XHTML syntax has a different color. Overview tab page On the Overview tab page, all Web items, data providers, and commands used in Web templates are listed. By selecting or deselecting checkboxes, you specify which of these objects is listed. The objects are listed vertically in the Web Item Name column. In the horizontal alignment of the table, any data providers and reusable Web items associated with the object listed are displayed. Using Sort Order, you can specify how the used objects are to be listed: o Grouped If you choose this sort order, the objects used are listed by type: data providers, Web items and commands. o Web Template If you choose this sort order, the sequence of the objects used in the Web template are displayed as a flat structure. o Web Template (Hierarchical) If you choose this sort order, the sequence of the objects used in the Web template are displayed as a hierarchical structure. You see a hierarchical structure if you nest Web items in the Web template (for example, when you use the Container Web item). You can change the parameters of the associated objects using the context menu for each Web item, Web template, and data provider listed Properties Screen Area In the Properties screen area, you define the properties of Web templates and Web items. Structure The Properties screen area is divided into the following sections:

In the dropdown box in the header of the screen area you see the selection for which you want to define properties for a Web template or for specific Web items. Depending on your choice in the dropdown box, you can then make various settings for Web templates or Web items. Once you have selected a Web template from the dropdown box, you can set the parameters for the Web template on the Web Template Parameter tab page. Once you have chosen a Web item from the dropdown box, you can make the following settings: Tab page: General Here you can use the Create New symbol next to the dropdown box to create a data provider and assign it to the Web item. See Web Template Parameters.

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Tab Page: Web Item Parameter Here you can set the parameter for the selected Web item. In the lower area of the Web Item Parameter tab page or the Web Template Parameter Web page, context sensitive help is available. Errors and Warnings Screen Area The Errors and Warnings screen area is used to display errors and warnings that are found when a Web template is being verified. Integration The errors and warnings that are displayed in this screen area refer to the following possible checks of the Web template. Verify This check is performed automatically and by default every two seconds. Within the verification, the internal structure of the Web template is checked. You can change the refresh time for the verification in the menu bar under Tools Settings. Verification on the server With this verification, which you trigger manually, additional conditions for creating a correct Web template are checked on the server side. Here for example, the system verifies whether a query that is being used as a data provider exists. To trigger the verification, on the menu bar for the Web Application Designer, choose Web Template Verify on Server Correct and format During this verification, which you can trigger manually, the internal structure of the HTML is checked. You can only trigger this verification when you are in the XHTML view. From the Web Application Designer menu bar, choose Edit Correct and Format. Under Data Provider, you can create data providers of type Filter or of type Query View. Drag the required data provider type into your Web template using Drag&Drop. The dialog for creating data providers opens. Underneath the selection for Web items and data provider maintenance, you see the help area, which provides explanations for the Web items and the data providers. To display the texts for the respective Web item, select the Web item by double-clicking with the right mouse button. To hide the texts, proceed in the same way. Once you have hidden the display of texts and selected a Web item by single clicking, a quick info is displayed for the Web item.

Creating A Web Application Using the Web Application Designer

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After selecting Create a new web application, you will get a new screen wherein you can add web items from the left of your screen to create a web application. Let us create a simple web application having A table a Chart and a Navigation Block. You can drag and drop these elements from under the Standard Web Items pane into the WAD layout.

Select on Create a new data provider and the following window will pop-up

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Browse for a query you have created. We have selected a query created on one of the BW Statistics Cube here YTBD_STATS_QUERY. And select ok. Select the table in your right hand pane and check the properties tab in your left pane.. Assign the Info provider DP1 to the table. Repeat the same process for the chart and the Navigation block. Save the Web template and run this web template in the browser.

Sample Web Dashboards

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Retail Price by Channel - AS

Web Report in Portal is as shown below:

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