Time Dimensions in SAP Analytics Cloud (Specifics for SAP BW)

Guidelines for using SAP BW time dimensions in SAP Analytics Cloud.

In SAP BW, some time dimensions are part of a virtual time hierarchy. SAP Analytics Cloud needs to include the full set of those time dimensions in the Query definition, either as Navigation Attributes, or as Free-Dimensions (Free Characteristic section of the Query Designer).

For example, to be able to use hierarchy 0YEA_MON_DAY, the following dimensions also need to be part of the query definition: 0CALYEAR, 0CALMONTH and 0CALDAY. (To be treated as a time dimension in SAP Analytics Cloud, the dimension needs to have a reference to 0DATE or the type needs to be DATS.

If the date dimension has a correctly defined level-based hierarchy, it can be treated as a time dimension instead of as a dimension with alphabetically ordered member descriptions (even in a Flat Representation).

How to Treat SAP BW Dimensions as Time Dimensions

To treat a dimension from a live SAP BW data source as a time dimension in SAP Analytics Cloud, use the following steps:

  1. To make the levels of the hierarchy available, you need to activate the virtual time hierarchies within SAP BW. For more information, see Activating Virtual Time Hierarchies.

  2. To allow the Information Access Layer (InA) to consume the Time dimension as a Level-Based Hierarchy, please apply the following note.

    SAP Note 2637157 Information published on SAP sitedesc: InA: Support time level hierarchies

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