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BW technical names strange limitations

Former Member
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Newbie SAP BW Developers asking me about BW technical names limitations:

Info-objects (characteristics and key figures) - max 9 chars,

Info-providers (cubes, multi) - max 9 chars,

DSO - max 8 chars,

SPO - max 6 char.

They found that's not user friendly.

And they asking about  - who did this, for which purposes  and  why in 21 century (with SAP HANA, Big Data, etc) they still exists.

Any thoughts?

Accepted Solutions (0)

Answers (7)

Answers (7)

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You can't even implement the standard naming conventions with 6 characters (SPO).

Former Member
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Hi,

there's some light: BW finally gave up the 8char key resitriction and keys can now as long as 250chars. But: You need to have BW 7.4.

Read following below:

Tab Page: General - Modeling - SAP Library

Regards,

Jürgen

Former Member
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it's sad.  6 chars - it is ridiculously!

Former Member
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But i think SAP can't increase BW object techname.

So it means that BW-still not user friendly and intuitive.

With this approach BW will be replaced HANA as well.

Former Member
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We made some experiments with developers from other tools (non SAP BW) - programmers, database admins, analysts) and give them some simple tasks in SAP BW (select data, filter data, ans soon on).

So results was  interesting - in BW peoples spended from 10-30% of time for decoding from BW technames to logical objects and back. And all of them (100%) find very not comfortable work with 9chars BW-objects technames.

All BW-developers  around the world spend a huge amount of time for decoding and coding tech names to logical names and back.

former_member184494
Active Contributor
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It is not just the technical names but then SAP BW is an application and not a Database....

In a traditional datawarehouse - your data loads are created individually for each data flow but then in SAP BW - every transformation , every update rule , every DTP is a program and these programs are generated from templates which are stored within the application.

With this structure - you get some advantages like - getting up and running is pretty easy ( not true in all cases though )

Also this is an application that does all the aspects of data warehousing within itself.... you do not need to go to a best of breed landscape where ETL , EDW and Reporting are distinct.

To have this scenario where programs write programs ( more like the oracle in the martix!!! ) - you need to have a standard data dictionary which allows for a strong metadata framework and also scalability.

You however lose the flexibility of having names the way you want it - which would be the trade off - instead of having separate ETL , Separate EDW ad a separate Reporting tool.

This is one of the reasons why you have a standard naming convention which rolls into a standard DDIC and a standard metatada framework.

Also these are my 0.02 not necessarily the reasons SAP chose to have it this way....

former_member182470
Active Contributor
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Length limitation is very much there in SAP BW objects. You can ask your folks that, Why do they need very lengthy technical names as we can follow good understandable names with 8 length itself, right?

Although we are in 21st century, there should be some limits for everything. SAP HANA with big data pertains to big volumes of data but not about length of the technical names. You can explain the same to them.

Former Member
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Folks said that 8 chars is not ehough to have good understable name.

They said - Ask Suman what he choosing? What's is more intutituve?

By example DSO

ZSLORH_01    

    - ZSLSORN

    - ZSLSORD

    - ZSLSORS

.. and other 100 fields

or

Sales_Orders_Headers

     - Sales_Order_Number

     - Sales_Order_Date

     - Sales_Order_Qty

     - Sales_Order_Sum

.. and other 100 fields

former_member182470
Active Contributor
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Hi,

Usually Customers follow some Naming convention policies designed by Quality standards in the respective company. I mean there should be guidelines for every Customer to follow short and simple technical names. We can have elaborated descriptions but not technical names itself.

I follow below :--

ZSLORH_01   

    - ZSLSORN

    - ZSLSORD

    - ZSLSORS

.. and other 100 fields

Sales_Orders_Headers as Descriptions for above fields.

     - Sales Order Number

     - Sales Order Date

     - Sales Order Qty

     - Sales Order Sum

.. and other 100 fields

Regards,

Suman

Former Member
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In IT world the main idea - is simplifying things. Self documented as possible.

You propose opposite this term. (non-user friendly tech name  and user friendly description),

typical procces - you must get  non-user friendly tech name and after that go to another place (screen) and find description and remember the pair (or write on paper).

And you must alwayse keep in your mind this pair (tech name - description).

In my example - ZSLSORD - Sales Order Date.

Just imagine how time (millions of man/days) develeopers end user spended for this.

 

Do you realy think that max 8 chars enough for good understandable Naming convention policies?

MGrob
Active Contributor
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HI

Lookup how naming conventions are for SAP BW. Sales orders usually start with ZSD.. and the field name form where you pull the data in ECC for example. The limitation on the technical name is as old as sap bw. The implications changing something like this in an environment that has grown over 10 years and has to work with all sorts of db vendors would be enormous hence you have to live with the limitations. Define a naming convention concept and you'll learn to work with this

hope that helps

Martin

Former Member
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>Sales orders usually start with ZSD..

Sales distribution usualy starts with ZSD - not only sales orders.

>The limitation on the technical name is as old as sap bw.

Why do not change this?

>Define a naming convention concept and you'll learn to work with this

hope that helps

Any links to  really bestprictice?

=======-

And also there are another problem with this limitation. Multivalue...

ZSLSORD - Sales Order Date

ZSLSORx - Sales Order Planning Date

ZSLSORx - Sales Order Last changed Date

ok if we reduce to ZSD...

ZSD_Date - Sales Order Date

ZSD_PLD - Sales Order Planning Date

ZSD_LCD - Sales Order Last changed Date

Very informative and userfriendly - isn't it?

Again - Just imagine how  many time (millions or billlions of man/days) develeopers end users spended for this limitation. And how many will be spend in futute...

former_member182470
Active Contributor
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I want to correct you about some things.

You propose opposite this term. (non-user friendly tech name  and user friendly description),

This proposal is not from me. SAP offers us to choose between 3 to 8 or 9 characters as length. Every one follows that. Your's is the only peculiar requirement. SAP software comes up with certain limitations as far as technicalities are concerned.

typical procces - you must get  non-user friendly tech name and after that go to another place (screen) and find description and remember the pair (or write on paper).

And you must alwayse keep in your mind this pair (tech name - description).

In my example - ZSLSORD - Sales Order Date.

Is this your assumption? We generally maintain Technical Names along with Short, Medium and Long descriptions for every object in BW. So all are at same place. No need to write on white paper and do some exercises on it.

You are talking about simplification. But yours is the toughest solution. We should adhere to SAP limitations.

You can ask SAP on all your doubts. Seek their advice and explain your folks.

Regards,

Suman


Former Member
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>Is this your assumption?

No, trying to build HANA EDW and you understand what i mean.

> You can ask SAP on all your doubts. Seek their advice and explain your folks.

Thanks for your advice.:)

former_member213275
Contributor
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Hi Mikhail,

I believe there is a length limitation to technical name considering the length restrictions  of generated table name and dataelements that sap has designed in general. If you see in SE11 the maximum length of table name is 16. The length of table name is restricted to both in BW and R3 as well.

SAP have standard naming convention for each and evry object created. In order to distinguish between BI and normal objects SAP has used naming convention BI. If it is standard then 0 is added and custom C is added, for all generated objects it starts with /,

For data elements always has OIand info object name i.e when you create an info object ZIOBJ then data element created would be /BIC/OIZIOBJ.

if it is a dso then to distinguish between new data table, change log and active table there should be number i.e. 00 or 40 etc. so when an dso is created then the table is created with /BIC/AZXXXXXXX00.

As per Note: 1680583 - Field names for tables and views with more than 16
char.
The length has now increased from 16 to 30 for basis release 7.02. so lets hope that the length of BW objects might be possible to have more than 16 in near future.

Hope you understood. 

Regards,

Srikanth.

Former Member
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