InfoObject in SAP BW

In SAP BW, InfoObject is defined as the smallest available information entity or object. Technically, it is same as field in a table. InfoObjects are part of the SAP BW metadata repository. They describe the properties (technical definition and business logic) of the application field as shown on the following table.

Following Table provides examples of InfoObjects.

InfoObject	Description	Attributes	Description
0COMP_CODE	Company code	0CHRT_ACCTS	Chart of accounts
		0COMPANY	Company
		0COUNTRY	Country
0DEBITOR	Customer number	0IND_CODE_1	Industry code 1
		0INDUSTRY	Industry key
		0CITY	City

InfoObjects are classified into the following classes:

• Key Figures

Key figure InfoObjects provide the values to be evaluated.

Examples:

– Quantity (0QUANTITY)

– Amount (0AMOUNT)

• Characteristics

Characteristic InfoObjects are business reference objects, which are used to analyze key figures.

Examples:

– Costcenter(0COSTCENTER)

– Material (0MATERIAL)

• Time Characteristics

Time characteristics form the time reference frame for many data analyses and evaluations. They are delivered with Business Content. It is not possible to define our own time characteristics. All time characteristics has been defined by SAP BW.

Examples:

– Time characteristic with the largest granularity: Calendar Day (0CALDAY)

– Time characteristic with the smallest granularity:  Calendar Year (0CALYEAR) or Fiscal Year (0FISCYEAR).

• Units

Unit InfoObjects can be specified alongside the key figures. They enable key figure values to be partnered with their corresponding units in evaluations.

Examples:

– Currency unit ( 0CURRENCY)

– Value unit ( 0UNIT)

• Technical Characteristics

These characteristics have an organizatorial function within SAP BW.

Examples:

– Request ID (0REQUID)

– Change ID (0CHNGID)

SAP delivers InfoObjects within Business Content (BCT). The technical name of standard InfoObjects begins with 0. We can also define our own InfoObjects. Technical name of user-defined SAP BW InfoObjects must be begins with a letter between A and Z and that it is 3-9 characters in length.