Attributes

Attributes are InfoObjects that exist already, and that are assigned logically to the new characteristic

Navigational Attributes

A Navigational Attibute is any attribute of a Characteristic which is treated in very similar way as we treat as Characteristic while Query Designer. Means one can perform drilldowns, filters etc on the same while Query designing. 

Imp Note:

• While Creating the Info Object -- Attributes Tab Page -- Nav Attri butes to be switched on .
• While Designign the Cube we need to Check mark for the Nav. Attributes to make use of them.

Features / Advantages

• Nav. Attr. acts like a Char while Reporting. All navigation functions in the OLAP processor are also possible
• Filters, Drilldowns, Variables are possible while Reporting.
• It always hold the Present Truth Data .
• Historic Data is not possible through Nav. Attributes.
• As the data is fetching from Master Data Tables and Not from Info Cube.

Disadvantages:

• Leads to less Query Performance.
• In the enhanced star schema of an InfoCube, navigation attributes lie one join further out than characteristics. This means that a query with a navigation attribute has to run an additional join
• If a navigation attribute is used in an aggregate, the aggregate has to be adjusted using a change run as soon as new values are loaded for the navigation attribute. http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/EN/80/1a63e7e07211d2acb80000e829fbfe/frameset.htm

Transitive Attributes

 

A Navigational attribute of a Navigational Attributes is called Transitive Attribute. Tricky right Let me explain

• If a Nav Attr Has the further more Nav. Attributes ( as its Attributes ) in it those are called Transitive Attributes .
• For Example Consider there exists a characteristic ‘Material’ .It has ‘Plant’ as its navigational attribute. ‘Plant’ further has a navigational attribute ‘Material group’. Thus ‘Material group’ is the transitive attribute. A drilldown is needed on both ‘Plant’ and ‘Material group’.
• And again we need to have both Material & Plant in your Info Cube to Drill down. (To fetch the data through Nav. Attrs. we need Master Data tables hence, we need to check mark/select both of them in the Cube ) http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/EN/6f/c7553bb1c0b562e10000000a11402f/frameset.htm

If Cube contains both ‘Material’ and ‘Plant’ 

Dimension table having both ‘Material’ and ‘Plant’ will have Dim ID, Sid of Material, and Sid of Plant. Since both the Sids exists reference of each navigational attribute is made correctly.

• If Cube contains only 'Material’

Dimension table having only ‘Material’ will have Dim ID, Sid of Material. Since Sid for first level navigational attribute (Plant) does not exists, reference to navigational attribute is not made correctly.

Exclusive Attributes / Attributes Only/ Display Attribute

If you set the Attribute Only Indicator(General Tab page for Chars / Addl Properties tabpage for Key Figs) for Characteristic while creating, it can only be used as Display Attribute for another Characteristic and not as a Nav. Attr.

Features:

• And it cannot be included in Info Cubes
• It can be used in DSO, Infoset and Char as InfoProviders. In this Info Provider , the char is not visible during read access (at run time)
• This means, it is not available in the query. If the Info Provider is being used as source of Transformation or DTP the characteristic is not visible.
• It is just for Display at Query and cannot be used for Drill downs while reporting.

Exclusive attributes:

If you choose exclusively attribute, then the created key figure can only be used as an attribute for another characteristic, but cannot be used as a dedicated key figure in the InfoCube.

• While Creating A Key Figure -- The Tabpage:Additional Properties -- Check Box for Attributies Only

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/en/a0/eddc370be9d977e10000009b38f8cf/frameset.htm