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Chapter 4: Drilldown Reporting
Contents
Learning the Basics of Drilldown Reporting .......................................................4–2
Creating a Drilldown Report: Profitability Analysis............................................4–7
Getting the Most from Drilldown Reporting: Tips & Tricks..............................4–23
Review ...................................................................................................................4–33
Where to Learn More............................................................................................4–34 4
In this chapter you will learn:
 What makes Drilldown
reporting an effective
reporting tool
 How the components of
Drilldown reporting are
organized
 How Drilldown differs
from other reporting tools
 How to create and execute
a form (drilldown) report
Chapter 4: Drilldown Reporting
Learning the Basics of Drilldown Reporting

Reporting Made Easy

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data. Using drilldown functions, you can:
< Jump to the next level of detail or to the next report object at the same level
< Hide individual levels of detail
< Switch between the detail and drilldown lists
< Process lists interactively (sorting, conditions, ranking lists, and more)
< Deploy SAP Graphics, SAPmail, and the Excel List Viewer.
Once you have built the initial view of the data, you have dynamic control over how the
data is viewed. For example, you can sort selected characteristics in a different order
without having to rerun the query. By manipulating “hotspots” in a report, you can also
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Learning the Basics of Drilldown Reporting

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change the level of detail. Hotspots influence the appearance of the cursor and the effect of
clicking.
To make a distinction between “Drilldown” (the tool) and “drilldown” (the function), the
Drilldown reporting tool is optimized for online viewing of report data; you do not have to
constantly scroll up or down a long list to find the appropriate subset of desired
information. Drilldown allows you to stay on the same page while it interactively presents
data.
Where Is Drilldown Reporting Used?
Drilldown reporting is primarily used to access the following selected data structures:
< Controlling and Profitability Analysis (CO-PA)
< Executive Information System (EIS)
< General Ledger (Financial versions)
< Project Systems
With Release 4.0 Drilldown reporting has been expanded to include:
< Consolidations

suitable for printing reports. Do not confuse the term form as used in Drilldown reporting (or Report Painter) with
any other use of the word “form” in the R/3 System. Note that the term “form,” as used
here bears no relationship to the same term that appears in the area of printing forms.
For more information on printing forms, see the Printout Design Made Easy guidebook
(now called SAPscript Made Easy).
Form reports are based on a structure of rows and columns called a form (template), which
you define separately. Form reports are divided according to the degree of complexity,
depending on whether they have one axis or two, and whether or not a key figure is used in
the form definition.
How Is Drilldown Reporting Organized?
As shown below, you can use characteristics, key figures, and forms to define reports. When
you create a report, the result is a series of lists and graphics that you can display on screen.
You can also print reports, send them by fax or e-mail, or save them as files for PC
applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
CharacteristicsKey Figures
Form
Report Name
Create
Change
Execute
20 %
20 %
20 %
20 %
20 %
Online
Background

could set up a hierarchy for a characteristic sales region starting with worldwide sales at the
top level and then subdivide it by continents, countries, and regions. In Drilldown
reporting, these characteristic hierarchies are presented as a tree structure you can
interactively expand or collapse to the desired level.
Forms
Forms are the basic building blocks of drilldown reports. A form determines the content and
formal structure of a report. A form can be thought of as template and a semifinished report,
which you complete by specifying (additional) characteristics and key figures when you
define the individual report. < Since forms can be shared across many reports, we recommend that you name them in
such a way that the name does not limit their use.
< The content of a form should generally be fixed and change only under rare
circumstances. When you change a form, it impacts every report that uses the form.

Related Terminology
< Drilldown: This term is somewhat loosely used in the R/3 System. In this guidebook,
drilldown implies drilling down within the confines of the report you are viewing—not
drilling down to lower levels of detail across the R/3 System. However, we mean to
distinguish between the function of drilling down (as is available with several R/3
report development tools) and the Drilldown reporting tool, which is the focus of this
chapter.
< Painter: Graphical point-and-click technology in the R/3 System, the Painter allows you
to quickly build report queries against selected databases. The term “Painter” used here
is different from the “Report Painter” tool covered in chapter 3.
Chapter 4: Drilldown Reporting
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Reporting Made Easy

necessary to write reports. Double-clicking on hotspots does much of the development, with
the hotspots prompting you along the way. Thus, Drilldown reporting tool makes it easy to
create reports.
What are the Prerequisites?
Drilldown reporting tends to access summary data that requires a one-time configuration
effort. Once the summary tables have been configured and are populated with data, there is
little need for further configuration.
Chapter 4: Drilldown Reporting
Creating a Drilldown Report: Profitability Analysis

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Quick View of the Output
Shown below is the output of a sample drilldown report. With just a few hours of basic
training, you should be able to create this two-axis report in 30 minutes or less. Creating a Drilldown Report: Profitability Analysis
In this section, you get a guided tour of how to create a two-axis form report. This step-by-
step approach is built around a sample report (see the graphic on the next page). Take a
minute to familiarize yourself with the scenario and the desired report. Note: Drilldown reporting is a report development tool used as a background engine in
several applications. In this chapter, we provide an example of creating a drilldown
report in the application area of Profitability Analysis (CO-PA).
Appendix F provides an additional perspective on how to create a drilldown report
using the Executive Information System (EIS).


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Basics Steps in Creating Drilldown Reports in CO–PA
To create a drilldown report in CO-PA, follow the steps shown below:
1. Enter a name for the report.
2. Decide whether you want to create a basic report or a form report. In this chapter we
cover the steps needed to create a form report.
3. For a form report, enter the name of the desired form.
4. To copy an existing report, enter the name of the report you want to copy.
5. From the initial screen, you can access the different components of the report.
6. After you have specified the desired characteristics, characteristic values, and key
figures for the report, save the report.
7. Execute the report.
Creating a Two-axis Form Report With Key Figures (in CO-PA)

To create the sample profitability analysis form
report, follow the steps shown at right.
Once a form has been created, you can attach it
to a report (as shown in step 5). The term
“attach it to a report” simply means “creating a
report according to a form.”
As mentioned in step 2 above, you must decide
whether or not to create a basic report or a
form report. Creating this form leads up to
creating a form report.



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Guided Tour

Step 1: Set Operating Concern and Currency

The first step in building a form in CO-
PA is to set the operating concern and
operating currency.
1. From the SAP main menu (not
shown here) choose Acounting
→

Controlling
→
Profitability analysis.
2. Choose Environment
→
CO-PA
configuration.
3. Double-click Information System:
Forms.

11. Choose Continue.

You can create forms with reference to
forms previously created by entering
the name of a form in the Copy from
area.

T
he currency must be identified
(whether coming from the operating
concern or identified with the company
code).
12. In our example, select Operating
concern currency.
13. Choose Enter. 6
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Chapter 4: Drilldown Reporting
Creating a Drilldown Report: Profitability Analysis

Reporting Made Easy



Note: It is perfectly acceptable to
choose more than one characteristic
for a column. It all depends on your
form/report design.
5. Choose Enter.
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2
3
4
5
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6. Choose the Variable on/off button to
have the system prompt you to enter
a variable at run time.
7. Use possible entries to choose
variables.8. Double-click on PRODH1_1, a single-
value variable for column 1. This
selection allows the end user to

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