The Business Objects Query Builder Guide

I don’t analyze blog stats very often, so it came as a bit of a surprise that the article about the SAP BusinessObjects Query Builder 4.0 is the sixth most popular on my blog. The Query Builder is crude and— generally speaking— so is my language when I’m required to use it. But the Query Builder can sometimes provide deeper insight into what’s going on than the Central Management Console (CMC) administration tool is willing to tell you.

The reason Query Builder exists is due to the cryptic nature of the SAP BusinessObjects system database, sometimes called the CMS database or repository. If you look at the database schema (BI 4.0/4.1 shown), you’ll see tables with the following names:

• CMS_ALIASES7
• CMS_CCFRONTIER7
• CMS_FRONTIER7
• CMS_IDNUMBERS7
• CMS_INFOOBJECTS7
• CMS_LOCKS7
• CMS_RELATIONS7
• CMS_ROOTFRONTIER7
• CMS_SESSIONS7
• CMS_VERSIONINFO

Sadly, by design these tables are very difficult- if not impossible- to query without resorting to SDK programming. The first thing to learn about Query Builder is that you don’t use it to query the actual tables in the database. Query Builder is a thin veneer atop the SDK, so you’ll instead build queries on these fictional tables:

• CI_AppObjects
• CI_InfoObjects
• CI_SystemObjects

A quick Google search will turn up some simpler queries on these tables. But for more serious inquiries, you’ll want to get a copy of Julian Romeo’s The Business Objects Query Builder Guide. The latest version 1.3 that includes BI 4.0 updates was published February 1, 2012 and my electronic receipt says I purchased mine just 5 days later. The book explains how to use the step-by-step query “wizard”, write SQL in the Query Builder, and use Relationship and Path Queries. The book is easy to read and contains a lot of examples.

The book is a good value at $29 and an even better value if you convince your BI Manager to put it on the corporate credit card.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased this book with my own funds. It was not a free review copy. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”