AAD - Known Limitations in Analytic Application Design: A Critical Examination of SAP Analytics Cloud's Analytics Designer Constraints

Known Limitations in Analytic Application Design: A Critical Examination of SAP Analytics Cloud's Analytics Designer Constraints

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Importance of Understanding Limitations in AAD
2. Popup-Related Restrictions
   • 2.1. Canvas Size and Popup Dimensions
   • 2.2. Minimum Widget Requirements for Popup Functionality
   • 2.3. Filter Line References and Reloading Behavior
   • 2.4. Theme Application and API Inconsistencies
   • 2.5. Keyboard Functionality with Multiple Tables
   • 2.6. Planning Functionality Limitations within Popups
3. Planning Model and Version Management Constraints
   • 3.1. createMembers API and Generic Dimensions
   • 3.2. Version Management API and BPC Writeback
4. Data Source and Filtering Limitations
   • 4.1. setVariableValue API and Validation Issues
   • 4.2. setDimensionFilter API and Fiscal Hierarchy Ranges
   • 4.3. setDimensionFilter API and User Filter Modification
   • 4.4. Runtime Filter Compliance with Design-Time Settings
5. Smart Discovery and Visualization Constraints
   • 5.1. Smart Discovery Dialog and Analytic Entity Specification
   • 5.2. Chart Widget Quick Menu Visibility in Explorer
   • 5.3. Theme Settings and Custom Table Styling
   • 5.4. Theme Saving After Deletion
   • 5.5. Navigation Panel Sort Order and SAP HANA Connections
   • 5.6. R Visualizations and Safari Third-Party Cookies
   • 5.7. Mobile Safari and Desktop Website Requests
6. Embedding, Input Control, and Export Limitations
   • 6.1. Embedding Analytic Applications in Stories/Digital Boardroom
   • 6.2. Input Control Partial Support
   • 6.3. Calculation Input Controls for Forecast Tables
   • 6.4. Input Control Member ID Display
   • 6.5. PDF Export Garbled Codes
   • 6.6. CSS Styling and PDF Export
   • 6.7. Custom Widget PDF Export Limitations
   • 6.8. Container and Scrollable Widget PDF Export
7. Chart API and Event Handling Constraints
   • 7.1. Number Format Settings and Tooltip Measures
   • 7.2. addMeasure, removeMeasure, and addMember API Feed Limitations
   • 7.3. onSelect Event and Cluster Bubble Charts
8. Conclusion: Navigating the Boundaries of Analytic Application Design

1. Introduction: The Importance of Understanding Limitations in AAD

Analytic Application Design (AAD), particularly within platforms like SAP Analytics Cloud's Analytics Designer, empowers developers to create dynamic and interactive data experiences. However, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand the inherent limitations of such platforms. This article provides a critical examination of the known restrictions within Analytics Designer, focusing on their implications and potential workarounds. By highlighting these constraints, we aim to provide developers and researchers with a comprehensive understanding of the platform's boundaries, enabling them to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies.

2. Popup-Related Restrictions

Popups are a valuable feature in AAD, allowing for the presentation of contextual information and interactive elements. However, several limitations exist:

• 2.1. Canvas Size and Popup Dimensions: Popups exceeding the main canvas dimensions are not supported, leading to display issues. This necessitates careful planning of popup sizes and layouts.
• 2.2. Minimum Widget Requirements for Popup Functionality: Popups require at least two widgets to function correctly. Single-widget popups or those without widgets exhibit unexpected behavior.
• 2.3. Filter Line References and Reloading Behavior: Filter line references within popups are not consistently maintained after application reloads, necessitating manual popup activation to resolve reference issues.
• 2.4. Theme Application and API Inconsistencies: Applying themes via the setTheme API or directly to the application may not consistently affect popups, requiring workarounds such as panel integration and manual popup activation.
• 2.5. Keyboard Functionality with Multiple Tables: Keyboard navigation and data entry within multiple tables in a popup are restricted, particularly with the "Optimized Presentation" setting enabled.
• 2.6. Planning Functionality Limitations within Popups: Planning-related features like mass data entry and version history are not fully supported within popups, limiting their usability for advanced planning scenarios.

3. Planning Model and Version Management Constraints

Planning functionalities, a core component of AAD, are subject to certain restrictions:

• 3.1. createMembers API and Generic Dimensions: The createMembers API is limited to generic dimensions, restricting its applicability for other dimension types like date dimensions.
• 3.2. Version Management API and BPC Writeback: Version management APIs are incompatible with BPC writeback-enabled versions, forcing reliance on manual version management tools.

4. Data Source and Filtering Limitations

Data source and filtering functionalities exhibit several limitations:

• 4.1. setVariableValue API and Validation Issues: The setVariableValue API lacks robust validation, potentially leading to errors and data inconsistencies.
• 4.2. setDimensionFilter API and Fiscal Hierarchy Ranges: Range filtering on fiscal hierarchies is not supported by the setDimensionFilter API.
• 4.3. setDimensionFilter API and User Filter Modification: Users can still modify filters within tables even when modification restrictions are set in the filter panel.
• 4.4. Runtime Filter Compliance with Design-Time Settings: Runtime filter behavior adheres strictly to design-time settings, preventing dynamic changes to selection modes.

5. Smart Discovery and Visualization Constraints

Smart discovery and visualization features are subject to specific limitations:

• 5.1. Smart Discovery Dialog and Analytic Entity Specification: Smart discovery dialogs require explicit entity specification when launched via API calls.
• 5.2. Chart Widget Quick Menu Visibility in Explorer: Quick menu visibility settings are not consistently applied within the chart explorer.
• 5.3. Theme Settings and Custom Table Styling: Custom table styling overrides theme settings, hindering theme restoration and default theme application.
• 5.4. Theme Saving After Deletion: Browser caching can prevent the re-saving of deleted themes.
• 5.5. Navigation Panel Sort Order and SAP HANA Connections: Measure reordering in the navigation panel is not supported for SAP HANA connections.
• 5.6. R Visualizations and Safari Third-Party Cookies: R visualizations are incompatible with Safari when third-party cookies are disabled.
• 5.7. Mobile Safari and Desktop Website Requests: Desktop website requests are not supported in mobile Safari for analytic applications.

6. Embedding, Input Control, and Export Limitations

Embedding, input control, and export functionalities are constrained:

• 6.1. Embedding Analytic Applications in Stories/Digital Boardroom: Embedding analytic applications within stories or digital boardrooms is not officially supported.
• 6.2. Input Control Partial Support: Input controls are limited to dimension member and restricted measure calculation inputs.
• 6.3. Calculation Input Controls for Forecast Tables: Calculation input controls for forecast table versions and cut-over dates are not supported.
• 6.4. Input Control Member ID Display: Input controls may display member IDs instead of descriptions in certain states.
• 6.5. PDF Export Garbled Codes: PDF exports may contain garbled codes for certain languages.
• 6.6. CSS Styling and PDF Export: CSS styling may not be fully reflected in PDF exports.
• 6.7. Custom Widget PDF Export Limitations: Custom widgets may not be fully exported to PDF due to JavaScript library limitations.
• 6.8. Container and Scrollable Widget PDF Export: Only visible widgets within containers and scrollable widgets are exported to PDF.

7. Chart API and Event Handling Constraints

Chart API and event handling functionalities are subject to limitations:

• 7.1. Number Format Settings and Tooltip Measures: Number format settings and APIs do not apply to tooltip measures.
• 7.2. addMeasure, removeMeasure, and addMember API Feed Limitations: These APIs support a limited number of chart feeds.
• 7.3. onSelect Event and Cluster Bubble Charts: The onSelect event is not supported for cluster bubble charts.

8. Conclusion: Navigating the Boundaries of Analytic Application Design

Understanding the limitations of AAD is crucial for developing effective and robust analytic applications. By acknowledging these constraints, developers can adopt appropriate workarounds, mitigate potential issues, and optimize application performance. Future research should focus on exploring these limitations in greater depth, investigating their underlying causes, and proposing potential solutions.