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Custom Analytical Queries: SAP S/4HANA reports without code

Pick a cube, put fields on rows and columns, add a few formulas and publish. The report runs on live SAP S/4HANA data, follows the authorizations of its data source and needs no developer. Here is how it works, how to build one step by step, and the details that usually only turn up in SAP knowledge base articles.

  • F1572 · F1572A
  • SAP S/4HANA 2023 and 2025
  • SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2602
  • Key user extensibility

By · Updated

Twelve things almost nobody knows

Each card is one small discovery, all of them written down somewhere in SAP Help, SAP Learning or a knowledge base article. Pick one and follow the link to the details.

How it works

Six layers between a journal entry and your report

A custom analytical query is the top layer of SAP’s virtual data model. You only build that layer; everything below it is delivered by SAP and already checks authorizations. Pick a layer to see what lives there.

Layer 1

Database tables

The Universal Journal table ACDOCA holds actual line items; ACDOCP holds plan data. Queries never read the tables directly: everything goes through CDS views.

Examples

ACDOCAACDOCP

Tip. Because actuals sit in one journal, profit center, cost center and Margin Analysis reports can all start from the same cube.

Layer 2

Interface views

SAP CDS views give the tables business names, texts and associations, and carry the access controls (DCL) for each business object.

Examples

I_GLAccountLineItemI_ActualPlanJournalEntryItem

Tip. Released interface views are the building blocks for your own views in the Custom CDS Views app.

Layer 3

Cube

A cube combines measures with dimensions. The app offers released SAP cubes, under the stability contract Use System-Internally, and the views you build in Custom CDS Views with the scenario Analytical Cube.

Examples

I_GLAccountLineItemCubeI_ActualPlanJrnlEntryItemCube

Tip. A C_ query is not a data source. View Browser shows the cube underneath it on the Cross Reference tab.

Layer 4

Your query

The app writes a CDS view on top of the cube with your fields, axes, formulas and prompts. Classic queries carry the annotation @Analytics.query; the new app generates an analytical projection view with the provider contract analytical_query.

Examples

YY1_CC_ACTUAL_PLAN2C + SQL view name@Analytics.query: true

Tip. The fix for queries missing in SAP Analytics Cloud on-premise grants the connection user both YY1_* and YY9_* names (KBA 2686844).

Layer 5

Analytic Engine

The same engine that runs BW queries evaluates totals, hierarchies, formulas, exception aggregation and currency conversion on the fly. Nothing is copied: embedded analytics works on current data.

Examples

RSRTInAOData

Tip. On-premise, RSRT runs any query by its 2C name. It is the quickest way to see whether a slow report is slow in the engine or in the browser.

Layer 6

Where users see it

Multidimensional reports (the Web Dynpro grid, or Multidimensional Analysis in newer releases), Query Browser, KPI tiles and reports from Manage KPIs and Reports, review booklets, SAP Analytics Cloud and Analysis for Office.

Examples

Query Browser F1068Manage KPIs and Reports F2814View Browser F2170

Tip. Publishing creates and activates an OData service: that is what Report Design and KPI Design consume.

Step by step

Build a cost center report: actual vs plan

A classic controlling report in eight steps, in the Custom Analytical Queries app. The data source is I_ActualPlanJrnlEntryItemCube, which holds both actuals from the Universal Journal and plan data, the same cube SAP’s own plan/actual queries use.

1. Create the query and pick the data source

Choose Create, give the query a name and a label, and choose the data source. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud the system adds the prefix YY1_ to the name; on-premise it adds ZZ1_. Only cubes are offered: released SAP cubes, or Analytical Cube views from the Custom CDS Views app.

Tip. Not sure which cube to use? In View Browser, open an SAP report you like and check its Cross Reference tab. Choose carefully: the fields, the prompts and the authorizations all come from this choice.

2. Set the general options

The General tab holds the label, the maximum processing effort, zero suppression and runtime extensibility. Advanced User Settings shows the name of the SQL runtime view the system generates for the query.

Tip. Max. Processing Effort caps how much work one run may take. Raise it only for a report that genuinely needs it; a report that fails with an effort message usually needs a filter instead.

3. Choose the fields

Move fields from Available Fields to Selected Fields. Only selected fields can go on the axes or into filters. Parameters that belong to the data source appear here automatically and cannot be removed.

Tip. Fewer fields make a faster, cleaner query. If users will want more later, Runtime Extensibility lets them add extra fields in production without a new version of the query.

4. Lay out rows and columns

Put Cost Center on the rows with its hierarchy switched on, leave G/L Account free so users can drag it in, and keep the measures on the columns. Switch on Display Result for totals and choose Key and Text so users see both the number and the name.

Tip. Axis can be set for dimensions and structures, not for one measure on its own: the measures move together. Totals and zero suppression set here are only defaults; users can change them when they run the report.

5. Split actual and plan with restricted measures

Choose Add Restricted Measure twice. Actual is the amount where Plan Category = ACT01, the category for actual data. Plan is the same amount restricted by a user input filter on Plan Category, so the user picks the plan version when the report opens.

Tip. Give Plan a Dynamic Label: the column header then shows the plan category the user chose instead of a generic “Plan”.

6. Add variance and variance %

Choose Add Calculated Measure and write the formulas. Variance subtracts plan from actual. Variance % divides by plan inside NDIV0, so a cost center without a plan shows 0 instead of an error. Set one decimal on the percentage.

Tip. Press Ctrl+Space in the formula editor: it lists the functions with their syntax, your measures and your user input filters.

7. Define the prompts

Make Fiscal Year and Controlling Area mandatory user input filters with defaults, offer Company Code with multiple selection, and give the plan category prompt a default value. Variable Sequence decides the order of your prompts.

Tip. Without a mandatory fiscal year, the first preview reads every year in the journal. A default value saves users a step every time.

8. Save, preview and publish

Save Draft keeps your work without changing what users see. Preview opens the query in a multidimensional grid. Publish creates and activates an OData service and makes the query available to Report Design and KPI Design. The list then shows the status Published.

Tip. In the new app the order is Check, which generates the query source and writes the Logs tab, then Preview and Publish.

In SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition from release 2602, new queries are built in Custom Analytical Queries and Services instead. The ideas are the same; the screens differ. See the new app.

Try it

Query lab: change a setting, watch the grid

A revenue query by profit center, with the settings of the Display and General tabs. Revenue is a credit, so it is stored with a minus sign in the Universal Journal: switch Reverse Sign off to see what the database holds. The numbers are sample data.

Revenue by profit centerAmounts in thousands (scaling factor 3)
Profit CenterActual 2025Actual 2026VarianceVariance %
North4,8205,31049010.2
South3,1502,980-170-5.4
Export1,9402,62068035.1
Services76091015019.7
Legacy0000.0
Overall Result10,67011,8201,15010.8

Try Zero Suppression: Legacy has a zero result but two postings behind it, and the two Hide options treat it differently.

The query behind the grid

  • ActualPYRestrictedAmount in Company Code Currency · Fiscal Year = 2025 · Reverse SignDisplay on
  • ActualCYRestrictedAmount in Company Code Currency · Fiscal Year = 2026 · Reverse SignDisplay on
  • VarianceCalculatedActualCY - ActualPY · Reverse SignDisplay on
  • VariancePctCalculatedNDIV0((ActualCY - ActualPY) / ActualPY) * 100 · Decimals 1Display on
  • SharePctCalculatedNDIV0(ActualCY / SUMGT(ActualCY)) * 100 · Decimals 1Display off

Data source I_GLAccountLineItemCube, fixed filter on revenue accounts. A measure with Display off still feeds every formula that uses it.

Measures and formulas

Restricted, calculated, counter: a formula cookbook

A restricted measure is a measure with include or exclude conditions on dimensions, such as Amount where Fiscal Year = 2026. A calculated measure is a formula over other measures. A counter returns the distinct count of a combination of dimensions. The recipes below use the classic app’s syntax; ActualCY and ActualPY stand for two restricted measures you created.

You wantFormulaWhy it works
VarianceActualCY - ActualPYPlain arithmetic on two restricted measures. The operators are +, -, * and /.
Variance %NDIV0((ActualCY - ActualPY) / ActualPY) * 100NDIV0 returns 0 when the divisor is 0, so a new cost center shows 0 instead of an error.
Share of totalNDIV0(ActualCY / SUMGT(ActualCY)) * 100SUMGT gives the overall result. Use SUMCT for the result of the current row or column, and SUMRT for the query result regardless of the user’s filters.
Flag big valuesCASE WHEN ActualCY > 1000000 THEN 1 ELSE 0 ENDCASE WHEN … THEN … ELSE … END is the conditional. Combine it with a sum to count the flagged rows.
Price per unitNDIV0(NODIM(Amount) / NODIM(Quantity))NODIM drops the currency and the unit, so amounts and quantities can be combined in one formula.
Size of the gapABS(ActualCY - ActualPY)ABS ignores the direction of the variance, useful for ranking the largest deviations.
Safe on any errorNOERR(SQRT(Variance))NOERR returns 0 for any arithmetic error, not only division by zero: here the square root of a negative number.
Sign by hierarchy nodeAmount * HRY_NODE_SIGN_VALUE(GLAccount)Reads the sign set on each node of the display hierarchy, so revenue nodes can show positive. The hierarchy needs a field that marks which nodes reverse.
Whole and remainderDIV(Days, 7) MOD(Days, 7)DIV returns the integer part of a division, MOD the remainder. CEIL and FLOOR round up and down.
Distinct suppliersAdd Counter: SupplierNo formula needed. A counter returns the distinct count of the dimensions you choose.

The function shelf

The two apps offer different functions. The classic list comes from BW formulas; the new app takes its names from ABAP CDS view entities. Press Ctrl + Space in the classic editor to see each one with its syntax.

Eleven entries plus the four operators. Every recipe above uses them.

Fifteen functions, listed in SAP Help for the new app. NDIV0, NOERR and the SUM functions are not among them: date arithmetic, totals and ratios now have their own CDS functions, so recheck formulas after a migration.

  • NDIV0(x)0 when x divides by zero, otherwise the result.
  • NOERR(expr)0 when the expression raises any arithmetic error.
  • NODIM(x)The number without its unit or currency.
  • SUMGT(x)Overall result of the operand.
  • SUMCT(x)Result of the operand for the row or column.
  • SUMRT(x)Query result, ignoring dynamic filters.
  • HRY_NODE_SIGN_VALUESign of the node in the display hierarchy.
  • CASE WHENCASE WHEN … THEN … ELSE … END.
  • ABS · SQRTAbsolute value and square root.
  • CEIL · FLOORRound up or down to an integer.
  • DIV · MODInteger part and remainder of a division.
  • ABS
  • CASE
  • CEIL
  • FLOOR
  • SQRT
  • COLUMN_TOTAL
  • ROW_TOTAL
  • CURRENT_TOTAL
  • GRAND_TOTAL
  • RATIO_OF
  • HRY_NODE_SIGN_VALUE
  • CURR_TO_DECFLOAT_AMOUNT
  • GET_NUMERIC_VALUE
  • DATS_ADD_DAYS
  • DATS_DAYS_BETWEEN

  • Exception aggregation

    When a simple sum is the wrong answer

    On a calculated measure, choose a function such as MAX and the dimensions it works over. SAP’s own example takes the highest amount per cost center and fiscal year; the year result is then the top cost center, not the sum of all of them.

  • Structures

    A fixed row layout, like a P&L

    A characteristic structure holds restricted and calculated elements, such as Revenue, Cost of sales and Gross margin as rows. Collision settings decide which formula, decimals and scaling win where a row and a column formula meet. One catch: after the first structure element, the query can no longer be exposed as OData.

  • Prompts inside formulas

    Let the user type the factor

    A calculated measure can use a numeric user input filter, such as Actual multiplied by a factor that defaults to 0.1. In the formula editor, user input filters can be numeric or date values.

Filters and prompts

Decide what the user may change

Filters work on dimensions and user input filters only. Each one is either fixed by you or offered to the user as a prompt when the report opens.

FilterWhat the user seesTypical use
Fixed valuesNothing. The filter always applies and cannot be changed. Include and exclude conditions can be combined.Ledger, a company code, revenue accounts only
User inputA prompt: single value, range or hierarchy node, with optional multiple selection, Mandatory and a Default Value. Variable Sequence sets the order.Fiscal year, cost center group, plan category
Relative date and date functionA date that moves with today. A Date Function parameter defaults to the current date; one date parameter per query can be the Key Date.Last 30 days, key date for open items
CDS functionA value derived from context. With Hide set to True it restricts the data silently; with False it only fills the default and the user can change it. The new app calls these derivation functions.Context-dependent defaults offered per field
Data source parametersPrompts that come with the cube. They appear in Selected Fields and cannot be removed from the query.Display currency, exchange rate type, key date

  • Make fiscal year mandatory

    A mandatory prompt with a default keeps a preview from reading every year in the journal.

  • Prompt order has a rule

    Parameters of the data source come first; the query’s own prompts follow. SAP describes this in KBA 2805825. Use Variable Sequence for the prompts you control.

  • Relative dates follow the calendar

    Date functions work on calendar dates. If your fiscal year is not the calendar year, filter on posting date with a date function rather than on fiscal period. Your own relative dates are maintained in the Manage Date Functions app.

  • Hierarchy node in a restricted measure

    A hierarchy node can’t go straight into a restricted measure. Create a parameter, set its selection type to hierarchy node on the Filters tab, and restrict the measure with that parameter.

For finance and controlling

Which cube for which finance report

The data source decides everything: which fields exist, which prompts come with it and which authorizations apply. These are the cubes finance teams reach for first. Release status changes by release, so confirm each one in View Browser.

  • General ledger

    I_GLAccountLineItemCube

    Actual G/L line items from the Universal Journal, with amounts in each currency, debit and credit, and quantities.

    Use it for: Line item analysis, cost by cost center, account details.

    SAP queries on it:C_GLLineItemsQ0001

    The Journal Entry Analyzer app reads this cube through its query.

  • General ledger

    I_JournalEntryItemCube

    Actual journal entry items with more than 400 fields, including market segment fields.

    Use it for: P&L, profit center and cost center actuals.

    SAP queries on it:C_ProfitAndLossQ2901C_ProfitCenterQ2701C_CostCenterQ2001

  • Plan and actual

    I_ActualPlanJrnlEntryItemCube

    Actuals from ACDOCA together with plan data from ACDOCP. Plan Category tells them apart; ACT01 marks actual data.

    Use it for: Actual vs plan by cost center, profit center, order, project or functional area.

    SAP queries on it:C_CostCenterPlanActQ2001C_ProfitCenterPlanActQ2701C_ProfitAndLossPlanActQ2903

    Some blogs spell it I_ActualPlanJournalEntryItemCube. That name is too long for a CDS view; the real one abbreviates Journal.

  • Margin Analysis

    I_JournalEntryItemCube

    Margin Analysis has no cube of its own: it lives in the Universal Journal, so market segment reporting runs on the journal cubes.

    Use it for: Revenue and margin by customer, product, sales organization or your own market segment fields.

    SAP queries on it:C_MarketSegmentQ2501C_MarketSegmentPlanActQ2501

    The plan/actual market segment query sits on I_ActualPlanJrnlEntryItemCube.

  • Payables

    I_APFlexibleAging

    The aging analysis cube for accounts payable, behind SAP’s Aging Analysis query.

    Use it for: Payables aging by supplier, company code and due interval.

    SAP Help gives the Aging Analysis query on top of it the name 2CCAPFLXBLAGING for SAP Analytics Cloud and other analytical clients: the 2C naming at work.

  • Sales

    I_SlsPerformancePlanActualCube

    Sales performance with plan and actual values.

    Use it for: Sales plan vs actual. SAP Learning starts from a copy of the delivered query.

    SAP queries on it:C_SlsPerfPlanActualQuery

  • Tax

    Your own Analytical Cube

    No ready-made tax cube turned up. Released tax views such as I_OperationalAcctgDocTaxItem are not cubes.

    Use it for: Tax reports: build a view in Custom CDS Views with the scenario Analytical Cube on a released tax view, then a query on it.

Find the cube under any SAP report. Open the SAP query you like in View Browser and look at its Cross Reference tab: it names the cube underneath. Filter View Browser by data category Cube to browse candidates. The C_ query itself cannot be a data source, but its cube can.

From query to users

Six ways to put a query in front of people

Publishing makes the query exist; it does not yet give anyone a tile. Publish creates and activates an OData service and makes the query available to Report Design and KPI Design. Then pick a route.

For yourself

Save as Tile

The fastest way to keep a query at hand, with your own filters and layout.

  1. 1Open the query in Preview or from Query Browser.
  2. 2Set the filters and the layout you want.
  3. 3Choose Save as Tile and pick a group.

Watch out. The tile is visible only to you. Colleagues won’t see it, even with the same role.

For a team

An application in a business catalog

A real launchpad app that you assign through roles, like any SAP app.

  1. 1In View Browser, select the query and choose Create Application, Multi-Dimensional Report.
  2. 2Fill in the texts in Maintain Languages and note the Application ID.
  3. 3Choose View in Catalog to open Custom Catalog Extensions.
  4. 4Add the business catalog and choose Publish. Users with that catalog find the app in the App Finder.

Watch out. Publishing to the catalog can take a few minutes. Users who open custom reports also need the catalog SAP_CA_BC_ANA_AQD_PC in one of their roles, or they get “Failed to resolve navigation target” (KBA 3069449).

For managers

A KPI in Manage KPIs and Reports

A tile that shows a number, a target and a trend, with a drilldown report behind it.

  1. 1In Manage KPIs and Reports (F2814), create a KPI group and a KPI with your query as the data source.
  2. 2Set the value measure, the goal and the filters, then activate.
  3. 3Create a report, such as a generic drilldown, and a tile on the Applications tab.
  4. 4Assign the tile to a business catalog through Custom Catalog Extensions.

Watch out. On-premise, register the query’s OData service in /IWFND/MAINT_SERVICE first. A text-only dimension format from the query is not carried into KPI reports (KBA 3638396).

For dashboards

A live connection to SAP Analytics Cloud

Stories and dashboards on your query, with no data copied out of SAP S/4HANA.

  1. 1Create the Multi-Dimensional Report application in View Browser, as for a team.
  2. 2Assign it to a business catalog and publish.
  3. 3In SAP Analytics Cloud, search for the query through the live connection.

Watch out. A query is found only if its report type is Multidimensional Analysis (KBA 3760174). On-premise, the connection user needs authorization for the YY1_* and YY9_* names (KBA 2686844).

For finance users

SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office

Pivot the query in Excel, add formulas around it and refresh it every month.

  1. 1Open Analysis for Office and connect to the system.
  2. 2Search for the query by its 2C name.
  3. 3Drag dimensions between rows and columns; refresh to read current data.

Watch out. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud the user needs the Analysis for Office catalog in a role; an SAP blog tested this with Analysis for Office 2.8.15.

For month-end reviews

A page in a review booklet

Use your query in a review booklet in Manage KPIs and Reports.

  1. 1Create an InA service for the query in Custom Analytical Queries and Services.
  2. 2In Manage KPIs and Reports, open a review booklet whose General tab says custom analytical queries are fully supported.
  3. 3On the Analytical Queries tab, select your query and preview it.

Watch out. This route uses the new app, because the InA service is created there.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Meet Custom Analytical Queries and Services

SAP is moving key user queries onto the same technology developers use: CDS analytical projection views. The successor app, Custom Analytical Queries and Services (F1572A), builds them for you.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2602

Create in the classic app now says query creation is no longer supported.

The message points to F1572A (KBA 3718160). Existing queries keep working and can still be opened. SAP’s on-premise documentation for SAP S/4HANA 2025 also refers to the new app, for InA services and previews. On SAP S/4HANA 2023 and earlier, the classic app is the one you use.

Migrating a query, step by step

  1. 1Publish or drop open draftsOnly Published queries migrate. A query in status Changed, published with an open draft, must have the draft published or deleted first.
  2. 2Choose Migrate in the new appIn Custom Analytical Queries and Services, Migrate lists the queries of the classic app with their status.
  3. 3Read the rework listAfter the draft is created, the app lists rework tasks and errors. KBA 3603149 explains the features that need manual work.
  4. 4Check and previewCheck generates the draft of the migrated query; Preview shows whether it meets your expectations.
  5. 5ConfirmConfirm cannot be undone: the query leaves the classic app and is published in the new one, under the same name. Before that, Delete Draft cancels the migration.

What is different in the new app

  • A Model tab. Dimensions and measures sit together, with Duplicate and a mass selection mode; parameters get their own tab.
  • Converted measures. Currency conversion and unit conversion are measure types of their own.
  • OData or InA service. A query can be exposed as either, which is what review booklets need.
  • Derivation functions. Filters derive context-specific values, hidden or as editable defaults.
  • Check and Logs. Check generates the query source; the Logs tab shows whether it succeeded.
  • New function names. GRAND_TOTAL, RATIO_OF, DATS_DAYS_BETWEEN and friends replace the classic list.
  • Developer technology underneath. The query is a CDS analytical projection view, the same kind developers write in ABAP Development Tools.

A short history

  1. 2016SAP S/4HANA 1610Query design for key users is already part of SAP S/4HANA on-premise.
  2. 2017SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1702Custom Analytical Queries is in the cloud edition.
  3. 2019SAP S/4HANA 1909Manage KPIs and Reports becomes one central app for KPIs and reports on queries.
  4. 2023SAP S/4HANA 2023Custom CDS Views version 2 (F1866A) arrives, the usual place to model your own cubes.
  5. 2025SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2508Custom Analytical Queries and Services can migrate published queries into analytical projection views.
  6. 2026SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2602The classic app stops creating queries. Query Browser opens queries in Multidimensional Analysis.

Troubleshooting

What the message means, and what fixes it

The problems key users and consultants report most, each with the cause SAP documents and the knowledge base article to open. Pick a symptom.

Symptom

My cube is not in the data source list

Why it happens

The app offers only cubes. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud they must be released for customer use; a custom view must use the scenario Analytical Cube. Some views can never be a primary source.

What to do

Check the view in View Browser: data category Cube and its release status. For your own data, build a Custom CDS View with the scenario Analytical Cube. When you add an associated source, set the filter Recommended Data Source to No to see more.

Read

KBA 2595552KBA 2692764

Symptom

A field of my custom view is missing

Why it happens

A field with the Text semantic or a text element shows only as the description of its key. String fields and fields longer than 250 characters are not supported in analytical views.

What to do

In the Custom CDS View, clear the semantic and text element of that field, or cast long fields, then publish the view again.

Read

KBA 2544478

Symptom

Preview shows no data

Why it happens

Usually authorization: the user lacks the business role for the data of the primary source, and the access controls filter every row away. Empty parameters such as Display Currency can also be the reason.

What to do

Check the user’s roles for the data source and fill in the cube’s parameters. Try the same filters in the standard SAP app for that data.

Read

KBA 2769193KBA 3001834

Symptom

Could not instantiate data source DS_1

Why it happens

The query or its data source is inactive, unknown to the engine or has errors, often after a custom view was changed.

What to do

Publish the Custom CDS View first, then the query, and open the KBAs for the exact case.

Read

KBA 2592697KBA 2736174KBA 2611666

Symptom

Users get Failed to resolve navigation target

Why it happens

The report opens through the analytical query intent, and the user’s role lacks the catalog behind it.

What to do

Add the catalog SAP_CA_BC_ANA_AQD_PC to a role of the user.

Read

KBA 3069449

Symptom

You do not have authorization to edit this query

Why it happens

SAP-delivered queries (C_) can’t be edited in the app, and queries created in ABAP Development Tools are read-only there.

What to do

Copy a query that SAP offers as a template, or build a new query on the same cube; the cube is shown on the query’s properties.

Read

KBA 2662389KBA 2651201

Symptom

You cannot delete this query as it is being used

Why it happens

An application, catalog assignment or KPI still points to the query.

What to do

Remove the catalog assignment in Custom Catalog Extensions, delete the application in View Browser, delete any KPI on it, then delete the query.

Read

SAP blog: how to delete a custom analytical query

Symptom

The query is not found in SAP Analytics Cloud

Why it happens

Queries are found through an application in a catalog, and only with report type Multidimensional Analysis. On-premise, the query search checks the CDS authorizations of the connection user.

What to do

Create the Multi-Dimensional Report application in View Browser and publish its catalog. On-premise, give the connection user the authorization object SDDLVIEW for the names YY1_* and YY9_*, as the KBA describes.

Read

KBA 3760174KBA 2686844

Symptom

OLAP effort too large, or too much data requested

Why it happens

The run exceeds the processing effort allowed for the query.

What to do

Add a mandatory filter, such as fiscal year, or raise Max. Processing Effort on the General tab for this query only.

Read

KBA 2572550

Symptom

Create is greyed out

Why it happens

In SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2602 and later, the classic app no longer creates queries. In a starter system, key user extensibility is off by default.

What to do

Use Custom Analytical Queries and Services. In a starter system, switch on key user extensibility in the Extensibility Settings app.

Read

KBA 3718160KBA 2878694

Symptom

Not able to load the query name prefix or the package

Why it happens

On-premise, the Adaptation Transport Organizer is not set up, so the app has no prefix and package to use.

What to do

Set up ATO in transaction S_ATO_SETUP and activate the app’s SAP Gateway services, as the KBAs list.

Read

KBA 2919095KBA 2910337

Symptom

Show Totals is greyed out on a measure column

Why it happens

In the multidimensional report, totals are switched per dimension, not per measure. This is by design.

What to do

Open the context menu on a dimension column and switch totals on there.

Read

KBA 3787495

Symptom

Register Extensions for Transport says Transportable = No

Why it happens

The query was saved in the package for temporary objects, which is never transported.

What to do

Recreate or reassign the item to a transportable package set up in Configure Software Packages.

Read

KBA 2631044

Choosing and running

Which tool, and how a query lives on

You needUseWho builds it
Fields, formulas and prompts on one cubeCustom Analytical Queries (F1572, or F1572A)Key user, no code
Data from two sources, a new association or your own fields in a cubeCustom CDS Views (F1866A), scenario Analytical Cube, then a query on itKey user, no code
Every analytical feature, versioned with the rest of your codeAnalytical projection view in ABAP Development ToolsDeveloper
Explore SAP’s delivered queries as they areQuery Browser (F1068)Any authorized user
Charts, dashboards and storiesSAP Analytics Cloud, or stories and KPIs in Manage KPIs and Reports (F2814)Analytics specialist
Pivot tables and formulas in ExcelSAP Analysis for Microsoft OfficeFinance user

  • Transport · cloud

    Export and import a software collection

    Build in the development or test system, add the query to a software collection, export it, and import it in production.

  • Transport · on-premise

    Adaptation Transport Organizer

    Set up ATO, configure software packages, and assign the query to a package and request in Register Extensions for Transport.

  • Drafts

    Users keep the published version

    Editing a published query creates a draft. Users run the published version until you publish again; the list shows the status Changed meanwhile.

  • Copies

    Start from SAP, not from scratch

    Copy creates a query from an SAP query offered as a template. Not every C_ query can be copied, and copies of SAP-released queries can’t yet be migrated to the new app.

  • Delete

    Clean up from the outside in

    Catalog assignment first, then the application in View Browser and any KPI, and the query last.

  • Upgrades

    Test queries after each release

    After an upgrade, open your key queries once. SAP documents cases where a query can’t be edited until a correction is applied, such as KBA 3754395.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a developer to build a custom analytical query?

No. The app is a key user tool: you pick a data source, fields, filters and formulas in the browser, and the system generates the CDS view for you. A developer is needed only when the data you need is not in any cube, and even then the Custom CDS Views app often covers it without code.

Can one query read two data sources?

No. A query has exactly one data source. To combine data, build a view in the Custom CDS Views app with the scenario Analytical Cube, add the associations there, and base the query on that view.

Does the query copy data into a separate store?

No. Embedded analytics works on current data. The query is a CDS view, and the Analytic Engine evaluates it at runtime over the same tables your transactions write to.

Who sees which data?

Two checks apply. A business catalog decides who may start the report, and the access controls (DCL) of the CDS views underneath decide which rows each user gets. A user without authorization for the data source often sees an empty result rather than an error.

Can I open my query in Excel?

Yes, with SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office. Search for the query by its 2C name. In SAP S/4HANA Cloud the user also needs the Analysis for Office catalog in one of their roles.

How do I translate the column headers?

Use the Maintain Translations app, which translates the texts of custom analytical queries into other languages.

Which app should I use in my system?

In SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2602 and later, create new queries in Custom Analytical Queries and Services. On SAP S/4HANA 2023 and earlier, use Custom Analytical Queries. On SAP S/4HANA 2025, check which of the two your business roles include.

References

Checked in October 2026 against SAP Help for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2608 and SAP S/4HANA 2025 FPS02. Knowledge base articles need an SAP for Me login for the full text.