Loading Data into the InfoCube

In Chapter 2, we created an InfoCube. In this chapter, we will demonstrate how to load the data described in Chapter 1 into this InfoCube. From a data integrity and load performance point of view, we will load the characteristic data (Tables 1.1 through 1.3) before the transaction data (Table 1.4).

Data reside in source systems. In the example used in this chapter, the data reside in our PC in four Microsoft Excel files. To set up a protocol to ensure that BW knows where to find these files and how to extract the data, we must define a source system in BW. To schedule a load, we must also define a BW object called InfoPackage.

For the InfoPackage to know the structure of the data's destination (either a characteristic or an InfoCube), we must define yet another BW object called InfoSource. If the destination is an InfoCube, after the data pass through the InfoSource, BW allows us to aggregate key figures. In BW, this aggregation procedure is called an update rule.

With this background information in mind, now let's define a source system so BW knows where to find the data.