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if you’re lucky enough to be using SAP, there’s a third choice. ALV Grid Control
(standard with SAP since version 4.5X), which lets you choose from pre-defined
layouts or build custom displays immediately. Choose
fonts and format text elements to create a more interesting display that’s
easier to understand Apply typical list functions like sorting and filtering without extra
programming
Create totals and subtotals
Apply and modify built-in functions
Add a response to a user-action like double-clicking on a display line
Print lists or export them to other
applications Define and save custom output
settings, then select and change from pull-down menus ALV
makes things better for your organization too.
You don’t have to draw on IT resources to get a custom report programmed. Once
the basic report is programmed, every user can create a variety of department,
individual, or ad hoc reports with a few mouse-clicks.
Finally, ALV makes things better for the people you need to reach.
With ALV you can be a more effective communicator. With just a few
steps—emphasizing pertinent information, hiding irrelevant material, and adding
column totals, for example—you can take an intimidating display of data that was
a barrier to understanding and turn it into a powerful communication tool.
Perform common list
operations such as summing and filtering
Perform graphical
functions such as typeface and paragraph formatting
Customize data output on
the fly
Create, share and
maintain a library of output templates
Introducing
ALV
We’ve all been there.
It’s five o’clock. You need
to run a report — maybe your boss needs it before you leave or maybe you need
it for a presentation first thing in the morning — but the only report you can
run shows sensitive information. Or it just shows so much irrelevant data that
it’s confusing. You don’t have time to get your IT department to create a
custom report. Your only choices seem to be (1) go with the ugly and confusing
report you can run now or (2) stay late and spend hours downloading your HR
data into an Excel spreadsheet and reformatting the results until you get what
you want.
What will ALV do for me?
ALV’s
broad functionality lets you emphasize, hide, and reformat list items; add
graphic elements; and generally make any ABAP list display a more powerful
communications tool. ALV Grid Control can be used in the SAP GUI for Windows™
or the SAP GUI for Java™ environments and can be displayed on the Web.
ALV functionality lets users:
ALV makes things better for you, your
organization, and the people you need to communicate with.
It makes things better for you
by freeing up your time. No more downloading into a spreadsheet when you
need to format data more effectively. Whether you want to use a report template
you’ve created in the past or create a unique format right away, ALV can do it
quickly and easily. ALV is easy to use because it’s easy to learn. For example,
just moving your mouse cursor over a tool icon pops up an explanation of that
icon’s function. So you always get the results you want in a hurry.
Here’s ALV in a
Nutshell.
ALV Grid
Control is SAP’s graphical list-viewing tool and is similar in look and feel
to Microsoft Excel. ALV functionality lets SAP end-users:
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ALV displays your list in a window similar to a Microsoft Excel window. There is a tool bar at the top of the window (shown below) and these icons access display functions. Moving your mouse cursor over an icon pops up an explanation of that icon’s function.
Using ALV, you can display and modify SAP system reports like the Wage-type Reporter, HR Ad Hoc Queries, and many standard HR reports such as the Birthday List and Anniversary List.
ALV keeps you informed about your display.
ALV shows
detailed information about your current display. You always know which columns
were sorted and in what order, which columns were totaled or subtotaled, and
which filter criteria were set. By adding a count field to your report and
totaling on it, you can see how many records have been passed.
There are not many limitations.
The
limitations are surprisingly few. While the current version of ALV only lets you
display simple lists (no block or hierarchical lists), users can define
multiple-line formats in the Print Preview window and print multiple-line lists
from there. The only other significant constraint is that you must be online.
ALV doesn’t run in background processing.
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Looking at ALV features
Most operations are simple and straightforward.
For example,
to sort a column, start by selecting the column: click in the column and use
your control and shift keys and navigation keys (just as you would in Microsoft
Excel or Word) to select the columns you want. Then click on the appropriate
icon to sort in ascending or descending order. You can use a combination of
ascending and descending sorts in a single display.
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Use
those filters.
Filters let you focus on the
data most relevant to you or your audience. You can define filters to include
only items you want or to exclude those you don’t want. In the example shown
here, the user has selected the Last Name column and clicked on the
filter icon to open a window where filter criteria are set.
You could also spell out Miller in the selection window to see only
records for the last name of Miller, as in the illustration below.
Totals and Subtotals are just as
easy.
Numerical
columns can easily be totaled using the same process. Select the column you want
totaled and click on the icon. (If there are no numerical columns, the totaling
icon will not appear on the tool bar.) The illustration below shows a display
after a column has been totaled. ALV has inserted the line with the total
immediately below the last item included in the sum. (The total can also be
displayed at the head of the column.)
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Hiding irrelevant or sensitive data.
An especially useful and
timesaving function is the ability to conceal data from the display. Not only
does it make it easy for you to hide sensitive fields like Salary or Social
Security Number, it also helps you to organize your display so the viewer
focuses on the data relevant to your purpose.
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You can change the layout.
When you need to make a number of changes to a
display, click on the Change Layout icon to open a window where you can select a
column and then perform an operation.
As you select columns and hide, total, sort or perform other operations, the Column Set list keeps track of which fields you’ve already modified. In the illustration above, the Job key field is selected. By clicking on the right-arrow button, that field will be hidden. [Notice the information box that appears when the cursor—which cannot be seen here—moves over the right-arrow button.]
Selecting the View tab lets you alter the appearance of the display from the grid view shown in the preceding illustrations to make your display resemble either an Excel spreadsheet or a Crystal Reports display. Additional graphic control can be exercised by clicking on the Display tab and choosing from among global display options.
Options include showing or hiding horizontal or vertical grid lines, showing or hiding headers, causing column width to automatically adjust to the longest value in a column, and showing totals either above or below the items totaled. You can also merge cells when a value repeats so that it doesn’t get written on every line. Another option lets you shade alternate lines to improve legibility.
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Saving custom layouts for reuse.
One of the outstanding features of ALV is the
option to save a set of display values as a template that can be applied to
other lists in the future. Save the values you choose for a particular display
as a custom template or layout and apply it to future lists and previously
created lists. These layouts can be applied at runtime, meaning that the same
list can be used for more than one purpose. Layouts can be saved for use by a
single user or they can be made available system wide.
Clicking on the Save Layout icon opens a window where the user can name the layout and record a description. When you want to use a previously saved layout, click on the Select Layout icon to see a list.
What else can ALV do for me?
ALV has a
number of other useful functions. You can choose Print Preview to see what a
printed document will look like. You can preview your display as an Excel
spreadsheet and save it to a local drive as either an Excel spreadsheet or a
Microsoft Word document. You can also email it directly from ALV in any of these
formats. Like the other functions discussed, each of these can be selected by
clicking on its icon. (And remember, you can always see what each icon does just
by holding your mouse cursor over it for a few seconds, until the pop-up box
appears.)
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The email option is especially convenient. You can identify a list of recipients and set the file formats and other controls for each recipient in one window, as you can see below.
In
conclusion…
With the inclusion of ALV in version 4.5X and later,
SAP has added a powerful and extremely useful tool that is easy to learn and
use. It helps you turn data into information so you can be more effective. It
lets you create information faster, on the fly, and without tying up your
organization’s IT resources. What a deal!