Multi provider:
A Multiprovider is also an infoprovider that uses union operation to combine the data coming from fifferent Info Providers. A multi provideritself doesnot contain any data.It brings the data from the Info Providers from which it is based on at the time of reporting.
Procedure to create a Multi provider
Step 1)Right click on your info area and say create Multiprovider.
Step 2)Give the technical name and description of the multi provider, in general user created info areas starts with Z or Y.
Step 3) click in create icon
Step 4)
Info Providers used in creation of Multiproviders:
1) InfoCubes(can be virtual providers also)
2) Datastore objects
3) Info Objects
4) Info sets
5) Aggregation levels
Step 5)
Here you have an option of selecting the way the info provider’s display:
1) Display all info providers:
This is a default option.
It displays the entire info providers list for the selected option.
Use of Identification of characteristics option:
When you have same characteristics coming from two or more info providers we need to identify which one you want to choose while reporting. In general you should have at least two characteristics coming from two different info providers selected.You can also identify the fields that are not common and which are used in the reporting but you will be getting (#) values as per the nature of the Multiprovider.
We do the same in case of key figures also:
Step 7)
Click on the select key figures option and choose the key figures required.
Using Info providers that don’t store data physically in a Multiprovider:
A Multiprovider can also be created on virtual info cubes and info sets that do not store data physically.
Note: Every data target is an info provider but not every info provider is a data target
Data target: This stores data physically
Role of a Multiprovider in query performance:
In general when a query is executed a sub query is run internally to fetch the data, but in case of multi provider a main query is sub divided into number of sub queries which execute in parallel to fetch data. A sub-query is generated for each InfoProvider associated with the MultiProvider.
If you have data from 2005 to 2009 in a single info cube you can partition in to 5 different infocubes dependin on the year and build a Multiprovider on the top of it which decreases the query execution time and increase the performnce.
Multiprovider in BI 7.0 flow:
A Multiprovider is placed in between the query and an info provider
Recommendations:
It is not recommended to use more than 10 info providers in one multi provider.
References:
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2004/helpdata/en/52/1ddc37a3f57a07e10000009b38f889/content.htm