Difference between Variables and Input parameters in HANA

[Former Member]

Hi All

   As variables and input parameters both are for giving flexibility to user by accepting input from user at runtime.But i could not understand the difference between Variables and Input parameters.Request all of you to share your views.

Thanks

Santosh Varada

[nikhil_joy2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Santhosh,

Before the revision 26, we had only variables. after 26 variables have been split into variables and input parameters.

Both variable and parameter can be specified before executing a query on the view. Usually both are entered manually by the user on variable popup. The difference is that, variable defines a filter on an attribute of the view. So it is always assigned to an attribute. whereas parameter defines an internal parameterization of the view. ie the engine needs to know it and uses the parameter value during execution to find calculated measures. It will not filter the data set.Parameter can have only single value. Variable values are not known by the engine but only by the client. The variable values are passed to the engine via the WHERE clause of the SQL statement. parameter value is passed to the engine via the PLACEHOLDER clause of the SQL statement.

For the end user there is no distinction between variables and parameters. Both appear as input fields on the variable popup.

Refer SAP Note 1691126 for more details.

Regards,

Nikhil Joy