SAP Analytics Cloud - Resolve High Impact Performance Issues

[guenay]

Hi everyone,

I’m working with Widgets in a story that are taking a long time to load. Using the Performance Analysis Tools in SAC, I identified a few possible reasons for the weak performance. Take a look at the screenshot below.

1. Number of Dimension Attributes: 92
   We have dimensions with attributes, but they’re not being used in the Widget. Could these still affect performance?

2. Number of User-Defined Variable Exits: 8
   This makes sense—more prompted variables likely increase processing time.

3. Number of Elements in Structure 1: 50
   I’m not entirely sure what this refers to. Does it count all the dimensions and measures in the query?

4. Number of Free Dimensions: 17
   What exactly does this refer to? Is it query-related?

I’d appreciate your insights on these four points.

Thanks in advance!

Ismail

[RajuRam · Accepted solution]

You have raised four good points from the SAC Performance Analysis tool. Each one in simple terms:

1. Number of Dimension Attributes: 92

• Even if attributes are not shown in your widget, they are still part of the underlying query.
• They need to be read from BW/HANA, so they can slow down performance.
• If you do not use them at all, it is better to remove unused attributes from the InfoObjects in the query or reduce them via a trimmed view.

2.Number of User-Defined Variable Exits: 8

• Each variable exit is like a small program that runs to calculate a value dynamically.
• More exits = more processing time on the backend before the query result is sent to SAC.
• Eight exits is a bit high, so check if all of them are really needed.

3. Number of Elements in Structure 1: 50

• “Structure” means a group of measures or key figures defined in your query (for example: sales, cost, profit, ratio, etc.).
• If you have 50, SAC has to process and transport all 50 each time the widget loads, even if only a few are displayed.
• Try reducing unnecessary key figures in the query.

4.Number of Free Dimensions: 17

• “Free dimensions” are dimensions included in the query but not directly in the rows or columns of the table.
• They still travel with the query so that users can drill down later.
• Having 17 free dimensions means the query is heavy, and reducing unused free dimensions will improve performance.

In short: Yes, even unused attributes, variable exits, large structures, and free dimensions add weight to your query and can slow SAC widget performance. The best approach is to simplify the underlying BW/HANA query or use a trimmed view with only the fields and dimensions required for the dashboard.