SAP Fiori Visual Filter

Purpose

Add chart-based filters (Bar/Line) to filter bar or value help dialog (OData V4).

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MANDATORY: Gather Required Inputs First

STOP and ASK the user for ALL of these inputs if ANY are missing from the prompt:

1. Entity - Which entity to add the visual filter to
2. Dimension field - The field to filter by (e.g., Category, Status, Destination)
3. Measure field - The numeric field to aggregate (e.g., Amount, TotalPrice, ReservationPrice)
4. Aggregation method - How to aggregate: sum, avg, min, or max
5. Chart type - Bar or Line (recommend Bar as default)

DO NOT proceed with implementation until all inputs are confirmed.

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CAP Implementation

Enable Aggregation (MANDATORY)

@Aggregation.ApplySupported: {
  Transformations: ['aggregate','groupby'],
  AggregatableProperties: [{ Property: Amount }],
  GroupableProperties: [Category]
}

Aggregated Property (Measure)

Analytics.AggregatedProperty #Amount_sum : {
  $Type: 'Analytics.AggregatedPropertyType',
  Name: 'Amount_sum',
  AggregatableProperty: Amount,
  AggregationMethod: 'sum'
}

Chart Annotation

UI.Chart #visualFilter : {
  ChartType: #Bar,
  Dimensions: [Category],
  DynamicMeasures: ['@Analytics.AggregatedProperty#Amount_sum']
}

✅ Uses DynamicMeasures

PresentationVariant

UI.PresentationVariant #visualFilter: {
  Visualizations: ['@UI.Chart#visualFilter']
}

ValueList (on Dimension Field)

Category @Common.ValueList #visualFilter: {
  $Type: 'Common.ValueListType',
  CollectionPath: 'EntityName',
  Parameters: [
    { $Type: 'Common.ValueListParameterInOut', LocalDataProperty: Category, ValueListProperty: 'Category' }
  ],
  PresentationVariantQualifier: 'visualFilter'
}

SelectionFields

UI.SelectionFields: [Category]

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ABAP RAP Implementation

• Aggregation.ApplySupported and Aggregation.CustomAggregate annotations must be available in metadata.xml (RAP). If not, below backend configuration is required.

Backend CDS (MANDATORY)

@OData.applySupportedForAggregation: #FULL
define root view entity ZC_ENTITY
  provider contract analytical_query
  as projection on ZI_ENTITY
{
  key EntityID,

  @Aggregation.default: #SUM
  Amount,

  Category
}

Chart Annotation

<Annotation Term="UI.Chart" Qualifier="visualFilter">
  <Record Type="UI.ChartDefinitionType">
    <PropertyValue Property="ChartType" EnumMember="UI.ChartType/Bar"/>
    <PropertyValue Property="Dimensions">
      <Collection>
        <PropertyPath>Category</PropertyPath>
      </Collection>
    </PropertyValue>
    <PropertyValue Property="Measures">
      <Collection>
        <PropertyPath>Amount</PropertyPath>
      </Collection>
    </PropertyValue>
  </Record>
</Annotation>

✅ Uses Measures (not DynamicMeasures)
❌ Metadata is read-only

PresentationVariant Annotation

<Annotation Term="UI.PresentationVariant" Qualifier="visualFilter">
  <Record Type="UI.PresentationVariantType">
    <PropertyValue Property="Visualizations">
      <Collection>
        <AnnotationPath>@UI.Chart#visualFilter</AnnotationPath>
      </Collection>
    </PropertyValue>
  </Record>
</Annotation>

ValueList Annotation

<Annotation Term="Common.ValueList" Qualifier="visualFilter">
  <Record Type="Common.ValueListType">
    <PropertyValue Property="CollectionPath" String="EntityName"/>
    <PropertyValue Property="PresentationVariantQualifier" String="visualFilter"/>
    <PropertyValue Property="Parameters">
      <Collection>
        <Record Type="Common.ValueListParameterInOut">
          <PropertyValue Property="LocalDataProperty" PropertyPath="Category"/>
          <PropertyValue Property="ValueListProperty" String="Category"/>
        </Record>
      </Collection>
    </PropertyValue>
  </Record>
</Annotation>

SelectionFields Annotation

<Annotation Term="UI.SelectionFields">
  <Collection>
    <PropertyPath>Category</PropertyPath>
  </Collection>
</Annotation>

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Manifest Configuration (REQUIRED)

"@com.sap.vocabularies.UI.v1.SelectionFields": {
  "layout": "CompactVisual",
  "initialLayout": "Visual",
  "filterFields": {
    "Category": {
      "visualFilter": {
        "valueList": "com.sap.vocabularies.Common.v1.ValueList#visualFilter"
      }
    }
  }
}

✅ Connects filter field to visual filter chart
✅ Sets initial layout to visual mode

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Testing

CAP Projects

npm run watch-<app-name>  # e.g., npm run watch-manage-travel
# or use generic watch script if available
cds watch

RAP Projects

npm run start-mock # Needs metadata refresh

npm start          # No refresh needed - fetches metadata from live backend at runtime

• Consult fiori mcp server if available on how to refresh metadata for sap/cloud systems in case of RAP

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Key Differences

• CAP: DynamicMeasures + AggregatedProperty defined in CDS
• RAP: Measures + @Aggregation.default in backend CDS only
• CAP: Aggregation and chart defined in same place
• RAP: Metadata is read-only, must be configured in backend CDS.
• Qualifier: Must use same qualifier (#visualFilter) across Chart, ValueList, and manifest

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Common Mistakes

• Missing backend aggregation setup
• Qualifier mismatch between Chart, ValueList, PresentationVariant, and manifest
• Wrong path in manifest (use full vocabulary path)
• RAP projects using DynamicMeasures instead of Measures
• Forgetting PresentationVariantQualifier in ValueList
• Missing SelectionFields annotation

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Best Practices

• Use Bar chart (most common and recommended)
• Limit to 3–5 visual filters per filter bar
• Always configure backend aggregation first
• Use consistent qualifiers throughout
• Test with real data to verify aggregation works correctly