SAP Fiori Visual Filter

Purpose

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

Prerequisites

CAP Projects:

• ✅ VS Code or SAP Business Application Studio (BAS) - Both environments supported
• ✅ Fiori MCP Server - Required for Fiori app modification (VS Code only)

ABAP RAP Projects:

• ✅ VS Code only - ABAP Development Tools extension is VS Code-specific
• ✅ Fiori MCP Server - Required for Fiori app modification
• ✅ ABAP Development Tools for VS Code extension - Required for backend development (includes ADT MCP server for RAP operations)

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 (see valid values below)
5. Chart type - Bar or Line (recommend Bar as default)

DO NOT proceed with implementation until all inputs are confirmed.

⚠️ Line chart dimension type restriction: ChartType: #Line only supports dimensions typed as Edm.Date, Edm.TimeOfDay, or Edm.DateTimeOffset. If the requested dimension is a different type (e.g. string/association code like Status, Category), either use #Bar instead or confirm with the user that the dimension field is a date/time type before proceeding.

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',
  ![@Common.Label]: 'Total Amount'
}

Valid AggregationMethod values (lowercase string):

• sum - Sum of the non-null values
• min - Smallest of the non-null values
• max - Largest of the non-null values
• average - Sum of non-null values divided by count of non-null values
• countdistinct - Count of distinct values, omitting null values

⚠️ CRITICAL: Must be a lowercase string (e.g., 'sum'), NOT an enum (e.g., #SUM). Using an enum will cause SQL generation errors.

Chart Annotation

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

✅ Uses DynamicMeasures

PresentationVariant

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

Scalar property versus managed association dimension

The annotation location depends on how the dimension is declared in the CAP model:

• A direct scalar property can be annotated inline. For example, Category : String(80) is a real entity element, so use Category @Common.ValueList #visualFilter inside the annotate ... with { ... } block.
• A managed association is different. For example, Category : Association to Categories generates the local foreign key Category_code; Category_code is not a declared element in the source entity and cannot be annotated inline in that block.

For the scalar Category dimension, this is valid:

annotate MyService.Entity with {
  Category @Common.ValueList #visualFilter: {
    $Type: 'Common.ValueListType',
    CollectionPath: 'Entity',
    PresentationVariantQualifier: 'visualFilter',
    Parameters: [
      { $Type: 'Common.ValueListParameterInOut',
        LocalDataProperty: Category, ValueListProperty: 'Category' }
    ]
  };
};

For a visual filter whose dimension is the managed Category association, use the separate association-key target described below. Do not replace the target with Category_code inside the entity annotation block.

⚠️ Dimension is a Managed Association FK (e.g. Category_code, Status_ID)

When the dimension field is the auto-generated foreign key column of a managed association (e.g. Category_code from Category : Association to Categories), you cannot annotate it inline inside the entity's annotate ... with { ... } block — the FK column is not visible as an element there. The CDS compiler will fail with:

Element "Category_code" has not been found

✅ CORRECT: Use a separate annotate statement targeting the association itself — the compiler rewrites it to the FK column:

// Compiles to target Travels/Category_code in $metadata
annotate MyService.Entity:Category with @(
  Common.ValueList #visualFilter: {
    $Type                       : 'Common.ValueListType',
    CollectionPath              : 'Entity',
    PresentationVariantQualifier: 'visualFilter',
    Parameters                  : [
      { $Type: 'Common.ValueListParameterInOut',
        LocalDataProperty: Category_code, ValueListProperty: 'Category_code' }
    ]
  }
);

Key points:

• Target syntax: annotate <Service>.<Entity>:<assoc> — for a managed to-one association, the compiler copies/rewrites annotations on the association to its generated local FK element. This matches documented CAP compiler behavior (see CAP docs on "Managed Associations"). If other annotations (e.g. Common.Label, Common.Text) already target the same association elsewhere, they're merged into a single Annotations Target="...Entity/<assoc>_code" block in $metadata. Verify with cds compile --to edmx if unsure.
• LocalDataProperty and ValueListProperty both use the FK column name (e.g. Category_code), not the association name.
• CollectionPath is the same entity set that holds the chart data (self-reference), not the code-list entity set.

❌ WRONG: Inline annotation inside the entity block — fails to compile:

annotate MyService.Entity with { ... } {
  Category_code @Common.ValueList #visualFilter: { ... };  // ❌ Element not found
};

SelectionFields

UI.SelectionFields: [Category]

Manifest configuration (MANDATORY)

The shared Manifest Configuration section below applies to CAP and RAP.

ABAP RAP Implementation (4 Steps)

CRITICAL: NEVER EDIT metadata.xml - IT IS READ-ONLY!

⚠️ PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST - Verify BEFORE Implementation

Missing ANY of these will cause the visual filter to fail:

• @OData.applySupportedForAggregation: #FULL on projection view (ZC_*)
• @Aggregation.default: #SUM (or #AVG, #MIN, #MAX) on measure field
• @UI.chart annotation with correct qualifier in metadata extension
• @UI.selectionField on dimension field
• Frontend Common.ValueList annotation in annotation.xml
• Manifest controlConfiguration with visual filter settings
• All CDS objects activated

1. Backend Projection View (MANDATORY) - Enable Aggregation Support

⚠️ CRITICAL: @OData.applySupportedForAggregation annotation is MANDATORY

WITHOUT this annotation:

• OData service will NOT support aggregation
• Visual filter will fail to load
• Chart annotations will be ignored

Placement:

• ✅ MUST be on PROJECTION view (ZC_* or ZZZC_*) with TRANSACTIONAL_QUERY contract
• ❌ NOT on interface view (ZR_* or ZZZR_*)

CORRECT Example:

// MANDATORY! Must be present!
@OData.applySupportedForAggregation: #FULL
define root view entity ZC_ENTITY
  provider contract TRANSACTIONAL_QUERY
  as projection on ZR_ENTITY
{
  @Aggregation.default: #SUM  // Specify aggregation method for measure
  Amount;
  Category;  // Dimension field (no aggregation annotation needed)
}

WRONG Example:

// ❌ WRONG - Don't put on interface view
// WRONG PLACE!
@OData.applySupportedForAggregation: #FULL
define root view entity ZR_ENTITY
  as select from TABLE

2. Backend Metadata Extension (MANDATORY) - Add Chart, PresentationVariant, SelectionField Annotations

⚠️ CRITICAL: @UI.chart and @UI.presentationVariant are ENTITY-LEVEL (header) annotations. Place them in the header block — BEFORE annotate view ZC_ENTITY with (alongside @UI.headerInfo.*), NOT inside the { ... } field block and NOT on a field (e.g. the dimension field). Attaching @UI.chart to a field fails activation with: Annotation 'UI.chart.qualifier' used at wrong position (wrong scope).

// ↓↓↓ HEADER SCOPE: these go BEFORE `annotate view`, never on a field ↓↓↓
@UI.chart: [{
  qualifier: 'visualFilter',
  chartType: #BAR,
  dimensions: ['Category'],
  measures: ['Amount']
}]
@UI.presentationVariant: [{
  qualifier: 'visualFilter',
  visualizations: [{
    type: #AS_CHART,
    qualifier: 'visualFilter'
  }]
}]
annotate view ZC_ENTITY with
{
  @UI.selectionField: [{ position: 10 }]
  Category;

  @EndUserText.label: 'Amount'
  Amount;
}

3. Frontend (annotation.xml) - Add ValueList

ValueList Annotation on Dimension Field:

<Annotations Target="<YourServiceNamespace>.<YourEntityType>/Category">
  <Annotation Term="Common.ValueList" Qualifier="visualFilter">
    <Record Type="Common.ValueListType">
      <PropertyValue Property="CollectionPath" String="<YourEntitySet>"/>
      <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>
</Annotations>

Important: Replace placeholders:

• <YourServiceNamespace> - e.g., com.sap.gateway.srvd.ztravel.v0001
• <YourEntityType> - e.g., TravelType
• <YourEntitySet> - e.g., Travel

4. Verify Active Annotations (MANDATORY)

After activating both DDLS and DDLX, verify the changes are live:

⚠️ IMPORTANT: DDLS and DDLX are Separate Objects

The projection view (DDLS file) and metadata extension (DDLX file) are separate ABAP development objects that happen to share the same entity name.

Key points:

• DDLS = Data Definition (projection view) - contains entity definition, associations, fields, and data annotations
• DDLX = Metadata Extension - contains UI annotations (@UI.chart, @UI.presentationVariant, field labels, etc.)
• Both must be activated individually - activating one does NOT activate the other
• Both must exist for the visual filter to work

Activation:

• Use ABAP ADT MCP to activate ABAP objects
• Activate the DDLS file separately from the DDLX file

Verification Steps:

1. Verify Activation Status:

   • Check the activation tool output for success messages
   • Verify no errors were reported during activation
   • Both DDLS and DDLX must show successful activation

2. Check OData $metadata:

   • Open your service URL in browser: <service-url>/$metadata
   • Search for: <Annotation Term="UI.Chart" Qualifier="visualFilter">
   • Also verify: <Annotation Term="UI.PresentationVariant" Qualifier="visualFilter">
   • If these annotations are missing from $metadata, the DDLX is not active OR the service binding needs republishing

5. Manifest configuration (MANDATORY)

Use the shared Manifest Configuration section below.

Manifest Configuration (Common for CAP and RAP)

Complete manifest.json structure:

"sap.ui5": {
  "routing": {
    "targets": {
      "<YourListReport>": {  // Replace with your actual List Report target name
        "type": "Component",
        "name": "sap.fe.templates.ListReport",
        "options": {
          "settings": {
            "contextPath": "/<YourEntitySet>",  // Replace with your entity set path
            "controlConfiguration": {
              "@com.sap.vocabularies.UI.v1.SelectionFields": {
                "layout": "CompactVisual",
                "initialLayout": "Visual",
                "filterFields": {
                  "Category": {
                    "visualFilter": {
                      "valueList": "com.sap.vocabularies.Common.v1.ValueList#visualFilter"
                    }
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Path: sap.ui5.routing.targets.<ListReport>.options.settings.controlConfiguration Visual filter settings belong under controlConfiguration, not directly under settings.

Important placeholders:

• <YourListReport> - Your List Report target name (e.g., TravelList)
• <YourEntitySet> - Your entity set path (e.g., /Travel)
• Category - Your dimension field name
• visualFilter - Must match the qualifier in your annotations

CRITICAL: Manifest Configuration Structure

Visual filter settings go under controlConfiguration, NOT directly under settings!

Testing

Refer to the Application Preview Guidelines section in the sap-fiori-app-development skill for detailed testing instructions, including:

• CAP project testing with watch scripts
• Standalone Fiori project testing with live backend vs. mock mode
• Metadata refresh procedures after backend changes

Key Differences

CAP:

• Aggregation + measures defined in CDS
• Uses DynamicMeasures
• Aggregation and chart defined in same place

RAP:

• Aggregation defined in backend CDS only
• Uses Measures (not DynamicMeasures)
• Metadata is read-only

Common Mistakes

• Backend Changes are not activated.
• Qualifier mismatch between Chart, ValueList, PresentationVariant, and manifest
• Wrong path in manifest (use full vocabulary path)
• Missing SelectionField annotation
• Non-numeric measure field
• Missing compact visual layout configuration in manifest

CAP:

• Trying to annotate a managed-association FK column (e.g. Status_code) inline inside annotate ... with { ... } — fails with Element "..._code" has not been found. Use a separate annotate Service.Entity:assoc with (...) statement instead (see "Dimension is a Managed Association FK" above).

RAP:

• Missing backend aggregation support
• Using DynamicMeasures instead of Measures
• Adding Common.ValueList in backend instead of frontend (ValueList MUST be in frontend annotation.xml)
• Adding UI annotations directly in CDS projection view instead of metadata extension
• Trying to use @Consumption.valueHelpDefinition for visual filters (that's for value help dialogs, not visual filters)

Best Practices

• Always activate backend changes in ADT MCP before testing
• Use 1 dimension + 1 measure per visual filter
• Prefer Bar charts for better readability
• Keep qualifier names consistent across all annotations
• Test with different data volumes
• Always include layout: "CompactVisual" and initialLayout: "Visual" in manifest

RAP Specific:

• ALWAYS use ADT MCP to modify backend files when available
• Chart + PresentationVariant → Backend metadata extension (.ddlx.acds)
• Common.ValueList → Frontend annotation.xml (CANNOT be in backend)

References

• SAP Fiori Elements Visual Filter Documentation: https://ui5.sap.com/#/topic/5ea9bb1d544a42eabf71822a8a2cb753
• ABAP RAP Aggregation support: https://help.sap.com/docs/abap-cloud/abap-rap/projection-view