What to Expect When Migrating to BI 4.1

Chris Kruger, InfoSol Inc.

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Agenda Why Migrate? Changes in BI 4.1 What’s New? Sizing Your Environment Best Practices UNV to UNX Deski Migration Case Study

Why Migrate?

• Stay current with supported releases– XI 3.1 supported to end of 2016 but previous

releases out of support• New Functionality

– Multi-source universes, Mobile BI, Improved integration, auditing, monitoring and tons more

• New Products need BI 4– Mobile BI, Dashboards with Universe and HTML5,

Crystal Enterprise, Analysis, Hana

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Changes in BI4.1

• 64 bit server architecture– Client tools remain 32 bit

• New dimensional semantic layer with New Information Design Tool (IDT)– Multi-source universes– Connect to OLAP data sources

• Major enhancements to Web Intelligence, Dashboards, Explorer

• New Crystal for Enterprise product• New Analysis OLAP tools

Changes in BI4.1

• Upgrade Manager Tool replaces Import Wizard• Life Cycle Manager made up of Promotion

Manager and Version Manager•Naming/Branding

– 3.1 – InfoView; 4.x – BI LaunchPad– 3.1 – Dashboard Builder; 4.x – BI Workspace– 3.1 – Xcelsius; 4.x – Dashboards 4– 4.0 – Visual Intelligence; 4.1 – Lumira

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Changes in BI4.1

• All client tools use “ribbon-style” organization• Naming conventions for Business Objects releases

– Major.Minor.Support Pack.Patch– E.g. 4.1 SP2 Patch1

• New Audit database– New UNX universe and Crystal reports– Will not be able to use existing reports– Admin will need to be comfortable with the IDT and UNX

universes

• Monitoring

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What’s New in BI4.1 - Enhanced UI

• Modern design and augmented capabilities– New charting options and ribbon toolbar for all

solutions

What’s New in BI4.1 - BI Launch Pad

• End User Features– Home page access to

most common features

– Quick access to BI Applications and Search

– Recently viewed reports, scheduled documents, alert notifications etc.

What’s New in BI4.1 - New content search Easier self-service

access to find all available information

Enhanced filtering and search options reducing page scrolling

Enhanced navigation for working with multiple documents

What’s New in BI4.1 - Access to Content

• Easier access to BI content– Multiple tabs allow for a

number of documents to be open at the same time

– Pinning keeps documents permanently available

– New screen layout provides more screen real estate for BI content

What’s New in BI4.1 - BI WorkSpace• All information and

analytics needed for daily activities

• Mass appeal with simple, drag and drop experience

• Simple WYSIWYG authoring

• Decreased dependency on IT

SAP BusinessObjects Data Services 4.0Data Services XI 3.2

Text Analysis

Data Services 4.0

Structured Data

Unstructured Data

One UserInterface

One Metadata Repository

One Runtime Architecture

SAP BusinessObjects Information Steward• Various perspectives to understand and

analyze trustworthiness of data

• “One place” for IT and business analysts to collaborate and govern their data assets

• Integrated metadata management, business glossary, data quality assessment, and data quality monitoring, cleansing package builder

• Easy and secure assess to a rich set of metadata & data sources

• First step towards a longer-term solution supporting data governance

What’s New in BI4.1 - New Universe• In XI 4.0, universes can be built with three layers:

– Data Connection– Data Foundation– Business Layer– Combined in a .unx file

• Enhanced data viewing– View data from multiple tables at one time– View Data from multiple columns at the same time

• Enhanced Integrity Checker– Create your own rules for the Integrity Checker

What’s New in BI4.1 - New Universe• Allows for the color coding of tables, creating

groups, or families, of tables• Calculated Columns• Prompts and LOV’s will be standalone objects

and can be created without writing code• Designers can now create queries in the semantic

layer• Universe Views• Dependencies and Impact Analysis

What’s New in BI4.1 - New Universe

What’s New in BI4.1 - Two Crystals!

• Crystal Reports 2013– Continuation of CR 2008– Preserves existing customer investments in Crystal

Reports content• Crystal Reports Enterprise

– Uses new CSL and completely integrated into XI 4 platform

– Next generation of report writer• .NET and Java APIs provided for embedding

your beautiful reports inside custom applications

What’s New in BI4.1 – Dashboards 4• Enhanced Semantic Layer Integration• Simplify authoring of dashboards

– Query panel in Dashboards Designer– Direct binding of Universe objects to visualizations– Prompt selector to leverage prompt defined in Universe– Separation of roles between data experts and

dashboard authors• Next Generation Universe (UNX) Support

– Consistent access to data between clients and across sources

– One abstraction layer for all data sources

What’s New in BI4.1 – Dashboards 4

What’s New in BI4.1 – Dashboards 4

• Enhance scalable BOE backend– Support BW and third party OLAP sources– Serve personal data without data source hit: CSL

data filters on cached data• Enhance visualization for hierarchies

– Tree data selection and hierarchical scorecard components

• Enhance binding to dashboard reduce authoring & maintenance cost– Direct binding between components to support

interactivity and alert definition

What’s New in BI4.1 – Dashboards 4

• Dashboard Insight to Action– Integration of BOE/CSL (common semantic layer)

Take Action service: support for SAP RRI• Upgrade from Flex 2 to Flex 4

– Enhanced accessibility (e.g. keyboard navigation, text alternative for charts)

– Support Flex 4 add-on components (SDK)• Generation of HTML5 components for Mobile

BI rendering

What’s New in BI4.1 - Webi 4

• Access to Explorer graphics library• Hierarchical Data• Usability enhancements

What’s New in BI4.1 - Analysis, OLAP Edition

• Analyze across multiple dimensions and hierarchies

• Uncover deep business insights

• Boost user adoption and lower TCO with web-based analysis

• MS OLAP and Essbase

What’s New in BI4.1 - Analysis, Microsoft Office Edition

• Familiar and intuitive Microsoft Office user experience

• Uncover deep insights with powerful Excel-based analytical capabilities

• Bring analyses into PowerPoint presentations

• Leverage all your investments -BW cubes and Bex queries, and BI platform

What’s New in BI4.1 - ExplorerSAP BusinessObjects Explorer

SAP BusinessObjects Data Services

• Accelerated Version• Exploration Views

SAPBO

Accelerator

What’s New in BI4.1 - MobileBIWebi and iOS only for first release

Sizing Your Environment

• Rule of thumb was: “Double your hardware”• More complex than that…

– Sizing tools– Pick what services will auto-start– Monitoring very resource heavy– Explorer and Mobile will add to load

• If you don’t optimize, may take 4X to 5X more

Sizing Your Environment

• Licensing implications– New Concurrent and Named user blend model for

Enterprise (Conversion options available)– Core base licensing may become more expensive

with new hardware requirements– EDGE licensing stays the same– Review usage and processes to get the most out

of your licensing• Delivery, Dashboarding, etc.

Migration Best Practices

• Instance Management– Migration = All or none

• Options for clean up– Move all garbage into Archive Folder, migrate

everything else– Move everything into new “Sandbox” instance and

migrate from there– Personal Items/Favorites

• Create Migration folder and have the user move content to be kept

Migration Best Practices

• Don’t move junk!– Run the repository diagnostic tool– Use auditing tools like 360 EYES for usage analysis

• Make sure auditing turned on ASAP to monitor usage from both user and report perspective

• BACKUP!!!!

UNV to UNX

• When should you start using UNX?– When you need to :

• Make use of multi-source , OLAP access or and other new features

• Audit universe in UNX format• Specific functionality tied to UNX with applications

– Rule of thumb: new development should be in IDT• Most customers keep universes in UNV during

migration and convert to or create in UNX later

UNV to UNX

• Linked Universes NOT SUPPORTED– Will have to unlink, convert “Master” UNV to UNX via the

IDT– Convert secondary universes to UNV via IDT– Add tables, joins, etc. to “Master” data foundation

(manual)– Point business layers from secondary UNX’s to “Master”

data foundation– Will need to use security or Business Layer views to

replicate linked universe functionality – complex

• TRAINING recommended

Deski• Deski Compatibility Pack (DCP)

– Allows users to save reports from 3.1 SP6 client tool to 4.1 CMS

– Can utilize scheduling functionality within platform and 3rd party tools

– Must install Webi Rich Client and Report Conversion Tool (RCT) with Deski client

• Migration strategy– Most sites still moving to Web Intelligence– Deski will still maintain end-of-life timeline

Chris Krugerckruger@infosol.com