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Summary
This whitepaper focuses on various aspects that need to be followed in the BO/BW integration projects. It covers best practices, challenges faced and solutions derived in integrating BI with BO (WebI and Crystal Reports). Author(s): Sudhakar Arunachalam Ravi Sankar Reddy Narala Reviewer(s): Venkatesh Moti, Anil Kumar Lingam Company: Deloitte Created on: February 14, 2012
Author bio
The authors have worked on several SAP Business Objects projects.
As used in this document, Deloitte means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
Table of contents
1. Introduction 2.
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5
1 2
BW queries ....................................................................................................................2 OLAP Universe..............................................................................................................4 Information ....................................................................................................................5 Crystal reports ...............................................................................................................6 WebI reports ..................................................................................................................9
3.
3.2 3.3
10
4.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
14
WebI reports .............................................................................................................. 14 OLAP Universes ......................................................................................................... 14 BW queries ................................................................................................................. 14 Crystal Reports ........................................................................................................... 14 InfoView viewers for Crystal ....................................................................................... 15
16 17
Introduction
1. Introduction
SAP acquired Business Objects in 2008 to provide customers with a full suite of business intelligence and information management solutions on a single platform with deep integration to SAP Business Suite and NetWeaver. The intent was to offer SAP customers with a market leading suite of reporting, analytics and dashboard capabilities. This whitepaper focuses on various aspects that need to be followed in the BO/BI integration projects. It covers some of the common challenges faced, and solutions derived in integrating BI with BO (WebI and Crystal Reports). Also, this paper presents a perspective into the recommendations and best practices for BusinessObjects reports development with SAP BW. Goal of this document is to accelerate the deployment of BusinessObjects reports and avoid common mistakes by developers trying their hands for first time with SAP BW based data connections. The scope of this whitepaper is limited to the experiences that we have come across in this project. The Environment is: SAP BI 7.1 Crystal Reports 2008 SP3 SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1 SP3 SAP BI BO Integration kit SP3
2. For large sets of key figures, Use Selection of Structure Members option in transaction RSRT for the query to ensure structure elements are sent to the database for processing. 3. Selection option in variable creation is not recommended in BEx Queries. Alternatively, interval for dates and multi-/single-value select variable for Characteristics are suggested.
4. All the characteristics used in characteristic restriction should be part of rows/columns. 5. Create all prompts in Characteristic restrictions part of BEx. Prompts created at rows/column level of BEx are not carried to Universe. 6. Authorization variables should be part of characteristic restrictions instead of on default values. 7. Implement the filters and restrictions in the BEx query in order to minimize the volume of data returned to Crystal Reports or Web Intelligence reports. Parameters kept at Crystal Report would not filter data coming from BEx. Instead, need to suppress data Crystal Report level. Prompts kept at WebI level will filter data coming from BEx. 8. Use hierarchy type InfoObject to restrict hierarchy node variable restriction. Using normal InfoObject for hierarchy node restriction may give errors at Universe/report level. 9. A large number of navigation attributes defined in the BEx query negatively impacts the performance of the query in Web Intelligence. Only required characteristic objects should be marked as Navigational attributes. 10. BEx should be designed keeping Web Intelligence and Crystal Reports in mind and not BEx, as Crystal, WebI, and BW Queries are three different reporting tools. 11. Row-level security authorizations need to be handled at BW query using authorization variables, as security and restrictions are not supported by Designer for OLAP Universes or Crystal Reports. 12. InfoObject, Variable descriptions in the BEx query have to be aligned with prompt text requirements of the reports. 13. Suggested to apply restrictions at BEX level on some InfoObjects which should show only limited list of values. (e.g.: Fiscal Year Variant: can be restricted to SY instead of allowing all LOV). 14. It is not required to pull InfoObject attributes to BEx query to facilitate Crystal/WebI Reports as all attributes would be available here by default. 15. Key and Text both should be selected for characteristics wherever applicable, instead of selecting only key or text.
16. Design your BEx query appropriately with limited number of Key Figures and Characteristics.
3. Universe controls need to be left unchecked to fetch complete result set. 4. Promote detailed key objects as dimensions for important InfoObject. (Material key, Document key, etc.) 5. Change the date definition of pre-defined condition at universe level to provide the calendar option in the report prompts. 6. Prefix numbers to prompt display strings to achieve required sequence in WebI Reports. 7. L00 objects can be filtered in Universe. But for Universes with hierarchies, this option is not suggested, as hierarchy objects would start from L00. 8. Create custom objects at universe and use them in Web Intelligence reports to avoid universe refresh issues. 9. Duplicate Condition objects to manage universe refreshes. 10. Use Delegate Search option in universe designer. No values will be loaded automatically. User is forced to leverage search to receive members. Search is being delegated to the SAP BI system)
11. For large sets of key figures, Use Selection of Structure Members option. (In transaction RSRT for the query to ensure structure elements are sent to the database for processing.) 12. No need to set Connection parameters like Array fetch size, Array bind size, and Login timeout. (These are of no use for BI OLAP universes.) 13. BI Queries are recommended as data sources for generating universes. (BI Queries offer significant functionality such as Calculated and Restricted Key figures, structures and SAP authorization Variables.) 14. Ensure the reference objects are indexed to avoid unnecessary steps to resolve the value to the member unique name. 15. Set Index Awareness for suitable columns. 16. Date filters when flown to Universe; lose the ability to provide calendar facility. Update the prompt logic at universe to provide calendar to users. 17. Set measure qualification to sum, average, and database-delegate etc., appropriately. 18. While creating universes for Adhoc-Reporting, create custom objects and hide default classes and objects (L00/L01). 19. All the naming conventions of Characteristics and objects need to be taken care at BEx level. 20. When Universe is based on multiple subject areas, it is suggested to prefix process area for Key figures names. 21. Characteristic in BEx would map to subclass/dimension object in Universe and all the attributes would come as detailed objects in Universe. This is the default behavior of universe. 22. Recommended to have few BW Queries for every InfoCube or MultiCube that is in scope for ad-hoc query and reporting. Then, build a universe on top of each of these BW Queries.
2.3 Information
1. Universes connect to SAP NetWeaver BI via OLAP BAPI 2. Universe can directly connect to Multiproviders and InfoCubes. 3. Universe can connect to Multiproviders, InfoCubes, ODS, Infoset through BEx Query. 4. Need to use BEx queries to leverage CKFs, RKFs, Structures, Variables, Navigational attributes. 5. Characteristics, Hierarchies, Basic key figures, Display attributes would be available at InfoCube/BEx query level as well. 6. Meta data mapping Dimension: Class Characteristics: subclass with dimension and detail objects Characteristic with hierarchy: Subclass containing dimension and detail objects for each hierarchy level in the currently defined hierarchy Structure based on Characteristics: Class with single dimension object for the structure Navigational attribute: Subclass with dimension and detail objects (identical to characteristic) Display Attribute: Detail object for the dimension
Key Figure: Measure object in the class for the Key Figure structure with dimension objects for units/currency, numeric value, and formatted value (based on User preferences) Calculated Key Figure (BEx Queries only): Measure and dimension objects (same as Key Figure) Restricted Key Figure (BEx Queries only): Measure and dimension objects (same as Key Figure) Variables (BEx Queries only): Pre-defined Filter in the Universe In the class for the dimension to which the variable applies, two dimension objects supporting the list of values, one for caption, one for description. Key date variable (BEx Queries only): Universe parameters defining key date variable in the universe
When you save your Crystal Reports, you can choose to save it to BOE or you can save it to BW and publish to BOE. It is not mandatory to save to BW and then publish to BOE, but if you dont do so, you miss some functionality, such as: a. Online list of values for prompts b. Hierarchical display for hierarchical node prompts c. SAP variable personalization d. Life cycle management of Crystal Reports (from DEV to QA to PROD) with the SAP transports 3. Not recommended to use Page N of M. 4. Show both name and description for Characteristics.
6. Uncheck Save Data with Report to get latest data every time. This will make the report to refresh whenever it is viewed.
8. Keep one time tool level settings for font, size, wrap, and paragraph. It is advisable to prepare a template with all desired fonts, sizes, layout etc, and apply the same template for related reports. This reduces the manual labor in Development.
13. Customization to Crystal parameter prompt text cannot be retained when the crystal is updated for BEx changes. BEx variable descriptions have to be given per the prompt text requirement of the end report users. 14. Crystal parameters unable to populate list of values when the report is viewed via client tool, if the variables are modified at BEx level, or even if new data is loaded in the info cube, after the creation of crystal report. a. Publish the report to BW and import back to see the LOV. b. Copy the list of values from newly created Crystal. c. Append list of values from data base. 15. Compounded characteristics from BI are showing up with compounding even though compounding is removed from BEx display. Alternative is to remove compounding from Crystal/WebI Report.
4.3 BW queries
1. Programmable prompt default values (system date, fiscal year) would not be carried out to Crystal Reports or Universe. However, normal prompt default values would be carried to Crystal Reports and Universe. 2. Conditions and exceptions of BEx are not carried crystal/WebI Reports. 3. Selection option defined at BW query becomes range prompt in Universe, becomes range and multi-select prompt in Crystal. 4. Mandatory prompt with default values works fine at crystal after publishing to BW. But only first default value is getting carried by neglecting rest of the values.
5. All values entered at prompt cant be displayed in prompt page of Crystal report. Only values available at underlying cube would be displayed. 6. Need to provide key values instead of description values to the parameters in Crystal Reports. 7. In Crystal report, when existing BEx query is repointed to new BEx query, technical name would not be reflected correctly. Need to go to table properties to find the correct name. 8. Optional prompt with default values would not work as expected. Even after checking set to null the report would run for prompt default values. Need to select new value to overwrite the default behavior. 9. Prompt text for Crystal parameters would be overwritten with BEx variable descriptions after updating the Crystal report data source to reflect BEx changes. So, cannot provide custom prompt text at Crystal report level. All the naming conventions for parameters should be taken care at BEx level. 10. Crystal prompt values are sorted on key even though BEx can sort them on key or description. 11. For variables that are modified at BEx after the initial creation of report, the respective parameters do not load LOVs in Crystal client tool. 12. Crystal Reports LOVs would display description by default in Web Viewer of InfoView even though it is defined as key in BEx. 13. BEx default values (system date) would take precedence over set to NULL
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