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Best Practices to
Gather, Refine, and
Cement SAP BW/BI
Reporting Requirements

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Gary Nolan
TekLink International

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2007 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved.

In This Session

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Discuss common mistakes made when gathering


Business Intelligence (BI) requirements
Explore methods for establishing and agreeing on
requirements between the various stakeholders
Introduce some deliverables that help the teams
communicate these requirements
Provide steps to use these deliverables to make your
requirement gathering more robust and useful

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1

What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Gathering BI Requirements

There are three main perspectives that must be


reconciled during any requirement gathering process

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Business perspective Executives/management/sponsors


User perspective BI users, business managers
Implementation perspective Implementation team

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An effective requirements gathering takes into account


each of these audiences
Typically these requirements are managed from a low
level of detail with business perspective through the
user perspective until technically laid out with an
implementation perspective

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Common Issues with Gathering Requirements

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Gartner Group recently predicted that over 50% of new


data warehouse projects will have limited acceptance or
be outright failures
Why? Often, it is because the requirements are not
clearly understood
Scope is defined at too high a level

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Often the BI and process teams do not really understand the


requirements until the build begins
f This is often too late to switch direction

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Common Issues with Gathering Requirements (cont.)

Complexity is underestimated

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Harmonization of data is a difficult and time-consuming task


f This is made even more challenging if the team does not
understand the data

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Stakeholders do not adequately communicate (and


sometimes dont fully know) their reporting
requirements

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The BI project becomes more about helping them shape their


requirements than it is about realizing these requirements

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Other Common Issues with Gathering Requirements

Volume and/or sources of data are not completely


understood

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It is impossible to be effective in implementing a solution


without understanding the source data

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There is no clear method to communicate and agree on


requirements

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A sound methodology must be established to allow for the


gathering of reporting requirements

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Requirements never get locked down so more scope


keeps being added to the list

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Developing an Effective Requirements Gathering Strategy

Focus on deliverables

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These deliverables need to be owned by the process teams,


not the BI team

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Focus on the entire solution

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Do not simply build a series of data marts


Think about how the data is consolidated

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Learn as much as possible about the requirements and


the users needs

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Know Who Your Audience (and Critics) Are

Each project has many interested internal and external


parties or customers

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They, or their interests, often change during various phases of


the project

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What should I do?

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Clarify the project stakeholders


Align stakeholders expectations and understand their impact
on the project
Understand stakeholders influence and importance
f Expect that needs and expectations can and will change
f Monitor and revisit as necessary
Dont be a stranger
f Meet regularly with the stakeholders
f Keep them as involved in the process as possible

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Help Work to SAP NetWeaver BI Strengths

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Help the process teams understand what SAP


NetWeaver BI does well, and what it does not do well
As a general rule, SAP NetWeaver BI:

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Works well for summarized, aggregated, and strategic


reporting that spans one or many source systems or
subject areas
Does not work well for very detailed intraday document
reporting of transactional data
Does not typically allow real-time reporting

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Interviews

First step in requirements gathering

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Meant to frame out initial scope, introduce parties

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BI project team members, BI project management,


sponsors, and business representatives should attend
Create understanding of:

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Stakeholders
Business requirements
Sources of data
Delivery method

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Goal of Interviews

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Gain agreement with stakeholders on business


questions, goals, and causes of analytical issues
Help you begin to understand the basic question, SAP
NetWeaver BI or not SAP NetWeaver BI?

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Educate as Well as Gather Requirements

Help the process teams help you


Work to prevent this kind of thinking

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Each time a report requirement is raised, no matter the scope


Yeah just mark that down as SAP NetWeaver BI and move
on theyll take care of it

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How can we get the process team members to pick the


right reports for SAP NetWeaver BI?

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Have workshops to help educate the teams on SAP


NetWeaver BI
Show some demos of standard content to get them excited
Help them understand where SAP NetWeaver BI excels

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What Is SAP NetWeaver BI Good for Anyway?


GOTCHA!

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Make the process teams aware


SAP NetWeaver BI is not the only reporting solution!

OLTP (e.g., SAP ECC)


Process-oriented
Isolated
Current
Supports business operations
Has process scope
Tactical
Detailed
Rapid response needed
Used by transactional users
Database tuned for relational
database access

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OLAP (e.g., SAP NetWeaver BI)


Subject-oriented
Integrated
Historical
Supports business strategy
Has enterprise scope
Strategic
Summarized
Rapid response not critical
Used by management
Database tuned for reporting

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What the Report Inventory Usually Is

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New implementations often spend a great deal of time


gathering, understanding, and categorizing existing
reports
This report inventory is often not only a waste of
valuable time

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It often forces the business Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)


and BI team to build to the existing reports
f This is the wrong way of thinking

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What the Report Inventory Should Be

To help the SMEs understand the existing system and


map reporting requirements to existing business pains

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Not to existing reports!

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This forces them to think about the new processes and


how reporting can help provide better visibility of the
enterprise

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Abandon All Existing Reports? Are You Crazy?

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The goal is not to abandon and ignore all existing report


requirements
Just do not become a slave to gathering and tracking all
existing reports in the organization
Instead, spend the time understanding the most
common analytics
Use what is learned from requirements gathering to
frame existing:

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Business measurement criteria


Business pain/management focus
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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Foster Ownership

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One of the most important measures of success in any


BI project is the level of ownership from the SMEs
The more the process teams and SMEs see the tool as
their tool and their solution, the better the
implementation usually becomes
This helps with:

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Scope management
Issue resolution
Testing

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The Goal of Fostering Ownership

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When an issue arises, it is seen as our issue, not the


BI teams issue

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Once the SMEs own the solution, they are much more prone
to better prioritize and resolve issues
Without this ownership, projects often lag, or even fail

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How Can You Foster Ownership?

Do lunch and learns to show SAP NetWeaver BI


prototypes
Locate the team centrally and keep lines of
communication open

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This includes outside of the office


Many SAP NetWeaver BI issues/problems have been solved
by simply stepping away from the environment

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Keep in tune with the changing requirements of the


process teams
Hold weekly status meetings on issues
Do not be a stranger to the business users
Keep the business users very involved in the issue
resolution and testing process

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What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Avoiding Potential Scope Creep for Your Project

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Scope creep is even more prevalent in SAP NetWeaver


BI projects than in transactional system projects

As pressure mounts on the transactional systems, more


requirements get pushed to SAP NetWeaver BI
As more groups see SAP NetWeaver BI, they dream of new
ways to analyze data where requirements didnt previously
exist
Often the greatest organizational pain revolves around
data analysis
f Substandard transactional reporting
f Ad hoc analysis (spreadsheets, spreadsheets, and even
more spreadsheets)
Many SAP NetWeaver BI projects suffer delays and/or
cancellation because of an inability to say no to just one
more thing we forgot

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Fight the Overly Ambitious Scope

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Start small choose an application of reasonable size

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Limit first rollout of SAP NetWeaver BI to a limited scope with


a limited data set and limited group of users
Allows you to prove out your processes
f Documentation
f Network infrastructure
f Transport process
f Data validation
f Performance
The first rollout sponsor should desperately want (and need)
the capabilities that will be delivered
f This helps to ensure their support when problems arise
and they will

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Conflicting Scope SAP ECC and SAP NetWeaver BI


Concurrently

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Significant challenges appear when SAP ECC and SAP


NetWeaver BI are being implemented at the same time

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Data volume is not known


Valid test data has not been created
Configuration changes are not communicated
Most SAP ECC implementations are doing configuration
changes right up to go-live (as issues are found)
You are not a high priority for the project teams
f That $#@*^# SAP NetWeaver BI team again
f Listen if I dont get this transaction working, you BI
people wont have anything to report on
f Its just reporting

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Dealing with SAP ECC and SAP NetWeaver BI Concurrently

Stagger the SAP BI go-live a few months after SAP ECC


(if possible)
Limit the scope to high priority queries

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Stagger the others on a subsequent phase

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Expect a very dynamic environment


And a lot of re-dos

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If you cannot delay the BI go-live

Include some time after configuration is complete in


SAP ECC for testing
Create robust test scripts with many iterations of testing
Insist on valid master data for testing
Expect some reloads of SAP NetWeaver BI after go-live

Because of adjustments to the data model

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This document is created early in the project or upgrade

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This document has great intentions but is usually at too


high a level to be useful
Typical scope statements

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The most important document created in SAP


NetWeaver BI projects is the initial scope document

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Scope Definition The Initial Scope Document

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Provide sales reporting and sales analysis


Track on-time delivery

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Tips and Tricks for Managing Your Project Scope

Limit first rollout to a pilot group


If possible, do not plan a simultaneous SAP ECC and
SAP NetWeaver BI go-live

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Stagger the SAP NetWeaver BI rollout

Do not let project management and stakeholders set an


artificial deadline
Review timeline and adjust as appropriate
Have back-up plans if other teams cannot meet their
requirements

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This risk grows as the number of external data


sources increases

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Build a clear KPI matrix and functional model document


for each subject area

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What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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What Is a Key Figure Matrix?

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A universal project document used to track and


document the most common key figures and KPIs

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What Are the Benefits of a Key Figure Matrix?

Establishes one place for all key figures and KPIs


Enforces one vision and view of these values
Allows agreement on one formula and method for
calculating a KPI
Establishes one central repository for naming and
change management
Sets common abbreviations, categories, granularity, etc.
Assigns one owner to a KPI

It is quite common for one KPI to be measured quite


differently by different audiences
f One customer I worked with had three different definitions
of a commonly used measure who decides which
measure is right?
This document keeps the BI team out of these decisions
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Sections of the Key Figure Matrix

KPI Name

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One and only one common name should be used for each
measure across the organization
If there are two methods of calculating one measure, a new
name should be developed and used for one of the KPIs

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Specific KPI Calculation Method

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Formula or calculation spelled out in as much detail as


possible

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Release or Phase (for phased rollouts)

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Helps to identify when the KPI is expected

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Sections of the Key Figure Matrix (cont.)

Process Team Owner

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The team or group that owns the KPI


f Typically this is a broad group, such as finance or sales

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Owner/Steward

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The KPI matrix works best when this is one name, not a
department or group

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Category of Measure (i.e., vendor performance,


profitability)

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Used for sorting

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Sections of the Key Figure Matrix (cont.)

Exception Criteria

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Used if the measure is valid when over or under a predefined


threshold

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Global/Local

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In larger organizations there is often some difference between


local and global requirements
f Sometimes these differ, or allowances are made for local
requirements to differ from global requirements be
careful here!

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Data Sources

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This helps define what data is needed in order to provide the


metric

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Sections of the Key Figure Matrix (cont.)

Granularity

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There are many KPIs that make sense at one level of


granularity and are not useful at a lower level of granularity

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Security

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If there is some security required around the KPI, it is helpful


to note that here

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Characteristics

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It also helps to document the characteristics that are used to


slice and dice the data

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How Do I Complete the KPI Matrix?

Most projects use a spreadsheet as their KPI matrix


The document must be a living document and be
owned by the business and process teams

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This should not be seen as a BI team deliverable

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Before any work can be done in SAP NetWeaver BI,


insist that all key figures that are calculated be
documented in the KPI matrix

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There should be no query formulas or InfoProvider


transformation calculations without the measure first
documented in the KPI matrix

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How Do I Complete the KPI Matrix? (cont.)

Some projects take short cuts and allow measures to be


slipped in without documenting these on the KPI matrix

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Eventually this will come back to haunt them


If the KPI conflicts with other KPIs or the calculation is not
clear, the BI team often has to go back and redo their work

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This document helps get the calculations right the first


time
Insist on sign-off of the KPI matrix once complete

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How Can I Use the Key Figure Matrix?

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Introduce the KPI matrix to the process teams early in


the implementation cycle
Show the process teams how the KPI matrix can benefit
them

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Provides the process teams with a similar centralized


document with their measures
Helps the teams foster agreement and ownership of the
measures that guide the business
After implementation, many projects leverage the KPI matrix
as end-user documentation to help provide documentation
f This allows everyone in the organization to see the various
key figure calculations
Have a question about a value on a query? Go to the
common KPI matrix.
Serves as a template for BI development

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What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Further Defining Scope The Functional Model

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The best way to get agreement on scope is to delve as


deeply as possible into the requirements
This is best accomplished through building a functional
model document

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About the Functional Model Document

Created by the business process teams to detail the


scope and requirements of the BI effort
Build one functional model document for each subject
area that will be implemented

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Subject area is a very subjective term


Its goal is to serve as a scope contract between the SAP
NetWeaver BI development team and the business

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Not an SAP NetWeaver BI model ... no talk of InfoCubes,


DataStore Objects (DSOs), etc.
Sign-off is imperative to help make sure there is some
finality to the requirements gathering

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Without it, the requirements never seem to be locked down


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Sections of the Functional Model Document

Subject and Owner


Business Questions Asked/Answered by Model

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Designed to reflect and understand the goal of the model


f Why are we doing this?
f What are we trying to measure?

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History Requirements of Information

Represents what data needs to be in SAP NetWeaver BI on


day one
Often issues arise when there is a great deal of historical data
required in SAP NetWeaver BI
f This might mean conversion of legacy data, etc.

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Sections of the Functional Model Document (cont.)

Data Sources Required to Complete Model

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Format of the data


Source system
Volume, system, frequency
Owner

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Dependencies, Constraints, and Assumptions

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Does something else need to be completed or loaded before


SAP NetWeaver BI can load data?
Are there other constraints on the data?

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More Sections of the Functional Model Document

Transformation of Data Required

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Often knowing about complex transformations early can help


the scoping of the build
Many times this is not known at the time of creating the
functional model

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Frequency and Timing

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How often is data needed?


Is there a need for real-time data?

Functional Model Diagram to Show Flow and Data Model

Flow of data throughout the model

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More Sections of the Functional Model Document (cont.)

Presentation Requirements

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How will data be reported?


What reporting method is needed?

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Audience and Distribution of Presentation


Security

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What are the security needs and at what level?

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Sign-off

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Tips on Completing the Functional Model Document

Fully owned by the business process teams and should


be considered their most important BI deliverable
This document must be very detailed to be of any use
The most important sections

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Business questions asked and answered


Data sources
Volume
Frequency
Security

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There should also be some sample mock-ups of reports

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Using the Completed Functional Model

Have Break the Model meetings to determine whether the


model serves the requirements
Can I get data by ?
Can I measure ?

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Map your physical model to the requirements


Insist on sign-off

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The model can then be used as your detailed scope agreement


Implement a scope change process for requirements outside of
this model
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What Well Cover

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DataSources
InfoSources
DSOs
InfoCubes
Information delivery (query)

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Develop an SAP NetWeaver BI physical model

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Plan for Growth

Many BI data models are completely scrapped or


redesigned after each rollout

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Often, this can be minimized or even avoided by planning for


this growth and change

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Build for the current requirements, plan for the future


(and even unknown) requirements

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This often means bringing in more data than actually required,


keeping an eye for the future

This is best accomplished via a multi-layered approach


to data

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Multi-Layered Approach to BI Modeling

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Sales Reporting
InfoCube

Reporting
Layer

Consolidated
Layer

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Sales and Delivery


Consolidated DSO

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Transactional
Layer

Sales Order
Lines DSO

Delivery Lines
DSO

Freight
DSO

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Costing
DSO

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Data Source
Layer

SAP
SAPECC
ECC
Sales
SalesOrder
Order
Lines
Lines

SAP
SAPECC
ECC
Delivery
Delivery
Lines
Lines

External
External
Freight
Freight
Information
Information

External
External
Costing
Costing
Information
Information

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Separating Data Into Different Phases or Lifecycles

Data Source Layer


Transactional Layer

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First place that persistent data is stored in the SAP NetWeaver


BI environment
Should include almost all fields from the source
Allows for data to be loaded first into one DSO without
significant transformation
Reduces or prevents reloading data from the source if
different data is needed for other requirements or data models
Allows for data to be harmonized from multiple transaction
layer sources

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Reporting Layer

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Consolidated Layer

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Most reporting is performed at this layer


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Advantages to a Multi-Layered Approach

Builds SAP NetWeaver BI into a data warehouse rather


than simply a series of data marts that cannot be
accessed together
We cannot gather all future requirements

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Helps build for the future unknowns

Minimizes the impact of future requirement changes

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While allowing for reporting the current requirements

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Advantages to a Multi-Layered Approach (cont.)

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Minimizes the number of reloads from the source

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Data is already in SAP NetWeaver BI


f All future changes become an SAP NetWeaver BI event
f The process teams have minimal involvement
Some reloads of data from source are quite impactful or
impossible after go-live because of high volume
Minimizes the impact of the reloads

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What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Tips on Refining Requirements

Think about the solution from end-to-end

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This helps determine exactly what the end user will see and
how the data will be present
f What tool set?
f Portal?
f Interaction with Excel?

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External (non-SAP) data is always a bigger deal than


you think

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Not only is the data often dirty, but it does not always
harmonize well with other data

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More Tips on Refining Requirements

Security requirements should not be left until the last


minute

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Knowing about the security requirements can allow you to


refine your data model around these requirements
These requirements also give you some insight into the
audience

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Understanding the data volume is vital to the solution

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There should never be any configuration in SAP NetWeaver BI


without clearly understating the data volume requirements
f There are many things that can be done to help
performance, if you know the volume of data you expect

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What Well Cover

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Gathering requirements
Managing the scope of your project
Establishing a key figure matrix
Developing a functional model document to further
define scope
Keeping an eye to the future
Refining requirements
Wrap-up

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Resources

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Gary Nolan, Effectively Gather BW Functional


Requirements (BW Expert, May 2007).
Gary Nolan, Efficient SAP NetWeaver BI Implementation
and Project Management (SAP PRESS, 2007).

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7 Key Points to Take Home

Establish a sound methodology for gathering


requirements and communicate it to the process teams
Employ the process teams to help on this as much as
possible

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Foster ownership

A key figure matrix helps to refine KPI requirements


A functional model document is a good way to help
gather requirements and agree on scope

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7 Key Points to Take Home (cont.)

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Insist on sign-off of key documents to set scope


Keep an eye to the future by anticipating future models
Build an SAP NetWeaver BI data warehouse, not a series
of data marts

Be aware of how data can be consolidated to yield future


reporting requirements without redoing the existing model

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58

Your Turn!

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How to contact me:


Gary Nolan
Gary.nolan@tli-usa.com

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