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 SAP BI 7 Innovation Centre

By: Ajay Uppal

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SAP Netweaver 2004S / BI 7

 BI7 = SAP Business Intelligence


 Upgrade product from SAP BW 3.x
 Purpose
 What’s New
 What’s Changed
 Opportunities to build more value

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SAP Netweaver 2004S / BI 7

 Business Intelligence Tools (front-end)


 BEx Report Designer
 Information Broadcasting (see Reporting Agent)
 BEx Web (Web Application Designer & Web Analyzer)
 PDF Printing
 Data management (back-end)
 Remodelling and Re-Partitioning InfoProviders
 Write-optimised Data Store Objects (DSOs)
 Infosets enhanced
 Content Browser & Content Analyser
 Data movement (back-end)
 Transformations
 Data Load Process
 Process Chains enhanced / improved
 Persistent Storage Area (PSA) – changed role
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SAP Netweaver 2004S / BI 7

 Integrated Planning Tool


 Designed as alternative to SEM BPS & BW BPS
 “Real-Time” InfoCube to enable write-back (previously named
“Transactional” InfoCube)
 Integrated with BEx tools including “write-back”
 BPS can continue to be used

 Performance – BI Accelerator
 New hardware
 Sharable

 Security – Analysis Authorisations


 Visual Composer (Netweaver)
 Other new features
 Web integration of the Open Hub destination
 Real-time data acquisition – uses daemon “push” technology
 Limited support for changeover of front-end from BW 3.x
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Potential Areas of Benefit

 Information Broadcasting
 Replace Crystal
 Reduce work collating report-packs
 Distribution of precalcs / reduce system load in online day
 SDPR opportunities (email distribution)
 BEx reports with graphs (new chart types)
 Cockpits, dashboards possible
 No added cost for graphics server
 Integrated Planning
 Modelling might replace OROS
 Might provide close fit with Group Property requirements
 Non-SAP sources
 Better facilities to upload data

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Business Explorer Tools (front-end)

 Query Designer and Analyzer – major changes/updates


 SDS – changeover of queries / workbooks
 Revenue Management – Change/update queries
 Improved features
 Integrates graphical presentation/charts
 “Print” button on the output

Note: ad hoc Query designer removed (but ad hoc web item now
provided, needs Java)
Benefits possible: Dashboards, cockpits and better use of charts.

Quick Wins? Yes

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: High

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Report Designer (front-end)

 Report Designer: able to produce formatted reports (regulator,


statutory, etc)
 Pixel-placement
 Use instead of Crystal

Benefits possible: Statutory reporting is driven from SDS (Company


reports etc)
Quick Wins? No contenders

Major Projects? No requirement

Return on Investment: Low

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Information Broadcasting (front-end)

 Information Broadcasting (IB) meets key RMG needs


 allows Web publishing and emailing of information
 Bursting (depends on user ids)
 Emailing reports or link into portal precalc
 Generate PDF reports
 Limited IB (email HTML only) if no Java stack
 Able to build Web applications based around BI information
 can include Integrated Planning as source

Benefits possible: Precalcs for some users, reducing concurrency.


Reduce effort in collating report packs.
BI accessed only when data is ready (URL link)
Quick Wins? Yes

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: Medium - High


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Other front-end features

 Able to generate reports straight to Web applications


 Business Explorer tools also used with new Integrated Planning
 Most new features require Java stack

Benefits possible: Web applications may offer some longer-term value

Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: Low – Medium

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Data Management (back-end)

 Introducing physical re-partitioning will probably be more straightforward


in future
 Some InfoProvider changes can be made with automated reload of data
 more flexible changes (automated) but data volumes may preclude
 New write-optimised Data Store Objects
 Specialized use, may not be relevant for RMG
 Infosets can contain up to two InfoCubes
 Improved user interface for designing/creating/maintaining Infoproviders
 Content Analyzer & Content Browser
Benefits possible: Improved efficiencies

Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? Possible

Return on Investment: Low (Medium if performance/efficiency is a current


issue)
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Data Movement (back-end)

 Simplifies creation of InfoProviders


 Transformations: one-step replacement for Update Rules & Transfer Rules
 Error stack could mean more rapid arrival of data in some cases
 Data Transfer Process partly replaces InfoPackage
 Able to derive more than one InfoProvider from same Data Source in PSA
 Uses separate delta queues for the same data source
 Makes more functional-oriented overall designs possible (EDW)
 Could lead to hardware savings
 Improved process chains
 Better management, better exception handling, reduced overnight support
Benefits possible: Increased reporting scope by adding non-SAP sources

Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: Medium


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Integrated Planning Tools

 RMG interest in Planning for Finance, Group Property, Traffic


 New features make Integrated Planning closer to the main BI
 BEx tools used for analysis, reporting and planning
 Charts and graphics in reports improve usability
 New Data Warehousing Workbench (graphical design of scenarios)
 Able to continue using BPS for existing scenarios (till next BI
version)
Benefits possible: More flexibility for users to do modelling
If able to replace OROS, reduces complexity & cost
Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: Medium


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Performance – BI Accelerator

 Significantly faster queries


 Administration / creation effort not excessive
 More than one BI system “could” use same Accelerator
 Stopgap approach – buys time to improve performance via design &
tuning

Benefits possible: Demonstrate business value from RM queries

Quick Wins? Yes (at a cost)

Major Projects? Yes

Return on Investment: Low (would depend on current bottlenecks)

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Security – Authorisations

 Report Designer: able to produce formatted reports (regulator,


statutory, etc)
 Pixel-placement
 Use instead of Crystal

Benefits possible: Statutory reporting is driven from SDS (Company


reports etc)
Quick Wins? No contenders

Major Projects? No requirement

Return on Investment: Low


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Visual Composer (Netweaver 2004s)

 Stand-alone tool for developing applications


 Integrates with BI 7

Benefits possible: None unless new applications feature in RMG


strategy
Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? No

Return on Investment: None in RMG environment


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Other new features

 Data can be delivered to Open Hub (Web integration)


 Where real-time data sources exist, more frequent update and
reporting becomes possible
 Conditions Wizard & Exceptions Wizard
 Reports and web templates can be opened in the new BI front-end
and saved as a BI7 version

Benefits possible: Not expected RMG would use real-time sources

Quick Wins? No

Major Projects? No

Return on Investment: Needs analysis of opportunities / requirements

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Keep it coming –
a way forward for BI 7 innovation
 Active research into current practices & patterns
 Virtual team - regular ideas-based meetings
 Strong evaluation against feasibility and benefit
 Understand time-scales, costs, volumes, impact on running system
 Select and prioritise key areas to investigate, eg:
 Information Broadcasting (to portal, email or Web page)
 Integrated Planning
 BI Accelerator
 Web Application Designer
 Report Designer & PDF Reporting
 Data distribution within BI (using the new Data Transfer Process)
 Roadmap for conversion of all 3.x objects (including BPS) to BI 7
by 2010
 Authorisations
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