       NEW VERSION OF SAP BUSINESS OBJECTS: IT’S TIME FOR AN UPGRADE
The newest version of SAP analytical solutions, known as SAP Business Intelligence 4.0, lures with modernity, abundance of improvements, as well as capabilities resulting from better integration with SAP and other data sources. Along with its introduction to the market, many companies began to think about upgrade to the newest version of SAP Business Objects solution, its range, and selection of suitable applications. Michal Gruszecki (HICRON), expert in Business Intelligence, helps to dissipate all doubts related to this matter… SAP Business Objects or SAP Business Explorer? SAP Business Explorer (aka BEx) is recognized as older version of SAP analytical solutions available today. It’s considered as relatively inexpensive solution for creation of OLAP analyses. This tool enables embedding of reports both in MS Excel (BEx Analyzer plug-in), and Web (Web Application Designer and BEx Web) environment. SAP Business Explorer allows users to analyse reports, however these reports can be used only to review and examine data. User involvement during report creation is usually limited to presentation of his needs to report authors. This is rather obsolete and troublesome approach. Currently, Business Intelligence solutions aim at completely other direction. Investment in SAP Business Objects tools is definitely recommended to companies that want analytical tools with more clarity, more detailed reporting, easiness of use – in short – modernity and intuitive handling. In contrast to SAP Business Explorer, they enable intuitive creation of reports, also by end users. You can prepare ad-hoc analyses, and predefined reports that can be modified for own use in any manner, without disturbance of mother-report structure. Moreover, SAP BusinessObjects offers very interesting capabilities as regards creation of dashboards. Thanks to such visualization you can use reports practically without specialist trainings, and data is presented in the way that facilitates decision making. As SAP Business Objects offers popular simulations and analyses “what-if”, it’s not only good looking visualization layer. This tool allows to watch trends and effect of the different components on company’s KPI – it helps managers to determine what elements of the strategy will have the main impact on the most important indicators. Some words about the newest solutions of SAP Business Objects Big facilitation for user is also SAP BusinessObjects Explorer solution (it’s not the same as SAP Business Explorer) based on predefined data view that allows to get fast replies to urgent business questions, without necessity for creation of reports. All these elements are bonded by modern and intuitive portal that allows managing users and reports (e.g. their distribution), and makes consistent platform for information exchange not only in the shape of reports, but also needed enclosures of other type. For MS Excel enthusiasts SAP offers SAP BusinessObjects Analysis tool (Advanced Analysis) that allows to analyse OLAP queries in Excel environment. In some ways, you can reckon this tool as successor of SAP BEx Analyzer, in consideration of very similar functionalities, but different interface. Analytical capabilities of Business Objects reports on mobile devices (phones / tablets) constitute a special spice. As analysts expect – these are the devices that we will use in the future for report analyses and decision making. Complementary or substitution solutions? Although the function of both solutions: SAP Business Explorer and SAP Business Objects is generally similar, they aren’t competitive applications. Tools contained in Business Explorer package can be treated as relatively low-budget ones, whereas SAP BusinessObjects offers analytical tools of the future; they allow to analyse data in deeper way and deliver suitable data needed to make right business decision, in simple and intuitive manner. Both tools can operate at the same time and supplement each other, creating powerful Business Intelligence solution. Furthermore, companies using SAP BW don’t have to implement data model again, but are able to apply (after small modification) existing structures, and use new tool (SAP BusinessObjects) as visualization layer for users. What if I have no SAP Business Warehouse? Lack of SAP data warehouse isn’t an obstacle in use of SAP Business Objects solutions that can link to almost each database or data warehouse available on the market, e.g. with built-in predefined connectors. So, from Business Objects level you can both download data from SAP and other external data sources, and generate reports fed by purified, enriched, structured and consolidated data, in extremely friendly environment. All this happens with maintenance of all safety procedures, according to the rule of limited access of users to data.
As I mentioned before, if you decide to use new functionalities available in SAP Business Objects 4.0, you don’t have to renounce options existing in Business Explorer. But after selection of this path, companies during implementation of SAP Business Objects have the following dilemma: what part of reports should be moved to new tool?; what part should be used in SAP Business Explorer? If you are satisfied with the way of report generation in Business Explorer, you can use Business Objects solutions in technological and visual area for: improved distribution, data download from more amounts of sources, and visual setting. You should have in mind that there’s no universal answer to the question concerning the scope of use for both solutions – this dilemma is always negotiated individually. However it’s true that use of both solutions offers big flexibility and freedom of action not only in current user work, but also within the confines of upgrade project, which can be executed gradually: report by report. In this way, users have a time to familiarize with new solution and countless new functionalities, and beginning of work in new system becomes smooth. To choose optimally… When it comes to the selection of Business Objects solutions, there’s no only one correct reply. Portfolio of tools in Business Objects package is very extensive, and selection of suitable solutions, perfectly adjusted to specificity and company’s sphere of activity depends on many factors. It includes: user expectations concerning analytical platform, company policy for development in Business Intelligence area, creation of current and future reports, desired functionalities in this domain, amount and type of users who generate these reports, parameters and type of database, as well as expected effect after implementation of the tools. Factors mentioned above make only a fragment of aspects being taken into consideration. So if you choose from many SAP Business Intelligence solutions available on the market, it’s worth to answer some questions:
Recommended approach is searching for replies to these questions not only in the company, during conversations with users of report systems, but also through consultations with external specialists who know these functionalities and capabilities of solutions available on the market. Analysis of investment cost-effectiveness, executed with the help of experts (or SAP Business Objects partners) will allow to make the right decision. During consultations, knowledge on functionalities offered in new version will be helpful, so I encourage you to visit the site with the article SAP Business Objects 4.0 - what's new in the latest version?
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