SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS REVIVAL: Regrouping for your SAP BusinessObjects Future

SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS REVIVAL:

Regrouping for your

SAP BusinessObjects Future

Tom Woodhead

APOS Systems

REGROUPING – EMBRACING THE FUTURE OF SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS

SAP’s redefined roadmap is bringing renewed attention and enthusiasm for the road ahead for

SAP BusinessObjects deployments. Organizations are regrouping – refreshing their plans and

repositioning for continued and expanded BI value from existing BI assets.

Whether you see SAP BusinessObjects

as your primary BI strategy or as a

parallel BI solution in a mixed Analytics

portfolio, it is time to plan your next

steps and define your investment into

your SAP BusinessObjects deployment

with an eye to optimizing BI results and

driving ongoing BI value.

...thousands of you trust

SAP BusinessObjects BI suite to

reliably manage enterprise

reporting use cases at scale:

with version 2025 following 4.3,

investments are safe beyond 2030.

- SAP Analytics Business Intelligence Statement of Direction

THE ROAD AHEAD FOR SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS

In a recent webinar, we hosted SAP’s Patrick Sims to discuss The Road Ahead for SAP

BusinessObjects. (Watch on demand here.) Here are the new features and topics he emphasized

in the SAP BusinessObjects roadmap:

Rationalization Strategy – going beyond BI 4.3 to BI 2025, SAP BusinessObjects will focus on the

most used tools: Analysis for Office, Web Intelligence, Crystal Reports Classic, and the

Information Design Tool for UNX universes. Deprecated: Crystal Reports Enterprise, Analysis for

OLAP, Live Office, multi-source universes, Universe Design Tool for UNV universes.

CURRENTLY USING: CONSIDER ADOPTING:

Analysis for OLAP SAP Analytics Cloud

Crystal Reports Enterprise Crystal Reports Classic

Live Office Web Intelligence Document OData Access

Multi-source universe users Data blending in Web Intelligence or at the

database level

SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.3 SP04 focuses on:

• Extending the scope of specific key features (Crystal Reports, stability of the core BI

Workspace, Web Intelligence Data Mode, cascading refresh of Web Intelligence

documents better enabling them as a source and Web Intelligence OData service).

• Delivering the most wanted customer enhancements to Web Intelligence, the BI

platform, and support for SAP Datasphere.

• Continuing to improve user experience.

For specific details, view the webinar on-demand.

REASSESSING YOUR ROADMAP

Now is the time to reassess your SAP BusinessObjects roadmap. Conversations with our

customers have revealed the following priorities:

1. Take Stock of What You Have

– understand what business intelligence

assets you have in your system, and a

detailed view into how those assets are

being used.

2. Assess & Action Unsupported Content

– categorize your content to identify and

document what will remain supported, and

what will not.

3. Right-Size Your System Content

– streamline your deployment to meet

current and future needs and reduce

technical debt.

4. Upgrade to BI 4.3

– position your deployment for stability and

take advantage of mainstream support and

new features.

5. Upgrade Universes to UNX Format

– UNX will no longer be supported in BI 2025.

6. Automate Efficient Management

– Take advantage of automation technology

to reduce costs and simplify the

management of your deployment.

Fortunately, APOS technology can help you tackle these priorities systematically.

1. TAKE STOCK OF WHAT YOU HAVE

The first step is understanding what you have, and determining what is necessary and what is

unnecessary. You need to reassess:

Content:

• What Web Intelligence assets exist

in the system?

• What Crystal Reports assets exist in

the system?

• What Lumira assets exist in the system?

• What universes exist in the system?

• What other content and assets exist

in the system?

Users:

• What users are in the system?

• What groups are in the system?

• What security structures exist in the

system?

• What content Access and Rights apply to

groups and users in the system?

Utilization:

• What content and reports are being used?

• What content and reports are not being used?

• What users are active in the system?

• What users are not active in the system?

• What are the system content/usage patterns

and trends?

2. ASSESS & ACTION UNSUPPORTED CONTENT

Some content types are being deprecated. Those content assets need to be identified, and an

action plan needs to be set.

• Lumira Designer will remain in BI 2025, but Lumira Discovery and Server will be

deprecated. SAP highly recommends that you move your Lumira workflows to Web

Intelligence or SAP Analytics Cloud

• Crystal Reports Enterprise will be deprecated in BI 2025, but Crystal Reports Classic

(CR2020, CR202x) will remain. Alternatively, you can move your Crystal Reports

workflows to Web Intelligence.

• Analysis for OLAP is deprecated. SAP

recommends moving these workflows to SAP

Analytics Cloud.

• Live Office is deprecated. SAP recommends

moving these workflows to Web Intelligence

Document OData Access (BI 4.3 SP02).

• Universe Design Tool / UNV Universes must

be replaced with the Information Design Tool

and UNX universes.

• Multi-source Universes (and associated

connectivity) are deprecated. You can achieve

this functionality through data blending in

Web Intelligence, or at the DB level.

You will need to categorize your content into groups to identify and document how much content

in your SAP BusinessObjects environment will be unsupported in future releases and migrations.

3. RIGHT-SIZE YOUR SYSTEM CONTENT

Many organizations have a significant amount of unused and unnecessary content residing in

their system. Such content becomes unneeded ‘Technical Debt’ and constitutes a drain on

administrative and system resources. Use the system analysis from your earlier reassessment

work to decide which content should be removed.

Removing reports, universes, and users manually using the Central Management Console is a

labor- and time-intensive process. Instead, using APOS technologies will allow you to automate

the process with:

• Comprehensive backup of system content

assets: Stabilize and secure entire system;

protect and retain assets for targeted future

imports.

• Automated, rules-driven clean-up of system

content: Systematic archival and removal of

unnecessary content; streamline content to

be migrated.

Next, you can restructure the remaining content and resources – scaling down, or scaling up,

depending on the findings of your earlier system analysis. This may also include adjustments to

your system infrastructure and licensing.

Right-sizing is what you do to adapt your SAP BusinessObjects deployment to suit changing needs

and prepare for your next steps.

View the Right-Sizing SAP BusinessObjects to Lower your Technical Debt Ceiling

webinar on demand

4. UPGRADE TO BI 4.3

Many organizations have delayed their migration to Version 4.3, leaving them open to risks and

pressure due to support timelines. Upgrading to BI 4.3 is a critical step in preparing for your SAP

BusinessObjects future because:

• Mainstream maintenance has expired for version 4.2

• Timeline for Priority 1 Support expiry is drawing closer

When you upgrade to BI 4.3, you can:

• Enjoy the latest features and technologies

• Improve user experience for better decision making

• Implement new Enterprise Readiness & Hybrid features,

improving the interrelationship between on-premise system

and cloud systems

• Work in an environment where innovation directly impacts

the success of your business

5. UPGRADE UNIVERSES TO UNX FORMAT

SAP has been clear that UNV format universes will not be supported in BI 2025. To go beyond

SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.3 to BI 2025, you will need to convert your existing UNV universes to

UNX format. You will also have to upgrade your Web Intelligence reports to repoint to the new

UNX universes and validate the success of these conversion and repointing operations.

How large a project is this? How long will it take? We have worked with various SAP

BusinessObjects customers who needed to convert hundreds of universes and tens of thousands

of Web Intelligence reports, and in some cases hundreds of thousands of reports. These

conversion, repointing, and validation projects can span across multiple years to complete. If

your quantity of universes and reports is more modest, it will not take as long, but project

organization and an understanding of the resources required are critical.

APOS technologies provide automation of this universe and Web Intelligence upgrade process.

With this automation, even the largest SAP BusinessObjects deployments can address this

necessary upgrade process with speed and efficiency.

APOS UNX ADOPTION PROJECT COST ESTIMATOR

Use the APOS UNX Adoption Project Cost Estimator to understand the size of

your project and the resources necessary to complete it manually.

BI UPGRADE FREEMIUM OFFER

Knowing what automation options are available can help you formulate your

migration strategy and plan your migration. We offer a limited, free version of

our UNX conversion technology to help you gain that understanding and

develop your UNX conversion project.

Learn more about the BI Upgrade Freemium offer for SAP BusinessObjects

Learn more about APOS Migrator for Web Intelligence

6. AUTOMATE FOR EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT

Many of the tasks you undertake to prepare for, execute, and validate your upgrade should be

continued on an ongoing basis to ensure you maintain your deployment’s success and maximize

efficiency. There are many repetitive and time-consuming tasks that APOS technology can help

you with, such as:

System Analysis

• Ongoing analysis of system utilization

• Ongoing analysis of report and Universe structures, impact analysis

Managing change at the object level

• Bulk updates to report properties and settings

• Bulk updating database configuration and password for all reports

• Bulk management and updates to security schemes

for folders, users and groups

Managing the content lifecycle

• Automate system and content cleanup

• Archive and back up objects and instances

• Simplify restoration of older versions of reports

Managing governance and compliance issues

• Automated testing of reports

• Supports for system audits, financial and regulatory

controls

APOS AUTOMATION

APOS has been helping SAP BusinessObjects customers to do more with less and realize higher

ROI since the beginning, by providing solutions that automate a wide range of system

management and control capabilities, including deep system metadata, automating repetitive

administrative tasks, and enabling system content lifecycle management.

Two specific APOS offerings that provide many of these automation capabilities in a solution-

focused bundle are the SAP BusinessObjects Upgrade Kit and the SAP BusinessObjects Operations

Kit.

THE SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS UPGRADE KIT

The SAP BusinessObjects Upgrade Kit by APOS is designed to simplify and automate these tasks

from upgrade readiness through migration execution, content validation, and ongoing operation.

It will help you:

• Build the foundation for a successful migration

• Augment SAP tools for granular controls and focused

needs in the target system

• Establish confidence in your successful migration

• Strengthen controls and reduce costs for your upgraded system

Learn more about the SAP BusinessObjects Upgrade Kit

THE SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS OPERATIONS KIT

If your organization has taken a wait-and-see position on your BI deployment, then you may have

been neglecting some aspects of its maintenance, and consequently, its readiness for upgrade

and positioning as an Analytics resource. Moving forward, you need to establish a proactive

approach to system maintenance, platform administration, and content control.

Your BI and Analytics optimize your business processes. Our solutions optimize your BI and

Analytics processes. Automate, simplify, complement, enhance and extend the capabilities of

your BI system.

The SAP BusinessObjects Operations Kit by APOS will help you:

• Leverage enhanced metadata management and system analysis

• Automate backup, archive and restore capabilities

• Automate report testing

• Monitor and audit your BI system, infrastructure and

environment in real time

• Use bulk administrative capabilities

Several APOS technologies are common to both the Upgrade Kit and the Operations Kit, but are

utilized with a different purpose and focus on their given scenarios. Give your BI team the

resources they need to adapt and thrive.

Learn more about the SAP BusinessObjects Operations Kit by APOS

CONCLUSION

Whether you see SAP BusinessObjects as your primary BI strategy or as a parallel BI solution in a

mixed Analytics portfolio, it is time to plan your next steps and define your investment into your

SAP BusinessObjects deployment with an eye to optimizing BI results and driving ongoing BI

value.

As you reassess your SAP BI

roadmap, you will need to

consider:

• Right-sizing your

BI deployment

• Adopting the UNX universe

• Maintaining and increasing

the efficiency of your

BI deployment

The APOS SAP BusinessObjects Upgrade Kit is designed to simplify and automate your upgrade

tasks from upgrade readiness through migration execution and content validation.

The APOS SAP BusinessObjects Operations Kit provides an integrated approach to BI platform

management for SAP BusinessObjects, whether your deployment is on premise or hosted in the

cloud.

APOS CUSTOMER SUCCESS

APOS has been helping SAP BusinessObjects customers maximize efficiency and ROI for nearly 30

years. Here are some examples:

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

APOS ADMINISTRATOR

WKU uses SAP BusinessObjects as their reporting

solution. They are currently running BI 4.2, but will

upgrade shortly to BI 4.3. They were challenged by

repetitive administrative tasks and change

management as manual administration was time-

consuming, labor-intensive and prone to human

error. Learn more

HEALTHCARE

APOS ADMINISTRATOR,

APOS STORAGE CENTER

A US-based healthcare organization with close to

10,000 staff across hospitals and associated

healthcare businesses uses SAP BusinessObjects in

conjunction with an Epic EHR reporting system. They

needed to find ways to manage SAP BusinessObjects

changes efficiently at the object level while

increasing flexibility and improving data governance.

Learn more

CLICK TO READ THIS SUCCESS STORY

DIVISION 1 UNIVERSITY

UNX ADOPTION

A US Division 1 university planned to upgrade their

SAP BusinessObjects CMS data platform to Oracle

19c, but quickly discovered their UNV universes were

not supported in later Oracle versions. With 80 UNV

universes and 50,000 Web Intelligence reports,

manual conversion would place a great strain on

resources and substantially delay their Oracle

upgrade. They needed to find a means of automating

the conversion process. Learn more

RESOURCES

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

• On the Road(map) Again – SAP BusinessObjects

• The Road Ahead for SAP BusinessObjects

• MOVE IT OR LOSE IT! Automating Your Upgrade to UNX Universes

BLOG POSTS

• SAP BusinessObjects - Applying Automation to UNX Adoption

• SAP Analytics Business Intelligence Statement of Direction

• UNX Conversion Resources - APOS Migrator for Web Intelligence

• UNV is dead, long live UNX by Laura Vega, SAP

• Automating UNX Adoption – Overview by Laura Vega, SAP

CLICK TO READ THIS SUCCESS STORY

APPENDIX: APOS SOLUTIONS FOR SAP ANALYTICS CLOUD

APPENDIX: APOS SOLUTIONS FOR SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS

APOS Live Data Gateway

Live connectivity from SAC to a wide range of data sources – Editions for SAC, Power BI,

Snowflake, Ariba, S/4HANA, SAP Landscape, Premium Sources

APOS Publisher for Cloud

Broadcasting and distributing SAC content – Editions for SAP Analytics Cloud and S/4HANA

APOS Insight for Cloud

Enhanced monitoring, auditing and validation of SAP Analytics Cloud

APOS Insight

• BI System Auditing

• BI System Monitoring

• BI Query Surveillance

•

BI Report Testing

APOS Administrator

• Object Management

• Schedule Management

• Instance Management

•

Web Intelligence Migration

APOS Web Intelligence Migrator

• Bulk Convert from UNV to UNX

• High-Volume Web Intelligence Repointing

• Success Validation

•

Controlled Workflow

APOS Storage Center

• System Backup

• Content Archiving

• Content Versioning

• Automated System Clean Up

APOS Publisher

• Systematic Content Delivery

• Advanced Document Bursting

• Enhanced Content Distribution

• Security and Encryption

ABOUT APOS SYSTEMS

Since its beginning in 1992, APOS Systems has evolved from a custom business application

development shop to a global provider of solutions promoting Well Managed Business

Intelligence and Analytics.

APOS provides software products which deliver enhanced capabilities and strong agility in the

management and administration of SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Analytics Cloud platforms,

across the SAP solution landscape, and beyond. APOS well managed BI and well managed

Analytics products improve return on investment and time to value for our global base of

customers. APOS solutions simplify, automate, complement, enhance and extend BI practices,

and focus BI and Analytics processes for greater agility in your organization's decision-making

capabilities.

APOS is a long-time SAP Partner with over 20 years of success in

providing software solutions to enhance and extend SAP Analytics

and Business Intelligence capabilities. APOS Data Connectivity

solutions provide live, virtualized data connectivity for SAP Analytics Cloud to non-SAP data

sources, including a wide range of relational and OLAP sources, and the vital cloud data platforms.

APOS enables simplified analytics data processes for SAP

Applications, such as SAP Ariba, SuccessFactors, Fieldglass and

Concur. APOS Publishing solutions enable broadcasting and

delivery of SAP Analytics Cloud and S/4HANA Analytics reports to

targeted recipients. APOS BI Management solutions automate

administration, testing, auditing, monitoring, and archiving for

SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Analytics Cloud.

APOS Systems Inc.

100 Conestoga College Blvd., Suite 1101

Kitchener, ON Canada

N2P 2N6

Tel: 519.894.2767

Fax: 519.894.1891

Website: www.apos.com/

Email: [email protected]