Deploying BI platform in the real world.
Using SAP BI Platform 4.0 you can deploy entirely on one machine using the bundled database, Enterprise authentication mechanism,
and application server. This allows you to quickly set up an environment to develop and test BI content and to familiarize your organization with the system’s capabilities. However, most production deployment scenarios are more complex and configured for increased security, scalability, and redundancy. They also need to integrate with a organization’s existing IT infrastructure.
In a real-world scenario, you may need to:
- Configure your company's existing software, such as application and database servers to work with BI platform.
- Install and configure BI platform software on multiple achines for scalability and redundancy
- Integrate with your company's existing security infrastructure.
The detailed setup requirements differ for each particular combination of operating systems, application server, and database vendors. SAP provides detailed instructions for predominant production deployments. A specific deployment combination is called a pattern.
This first iteration of BI4 Pattern Books was done using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, and covers concepts such as Application Server clustering with Tomcat 7, compiling and deploying an Apache web server on Red Hat Linux, and integrating with a 3rd party user directory such as Active Directory or LDAP.
Future patterns will cover other OS such as Windows and AIX, and address advanced concepts such as Reverse Proxy, separation of static and dynamic content, and configuration across firewalls.
The pattern books project has been a collaborative effort between SAP Product Group, AGS, and Field Services and is being maintained in Wiki format to encourage continued development and knowledge sharing.
