What is new in Visual Intelligence 1.0.4 and can SAP Visi connect to your ECC data?

Visual Intelligence 1.0.4 was released generally available last week (9/27 per the PAM)

What is new in 1.0.4?  The slide below provided by SAP explains:

Figure 1: Source: SAP

Figure 1 shows some new features in 1.0.4.

Mani indicated that 1.0.4 includes charting enrichment with basic predictive features such as linear regression, basic forecasting using Visual Intelligence.

Version 1.0.4 expands support for databases including DB2 freehand SQL

Also 1.0.4 adds support for filtering for universes and Hana

Once analyze in Visual Intelligence, publish as an information space to BusinessObjects Explorer via the web or the mobile interface.

Future version is planned to have simple dashboards, Tier 1 language support with French, Japanese, Spanish, simplified Chinese (the usual disclaimer applies that things are subject to change)

Here is a summary of some of the new features for 1.0.4:

• Filters for HANA online / offline query
• Publication of resulting datasets to Explorer as information space (to share it with the enterprise)
• Buy-option on SAP eStore.
• Predictive capabilities: forecasting & linear regression
• New moving average function
• New Edit Data Source for Excel

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows some the source options in Visual Intelligence 1.0.4

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows you can publish resulting datasets to BusinsesObjects Explorer as information space (to share it with the enterprise)

Figure 4

Figure 4 shows where I have opened an existing visualization and I can edit the Excel data source.  This would allow you to change Excel data sources.

Can I connect to ECC?

Version 1.0.3 of Visual Intelligence allowed universe connectivity.  Does it connect to ECC Universes?

Figure 5

Figure 5 shows the Business Layer from the Information Design Tool which is a universe based off an ECC InfoSet (Special Ledger)

Figure 6

Figure 6 shows I first log on to the BI Platform.

Figure 7

In Figure 7, I select the universe shown in Figure 5.

Figure 8

I can successfully connect to the ECC universe with Visual Intelligence.

Figure 9

Figure 9 shows sample data from the ECC system.

If you missed last week’s webcast on Visual Intelligence, try using this as the replay link – you won’t want to miss Mani Srinivasan’s  demo of the 1.0.4 solution.

When should you use SAP Visual Intelligence instead of some of the other BI tools?  Find out Tuesday –  check out the next SCN Analytics webcast, How to Select the Right BI Tool for Your Environment on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 – register here