BI 4.1 What is New for Mobile BI

Karsten Ruf provided this webcast today to ASUG.  Legal disclaimer applies that any future related information is subject to change.  These are my notes.

Agenda:

Suite Overview

BI4.1 and Mobile Release Timelines

Mobile BI on iOS

Mobile BI on Android

Mobile Server

Questions

Suite Overview

Figure 1: Source: SAP

Figure 1 shows that mobile BI is one of the pillars for SAP’s strategic focus

Figure 2: Source: SAP

Figure 2 shows Mobile BI from SAP today. 

Why have two mobile apps?   Karsten said this is one of the last times he will use this slide – SAP will move these together

BI4.1 and Mobile Release Timelines

Figure 3: Source: SAP

Figure 3 shows the planned BI4.1 timelines, subject to change.  BI4.1 is currently in customer validation phase.  Ramp-up has KPI and exit criteria with no specific GA date.

Two major releases of Mobile BI application this year – Q2 and Q4.  SAP will also align the Android and the iOS version release time lines.

Mobile BI on iOS

Figure 4: Source: SAP

Figure 4 covers BI4.1 Mobile BI iOS

Explorer and Mobile will be one application

Information spaces will be available in the next Mobile BI application

It also includes integration with Hana BI both cloud and on premise.

Figure 5: Source: SAP

Figure 5 shows content specific Web Intelligence enhancements  such as the custom color palette feature coming with 4.1

Bar microcharts, color customization for micocharts, and reverse bullet are features not in Web Intelligence but specific for Mobile for Web Intelligence.  They are mobile-specific.

Geo Analysis on top of maps provided with operating system iOS 6 – Apple – POI- points of interest for the iPhone.

Multi select will be available such as selecting customer 1 and 2

OpenDoc links supported from the reports with same syntax

PDF view of report will able to see report as it shows up WYSIWYG – interactivity reduced (BI4.1 SP01) similar to Crystal Reports of last year

Table enhancements will support more of the underlying styles tables and blank cells

Figure 6: Source: SAP

SAP Mobile BI started supporting Dashboards in Q4 with BI4 SP05

For 4.1 release will have add-on components

Data connectivity includes Query as a Web Service and flash variable.

Figure 7: Source SAP

Figure 7 shows Design Studio will have support for iPhone

Figure 8: Source: SAP

Figure 8 reveals the container and it will integrate with SAP Jam collaboration. 

BI inbox support is used on the platform to burst reports to a specific user.  Before this was invisible and now it will be visible and in the future to allow content sharing in the application.

Annotation feature will include the voice attachment.

Improved UI – the home, server, was confusing for user – move to left hand panel to see both areas in one view

Mobile BI On Android

Figure 9: Source: SAP

Figure 9 shows it will offer Dashboard support

SUP 2.2 will support on premise first; cloud next release

They have seen an uptake in adoption of smaller tables – page layout 7” or larger

It will offer Czech language support

It includes support for BI connections to help onboard users

Mobile BI Server

Mobile BI Server ships with BI4.1 release with the platform

Figure 10: Source: SAP

Figure 10 shows the familiar screen and options to connect and the architecture.

Figure 11: Source: SAP

Before needed a config file in the application server; settings are now in CMC

You can enable mobile documents through Launchpad properties; right click on the document to get mobile properties dialog, including “time to live”. 

You don’t have to use categories – use method in the CMC.

Question & Answer

Q: For the Q2 release of Mobi, will 4.0 SP6 (or some patch level of it) bring any of the the new capabilities, or is 4.1 required?

                A: Few functionalities will be available with SP06 but most of them will require BI 4.1‑

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Q: Will iPhone support be added to Crystal Reports in 2013?

                A: Crystal as PDF is already supported on iPhone‑

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Q: Can Karsten elaborate on the decision to use categories to organize mobile content but not folders?

                A: Moving through folder structures is not the way (per Karsten) – categories are optional flags‑

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Q: [question] when will BI4SP6 come out?

                A: currently planned for April‑

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Q: [question] do we need to implement SUP for remote wipe?

                A: Remote wipe functionalityis not supported yet.‑

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Q: Will we see Web Intelligence web and RC add design-time (WYSIWYG) support for microcharts/bullet graph, etc. instead of the current hand-coding of the Webi table name?

                A: It is going to be same as current hand-coding of the webi table name‑

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Q: Does the BW hierarchies (ex. choosing children / descendants), prompts, filters are supported in the new release ?

                A: Prompts with BW hierarchies are already supported‑

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Q: [question] will we be able to remove sample templates that come with app download?

                A: Not possible‑

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Q: do we get dashboard HTML5 support for iphone?

                A: Keep requesting‑

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Q: Though hierarchies are supported, what I mean – in prompts, we are not able choose the children / descendants

                A: On the roadmap for the second release this year‑

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Q: [question] when can I upload custom videos into the video tutorial library?

                A: Upcoming webinars  or can make use of Hyperlink object‑

Key Resources:

SCN Page

SAP Help

Tutorials

Idea Place

Thanks to Karsten for this webcast.  If you are attending BI 2013 next week you can meet Karsten in person at his session:

http://bi2013.wispubs.com/US/Sessions/4544/?tid=1019&s=&u=

Consider joining the ASUG BI Mobile Influence Council:

http://www.asug.com/events/detail/ASUG-SAP-BusinessObjects-Mobile-BI-Influence-Council-Launch

Join ASUG for the upcoming BI4.1 ASUG Pre-conference session, which includes Mobile BI:

http://www.sapandasug.com/asug-preconference.html