Do you have SAP BusinessObjects Desktop Intelligence users and want to migrate to BI 4.x?

First of all, we want to thank everyone who submitted ideas for improving and enhancing SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence.

In this post, we want to cover the hot questions around SAP BusinessObjects Desktop Intelligence (DeskI). Is DeskI keeping you from moving to the latest and greatest BI 4.x platform?  Are your legacy XI R2 and 3.1 servers in production solely to serve DeskI documents?

We are listening and support for DeskI reports on BI 4.0 has been the on top of our list. While many customers are well advanced in, or have completed, their conversion from Desktop Intelligence to Web Intelligence, there are a few reports that are still hard to convert to SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence 4.

Desktop Intelligence Compatibility Pack (DCP) is your friend

Last year at ASUG SAP BusinessObjects User Conference in Orlando, we announced the Desktop Intelligence Compatibility Pack (DCP), a solution that will allow customers to continue to use DeskI XI 3.x, while moving to the BI 4 platform.

Desktop Intelligence Compatibility Pack (DCP) is a solution which when installed over SAP BusinessObjects Desktop Intelligence 3.1 Service Pack 6 will allow users to connect to a BI 4.1 CMS, in 2-tier and 3-tier mode. DCP will be a part of SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise (BOE) 3.1 product line and delivered in Fix Pack 6.1.

What are the benefits for customers with this solution?

Reduce TCO

Of course, reducing TCO is certainly a priority for everyone.  With this solution, DeskI documents that require additional time to convert can be consumed from a BI 4.1 deployment using the DeskI 3.1 Client. And you can de-commission legacy systems and consolidate on BI 4.1.

Better User satisfaction

Users can leverage the latest innovations delivered in BI 4.0 or later, as they convert their DeskI documents. And they gain additional time to convert their complex DeskI reports.

What are the workflow changes in DeskI with DCP?

With DCP, scheduling will be done using Windows task scheduler which is standard with windows operating system.   Also if you need to refresh DeskI documents, it has to be done via the DeskI desktop client

Recommendations and Best Practices

DCP should not be a primary solution for DeskI users. It is recommended:

• If DeskI is what is stopping users/customers from moving off XI R2 and 3.1 to BI 4 or later
• If XI R2 and 3.1 servers are kept in production only for serving DeskI reports
• Recommended only for users who need it, and not for all DeskI users

DCP should make it easier for IT to move to BI 4, even if Desktop Intelligence users haven’t converted all of their reports to Web Intelligence yet.  DCP is a
temporary solution to provide additional time in your DeskI to WebI 4.x conversion. This solution will be supported as long as DeskI 3.1 is supported.  As per earlier announcement, the end of maintenance for Desktop Intelligence 3.x is the same as BI XI 3.x in 2015, and the end of support is in 2017.

SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence is the go forward solution and we will continue to invest in this solution.

Additional new features for DeskI users

In SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.1, DeskI documents can now be moved to BI 4.1 using Upgrade Management Tool. DeskI report consumers can view non .rep (.pdf/.xls/.rtf/.txt) instances of DeskI documents in BI Launchpad / CMC.

You can get additional information about DeskI, DCP and also download a solution overview at this SCN post

Customers who want to offer self-service capabilities to their business users may want to consider evaluating SAP Visual Intelligence. With Visual Intelligence, business users dynamically access data from both personal and corporate sources, synthesize and transform data the way they want it and discover answers by building visualizations. If you are interested in evaluating SAP Visual Intelligence, download a 30-day trial version of SAP Visual Intelligence.