What is New in BusinessObjects Explorer 4.1– ASUG Webcast

SAP’s Mani Srinivasan and Paul Ekeland provided this ASUG webcast, reviewing the new functionalities that come with BusinessObjects Explorer 4.1.  Please note that the usual disclaimers apply that presentations based on future functionality are subject to change.

Agenda:

• Explorer 4.1 What’s New
• Explorer Mobile Updates
• Question & Answer
• Hands-on Opportunity with Explorer 4.1

New Features in Explorer 4.1

Mani reviewed three main features:

• Free Facets – Improve Performance
• Change Data source (for Explorer Information Spaces)

Free Facets

Figure 1: Source: SAP

Mani said SAP asked customers and partners what to improve.  They said they would like to customize the look and feel of Information Spaces and have the ability to control what end users see at a higher level.

Facet loading takes a while for Information spaces to be loaded

With new BI4.1 functionality, Free facet loading (shown in Figure 1) allows administrator to control what end users sees

On the left of the screen you see the new look and feel – facets are not loaded – hidden from users

The right of figure 1 shows the load time of the information spaces for 1 billion records – there is a significant performance improvement

Figure 2: Source: SAP

Figure 2 shows you open an Information Space and you get the new look and feel of the 4.1 space – select facet to filter and the values to filter for exploration filters

It will allow you to control what the user sees.

Figure 3: Change Data Source

Figure 3 shows the ability to change the data source

You have an information space but the data sources change

If you have created an information space against a universe you will be able to change the information space.

Restrictions are on the right of Figure 3.

Excel is supported but there are some restrictions

Figure 4: Source: SAP

One of the most requested features is the .UNV support for Explorer

BI4 removed .UNV support as SAP assumed customers would move to .UNX – however customers are still using .UNV

Figure 4 shows on the right support for both universe types.

Explorer Mobile Updates for 4.1

Figure 5: Source: SAP

Today SAP has Mobile BI app and Explorer Mobile app in the apps store

SAP is working on an integrated version of both into a single application, and this will be done in the second half of the year

It will be one “MobI” app (see Figure 5) and they will migrate Explorer to this app– first reason is to have only one application from Mobile BI

From a deployment standpoint it will be one application to configure inside “MobI”.

Figure 6: Source: SAP

Figure 6 shows the continuation of the migration path.

You start with the Explorer app, you find that a new update is coming (see steps 5 and 6) – it will migrate the Explorer applications into the new MobI app.

Figure 7: Source: SAP

Figure 7 shows the rest of the migration from Explorer Mobile to the new MobI application.

Subset of Question & Answer

Q:  Will Explorer 4.1 support UNV.

  A:  Yes

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Q:  I may be behind on release notes, but are OLAP (MS SSAS) sourced universes supported yet?

  A:  OLAP UNVs will be supported

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Q:  Will UNV support also be added to 4.0 SP6 (in addition to 4.1)?

  A:  Will be backported to SP6

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ASUG Annual Conference BI4.1 Hands-on Preconference Session