BI4.1 Upgrade – One Strategy for Enterprise BI Webcast Notes
Yesterday SAP’s Jason Rose and Thomas B Kuruvilla provided this webcast, provided by SCN Analytics Webcast series. Sam Ko, SAP, provides a replay here Q&A From the BI 4.1 Upgrade Webcast
I heard over 1,000 people registered for this webcast and hundreds were online.
The legal disclaimer applies that things are subject to change. Jason described that there are 1 billion Facebook users, 4 billion YouTube views per day, data doubles every 18 months – we are getting to the “reality of the Internet of Everything”.
Figure 1: Source: SAP
Figure 1 shows that today only 10% users use analytics and in 2020 will jump to 75%
7 to 8 times more people to access platform – need to create a solid BI strategy
You still need right data governance, and quality and bring BI to where the user is to close the loop
Figure 2: Source: SAP
Figure 2 shows Enterprise BI, which is covered in this webcast.
Jason said with agile visualization and advanced analytics that it is an exciting time to be a customer
SAP BusinessObjects Lumira SP12 edition allows you to analyze, visualize data
With advanced analytics includes recently announced acquisition KXEN – packages advanced analytics solution – analyze customer attrition
Mobile brings end of use and ubiquity of BI deployment
Figure 3: Source: SAP
Figure 3 shows ad hoc reporting and visualizations. SAP said the most powerful feature is new visual SDK to extend visualization
Mobile 5.0 allows you to combine Explorer, Web Intelligence into a single mobile application
“One place for all information”
Figure 4: Source: SAP
With BI4.1 SAP wants it to be a stable release. SAP said ramp up scores were high for BI4.1
4.0 is a big release to a core release – advanced architecture of the platform with semantic layer
4.1 is the first point release
Figure 5: Source: SAP
Customers waiting for 4.1 as it brought features – API’s, SDKs and provide a way to use of Desktop Intelligence
4.1 is easier to install, upgrade and deploy and offers Hadoop connectivity
BI Platform
Figure 6: Source: SAP
You can do an in place upgrade or new installation with BI4.1 BI Platform
SAP says to look at the PAM for system requirements
UMT has been updated for dependency checks
It provides more data sources and an improved user experience
It has enhanced universe creation with the wizard
Figure 7: Source: SAP
Thomas said it is the largest number of datasources they have ever supported– over 190 combinations as shown in Figure 7
BI4.1 Clients
Figure 8: Source: SAP
Figure 8 shows that BI4.1 offers Freeze headers for SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and a custom color palette for the power user
Figure 9: Source: SAP
Thomas said they started bringing RESTful Web Services support in BI4 SP5 and now they are offering an Incremental series of deliveries, using agnostic technology such as JAVA, .NET
Figure 10: Source: SAP
Figure 10 shows that query stripping is available for HANA and relational data sources
BI4.1 Clients Supported by BI4.1
With Mobile BI 5, SAP has integrated the BusinessObjects Explorer application into Mobi
Figure 11: Source: SAP
Figure 11 shows the Mobile SDK which you can distribute to app store, Mobile Device Management Tool
Figure 12: Source: SAP
SAP JAM is the successor to StreamWork
This version has geo enhancements for iPhone
Figure 13: Source: SAP
Desktop Intelligence was end of life in BI4.0
For customers BI4.1 has the Desktop Compatibility Pack shown in Figure 13
This support is only for BI4.1 to consume Desktop Intelligence
A lot of questions around Desktop Intelligence; he said to look at converting these to Web Intelligence
Key Links:
Official Product Tutorials – SAP BO BI Suite
Virtualizing SAP BusinessObjects BI 4
Sizing and Deploying SAP BI 4 and SAP Lumira
Roadmaps are at service.sap.com/roadmap (SMP logon)
Question and Answer
Q: When you say limited support in DeskI does it mean you can edit DeskI in 4.1?
A: Available on client side, not server side
Q: What is upgrade path from 4.0 to 4.1?
A: It is an update – it replaces the binaries
Q: How do we convert multiple universes?
A: From IDT do it one at a time; or look at SDK options or look at partner solutions
Q: How get a demo of what is new in this version?
A: sap.com/upgradebi is the starting point
Q: Is Lumira considered part of the BI suite?
A: It is part of the BI suite, said Jason Rose
If on older pricing models – and on a CPU/named user an additional license is needed
Contact SAP Account rep
Q: Any change in the scheduling of Web Intelligence documents?
A: No changes that he is aware of
Q: Changes in BI Admin?
A: Easier to install and migrate
Q: Best way to convert thousands of DeskI documents to WebI?
A: Suggest look at usage; most frequently used; see best practices on webcast
Sap.com/upgradebi
See tools from APOS
Q: Could we use the Import Wizard to upgrade from 3.1 to 4.1?
A: Import Wizard replaced by UMT and Promotion Management
SAP TechEd Promotion:
>Q: Is Lumira considered part of the BI suite?
>A: It is part of the BI suite, said Jason Rose
>If on older pricing models – and on a CPU/named user an additional license is needed
>Contact SAP Account rep
Very strange decision.