Two New Delta Workshops for SAP BusinessObjects

If your company is upgrading its SAP BusinessObjects platform from anything prior to version 4.0 (3.1, XI R2, even 6.5) to version 4.1, you’ll notice quite a few changes, particularly to Web Intelligence and the universe design tool. The good news is these changes are more “cosmetic” than functional. All the familiar Web Intelligence and universe design functionality is intact. The biggest differences are in the interfaces.

Web Intelligence

Let’s take a look at Web Intelligence first. Web Intelligence 4.1 looks and “feels” completely different than Web Intelligence 3.1 and prior. But it’s really no more significant than the difference between Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2007. Once you figure out “where did that button go?” you’ll be back to your full productivity with you reporting and ad hoc analyses.

The one-day WNAW41 – Delta Workshop Web Intelligence 3.x to Web Intelligence 4.1 guides you through the new interface, pointing out the changes and featuring new functionality that makes Web Intelligence an even more powerful data analysis tool.

Information Design Tool

Next we’ll look at the universe design tool. Beginning with 4.0, SAP BusinessObjects introduced a completely new tool used to create universes, the Information Design Tool. While Designer (now called the Universe Design Tool) still ships with 4.1 installations, it should be used only to maintain current .unv universes, and to prepare them to be converted to the new .unx universe type. (The Information Design Tool handles the conversion very
easily.)

While all of the familiar universe design concepts still exist—universe structure, classes/objects, alias and derived tables, contexts, etc.—the Information Design Tool handles these concepts differently. There is significant improvement over Designer in reusing the various aspects of a universe. For example, multiple classes/objects can now be created for individual business units based on a single universe structure without linking universes.

In addition, the Information Design Tool supports functionality that never existed with Designer, specifically creating a single universe pointing to multiple, different data sources. Such a universe is referred to as a multi-source universe. There is a new @ function, as well as additions for managing universe tables and columns.

The WNAI41 – Delta Workshop Designer 3.x to Information Design Tool 4.1 explains how to navigate the Information Design Tool, and features the additional functionality the new tool provides. With the Information Design Tool, you can create even more robust universes.

Summary:  SAP BusinessObjects 4.1 delta workshops

As I mentioned earlier, SAP Education offers two hands-on workshops with guided exercises to familiarize you with the new version 4.1 interface.
And don’t let the names fool you; even if you are upgrading from a version prior to 3.1, you can benefit from the following workshops.

     ·        WNAW41 – Delta Workshop Web Intelligence 3.x to Web Intelligence 4.1 will help you understand the deltas between Web Intelligence 3.1 and 4.1. It is for experienced Web Intelligence report creators and analysts upgrading from a previous version of SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence to SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence 4.1.

     ·       WNAI41 – Delta Workshop Designer 3.x to Information Design Tool 4.1 explains the delta between Universe Design and the Information Design Tool. The workshop audience includes experienced universe designers upgrading from a previous version of SAP BusinessObjects Designer to SAP BusinessObjects Information Design Tool 4.1.

Please note that these workshops have been developed for very experienced users in previous versions of either tool. These workshops are not intended to teach concepts or function as a condensed version of the recommended courseware for new users.