Visual BI Extensions for Lumira 2.0 Webcast Summary
You can watch this replay here. This webcast covered how these extensions can help you deploy Design Studio/Lumira Designer
Background:
Figure 1: Source: Visual BI
More than 70 visualization options and components available
From charts, to maps, to KPI tiles
Extensions speed up the delivery cycle (20% faster)
Number one rated extensions in the SAP Extension directory
Figure 2: Source: Visual BI
50 additional charts with different chart types; there is an overlap with Design Studio charts but adding more capabilities and features
Extensive formatting, including conditional formatting; define dynamic thresholds
Allows permanent color assignment (assign colors to measures)
Offers deep integration with the rest of your landscape
Leverage a single data source for multiple views
Use Web Intelligence reports as a data source (new feature) – could be a live report or scheduled report
Figure 3: Source: Visual BI
400 maps out of the box; double tap on iPad to drill down from Germany to its provinces
Maps support mobile, with mobile interaction
Conditional formatting is available for the maps
Map is not the end point; often it is the starting point of the analytical workflow; navigate from a Map to Crystal or Web Intelligence and the context moves with it
Figure 4: Source: Visual BI
They have time based filtering; user can select months/quarters/years; no need to write any scripting. You can configure calendar year vs. fiscal year
Offers Listbox, combo box; offered out of the box in Design Studio but this extension provides ability to search, cascading experience
Figure 5: Source: Visual BI
Have components not around visualization, but crucial to dashboard such as export to PDF, Word or PPT, integrated search option, menu component to break up parts of dashboard
KPI tiles, trend indicator, responsive UI to allow you to build dashboard once and configure how dashboard should behave
Figure 6: Source: Visual BI
Ability to add reference lines to a chart; indicate where target is
Ability to add trendlines to the chart is shown in Figure 6
Figure 7: Source: Visual BI
One data source for multiple use of charts; not picking up the data twice
Data utility
Don’t always want to see complete dataset
Figure 8: Source: Visual BI
No scripting is needed for drilldown
Double click to go to the next level; can use stacked dimensions or hierarchies
Expand and collapse with hierarchies with labels
Figure 9: Source: Visual BI
Conditional formatting based on dynamic thresholds, create rules based on a single measure (if revenue goes above $500K or use target values – 90% of forecast, use green)
Rules can be based on any element of data source; not limited based on what is not visible
Figure 10: Source: Visual BI
Search within listbox or comb box – set the checkbox to search across the values
User can switch between keys / description at run time
Figure 11: Source: Visual BI
Ability to show an alert can be set up when filtering; a user can see an alert at point of filtering the information so the user doesn’t have to pick the product and then see something is not correct.
Highlighting so the user knows where to focus
Figure 12: Source: Visual BI
Similar to BusinessObjects Explorer a facet filter is offered for navigation
Component is called facet filter which is horizontal or vertical
Figure 13: Source: Visual BI
Time based filtering options are shown on the right
Support fiscal years, calendar years
Figure 14: Source: Visual BI
As Figure 14 shows, you can choose members or level based selection, search across the hierarchy
Figure 15: Source: Visual BI
Over 400 maps are delivered out of the box, different levels of granularity; for US, start with world, US, states, districts
Maps are hosted around the world or you can host them in your own network
They understand the common abbreviations – e.g. TX for Texas
Figure 16: Source: Visual BI
Supports map drilldown with 3 levels of drill – Europe > Germany > Bavaria
No scripting is required
Map the data to the 3 levels
Figure 17: Source: Visual BI
Navigate to other content in your BusinessObjects system – see more details in Crystal, Web Intelligence, Analysis
Figure 18: Source: Visual BI
Conditional formatting for maps as well with dynamic formatting, markers based on rules defined
Figure 19: Source: Visual BI
Table that has different behavior than SAP’s crosstab
This table behaves like Excel – e.g. sort column 3, interactive filtering, search, alert columns, freeze header for scrolling
Figure 20: Source: Visual BI
Offer export options using Excel, Word, PowerPoint, generate email inside dashboard; export can be based on templates
Can export multiple pages or views or tabs
Figure 21: Source: Visual BI
Ability to use Excel or Google Sheets as a data source is shown in Figure 21
For prototyping or production
Figure 22: Source: Visual BI
KPI tile is like an empty box for Lego blocks – you decide how KPI tile looks like – 5 numbers, 5 charts, etc.
You decide look and feel and highlight positive negative, conditional formatting
Figure 23: Source: Visual BI
Responsive UI container allows you to design the dashboard once and you configure how dashboard behaves – orientation
Design once, use multiple times
Why do you need extensions with SAP Lumira 2.0
Figure 24: Source: Visual BI
SAP has Lumira Designer with new features, why need extensions?
Some examples with Lumira Designer:
Conditional formatting in Charts is based on static rules (e.g. revenue more than $500K) – if rules adjust, variance, not an option; can only work with elements visible in chart in Lumira Designer
Chart responsiveness not possible in Lumira Designer, but in VBX
Conditional formatting in VBX is dynamic
Figure 25: Source: Visual BI
In Lumira Designer is similar to today; no standard maps provided; maps rely on GeoJSON
No drill down provided; everything has to be scripted
No conditional formatting on maps at all
No out of the box integration with the rest of the stack; map is more of an endpoint
Figure 26: Source: Visual BI
Filters do not come with a search option; if you have 500 products have to scroll
No filters for time-based scenarios
No facet navigation
Tree component in standard Design Studio but it does not provide level based filtering
Figure 27: Source: Visual BI
Standard export is missing ability to export complete tabstrip, pagebook,
Lumira 2.0 has adaptive layout but it does not differentiate desktop/mobile, screen sizes, hide elements
No export to PowerPoint
Adaptive Layout is available – no option to differentiate between desktop and mobile or profiles for screen sizes and cannot configure what elements are visible or hidden
Visual BI Extensions – Highlights, New Features
Figure 28: Source: Visual BI
Integrating with ESRI or Google Maps
Gives you the ability to choose either
Figure 29: Source: Visual BI
Offering a risk matrix chart as shown in Figure 29 and a Gantt Chart
Figure 30: Source: Visual BI
Facet filter supports hierarchies – choose which elements of hierarchy to select or exclude
Figure 31: Source: Visual BI
Add a new data source based on web service
Web Intelligence is a data source or any kind of web service – could be weather data, stock quotes
There is no data limit
Talking to the report; if the report has calculations, able to leverage those
Figure 32: Source: Visual BI
Have multiple pages of dashboard to export to PowerPoint
Question and Answer
Q: Can we create our own GeoJSON map and drill up?
A: Yes, maps do support GeoJSOn
Q: how stage data for multiple reports?
A: assume data utility; not staging like classic EDW sense; capable to take parts of a larger dataset
Just need certain dimensions and measures from a larger dataset
Q: when will 2.0 available?
A: VBX tested extensions; fully functional with their extensions
When 2.0 comes out (in ramp-up now) current release will work with 2.0
Q: Is there a row limitation from the universe?
A: WebI/Web service is not connecting to the universe for this extension
No data limit in Web service connectivity
Q: Will Design Studio run on a Mac?
A: No, no version for the Mac; this is something to ask SAP
HI Tammy,
Thank you for your post. One question about SDK and extensions, does extension built based on DS 1.x SDK will be portable on Lumira 2 Discovery. I know it will surely will work for Lumira 2 Designer but need clarification for Lumira 2 Discovery. I think it should work as part of inter-portability !?
This is important as many 3rd party extension like of Visual BI we will be not be able to utilize in self service tool Lumira Discovery.
In the same context, does SDK for both designer and discovery will be one now or different ?
Regards,
Nitin
Hi Nitin,
Thank you for commenting
Are you trying to use a Design Studio SDK in Lumira Discovery? I am not sure that will work....
Hi Tammy,
I am wondering if extension made for DS going to work for Discovery. This in turn do mean SDK of designer and discovery should be compatible.
I seems it won’t that means a bit spoiler as innovative utilities made by 3rd party (especially of Visual BI) will not work for Discovery.
Regards,
Nitin
Hi Nitin - what you could do is create the application first in Lumira Discovery, then send that to Lumira Designer and then take advantage of the SDK utilities. Part of benefit of Lumira 2.0 is the interoperability between the tools. End user/key user starts in Lumira Discovery, and as things progress the application moves to Lumira Designer.
Thank you Tammy for response, yes that's the best way possible.
Ideally would have expected it to work both way thereby utilizing innovations across.
This led me to why two tools and why not one ? anyway that's longer talk and out of context question...