Product Information
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer: Next Steps Using SAP Analytics Cloud Webcast Recap
Source: SAP
This was a webcast provided by Ingo Hilgefort
Source: SAP
SAP’s product to combine different aspects, BI, planning, predictive, into one environment
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) is the foundation
Source: SAP
Analytics Cloud Explorer – explore a dataset, find something interesting, incorporate into dashboard
SAP’s strategy is to create a new innovative solution in the cloud, while continuing to enhance the existing on premise solutions.
SAP Analytics Cloud is a new integrated solution that brings together BI Planning and Predictive in one single interface.
Source: SAP
On the left, see products from on premise
On the right, see items from cloud deployment
Still investing in on-premise; BI4.3
This is a cloud first strategy
Provide ability to move to a cloud deployment
Source: SAP
Why would you want to look at exploration workflows?
First, it is a self-service dashboard
Give your end users to open the data, see what dimensions, measures
Could be live data, or data you updated
Can search data, filter data, hierarchies, data from the backend
Source: SAP
On the right see facet navigation, remember from BusinessObjects Explorer – shows different dimensions, measures, and filter data where you would like for it to be
Bottom half – visualization, use charts, tables, navigation options to drill down, export
Source: SAP
Charting – all options that SAC provides
Search – ability to choose a dimension like a product, order, customer, search across dimension and quickly choose those items as a filter and see what values are
Create new views – idea from BusinessObjects Explorer – Exploration views
-Different views organized by data, bookmark it
Source: SAP
Why here today?
If still using BusinessObjects Explorer, should have heard that BusinessObjects Explorer will stop working end of this year, due to end of flash support
BI4.3 will not have BusinessObjects Explorer any more
So want to consider migration of content before you think about BI4.3
Alternative is SAC, offer end users exploration workflow in a cloud deployment
Source: SAP
Why consider SAC for your deployment?
Offer data, quick filtering
With SAC, have additional capabilities such as Smart Insight, Discovery, Predict
Use your dataset and run a predictive forecast
These are things that BusinessObjects Explorer was not capable of
Migration from SBOP Explorer to SAP Analytics Cloud Explorer
Source: SAP
Take an inventory of what you are using today
-Information spaces
-Exploration views
-Who in audience is using BusinessObjects Explorer, how often use, what are the data sources?
-Have BI on BI – run a Web Intelligence or Crystal Report on top of universe to learn more about existing deployment – what data sources used, exploration views used
Help start in SAC
Source: SAP
SAP offers a migration workshop
SAP helps you, look at your system, gather requirements, what is the business need trying to solve, and work the plan on how deliver toward end users
Move to SAC
Source: SAP
Cloud extension policy; discuss with your SAP Account Manager
Ability to convert parts of your license, maintenance
Available Resources
Source: SAP
Links:
https://blogs.sap.com/2019/08/29/sap-businessobjects-explorer-and-sap-businessobjects-xcelsius-end-of-life.-considerations-as-your-plan-next-steps-using-sap-analytics-cloud/
https://blogs.sap.com/2019/09/02/journey-to-the-cloud-for-sap-businessobjects-explorer-and-sap-businessobjects-dashboardaka-xcelsius-customers/
Outline end of life, the technical reasons why this is happening
Cloud extension policy, services have, technical guidance, how create something you did in BusinessObjects Explorer in SAC
Source: SAP
Road map and with what happens BI4.3
Migrate before you go to BI4.3
SAP Notes (S user required):
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2679783
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2824537
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2579982
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2739919
Source: SAP
Announcement blogs
Source: SAP
Materials – detailed use cases
Sales scenario – what would have done in BOBJ Explorer and steps in SAC; use this to train users
How to achieve 9 common scenarios in SAC? Like what-if, charting, trend Analyzer etc.
Links:
https://blogs.sap.com/2019/09/04/key-functional-deep-dive-between-sap-businessobjects-dashboards-aka-xcelsius-and-sap-analytics-cloud/
https://blogs.sap.com/2019/09/06/key-functional-deep-dive-between-sap-businessobjects-explorer-and-sac/
Source: SAP
Link to the wiki:
https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/BOC/Journey+to+the+Cloud+for+BusinessObjects+Explorer+and+Dashboard+%28aka+XCelsius%29+Customers
Source: SAP
BI on BI
What users are using in BusinessObjects Explorer – want to understand data source, who is using product, who is the audience
Note offers a Web Intelligence report how many exploration views, data sources, dimensions, who is using it
SAP Note Link:
https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2885216
Source: SAP
Concrete example – step by step example
Link:
https://www.sap.com/documents/2019/09/86474bbd-657d-0010-87a3-c30de2ffd8ff.html
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer and SAP Analytics Cloud Explorer: Functional Examples
Source: SAP
Most critical item is the faceted navigation
SAC offers similar navigation but also allows you to leverage hierarchies, and use it as part of the facet
Source: SAP
Charting
SAC can do the charting, plus offers ranking, variances, reference lines
Source: SAP
Information space – which elements you want to use
With SAC, counterpart would be your story; explorer is integrated with story, take chart to copy to story
Source: SAP
Ranking is possible in both products
Explorer – quickly rank all elements
Easily possible in SAC – predefined ranking, or custom option
Source: SAP
Ability to find something specific, filter to a certain country, region, product, and bookmark navigation step, and share with someone
SAC Explorer – 2 options – bookmarks – also have option to create different views, allow you to create different visualization
Source: SAP
Search is fully integrated in SAC; more advanced than BusinessObjects Explorer
SAC recognizes key words such as last year (date and time based dimensions)
Source: SAP
Few features that are unique to SAC
Link:
https://www.sap.com/documents/2019/09/86474bbd-657d-0010-87a3-c30de2ffd8ff.html
Appendix – SAP Analytics Cloud Explorer – Added Functionalities
Source: SAP
Unique to SAC – BusinessObjects Explorer does not have
Automate analysis, part of machine learning algorithms in the background
It interacts with your chart
Source: SAP
Smart Insight – looking at dedicated scenario, one chart, look at details
Discovery – take the dataset, and will give you an overview, what it learned about data set, key influencing factors
Unexpected values show outliers in dataset based on what system learned
Simulation – influence some of the values, such as costs
Source: SAP
Variances – for financial reports, not possible in BusinessObjects Cloud, but embedded in SAC
Compare periods over time
Source: SAP
Standard in SAC, and can use as part of Exploration workflow, not possible in BusinessObjects Explorer
Source: SAP
Ability to integrate R
Source: SAP
Ability to guide end users, ability to create focused views
Exploration view where you show further details
Source: SAP
Create customized views, with SAC Explorer – create multiple views – different views on same dataset and share with end users
Q&A
Q: Does SAP Analytics Cloud offer similar mobile capabilities as SAP BusinessObjects Explorer on the iPhone?
A: BusinessObjects Explorer – offers exploration and exploration views
SAC – pure exploration is not supported in mobile application yet, but does support in browser
Support in mobile is planned in end of year
Q: Who to contact for customer migration workshop? SAP AE?
A: Account manager
Q: What about the capability of Personalize the Explorer Workspace ?
A: SAC – two options – bookmark, keep information such as filter, use customized views, create multiple different views and share them with your end users
Concern from attendee: All the functions maybe doable but the learning curve does NOT look as easy as Explorer
Response: challenge, SAC has same look and feel and facet navigation
Q: My customer customer’s are looking for EXACT Explorer look and feel as the starting point. All these new features are great but for too much for Managers
A: Old Explorer – menu, items
The security personalize where you create ONE Explorer Work Space but each user would see only there Region/Office
Q: Time Series Forecasting – does this require additional predictive analytics licensing, or is this standard included with SAC with Explorer? Are the forecasting models configurable with different algorithms?
A: Part of the BI license; need time based data to run forecasting
Q: Does SAC allow you to create custom Templates ?
A: Yes when you start SAC
Q: I really like the look of Explorer. Are there any limitations that we need to be aware of? Data volume? Number of cells in results, number of dimensions? What about limits in universe number of records cells?
A: SAC Explorer allows you to connect to live system or acquired data, ran test cases with 50-60M rows in a HANA system and comes up in a few seconds – no hard coded limit
Live access depends on system in background, how quick it can deliver data
Closing comments:
Review information / resources how to move from BusinessObjects Explorer to SAC and start migration
By end of year BusinessObjects Explorer will not be working any more due to Flash