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