Introduction
Broadcasting is nothing but Schedule or Broadcast the precalculated Workbook, Query, Query views, Reports, Web Template by Email or by using below destinations. It primarily helps in making BW data available to the non-BW users. In this blog, will see how to schedule workbooks in BW4HANA using SAP Business Objects.
BO Broadcasting in SAP BW4HANA
BO Broadcasting allows user to schedule the workbook using the BO server. Latest version of SAP BO is version 4.3 SP3.
Schedules can be achieved by using the below destinations in BO platform.
Scheduling options in BO Broadcasting
To schedule or broadcast workbooks when there is no need to run it immediately. The broadcast happens at the time defined.
What is an Event?
In the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (BI Platform), BW events are used for event-based scheduling of reports that are based on a BW data source. This type of BW event trigger is possible in a connected SAP BI Platform system and SAP BW∕4HANA system.
How to create a BW Event and Assign it to a Report?
Login into CMC –> Events
Under BW Events folder, create a new BW Event, provide the details, and click ok. The event will be created.
Note – It is possible to create multiple BW Events based on the requirement, ideally one for each data source such as Cube, DSO etc. on which your BI Platform report is created.
All the list of created BW events will be available under “BW Events” folder. Select the right event and move it under “Events to Wait for”. This event will wait for the event to be trigger from BW.
As AFO is the replacement for Bex Analyzer, all the reporting can be done using AFO in SAP BW4HANA. To schedule AFO workbook from BO launch pad, the AFO workbook needs to be saved in BO server.
How to save AFO workbook in BO server?
Refresh the Queries/Reports with required selections. Choose FILE -> ANALYSIS -> SAVE WORKBOOK -> Save a Workbook on the SAP Business Objects BO Platform. Select the correct folder and provide technical name and Description for the workbook to save in BO server. These workbooks will be available in BO server to schedule or refresh the workbook.
How to Schedule AFO workbook from BO server?
Select the Workbook from the folders available in BO launchpad.
Right click on the workbook and click on the Schedule option to schedule the workbook.
Options and Details:
In the next screen, Instance Title will be displayed automatically with the Workbook technical name. Add the Delivery destinations by choosing the ADD option. This option is used to add the different type of destinations to deliver/broadcast the workbook.
In our case, select an Email option to schedule the workbook through Email.
Provide From address, To address, Subject and Mail content details to whom the workbook needs to be delivered.
Enabling “Keep instance in history” option will keep the history of the workbook schedules and its status.
Enabling “Add attachment” option will attach the refreshed workbook while sending an E-mail to recipients. Add Placeholder option will be used to add the system generated details as shown in the screenshot.
Recurrence option is available to schedule the workbook with defined time without using Event based Scheduling. This schedule will not depend on the data loads but based on the time selected, workbook will refresh and deliver to user.
Also, it is possible to change the selection screen variables at run time. In the prompts section, it is possible to change the selection screen variables by providing the Query technical name, variable technical name, and value for that variable by adding rows. By choosing this method, latest variable values updated in the prompt section will overwrite the existing variable values applied in the workbook selection screen and Report will run for the values updated in the prompt section of the schedule.
In Event based Scheduling, schedule will not depend on the recurrence option available under Run report, but it depends only on the Event. Select the right event from the BW Events in the Events to Wait for. Event creation needs to be done before scheduling the workbook. This event will wait for same event to be trigger from BW. Please refer Event section given above.
Once the Event based scheduling is chosen, this event needs to be added in the Process chain from the BW system.
How to add event in PC from BW system?
Create Process chain in BW system and add the step “Trigger Event in SAP BOBJ Platform”.
Select the Destination from the help menu and add the Event ID from the help. Save the variant and schedule the Process chain. Below Event ID and Event Description should be created based on the requirement before scheduling the workbook.
Possible Issues/Challenges while scheduling AFO workbook from BO server
1. PDF document schedule is not possible in the same schedule.
Issue: Scheduling XML workbook or PDF or Online link is possible in Bex BW broadcasting by choosing either of the options from the same screen while creating schedule. But it is not possible from BO server.
Solution: To schedule PDF document, saved PDF document with query refresh details needs to be saved in BO server to schedule.
This can be achieved by using the Web intelligence (Webi) in the Application Menu
2. How to run and test the predefined workbook with different selections or how to reschedule existing scheduled workbook.
Solution: Right click on the workbook, select History. Here all the workbooks with status of the run will be displayed. Right click the workbook and click Reschedule option to reschedule the workbook with same details or change the details based on the requirement.
Report selections can be changed at runtime by choosing the prompts section and add the DS (Report needs to be refreshed with different selections), Variable Technical name and hardcoded value. Now the scheduled workbook will refresh for the latest selections given here.
Issue: Scheduled workbook returns OLAP error because of the location it has been saved.
Solution: Once workbook is refreshed in Production system and saved in BO server, this needs to be saved under BI connections as well.
Once the WB is saved in BO server, log off from the system and select replace system and choose BI connections from drop down and save the workbook with same name in server.
This will not change the system in which the WB was refreshed earlier but it will make sure that this workbook is connected via OLAP connection so that it can accessed from BO platform for schedule.
To know about existing version of Bex Broadcasting
Bex Broadcasting
SAP Bex Broadcaster is being used in SAP BW 7.5. BEx objects can be broadcasted either as online links or as precalculated documents.
SAP BEx Broadcaster can be called from the following BEx Tools:
Scheduling options in Bex Broadcasting:
Please refer the following link for more details about Bex Broadcasting.
How to Broadcast a BEx Report through E-mail. | SAP Blogs
BEx Broadcaster (sap.com)
Broadcasting is nothing but Schedule or Broadcast the precalculated Workbook, Query, Query views, Reports, Web Template by Email or by using below destinations. It primarily helps in making BW data available to the non-BW users. In this blog, will see how to schedule workbooks in BW4HANA using SAP Business Objects.
BO Broadcasting in SAP BW4HANA
BO Broadcasting allows user to schedule the workbook using the BO server. Latest version of SAP BO is version 4.3 SP3.
Schedules can be achieved by using the below destinations in BO platform.
- Default Enterprise Location
- BI Inbox
- FTP Server
- File system
- SFTP Server
Scheduling options in BO Broadcasting
To schedule or broadcast workbooks when there is no need to run it immediately. The broadcast happens at the time defined.
- It is possible to configure to run broadcasts just once or periodically (every month / every week / every day / any specific timeslot).
- It is also possible to run the broadcast only when an event occurs. This can be achieved by include broadcasting as part of process chain. Create a process chain and add Event in the process chain to call the BO event to schedule the broadcast automatically.
What is an Event?
In the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (BI Platform), BW events are used for event-based scheduling of reports that are based on a BW data source. This type of BW event trigger is possible in a connected SAP BI Platform system and SAP BW∕4HANA system.
How to create a BW Event and Assign it to a Report?
Login into CMC –> Events
Under BW Events folder, create a new BW Event, provide the details, and click ok. The event will be created.
Screenshot 1: CMC Page to create event.
Note – It is possible to create multiple BW Events based on the requirement, ideally one for each data source such as Cube, DSO etc. on which your BI Platform report is created.
All the list of created BW events will be available under “BW Events” folder. Select the right event and move it under “Events to Wait for”. This event will wait for the event to be trigger from BW.
Screenshot 2: CMC Page to add event for scheduling.
Scheduling AFO workbook from BO Server
As AFO is the replacement for Bex Analyzer, all the reporting can be done using AFO in SAP BW4HANA. To schedule AFO workbook from BO launch pad, the AFO workbook needs to be saved in BO server.
How to save AFO workbook in BO server?
Refresh the Queries/Reports with required selections. Choose FILE -> ANALYSIS -> SAVE WORKBOOK -> Save a Workbook on the SAP Business Objects BO Platform. Select the correct folder and provide technical name and Description for the workbook to save in BO server. These workbooks will be available in BO server to schedule or refresh the workbook.
Screenshot 3: AFO screen to save workbook.
How to Schedule AFO workbook from BO server?
Select the Workbook from the folders available in BO launchpad.
Right click on the workbook and click on the Schedule option to schedule the workbook.
Screenshot 4: BO Launchpad to schedule selected workbook.
Options and Details:
Screenshot 5: BO Launchpad - Various options and their details.
In the next screen, Instance Title will be displayed automatically with the Workbook technical name. Add the Delivery destinations by choosing the ADD option. This option is used to add the different type of destinations to deliver/broadcast the workbook.
Screenshot 6: BO Launchpad - To add Delivery Destinations.
In our case, select an Email option to schedule the workbook through Email.
Screenshot 7: BO Launchpad - Selecting Email as a Delivery Destinations.
Provide From address, To address, Subject and Mail content details to whom the workbook needs to be delivered.
Enabling “Keep instance in history” option will keep the history of the workbook schedules and its status.
Screenshot 8: BO Launchpad - Option to keep the history of each schedule.
Enabling “Add attachment” option will attach the refreshed workbook while sending an E-mail to recipients. Add Placeholder option will be used to add the system generated details as shown in the screenshot.
Screenshot 9: BO Launchpad - Attaching the Workbook when scheduling workbook.
Recurrence option is available to schedule the workbook with defined time without using Event based Scheduling. This schedule will not depend on the data loads but based on the time selected, workbook will refresh and deliver to user.
Screenshot 10: BO Launchpad - Schedule recurrence options and their details.
Also, it is possible to change the selection screen variables at run time. In the prompts section, it is possible to change the selection screen variables by providing the Query technical name, variable technical name, and value for that variable by adding rows. By choosing this method, latest variable values updated in the prompt section will overwrite the existing variable values applied in the workbook selection screen and Report will run for the values updated in the prompt section of the schedule.
Screenshot 11: BO Launchpad - Refreshing workbook with new prompts during runtime.
In Event based Scheduling, schedule will not depend on the recurrence option available under Run report, but it depends only on the Event. Select the right event from the BW Events in the Events to Wait for. Event creation needs to be done before scheduling the workbook. This event will wait for same event to be trigger from BW. Please refer Event section given above.
Screenshot 12: BO Launchpad - Adding Event while scheduling.
Once the Event based scheduling is chosen, this event needs to be added in the Process chain from the BW system.
How to add event in PC from BW system?
Create Process chain in BW system and add the step “Trigger Event in SAP BOBJ Platform”.
Screenshot 13: SAP GUI - Adding Event in Process Chain.
Select the Destination from the help menu and add the Event ID from the help. Save the variant and schedule the Process chain. Below Event ID and Event Description should be created based on the requirement before scheduling the workbook.
Screenshot 14: SAP GUI - Choosing Event from help menu to add in Process Chain.
Possible Issues/Challenges while scheduling AFO workbook from BO server
1. PDF document schedule is not possible in the same schedule.
Issue: Scheduling XML workbook or PDF or Online link is possible in Bex BW broadcasting by choosing either of the options from the same screen while creating schedule. But it is not possible from BO server.
Solution: To schedule PDF document, saved PDF document with query refresh details needs to be saved in BO server to schedule.
This can be achieved by using the Web intelligence (Webi) in the Application Menu
2. How to run and test the predefined workbook with different selections or how to reschedule existing scheduled workbook.
Solution: Right click on the workbook, select History. Here all the workbooks with status of the run will be displayed. Right click the workbook and click Reschedule option to reschedule the workbook with same details or change the details based on the requirement.
Screenshot 15: BO Launchpad - Rescheduling AFO Workbook.
Report selections can be changed at runtime by choosing the prompts section and add the DS (Report needs to be refreshed with different selections), Variable Technical name and hardcoded value. Now the scheduled workbook will refresh for the latest selections given here.
Screenshot 16: BO Launchpad - Refreshing workbook with new prompts during runtime.
Issue: Scheduled workbook returns OLAP error because of the location it has been saved.
Solution: Once workbook is refreshed in Production system and saved in BO server, this needs to be saved under BI connections as well.
Once the WB is saved in BO server, log off from the system and select replace system and choose BI connections from drop down and save the workbook with same name in server.
This will not change the system in which the WB was refreshed earlier but it will make sure that this workbook is connected via OLAP connection so that it can accessed from BO platform for schedule.
To know about existing version of Bex Broadcasting
Bex Broadcasting
SAP Bex Broadcaster is being used in SAP BW 7.5. BEx objects can be broadcasted either as online links or as precalculated documents.
SAP BEx Broadcaster can be called from the following BEx Tools:
- BEx Query Designer
- BEx Analyzer
- BEx Web Application Designer
- BEx Web Application
- BEx Web Analyzer
Scheduling options in Bex Broadcasting:
- It is possible to configure to run broadcasts just once or periodically (every month / every week / every day / any specific timeslot).
- It is also possible to run the broadcast only when an event occurs. Broadcasting is possible through process chain. You can create a process chain and include RSRD_BROADCAST_BATCH (ABAP program) to schedule the broadcast automatically.
Please refer the following link for more details about Bex Broadcasting.
How to Broadcast a BEx Report through E-mail. | SAP Blogs
BEx Broadcaster (sap.com)
- SAP Managed Tags:
