A comprehensive guide to SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence query and report development tools

1. A comprehensive guide to SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence query and report development tools Dr. Bjarne Berg

2. In This Session ... This is a comprehensive guide to SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence presentation tools We will take an overview tour of the Analysis Process Designer (APD), SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC), Web Application Designer (WAD), Report Designer, Web publishing, Java Server pages (JSP) and the new SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer. We will look at the strengths and limitations of each tool and see how they can be used independently or collectively in a SAP BI environment.

3. In This Session ... We will examine which tool is suites for each user community and how they can empower your end users by giving them increased capabilities. Leave this session with a thorough understanding of how to use SAP NetWeaver BI query and report development tools to make your system more flexible and adaptive to the needs of end users.

4. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 3

5. The BW Toolset BW is an enterprise-wide comprehensive decision support (DSS) system for analytical needs of an enterprise. BW can also support some degree of operational reporting Therefore it has many presentation tools and options for companies to leverage.

6. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 5

7. The BEx Query Designer in BW 3.5 The BEx query designer is a simple tool that you use to develop queries for users. While the Query Designer defined the query, you have many options on how you deploy the queries You can deploy the queries through web templates, broadcasted emails, portals, Excel and more.

8. BEx Query Designer gets a needed ‘facelift’ in BI 7.0 The 3.5x BEx Query Designer This new property pane makes it easier to format and control displays than in the past. The NW2004s BEx Query Designer Note:

9. BEx - Workbooks 1. BEx Workbooks is Excel 'on steroids'. 2. BW queries can be opened in Excel 3. Queries can be refreshed and standard Excel functions can be used This is a great tool for financial analysts and power users. To use this tool you need BEx installed

10. BEx web Analyzer integrates Excel The Excel integration in the BEx analyzer is far better. Unlike the old days of dynamic HTML, you can now use the BEx analyzer more like a real application without refreshing the whole page every time you click on something (this is due to the Java component in NW2004s) Source: SAP AG, 2006 News: BEx browser goes away in NW2004s

11. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 10

12. APD – Analysis Process Designer and data mining • SAP BW Analysis Process Designer (APD) is for Knowledge discovery and exploration of large sets of data. • APD has been available in BW since version 3.0 and can be used to do complex analysis without having to restructure the data and create hundreds of specialized data marts. • You can read from a variety of sources such as • Flat files • Database tables • Data Store Objects (new name for ODS) • Infocubes • BW queries Since BW 3.5, APD has been integrated with the Data Mining Workbench. You can access it though the transaction code “RSDMWB” Image: SAP, UK

13. DW version 2.0 • In Data warehousing v2.0 (Bill Immon’s new terminology), we are using BI applications to create new data that needs to be fed to the data warehouse, and /or the transactional system • Tools are now available to build association data sets that creates updates based on BI findings (i.e. customer segmentation, risk, profitability flagging etc). Images: Bhanu Gupta, ASUG 2005 Illinois chapter

14. Complex scenarios can be built for structured analysis such as risk modeling, customer segmentation, market basket analysis, predictive modeling and much more APD – Analysis Process Designer and data mining “New data” based on the findings can be loaded back into data targets and used by others for reporting i.e. CRM analysis.

15. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 14

16. Visual Composer A Visual Composer is a tool to visualize the data. It is a browser-based modeling and design tool for rapid application development & prototyping in a code-free development environment.

17. Visual Composer for Complex cockpits Modeling of BI applications using the BI kit of the Visual Composer allows business users to create analytical content for SAP portal. It offers the integration with BI infoproviders, views, BEx web applications, PDF and more via WEB API as access to other data sources such as OLAP and relational data sources) via Java connectors Image source: Cubeserv

18. Details about Visual Composer Cockpits • Delivered as part of Enterprise Portal in SAP NetWeaver 2004s Usage Type (SPS8 and higher) • Different options available for rendering Visual Composer output • Flash • Web Dynpro (HTML) • Flash provides high-end visualization of Visual Composer models Since a cockpit may have many different DataSources (queries), it can take quite some time to execute them if the memory cache is not used consistently

19. Visual Composer Data Methods • Can integrate data from multiple data sources, including SAP and non-SAP systems, into one model • Different options available for data access include: • BI Extension Kit • Remote Function Call (RFC) • Web services • BI Extension Kit allows access to the following DataSources • SAP NetWeaver 2004 BI (BW 3.5 Support Package 14) • SAP NetWeaver 2004s • JDBC • XMLA

20. Visual Composer DataProviders • You can use BI queries and views as DataProviders for Visual Composer models • You also can use BI query functionalities for exceptions and variables along with Visual Composer models • Visual Composer allows access to BI history, favorites, and roles

21. Visual Composer is Easy for Power Users to Learn Visual Composer is a power user tool that is simple to learn for someone with a little bit of technical background (i.e. controllers, report writers, analysts). No coding required to create great-looking Web-based cockpits Take advantage of prebuilt analytic business packages Source: SAP

22. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up

23. BEx Web Application Designer (WAD) BEx Analyzer/ Query Designer Web Browser BEx Web Application Designer WAD is an intuitive tool to build powerful web applications and to interact with portals and custom templates. BW queries can be manipulated in WAD for better display OLAP Processor Web Service HTLM Templates Charting Engine InfoProvider

24. Web Application Designer for custom applications WAD can also incorporate other non-SAP web items into powerful cockpits and custom report centers. While WAD can be used by developers without extensive HTML and Java scripting knowledge, these skills will be useful on most projects.

25. Web Application Designer gets better The Web Application Designer is improved with new chart types (Heat Map, GANTT & Milestone Trend Analysis), as well as new layout elements such as ‘tab strips’. WAD also has new step-by-step wizards for maps, command editing to create Web API Commands and charts, as well as a simplified wizard for layout elements such as radio buttons, action buttons etc. This reduce the amount of custom coding required with the help of Command wizards, Auto complete and support for HTML tags. • WAD is a key tool for all SAP BI shops and in NW2004s the tool is simplified & more powerful. New: integration with NW 2004s BEx Report Designer.

26. SAP NetWeaver 2004s Web AD New Features • Web Items: Tab Pages, Button, Script Item (SAP NetWeaver 2004s Support Package Stack 7) • Drag and drop using Analysis item • New chart types (heat map, Gantt, milestone trend analysis) • Export BI Web applications in PDF format • Command Wizard for generating Web API commands • Integration with SAP NetWeaver 2004s BEx Report Designer for formatted reports

27. BI Web API Commands • You can use BI Web API commands for carrying out certain actions in BI Web Applications. • Export to Excel, PDF etc. • OLAP functions: Apply Filter values, remove drill downs • Command Wizards guide you through the steps for creating a BI Web API command • Commands appear together for easy access • Data Provider • Web Items • Web Templates Reduces the amount of custom coding required with the help of Command wizards, Auto complete, and support for HTML tags

28. Command Wizard and JavaScript • Use Command Wizard for generating JavaScript code for the Script Item to use in custom cockpit applications This is a great feature for building custom features into your cockpits based on standard JavaScript

29. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 28

30. BEx Report Designer is here!! This new tool was created to simplify the formatting of reports and fix many of the printing issues in previous versions of BW. Source: SAP AG We now get color control, header-footer control and many new features such as location control of cells and integration of pictures, charts and fixed text.

31. BEx Report Designer is new in BI 7.0 • Customizable font styles (i.e. bold, italic), colors, etc. • Group-level changes with individual formatting • Layout options, e.g.: Height of rows, width of columns • Multi-line column headers • Flexible field positioning • Merging cells • Support for hierarchies • Rules for the presentation of special characteristic values • Integration of text, pictures, and charts • Header and footer for reports For many, this tool may reduce the need for 3rd party tools to address structured reports.

32. Crystal Report is still available • With BW you get access to Crystal reports. In fact you have many pre-developed reports that comes with SAP-BW. Currently, you can modify, or develop and deploy a few Crystal reports without additional licensing cost. • Crystal is a great tool for batch reporting of "pixel controlled' formatted reports.

33. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 32

34. Web Cockpit in the Portal You can integrate queries and Web applications into the portal through publishing, broadcasting, or Web calls The portal can either receive designed pages passively or actively create communities, Web pages, collaboration rooms, or cockpits Publishing Broadcasting

35. Web Cockpit in the Portal (cont.) • The SEM-CPM cockpits are already part of the portal, so you can access them there • iViews can build custom portal cockpits with iViews from many data sources (Web AD, BW, SEM, R/3, Web) and in many formats (graphs, pictures, figures, tables) • iViews can also be interactive

36. Web AD Cockpits in SAP Enterprise Portal 6.0 You can directly publish BI Web cockpits to Portal Content Catalog using the Publish option from Web AD Portal and BI system connection should be set up as per OSS note 917950

37. Broadcast Cockpit Views and Templates Using WAD • In SAP NetWeaver 2004s, use Information Broadcaster to broadcast BI Web applications (i.e., cockpit views) to Enterprise Portal KM folders and via email in various formats (PDF, MHTML, HTML) • Information Broadcaster/Reporting Agent (BI 3.x) can precalculate BI Web applications to enhance performance

38. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up 37

39. BI Java SDK-Based Cockpits in SAP BI 7.0 • BI Java SDK can be used for custom applications based on SAP BI and non-SAP data. • BI Java SDK provides access to relational and OLAP data sources using JDBC, XMLA, ODBO etc. • Access to 200+ data sources using the JDBC drivers. Java programmers will recognize the standard development kit's (SDK) main libraries such as the abstract windowing toolkit (AWT) and the GUI-oriented Swing object library as well Source: SAP AG, 2005

40. BI Java SDK-Based Cockpits (cont.) • SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio can develop BI Java SDK-based applications • Can use along with SAP Java Web Dynpro Interested developers should familiarize themselves with SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio

41. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up

42. BEx Report Designer and WAD You can also let your SAP BI users do basic navigation on the formatted reports by either integrating navigation, or adding this in the Web Application Designer (WAD)

43. Visual Composer 7.0 Portal Publishing • Visual Composer Design time deploys Visual Composer models directly as iViews to Portal Content Catalog • You can then use Visual Composer iViews in portal pages, roles, etc.

44. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up

45. Deciding which reporting tool is right for you Workbooks Web reports Fixed format Web Applications Models Vizuali- zation Distrib- ution - - - Query Designer - / *   Query tools - - - - / - /  Ad-hoc query designer - - - - - / Web Application Designer   - - Web Tools - / - Visual Composer    - - / - - - Analysis Process Designer   - - - - - - Broadcaster -wizard  Bex Broadcaster - - - - - - Other tools  Crystal Reports - - - - - /   * Through embedded Bex Broadcaster

46. Who gets to do what? The major decision for a SAP BI driven enterprise is to determine who gets access to each tool. There is often a temptation for the IT community of wanting to keep the tools under their domain – That is a mistake The IT community should actively work with the power and casual users to improve human capabilities and thereby teach them to become more productive employees. Chinese Proverb

47. Regular users Power users Authors Developers BW Admins Tool Access – Who should do what….. There are many options and decisions to be made on who should be able to access all the different tools. - Query Designer - / - /   Query tools - / - /    Ad-hoc query designer - - - Web Application Designer   Web Tools - - / Visual Composer    - - - Analysis Process Designer   Broadcaster -wizard      Bex Broadcaster - - / - / Other tools   Crystal Reports - - /   

48. What We’ll Cover … • The SAP BI Tool Revolution • SAP NetWeaver BI Query Designer • Analysis Process Designer (APD), • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer (VC) • Web Application Designer (WAD) • Report Designer • Web publishing • Java Server pages (JSP) and the old Business Server Pages (BSP) • Using more than one tool together • Empowering the users – a mind shift • Who Should get access • Wrap-up

49. Resources • SAP Documents - Interfaces for Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis, May 2007, • https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/f52e9cc1-0d01-0010-d88b-d808b69391a4 • Presentantions and Tutorials • www.COMERIT.net • SAP BI - Netweaver2004s - what is New? SDN presentation • http://csc-studentweb.lrc.edu/swp/Berg/articles/NW2004s_what_is_new.ppt • SAP Business Intelligence (BI) by Norbert Egger, Jean-Marie Fiechter, Sebastian Kramer, Ralf-Patrick Sawicki, and Stephan Weber. • Galio Press - Hardcover, 653 pages, ISBN 978-1-59229-082-6

50. 7 points to take home • Pick the right tools based on what you want to accomplish. “everything in the world is a nail, when you only have a hammer”… 2. The BW tool set has evolved substantially over the last 2 years –have you? 3. Today’s presentation developer is much more than a query developer. More than one skill set is needed. 4. Work hard on empowering your end users. You are not doing your organization any ‘favors’ by keeping BI in the IT organization 5. Consider integrating more than one tool for you analytical needs 6. You may want to consider to split your backend BI operations and create a new reporting group focusing on the front-end. 7. Budget ‘real money’ to get your organization proficient in the new tools. This is not done overnight, nor cheaply.