BEST PRACTICES FOR CRYSTAL REPORTING WITH SAP

Dan Kearnan, Business Objects

BREAKOUT INFORMATION

This is a hidden slide it will be printed in the handout, but will not be shown during the presentation

Best Practices for Crystal Reporting With SAP

Learn the essential, essential time-saving time saving tips and tricks of using Crystal Reports to access data trapped in SAP systems. Using a live demonstration, this informative, working session promises to provide y p you with a clear understanding g of the best mix of skills needed by Crystal Report designers when they tackle challenging SAP environments.

Thursday, Oct 18, 2:00pm-3:00pm, room: 315A

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AGENDA
1. BusinessObjects XI Integration for SAP Overview 2 Crystal Reports design tips for SAP 2. 3. Q&A

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OVERVIEW

BusinessObjects XI Integration for SAP

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BUSINESSOBJECTS XI RELEASE 2 SAP SOLUTIONS

Add-on product to BusinessObjects Enterprise Enables BusinessObjects XI Release 2 reporting, ad-hoc and analysis functionality against SAP environments Provides tight integration to both SAP R/3 and BW Mature, proven solution used by 2000+ customers Based on joint development efforts with Business Objects and SAP

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BUSINESS OBJECTS SAP SOLUTIONS: PRODUCT EVOLUTION

Crystal Enterprise SAP Edition BusinessObjects 6.5 with SAP Adaptors BusinessObjects XI SAP Solution R1

BusinessObjects XI SAP Solution R2

BusinessObjects XI SAP N t release Next l

Q1/Q2 2004 Q1 2005 H1 2006
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Q1 2008
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ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW
Business Objects j XI
SAP Integration Kit
DIRECT CONNECTIVITY Crystal Reports Web intelligence g

UNIVERSE

Data Source SAP R/3 3 SAP BW W

ABAP Dictionary
FI CO PA HR SD MM Etc Etc.
InfoSet ODS InfoSet

OLAP BAPI

BW Query OLAP Processor

ABAP Query

ABAP Function
Info Cube

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BW Repository

YOUR ENTERPRISE

Data Sources

R/3

BW

Non-SAP

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ENTERPRISE REPORTING
End User End User End User

Publish Content

BusinessObjects XI Crystal Reports XI

R/3
Connection Method Native Drivers: InfoSet Open SQL R/3 Object Types: Transparent Tables HR Tables Custom Tables InfoSets BAPIs

BW
Connection Method: Native Drivers: BW Query oSe /Ope SQ InfoSet/Open SQL ODS

Non-SAP
BW Object Types: BW Cubes BW Queries ODS InfoSets

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CRYSTAL REPORTS DESIGN TIPS FOR SAP

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 1

Which SAP connection driver to choose?
Crystal offers 5 SAP drivers to connect to SAP
MDX Driver BW Query Infoset ODS Table, Cluster, Function

Knowing K i which hi h one t to use t to b best t meet t the th specific ifi report t request t is i a KEY consideration for a successful reporting strategy!

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 1

MDX Driver
Best Fit: BW Only, Reporting off BW Queries; Supports most business logic (multiple structures etc); Recommended driver for BW reporting involving BW Queries structures, Gotchas: No

BW Query
Best Fit: BW Only; Legacy driver used for reporting off BW Queries; Gotchas: Not all BW features (ex: multiple structures, display attributes), some performance issues

Infoset
Best Fit: R/3 Reporting: Allows direct access to R/3 pre-built business views thereby saving time in reporting (as opposed to hunting for the required R/3 data) Gotchas: Need to be familiar with R/3 Infosets

ODS
Best Fit: BW Only, Require access to ODS for detailed, transactional level data Gotchas: By-passes BW Query business logic; Performance may be an issue

Table Cluster, Table, Cluster Function

Best Fit: R/3 Reporting; Access to most R/3 meta data objects for most reporting needs Gotchas: Need to be familiar with R/3s complex data model
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REPORT DESIGN TIP 2

Crystal Report options relevant for SAP reporting
Turning SAP technical names ON/OFF
The option to use SAP technical names or long descriptions in a report is an important consideration for the overall report design

Learn how to filter your search for tables tables, queries, queries infosets, infosets etc to more quickly get the results you need

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 3

Identifying and finding the relevant R/3 data for reporting
Use technical technical help help within the report transaction
Technical help can prove a valuable method for determining the underlying tables used in a report

Leverage Infosets using logical databases

Infosets = predefined views of SAP data grouped by business areas

Look to 3rd-party software for complete SAP data models

ex. SAPHIR by Silwood Saphir provides a window into SAP R/3 and SAP BW, making the exploration of metadata easy for both technical and business users

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FINDING TABLES IN SAP R/3

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FINDING TABLES IN SAP R/3

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FINDING TABLES IN SAP R/3

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 4

Leveraging ABAP functions in Crystal Reports
Crystal C t lR Reports t can access SAP R/3 ABAP functions f ti to t incorporate complex business logic into the report
Can be used instead of joining numerous tables and creating complex formulas to replicate the business logic

ABAP functions appear as tables in Crystal Reports

C th Can then b be j joined i dt to other th t tables bl f for complete l t reporting ti

Determining the specific ABAP function can sometimes prove challenging

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Report Design Tip 4

FUNCTION_NAME

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 5

When to lead with Crystal Reports vs. ABAP for R/3 reporting ?

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 5

Clearly determine the output of the reporting requirements for end users
Are presentation-quality or less formatted reports required? What general output format options are required? (PDF, Word, Excel, rich text, etc.) What are the most common delivery choices required for end users? (file shares, e-mail, FTP sites, network printers, etc.)

defined youre Once clearly defined, you re in a better position to match required resources & time to achieve reporting objectives

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REPORT DESIGN TIP 6

Considerations when using SAP BW queries in Crystal
Design your BW Queries with Crystal in mind and not Bex
Crystal and BEx are 2 different tools and handle BW Queries differently Queries do not need to contain numerous structures or other features for most Crystal reporting purposes Let Crystal Reports handle the formatting needs of the report output

Avoid using large complex BW queries

If necessary, break the query into several smaller ones

Maximize filters and restrictions in order to reduce the datasets returned to Crystal Reports Consider using Queries based on the ODS instead of BW Query Use Queries based of InfoCubes vs Multi-providers
Less joins involved in reading data from InfoCubes = better performance
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REPORTING TIP 7
Ensure the necessary SAP BW or R/3 rights are granted for the required end user roles
Granting the necessary SAP authorizations is essential to ensure specific individuals receive the required rights to perform their various reporting duties Check the SAP authorizations granted to each content-bearing and functional SAP role
If users are not able to perform their required report viewing, scheduling, content administration or publishing functions, an authorization trace may y be necessary y

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REPORT DESIGN - TIP 8

Ensure you define a clear security implementation plan before rolling g out p production reporting p g to end users
Consider numerous security points when working with BusinessObjects j XI for SAP against g SAP R/3 or BW
Do I choose a security model that directly leverages security rights from R/3 and BW or do I focus on BusinessObjects Enterprise security? Determine the BusinessObjects XI folder-level folder level security necessary to enforce your organizations required content security model Create the appropriate SAP roles and/or BOE XI groups and make certain that the correct SAP R/3 or SAP BW users are members

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SAP AT INSIGHT: ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Business Intelligence for SAP Environments
B Breakout k S Session i TBA

Enterprise Information Management for SAP

Breakout Session TBA

SAP Focus Group Sessions

See Dan Kearnan if y you are interested in p participating p g

One-on-one conversations with BOBJ SAP Experts

See Dan Kearnan to arrange a time

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Q&A
Questions
Dan Kearnan, Kearnan Director SAP Product, Product Business Objects I will repeat questions to ensure everyone can hear

Contact information
Email: sap@businessobjects.com p@ j Email: dan.kearnan@businessobjects.com

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