SAP Business Objects

Best Practices

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Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary................................................................................................3
1.1 Purpose............................................................................................................3
1.2 Scope...............................................................................................................3
1.3 Audience...........................................................................................................3
2. Universe Designer/IDT............................................................................................4
2.1 Connection........................................................................................................4
2.2 Class................................................................................................................4
2.3 Objects.............................................................................................................4
2.4 Predefined Conditions.........................................................................................5
2.5 Tables...............................................................................................................5
2.6 Joins and Context..............................................................................................5
2.7 Import/Export...................................................................................................5
3. Webi Reporting Standard Guidelines..........................................................................6
3.1 General Information...........................................................................................6
3.2 Data Providers...................................................................................................6
3.3 Report Variables................................................................................................7
3.4 Report Structure................................................................................................7
3.5 Report Format...................................................................................................7
3.6 Report CELL Format...........................................................................................7
3.7 Validation Procedures.........................................................................................8
3. Migration Guidelines................................................................................................6
4. Security and Access Control.....................................................................................6

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 1. Executive Summary
1.1 Purpose:
The purpose of this document is to make the practitioners aware of the
standards and best practices that can be followed while working with
SAP Business Objects tools.
Standards and best practices play an important role in maintaining
consistent quality across all deliverables for an engagement.
Abiding by these standards is required for development work to be
transported to the quality assurance and production environments.
Failing to adhere to it might result in the loss of development work
during an upgrade.
1.2 Scope:
The scope of this document entails all tools offered within SAP Business
Objects BOXI 3.1 and 4.0. This includes Web Intelligences/InfoView,
Universe Designer and Desktop Intelligence (minimal standards).
The actual how to develop logic/reports, and so on, will not be
covered in detail in this document.
1.3 Audience:
This document can be put to use by all the practitioners working on
SAP Business Objects projects within Deloitte US/USI WellPoint
engagement. In general, there are many generic guidelines and
standards mentioned which can be used for generic assignments on
SAP Business Objects.
It is highly recommended that the technical and reporting team
familiarize themselves with the content of this document. The target
audience largely includes:
Report Developers
Web Intelligence End Users
Business Intelligence Contractors
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Business Objects Super Users

Business Analysts

2. Universe Designer/IDT
2.1 Connection

2.2

When using a repository, always define a SECURED Connection to the

Database.
Use the Universe Property panel to define the Universe Use and
Version (last update).
Define the Connection Name that helps for Easy Database
Identification.
Parameters - SQL Tab - Multiple SQL statements for each measure to be
unchecked.
Parameters - SQL Tab - Multiple SQL statements for each context to be
checked.
Parameters - SQL Tab - Cartesian Products - Prevent is checked.
Set ANSI92 = Yes in the parameters tab. This makes the universe
compatible with any database server and simplifies the migration
between various databases if required in future.
Class
Define Universe Classes / Subclasses as per the business logic &
Naming Convention.
Involve the business users in defining the classs hierarchy and
business names for the classes and objects.
AVOID Auto Class generation in the Designer.
Give description for the use of each Class/Subclass.
Avoid deep level of subclasses as it reduces the navigability and
usability.

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2.3

2.4

2.5

Objects
Object to be used in calculation HAS to be Measure Objects.
Object to be used in Analysis HAS to be Dimension Objects.
Give description for the use of each Object.
Include an (E.g.) In the description for Objects used in LOV.
Do not set LOV Option for each Dimension. Use it only for required
Objects, esp. those to be used in Report Prompts.
Keep "Automatic Refresh before Use" option clicked for LOV Objects:
o Keep Export with Universe option clicked for LOV objects used
in the parameters.
If LOV is editable by the user, provide a significant name to List Name
under object properties.
All measure objects should include aggregation functions for
projection. Otherwise the generated SQL would not have the GROUP BY
clause and a query could bring potentially thousands if not millions
detailed records into a report.
Avoid having duplicate Object names (in different classes).
Format for objects of type Numeric, Currency & Date should be
defined.
It is recommended to build the conditions on dates at universe level
rather than at the query panel.
Predefined Conditions
Give description for the use of each pre-defined condition.
If Condition is resulting in a prompt, make sure associated Dimension
Object has LOV.
Time dimension related predefined conditions such as Current year,
Current month, Previous year, Last (x) weeks, etc. can be defined to
make it easy for scheduling daily/weekly/period based reports.
Tables
Alias Tables should be named with proper functional use.
Arrange the tables in the Structure as per Business/Functional logic.
This helps other Universe users in understanding.
It is always best to bring the tables without joins and build them
manually. It helps the designer to understand the intricacies of the
model.

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2.6

2.7

Avoid using Derived tables in the universe. They reduce the flexibility
of generating ad-hoc reports. If used, try to use them independently
without joining to other tables. Joining a derived table to other tables
will affect the performance of the overall query.
Always name a derived table appropriately with context to its
functionality and use.
Joins & Context
AVOID keeping hanging (not joined) tables in the structure.
If at least 1 context is defined in the universe, then AVOID having joins
that are not part of any context.
Give proper functional naming to the context for easy identification.
AVOID having 1:1 joins.
Import/Export
Make sure of the path for Import, which usually is always in the
Business Objects' Universe folder.
LOCK the universe if Administrator/Designer does not want any user to
Import/Export.
DO "Integrity Check" before Exporting the Universe.

3. Webi Reporting Standard Guidelines:

3.1

General Information
Give meaningful names for the report tabs.
For complex reports, keep overview report tabs explaining the report.
Use the Report properties to give more information about the report.
Data within each column can be centered, left justified, or right
justified accordingly. This should be determined based on the data
displayed within each column. For example, name & address fields
should be left justified, policy number & group numbers should be
centered, and policy counts or annual premium should be right
justified.
Section headers should be left justified.
Report subtotals should be right justified.
Report totals should be right justified; the background color should be
set to White/light gray.

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3.2

3.3

3.4

Report background color should remain the default white.

When saving reports, the saved name should match the report title &
include a detailed report description.
Page Footer should contain the date the report was last refreshed,
report users e-number (if required), and page numbers.
Uncheck the associated LOVs for date objects in Universe to avoid
pre-population of date values in the prompts.
Data providers
Each Data provider should be given a name that reflects the usage of
the data it is going to fetch.
Avoid unchecking the option Retrieve Duplicate Records in the query
options. This will include the DISTINCT keyword in the query which may
degrade the performance.
Select Objects in such a fashion that the resulting SQL gives a
hierarchical order of Tables. This helps to achieve SQL Optimization.
Avoid bringing lot of data into the report which will unnecessarily slow
down the report performance.
Avoid using report level filters. Instead use Universe level filters which
can increase the re-usability of the filters.
If an optional filter is defined, the name of the filter should include
(Optional) at the end. E.g. Diagnosis (Optional).
Report Variables
Follow the naming convention of "var_" as prefix to each report level
variable. This helps to identify Report Variables different from Universe
Objects.
Have a brief description of the variable usage in the variable
comments.
Each variable that carries a calculation involving division should have
IF <Denominator> <> 0 THEN <Object>. This avoids display of #DIV/0
errors in the report.
Avoid having deep nested calculations which will slow down the
performance of the report.
Report Structure

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3.5

3.6

3.7

Make use of Report Templates when having most of the report with
similar structures. This makes the work to move faster and consistent
across.
Report Formats
For all the printable reports, the page layout should be set in a
printable manner. (Landscape/Portrait, Fit in 1 page wide or/and 1 page
tall are different options).
All the reports should have page numbers in the footer.
All the reports should have Last Refreshed Timestamp in the header or
footer.
All the above can be standardized by using templates.
Wrap report titles and column headers as needed.
Add summations to the reports as needed (i.e., Sum, Count, Average,
etc.).
Whenever possible, use graphs to represent data and enhance your
reports.
Report CELL Formats
All Numeric should be given Number format as per the language Eg.
For German #.##00 for English #,##00.
Number cells should have a Right Alignment while Text cells should
have Left Alignment.
Cell showing Percentage should carry the % text (either Column
Header or in each cell).
Indenting should ALWAYS be done using the Indenting Tool and NOT by
using " ".

Validation Procedures

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Any Business Objects Web Intelligence reports that need to reside in

the Public Folders must be peer reviewed and approved by members of
the Business Intelligence Team.
Make sure all reports reflect a meaningful business name; the report
name should provide reference to the data being presented in the
report.
For review purposes, Business Objects Web Intelligence Reports will
need to be sent to one of the BI Team Administrators Business Objects
Inbox to review the reports.
Reports will be reviewed for formatting accuracy as well as spelling
accuracy.
Changes or corrections to any reports will be documented and
communicated back to the report developer(s) for modification.
Ensure all reports and/or graphs run properly within the development
application.

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5. Business Objects Migration Guidelines:

a. If you import a reports without import dependent universes, and
those
Universes do not already exist on the destination environment, the
reports
will lose the relationship with the universes and will not run properly on
the destination environment.
b. If you import a report that has rights set on it for users and groups,
and
you want to import the object rights on the report, you must either
import
those users and groups or ensure that the users and groups already
exist
on the destination environment.
c. If you are importing a report that relies on a server group or an
event that
already exists on the destination, do not overwrite the server group or
event. On the "Select objects to import" screen, do not select the
server
group or event.
d. If you're importing server groups or events, the Import Wizard does
not
allow you to import specific objects. You must import all events or
server
groups, or none of them. If you've modified an event or server group
on
the source environment, and only want to import that one object,
delete
the object from the destination environment, and then ensure that you
clear the Overwrite object contents on the "Incremental import"
screen.
This ensures that the modified server group or event is the only one
that
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is imported.

1. Select the Source Environment

The first step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to specify an existing source
environment and to enter logon credentials with administrator rights
Source systems can include content from the following types of environments:

BusinessObjects Enterprise 5.x

BusinessObjects Enterprise 6.x

BusinessObjects Enterprise XI

BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2

BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1

Crystal Enterprise 9

Crystal Enterprise 10

Business Intelligence Archive File (BIAR) File

Text File

In addition you can use the following authentication modes to log on to the source system:

Enterprise

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

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SAP

Windows Active Directory

Windows NT

2. Select the Destination Environment

The second step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to specify an existing
destination environment and to enter logon credentials with administrator rights
The destination environment selection is similar to the source environment selection as you
can select the same types of environments and authentication methods. The main difference
is the destination environment selection includes the target of the migration rather than the
source of the migration.

3. Select the Types of Objects to Migrate

The third step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to specify the types of
objects to be migrated from the source environment to the destination environment
Types of objects that can be selected to be migrated include:

Users and user groups (including all sub-options). When you select Import users and
user groups, five additional selections are automatically selected as well. You have
the option of unselecting the following sub-options:
- Inbox documents

- Personal categories
- Favorite folders
- Application rights
- Root folder rights

Corporate categories. Corporate categories provide an alternate way to classify public

documents in addition to public folders. They enable users to locate information more
easily regardless of where the information is stored within the BusinessObjects
system. Subsequently corporate categories and public folders allow for public
documents to be organized according to multiple types of criteria and can add
additional level of security on the document.

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Folders and objects (including all sub-options). You have the option of unselecting
these sub-options:

- Discussions associated with selected reports

- Application folders and options

Events

Server groups

Repository objects

Calendars

Universes

Profiles

Encyclopedia objects, which are reference guides for documents (reports and
queries). Encyclopedias include a panel that explains the purpose of a document,
what questions it helps answer, how it is best used, and a glossary of synonyms and
definitions used in the document.

Custom access levels

Remote connections and replication jobs

4. Select an Import Scenario

The fourth step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to specify the scenario for
importing content into the destination environment. The scenario specifies how to determine
whether an object already exists in the destination system and what to do with the object if
it already exists.
There are two ways to determine if an object already exists in a destination system, plus
three sub-options for each main option if the object does already exist within the
destination.
The first method to use the objects unique identifier. BusinessObjects uses the cluster
unique identifier (CUID) as the key to identify universes or reports within the same cluster
or environment (development, testing, and production). The CUID is a 24-bit key that the
system automatically generates when the universe or report is first exported to the
BusinessObjects repository. It is only used by the system and is not viewable to an

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administrator or user. The CUID may be in a different deployment environment (e.g.,

development, staging, or production).

Update the destination object. In the case of name conflict, rename the source
object.

Update the destination object. In case of name conflict, do not import the source
object.

Do not import the source object.

The second method is to use the objects name and path:

Keep the destination object and import a renamed copy of the source object

Update or overwrite the destination object with the source objects

Do not import the source object

Best practice: The option Use the objects name and path and the sub-option
Update the destination object is the most commonly used import scenario. That is
because it is the only option that allows for destination objects to be overwritten by
corresponding source objects and it allows the object to keep the same name.
Best practice: Matching objects by name and path is only supported for the following
object types:

Folders and objects under public folders and private folders

Corporate categories

Universes

Universe connections

Dashboards

Profiles

Schedules

All other object types use the matching by the unique identifier scenario.

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Best practice: Matching objects by name and path is not an option when importing content
from a BIAR file. When importing from a BIAR file, objects are imported using the unique
identifier scenario.

5. Select Incremental Import Options

The fifth step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to determine incremental
import options that specify the types of objects whose source contents will overwrite the
corresponding destination contents if the destination object already exists (Figure 5).
Options for overwriting destination content with source content include:

Overwrite object contents

Overwrite universe contents

Overwrite connection contents

Overwrite group and user membership

Overwrite object rights

Best practice: When determining incremental options, the options Overwrite object
contents and Overwrite universe contents are the ones that are most often chosen. They
allow destination content to be overwritten without changing any security setting or
environment database connection settings.
Best practice: The option Overwrite connection contents should rarely be chosen as it
forces a change to the database connection that the corresponding universe is using and
could change the source of data for the universe. Most of the time, it is wise to keep the
current connection that the universe is already using in the destination environment.
Best practice: The options Overwrite group and user membership and Overwrite object
rights should only be selected if security settings including group membership and object
right settings were made in the source system and need to be propagated to the destination
environment.

6. Select the Specific Objects to Migrate

The sixth step in using the Import Wizard to migrate content is to determine the specific
objects to be migrated from source to destination. A unique screen type for selection of
content appears corresponding to the choices selected in the Selection of Objects to Import
step.
Select Users and Groups

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If users and groups have been chosen to be imported then a Users and groups selection
screen appears
An administrator then checks the users and groups to be migrated from the source
environment to the destination environment by clicking the check boxes next to the users
and groups. The administrator has the option of viewing the groups hierarchically or
alphabetically by checking or un-checking the Show groups hierarchically check box.
Additionally the administrator has the option of automatically selecting groups that contain
selected users by checking the Select groups that contains selected users check box.
Select Universes
If universes have been chosen to be imported then an Import options for universes and
connections option screen appears.
When migrating universes, an administrator has to pick from one of three import options for
universe objects:

Import all universes and all connection objects

Import all universes and only connection objects used by these universes

Import universes and connections from the selected documents or select additional
universes that are not used by any imported document

Best practice: The third option is the one that should be chosen almost all the time as it
allows the administrator to manually pick the universes to be migrated. The universe
choices appear on the next screen. The other two options should only be used if all
universes need to be migrated at the same time.
Additionally, the administrator has the option to migrate universe overloads with the
universe chosen in the previous option. Universe overloads are security and row restrictions
included in a universe that generate SQL that are applied above and beyond the SQL
generated by the universe itself. This option should be chosen when the source universe
does include overloads. Those overloads need to be migrated and will overwrite the
destination universe overloads.

7. Finalize the Migration

After an administrator has selected all the migration options for BusinessObjects content,
the Ready to import screen.
At this point, an administrator should review the displayed list to verify that it contains the
selected content from previous screens. If not, the administrator should click the Back
button and navigate to the appropriate previous screen to make the corrections on that

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particular screen. When the content is verified, the administrator should click the Finish
button to begin migration of the content to the destination environment. The Import
progress screen then appears showing the progress of the import and a summary of the
migration events. Once the migration is complete, the import summary screen appears,
displaying the results of the migration
Best practice: Upon completion of the migration, an administrator should view and confirm
the content in the detail log. This can be performed by clicking the View Detail Log button.
The Detail Log provides a summary of the content that has been migrated and allows an
administrator to verify the success of the migration. In addition, the Detail Log includes a
listing of the migrated objects, their status, and any migration errors that may have
occurred.
Best practice: The information that appears in the Detail Log screen also appears and is
written to a log file. The log file starts with the name ImportWiz, and is typically located in
the C:\Program Files\BusinessObjects\BusinessObjects Enterprise\12.0\Logging directory on
the server or client machine that is running the import wizard. The log file contains a
system-generated ID, a title that describes the imported information, and a description of
the action taken by the Import Wizard.

4. Security and Access Control Guidelines:

Keep these considerations in mind for security and access control:
a. Use access levels wherever possible. These predefined sets of rights
simplify administration by grouping together rights associated with
common
user needs.
b. Set rights and access levels on top-level folders. Enabling inheritance
will allow these rights to be passed down through the system with
minimal
administrative intervention.
c. Avoid breaking inheritance whenever possible. By doing so, you can
reduce the amount of time it takes to secure the content that you have
added to BusinessObjects Enterprise.

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d. Set appropriate rights for users and groups at the folder level, then
publish
objects to that folder. By default, users or groups who have rights to a
folder will inherit the same rights for any object that you subsequently
publish to that folder.
e. Organize users into user groups, assign access levels and rights to the
entire group, and assign access levels and rights to specific members
when necessary.
f. Create individual administrator accounts for each administrator in the
system and add them to the Administrators group to improve
accountability
for system changes.
g. By default, the Everyone group is granted very limited rights to toplevel
folders in BusinessObjects Enterprise. After installation, it is
recommended
that you review the rights of Everyone group members and assign
security accordingly.

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