IBM Global Services

BI 7 New features

By: Sadiq Shaikh Email: sashaikh@in.ibm.com Date: 13-April-2006

New features in BI 7

- Flexibility -Transformation Concept - DataStore object - Data Transfer Process - Real-Time Data Acquisition - Administration Cockpit - High Performance Analytics - Near-line Storage - Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis Query, Reporting & Analysis Designing a Query Query, Reporting & Analysis Designing a Report Query, Reporting & Analysis Designing a Web Application - BEx Web Printing - Information Broadcasting - Enhancements - Business Planning and Analytical Services - Further Enhancements

New terminology in BI 7
- The Administrator Workbench is now called Data Warehousing Workbench. - The ODS object is now called DataStore object. - The transaction ODS object is now called as direct update DataStore - The transactional InfoCube is now called real-time InfoCube. - The RemoteCube, SAP RemoteCube and virtual InfoCube with services are now referred to as VirtualProviders. - The monitor is now called the extraction monitor, to distinguish it from the other monitors.

Modeling the EDW - Flexibility

BI 7 provides additional flexibility for implementing new data models and changing existing ones : Remodeling Toolbox Changing InfoCubes without rebuilding them from scratch improved flexibility. As of now applicable only for infocube. To access re-modeling option select InfoCube->right click Additional function->Remodelling Note: During (dictionary-based) conversion process it is not possible to get data in queries, aggregates will be automatically deactivated and need to be rebuilt. Transporting remodeling is not possible Enhanced DataStore objects (formerly: ODS objects) Improved performance and flexibility. New DataStore type: Write-optimised (without change-log, no activation queue) Enhanced Info Sets Improved flexibility Integrate InfoCubes into join condition, can have join between infocube and master data (outer join between master data and InfoCube).

Remodelling

InfoSet with master data and InfoCube

Transformation concept

BI 7 significantly improves transformation capabilities. Improved performance, flexibility and usability Graphical UI Unification of transfer and update rules Grouping (Ex. Sales agent and his manager) New rule type: end routine Data after transformation New rule type: expert routine (pure coding of transformation) Transformation directly links from source Infoprovider (Datasource) to target Infoprovider (Infosource usually not required)

Transformation

Data transfer process

BI 7 improves and streamlines the data flow definition and process chain set-up. In addition, it provides new real-time data acquisition capabilities that facilitate operational reporting: Data transfer process (DTP) Data distribution within SAP BI (from PSA or Info Providers to Info Providers) Improved transparency of staging processes across data warehouse layers (PSA, DWH layer, ODS layer, Architected Data Marts) Improved performance Separation of delta mechanism for different data targets (Ex: Daily/Weekly load) Enhanced filtering in dataflow

Data Transfer process

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Data Transfer process

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Data Transfer process (Filter option)

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Dataflow

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DataStore object

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DataStore Screen

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Comparison of DataStore Object Types

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Delta option

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Real time data acquisition

Enhanced real-time data acquisition capabilities XML Web service Direct push into PSA (instead of Service API/Delta Queue) Near-real-time InfoPackage & DTP Daemon-based update from delta queue (BW Service API) Daemon-based update of DataStore objects (ODS layer) including lean staging (with minimized logging)

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Real time data acquisition

- Enhanced real-time data acquisition capabilities

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Real-time data access

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High performance Analytics

BI 7 provides various tools to increase the data load and query performance Significantly among them the innovative high performance analytics approach. Thus, the implementation of large enterprise data warehouses is facilitated. High performance analytics (HPA) / BI Accelerator (BIA) A new paradigm for high performance data access. - Query performance is improved by factor 10 - 100 - HPA is used in connection with KM search engine TREX - TREX indexes - Vertical indexes in which stored data in column wise not row wise - No need of change run in aggregates

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Near-line storage

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Administrator cockpit

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Enterprise Reporting, Query and Analysis

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Query , Reporting and Analysis.

Query design takes place in the Business Explorer (BEx) Query Designer, a Visual Basic .NET-based Unicode-compliant tool. State-of-the-art UI concept, providing for example: Available tasks for a selected object presented via a task pane Message panel shows warnings and error messages in context correct errors Enhanced application menus, toolbars and context menus Extended visualization of status and user actions Support of multi-selected objects drag&drop, properties Options for BI-integrated Planning

helps to avoid or

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Report designer
Designing a Report Report design takes place in the Business Explorer (BEx) Report Designer - a new, VB .Net-based tool that allows to create formatted, print-optimized reports. Standard formatting: Font styles (e.g. bold, italic) and colors, etc. Group level changes with individual formattings Layout options, for example Height of rows, width of columns Multiline column headers Flexible positioning of fields Merger of cells Support of hierarchies Integration of texts, pictures, and charts Header and footer for reports and pages

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Web application designer

Model-driven BI application building Wizards for charts, maps, command editing Wizard for layout elements (e.g. buttons) Intellisense support for Web API developers Easy integration of native HTML commands New layout elements (Tab strips etc.) New Web items New chart types, e.g. GANTT chart, MTA (Milestone trend analysis) chart Design of planning aware business applications

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Web printing
Comfortable PDF based BEx Web printing Any type of BEx Web query, Report or Web Application can be converted to PDF and printed Leveraging the SAP NetWeaver AS integration with Adobe Document Service Adobe Acrobat Reader required, no plug-ins necessary Printing options can be maintained globally or individually by an end-user

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BEx PDF Web Printing

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Business planning and analytics services (BI integrated planning)

Open and flexible planning framework for all SAP applications Fully integrated with BI and analytics services One user interface, one design environment, one engine Shared services and persistency and integrated meta data

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Further enhancement

Modeling the EDW Data Warehousing Workbench New infocube maintanence UI like ODS Contains process chain maintanence,monitor, delta queue etc. Display complete dataflow from source to target PSA mandatory Running the EDW Process Chains Display-only mode, copying of process chain Additional functionality(interupt process,workflow, and process types (condition), choosing background user for execution process New Analysis Authorization concept Higher flexibility and simplified modeling

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Process chain enhancement

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Data warehouse workbench

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InfoCube maintenance

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Distinction between 3.X and BI 7 objects

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BI 7 vs. 3.x DataSource

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Migration

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DataSource Migration

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DataSource replication

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Thank You

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