[

Using SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office,

for Excel-based OLAP Reporting against SAP HANA, ERP and
BW

Alexander Peter

Tammy Powlas

[ Learning Points
SAP BusinessObjects Analysis for Office is the premium
offeringg for BEx Analyzer
y
Comparing BEx Analyzer with SAP BusinessObjects Analysis
for Office
How transient providers provide a way for BusinessObjects
Analysis Office to be used directly against SAP ERP for
reporting.
p
g

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ SAP BusinessObjects Analysis

The Premium Alternative to BEx

AdHoc OLAP

Analytical Applications

Analysis, Edition for Application Design

Premium Alternative to BEx Web App
Designer
Design studio for power users to create
purpose-built OLAP analysis & planning apps

Customer- and SAP-delivered content

Mobile support

HANA support

Web
W

Analysis Clients
A

Analysis, Edition for OLAP

Dedicated Ad
Ad-Hoc
Hoc OLAP client for
business users to analyze OLAP data
and share it with others
Enabled for 3rd party OLAP
Seamless interoperability between
designer and ad-hoc client
HANA support

MS Office

Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

IT / Developers, Data Analysts, Business Users

Excel-based OLAP analysis

Excel-based BI applications
Live PowerPoint presentations

HANA support

[ SAP Product Road Map for Analysis, edition for MS

Office

Key themes, capabilities, and planned innovations

Highly interactive
multidimensional analysis

Platform services: variants,

jump-to targets

Scheduling and publication

Dynamic Grid,
i.e.enhanced formatting
options in analysis modus

Best-in-class usability

BW storage of workbooks

Best integration into SAP

sources (SAP NetWeaver
BW, SAP HANA)

Conversion of (simple) BEx

Workbooks

Custom local hierarchies

BW Workspaces

Additionall SSupportt off SAP

Additi
HANA Appliance
(hierarchies, prompts)

Seamlessly convert Analysis

Office workbooks to webd mobile
bil apps (requires
(
i
and
Analysis, edition for
application design)

MS PowerPoint Publishing

Excel-based application
design via powerful API

Analysis Excel write-back

enabled on BW-IP
(integrated planning)

Today

Planned Innovations
Planned RTC: Q3 2012

Future Direction

This is the current state of planning and may be changed by SAP at any time.

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ News in Release 1.2

Planning Enhancements
Cell Locking

Enhanced HANA support

Language-dependent texts
OLAP connection in CMC (as of
BI platform
l f
4.0
4 0 FP3)

Application Development
APIs for controlling Analysis Office
without ribbon

Usability
Improved prompting

Continuous Improvement
GA January 2012
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

Variable unmerge
Copy & Paste

[ Planned

Key Features in Release 1.3

BW Platform
Pl f
FFeatures

Corporate Data
(SAP BW, SAP HANA)

Local Data

BW Workspaces

Report-Report Interface (query, URL)

Variants
Storing workbooks/ppts in BW
repository

Innovation
BW Workspaces: combining local
Excel data with corporate data

HANA Support
Analysis,
edition for Microsoft Office

Hierarchies, Variables, Password

Change

Migration
Converting
C
i BEx
BE workbooks
kb k
Ramp-up planned for July 2012
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ Analysis, Edition for Application Design

Designed for BW,

BW BW on HANA & Native HANA Scenarios
SBO Analysis Editions:
(MS Office, OLAP,
Application Design)

Universes
U i
(SQL)

MDX

SQL
via
DF

Universes (SQL)

BICS

SBO Analysis Editions:

(MS Office, OLAP,
Application
pp
Design)
g )

BW application
MDX

BW managed schema
SAP
Extractors
Data
Services

SQL

BICS

any schema
Replication
Services
Data
Services

HANA
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

COMPARISON WITH BEX

ANALYZER
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ BEx Analyzer
Exceptions

Analysis Office
C di i
Conditional
l Formatting
F
i

Only supported
against BEx Query

Benefits:
On the fly
AND-OR
AND OR scenarios

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ BEx Analyzer
Exceptions

Analysis Office

Filter by Measure)

Onlyy supported
pp
against BEx Query

Benefit:
Develop on the fly
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

10

[ BEx Analyzer
PowerPoint
Cut and paste from Excel to
PowerPoint

Analysis Office

PowerPoint
Component

Total

[+] CA

[+] CRM

[+] FI

[[+]] IS

[+] MM

22

[+] PM

15

[ ] SD
[+]

Benefit:
Live Analysis inside
PowerPoint
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

11

[ BEx Analyzer
Report to Report Interface

Analysis Office
Coming

Benefits:
Drill down from InfoProvider to
details in DSO
Drill down from a report
p
to an ECC
transaction
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

12

[ BEx Analyzer
Variants

Analysis Office

Coming
Coming
Today using BEx queries for
often-saved selection
criteria

Benefits:
Able to save commonly used
selection criteria

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

13

[ BEx Analyzer
Saving Workbooks to BW

Analysis Office
Save to BI Platform

Benefits:
Becomes centrally stored
Is
Is a part of the BW
Metadata repository
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

14

[ BEx Analyzer
Training is likely required

Con:
Training is not free
Expert users

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

Analysis Office
Free training at
sap com/learnbi
sap.com/learnbi

Benefit:
Trainingg is free
Expand use beyond expert
users

15

[ Demo of BEx working side by side with Analysis

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

16

[ Demo of Analysis Office Against SAP Hana

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

17

TRANSIENT PROVIDERS

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

18

[TransientProvider, Enhancement Package 5

Enterprise Reporting

Crystal Reports
2011

Crystal Reports
for Enterprise

Self Service
Reporting

Data Visualization

Web Intelligence

Dashboards
(Xcelsius)

Search &
Exploration

Analysis

Analysis Office

Analysis OLAP

BusinessObjects
Explorer

Semantic Layer
Universe Based Access

Direct Access

Direct Access

Transient Provider

SAP HCM

SAP SD

SAP FIN

3rd Party Data

Source: www.sdn.sap.com/irj/boc/bi-solution-architecture - Ingo Hilgefort

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ ECC InfoSets, Enhancement Package 05

Transient Provider allows you

to connect via a BEx Query in the local BI client of your SAP ERP system to
a classic InfoSet and in that way provide real-time ERP data to your end-users
in that way expose operational data to SAP BusinessObjects tools

Works like an operational InfoProvider or remote cube

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

20

[ Steps to Create Analysis Workbook Against ECC

InfoSet

Create InfoSet
Set Property
p y to Release SQBWPROP
Create BEx Query against InfoSet
Select BEx Query as a data source
in Analysis
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

21

DEMO TRANSIENT
PROVIDER
Real Experience. Real Advantage.

22

[ ECC InfoSets, Enhancement Package 05

Transient Provider allows you

to connect via a BEx Query in the local BI client of your SAP ERP system to
a classic InfoSet and in that way provide real-time ERP data to your end-users
in that way expose operational data to SAP BusinessObjects tools

Works like an operational infoprovider or remote cube

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

23

[ Advantages of Transient Provider

It runs in ERP/ECC,
ERP/ECC no separate BW system required
Operational reporting available for specific applications
p
g
Real time reporting
No duplication of data
Could use SAP pre-delivered content

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

24

[ Prerequisites of Transient Provider

Install BI client inside ECC
ECC 6.0
6 0 enhancement package 5
Only Client Independent (global) InfoSets flagged are
available
No remote scenarios

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ Limitations of Transient Providers

No hierarchies
No navigation attributes
No enhancements to Transient Provider
As characteristics and keyy figures
g
are derived, you
y cannot apply
pp y
properties to them

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

26

[ Pros / Cons of Transient Provider

Pros:
Operational BI Real
Real-time
time reporting, no modeling, no loading

Cons:
No hierarchies, no display attributes, no currency translation
Not all InfoSets are available for use

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

27

WRAP UP
WRAP-UP

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

28

[ Recommendations
Analysis for Office is the premium offering for BEx Analyzer
No need to migrate BEx queries, change data models
Consider transitioning BEx Analyzer users now
Most features are already supported
Missing features are planned for future release

Adopt new BI Platform when you can

Direct
Di
connection
i to BEx
BE queries
i

Improved usability over BEx Analyzer, plus additional features

Formula Mode, Analysis Ribbon has Hierarchy, Conditional
Formatting, Display Panel, Pause Refresh, PowerPoint integration

Save costs by minimal training

29

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ Tips
Leverage the capabilities of the restricted key and calculated
keyy figures
g
where possible
p
As part of the underlying BI query, they will be processed by the
BW back end
Can
C bbe shared
h d across queries,
i minimizing
i i i i d
development
l
t
downstream

Use SAP variables as part of the SAP NetWeaver BW query

Use prototypes/demos to gather requirements
Make use of pause/refresh button
Free e-learning is available on the SAP Community Network

30

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

[ Return on Investment
Take advantage of using Analysis Office without modeling in
BW,, usingg real-time ECC data.
Use Analysis Office side-by-side with existing BEx tools, such
as the BEx Information Broadcasting
No training for end users; ease of use
Less reliance on a very busy Information Technology staff to
create Excel Workbooks
Expand use of Business Intelligence to beyond IT and
Analyst/Power User
Calculations on the fly
E-learning on the SAP Community is free

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

31

[ Best Practices
Take advantage of free e-learning on Analysis office at
sap.com/learnbi
p
Visit Analysis Office page on SAP Community Network
http://scn.sap.com/community/businessobjects-analysis-msoffice
ffi
Check the SAP Software Distribution Center (SWDC) for
downloads at least monthlyy
Service.sap.com/swdc
Demo of how to do that is on SAP Community Network

Pause/Refresh Button
Its Excel start using it

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

32

[ Key Learnings
Consider performing a proof of concept with SAP
BusinessObjects
j
Analysis,
y , Edition for Microsoft Office
Lessen the load on IT by having Excel-knowledgeable users
create workbooks
Check the SWDC for downloads at least monthly
Consider transitioning BEx Analyzer users now
Most features are already supported
Missing features are planned for future releases

Review ECC Enhancement Pack 5 Features for Operational

p
BI
Reporting
Improved usability over BEx Analyzer

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

33

[ Resources
Ingo Hilgefort, Discover SAP BusinessObjects Analysis the
New BEx Analyzer (BI Expert, November 2010).
www.bw-biexpertonline.com/article.cfm?id=5519

Ingo Hilgefort, SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, Edition for

Microsoft Office Your First Steps
Steps (BI Expert,
Expert November
2010).
www.bw-biexpertonline.com/article.cfm?id=5540

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

34

[ More Information
Ingo Hilgefort, Inside SAP BusinessObjects Advanced Analysis (SAP
PRESS, 2010).

www.sap-press.com/products/Inside-SAPj
y
BusinessObjects-Advanced-Analysis.html

35

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

Thank you for participating.

participating
Please remember to complete and return your
evaluation form following this session.
For ongoing education on this area of focus, visit the
Year-Round Community page at www.asug.com/yrc

Real Experience. Real Advantage.

SESSION CODE:
305

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