Business Objects BI Platform 4.x with SAP NetWeaver

Transcription

1 Ingo Hilgefort Integrating SAP Business Objects BI Platform 4.x with SAP NetWeaver Bonn Boston

2 Contents at a Glance 1 SAP Business Objects 4.x and SAP NetWeaver Installation and Configuration Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity SAP Crystal Reports and SAP Landscapes SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office and SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for OLAP and SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Business Objects Dashboards and SAP Landscapes SAP Business Objects Explorer and SAP Landscapes SAP Business Objects Live Office and BI Web Services Publications with SAP Data-Level Security Integration with SAP NetWeaver Portal Troubleshooting and Tips Integration Outlook

3 Contents Introduction SAP Business Objects 4.x and SAP NetWeaver User Interaction BI Tools and Clients Management Tools Central Management Console Central Configuration Manager Lifecycle Management Tool Platform Service Central Management Server File Repository Services Processing Tier Server Intelligence Agent Publication and Publishing Services SAP Business Objects BI Client Tools SAP Crystal Reports SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence SAP Business Objects Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius) SAP Business Objects Analysis SAP Business Objects Explorer Semantic Layer Components for Integration with SAP Landscapes Data Connectivity SAP Authentication BW Publisher Content Administration Workbench SAP NetWeaver Portal Knowledge Management SAP NetWeaver Portal iview Templates and Sample iviews Lifecycle Management with CTS Summary

4 Contents 2 Installation and Configuration Verifying Your SAP Landscape SAP Business Objects Server-Side Installation Technical Prerequisites Installation Routine SAP Business Objects Client-Side Installation SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise SAP Business Objects Dashboards SAP Business Objects Live Office SAP Business Objects BI Platform Client Tools SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office SAP NetWeaver Server-Side Configuration Server Patch Level Supported Platforms ABAP Transport Single Sign-On User Authorization Integrating SAP Business Objects and SAP NetWeaver Configuration of SAP Authentication Setting up the Publishing Process for SAP Crystal Reports Viewing Reports within the SAP System Frontend Publishing Summary Hosting SAP BEx Web Applications in SAP Business Objects Configuring the SSO Token Service as Part of SAP Business Objects Summary Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity Semantic Layer Technology SAP Business Objects Semantic Layer Terms Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes Direct Access to SAP NetWeaver BW using BICS Relational Access to SAP NetWeaver BW

5 Contents Recommendation for SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Relational Access to SAP ECC Recommendation for SAP ERP Access Summary SAP Crystal Reports and SAP Landscapes SAP Crystal Reports 2011 or SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise Crystal Reports for Enterprise and SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Overview for SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements for SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise Creating Your First Report with SAP Crystal Report for Enterprise and SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise and SAP ERP Crystal Reports 2011 and SAP ERP Data Connectivity Overview Data-Level Security Editor Creating Your First Report with SAP Crystal Reports 2011 and SAP ERP Migrating from SAP Crystal Reports 2008 to SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise Summary SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence and SAP BW Data Connectivity Overview Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence and SAP ERP Creating Your First Report for SAP NetWeaver BW (BICS) Creating Your First Report for SAP NetWeaver BW (Relational Universe)

6 Contents 5.5 Migration from SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence XI 3.1 to 4.x Summary SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office and SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Overview Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements Creating Your First Workbook in SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office Summary SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for OLAP and SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Overview Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements Creating Your First Workbook in SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for OLAP Summary SAP Business Objects Dashboards and SAP Landscapes SAP Business Objects Dashboards and SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Overview Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements SAP Business Objects Dashboards and SAP ERP Creating Your First Dashboard with SAP Business Objects Dashboards SAP Business Objects Dashboards and Direct Access via SAP NetWeaver BW SAP Business Objects Dashboards and Direct Access to SAP NetWeaver BW via SAP Business Objects Summary

7 Contents 9 SAP Business Objects Explorer and SAP Landscapes SAP Business Objects Explorer and SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Overview Supported and Unsupported SAP NetWeaver BW Elements SAP Business Objects Explorer and SAP ERP Creating Your First SAP Business Objects Explorer Information Space SAP Business Objects Explorer and Relational Access to SAP NetWeaver BW Summary SAP Business Objects Live Office and BI Web Services Using Live Office and BI Web Services SAP Business Objects Dashboards and SAP Business Objects Live Office SAP Business Objects Dashboards and BI Web Services Summary Publications with SAP Data-Level Security What Is Server-Side Trust? Server-Side Trust Components Steps to Configure Server-Side Trust Configuring Your SAP Server for Server-Side Trust Deploying and Configuring the SAP Cryptographic Library Configuring Profile Parameters Configuring the Trust Manager Configuring Additional Profile Parameters Configuring Your SAP Business Objects System for Server-Side Trust Deploying and Configuring the SAP Cryptographic Library Generating PSE Files Importing the Certificate File with Trust Manager

8 Contents SNC Access Control List Importing SAP Server PSE Files Granting Access to the PSE File Configuring SAP Business Objects Services SNC Options in the Central Management Console Creating Publications with SAP Crystal Reports and SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence Summary Integration with SAP NetWeaver Portal BI Content with SAP NetWeaver Portal iviews Technical Prerequisites SAP NetWeaver Portal Configuration Steps SAP Business Objects Configuration Steps Create Your First iview Integration of the BI Launch Pad and SAP NetWeaver Portal BI Content with Knowledge Management Technical Prerequisites SAP NetWeaver Portal Configuration Steps Setting Up Your Repository Using the Repository Manager Summary Troubleshooting and Tips Tracing for SAP Business Objects Services and Applications Data Connectivity Steps to Validate the Configuration Tracing SAP Crystal Reports 2011 Data Connectivity Tracing Data Connectivity based on BI Consumer Services Validating Metadata Validating the Results Single Sign-On and Authentication Steps to Validate the Configuration Tracing

9 Contents 13.4 Publishing SAP Crystal Reports Steps to Validate the Configuration Tracing Publications Steps to Validate the Configuration Tracing Performance General Performance Considerations BEx Query Design Summary Integration Outlook Summary The Author Index

10 In the following sections we review the different options for leveraging the semantic layer technology as part of the SAP BusinessObjects stack to connect to your SAP system. 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity The goal of this chapter is to review the different options for connecting the corporate data in your SAP systems and explain the role the semantic layer plays in the overall SAP Business Objects stack. It does not review the actual steps for creating the different connections in this chapter, as these are discussed in the BI client chapters. 3.1 Semantic Layer Technology Before we discuss the details of the data connectivity for your SAP system, we should clarify some key terms that are used not only in this book but also in other published materials. The semantic layer is a technology that is part of the SAP Business Objects stack. It allows you to expose a given data source to your end users using more userfriendly business terms. Universes are artifacts created using the Information Design Tool (as part of the SAP Business Objects 4.x release) or the Universe Designer (as part of the SAP Business Objects XI 3.x release). Universes represent a model using a data connection and business term and can be leveraged by the BI client tools to expose the information to your end users. Dimensional universes are one form of universes, focusing on multi-dimensional capabilities such as hierarchies. Relational universes are another form of universes, presenting the business terms in a flat view to your end users. Multi-source universes allow users to combine multiple data sources into a single universe, presenting a single logical view to your end users. 131

11 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity BI Consumer Services (BICS) is a direct access option provided by the semantic layer. The BICS connectivity option allows the semantic layer to expose a BEx query directly to the BI client tool without the need to create a universe. The Information Design Tool is the client tool that allows you to establish data connections to data sources and expose them in the form of business layers to your end users. Universe Designer is the previous version of the Information Design Tool for the SAP Business Objects XI 3.1 release. All of the above are elements and components of the overall semantic layer as part of the SAP Business Objects 4.x environment. In this chapter, we explain more about the different options for leveraging the semantic layer in combination with your SAP system. 3.2 SAP Business Objects Semantic Layer Terms You will notice that as part of the SAP Business Objects 4.x release, all the BI client products try to remain consistent in the terms they use. It is important to acknowledge that all the SAP Business Objects BI client products are moving away from using the terms specific to SAP NetWeaver BW and are instead focusing on common terminology. Table 3.1 shows the terms previously used by SAP NetWeaver BW and the matching terms for the 4.x release of the SAP Business Objects BI platform. You can use this table to make yourself familiar with the new terms of SAP Business Objects 4.x. BEx Query Terms Key figure Characteristic Variable Characteristic values Condition Exception SAP Business Objects 4.x Terms Measure Dimension Prompt Member Filter by measure Conditional formatting Table 3.1 Terms Used in SAP Business Objects 4.x 132

12 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes In this section we review the overall options that you can leverage to connect from your SAP Business Objects BI client tools to the different SAP landscapes. We will look at the data connectivity options for SAP NetWeaver BW, SAP ECC, and SAP HANA. SAP HANA is SAP s new in-memory database allowing you to process large amount of data in a high-performing environment. As shown in Figure 3.1, you have two options for connecting to the SAP NetWeaver BW system. You can leverage a direct access method, which leverages the BI Consumer Services (BICS) to expose a BEx query to the BI client tools. The alternative is to create a universe as part of the semantic layer on top of the relational schema of SAP NetWeaver BW. Enterprise Reporting Self Service Reporting Data Visualization Analysis Search & Exploration Crystal Reports 2011 Crystal Reports for Enterprise Web Intelligence Dashboards (Xcelsius) Analysis Office Analysis OLAP BusinessObjects Explorer Semantic Layer Direct Access Universe Based Access Direct Access SAP NetWeaver BW Third party data Data Services/Sybase Replication Server Transient Provider SAP HCM SAP SD SAP FIN Figure 3.1 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes With regard to data connectivity towards SAP HANA, you can leverage a direct access method or you can leverage universe-based access. SAP Business Objects Analysis, edition for Microsoft Office; SAP Business Objects Analysis, OLAP edition; and SAP 133

13 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity Business Objects Explorer are able to establish a direct link to SAP HANA, whereas the other BI client products leverage the universe-based approach. In regards to the connectivity to your SAP ECC system, you can see that SAP Crystal Reports 2011 is able to connect directly to the SAP ECC system and that all other BI client products, with the exception of SAP Business Objects Explorer, leverage the transient provider as an entry point to the SAP ECC system. In addition to the transient provider, SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, SAP Business Objects Explorer, and SAP Business Objects Dashboards are able to leverage the connection towards SAP ECC via the universe, which is an exciting new option as part of the SAP Business Objects 4.x release. Figure 3.2 shows not only which tool is able to link to which underlying data source but also the leveraged technology. You can see that all the BI client products, with the exception of SAP Business Objects Explorer, use the BI Consumer Service to connect to the SAP NetWeaver BW system and to the transient provider in the SAP ECC system. Enterprise Reporting Self Service Reporting Data Visualization Analysis Search & Exploration Crystal Reports 2011 Crystal Reports for Enterprise Web Intelligence Dashboards (Xcelsius) Analysis Office Analysis OLAP BusinessObjects Explorer Semantic Layer Direct Access Universe Based Access Direct Access SAP NetWeaver BW SAP NetWeaver BWA SAP HANA Data Services/Sybase Replication Server Transient Provider SAP HCM SAP SD SAP FIN Third party data Figure 3.2 Detailed Data Connectivity 134

14 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes 3.3 For connectivity to SAP HANA, you can see that SAP Business Objects Analysis, edition for Microsoft Office and SAP Business Objects Analysis, edition for OLAP use BICS connectivity; SAP Business Objects Explorer uses a SQL-based direct link to SAP HANA; and all other BI clients use a universe-based approach with an ODBCbased or a JDBC-based connection. The above outline provides an overview of all technically available options. In the next sections we look into the details of connectivity to SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP ECC Direct Access to SAP NetWeaver BW using BICS SAP Business Objects 4.x provides you with the option to expose a BEx query directly to the BI client tools such as SAP Business Objects Analysis, edition for Microsoft Office or SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise. This direct connectivity to the SAP NetWeaver BW system is based on the BI Consumer Services (BICS) and exposes all the necessary metadata to the SAP Business Objects software. The following are the advantages of direct access to SAP NetWeaver BW: Re-use of existing BEx queries. Shared connectivity across all BI client tools. Provides true hierarchical metadata and data. Allows for a single connection to point to multiple BEx queries. Supports advanced BEx query elements, such as restricted and calculated key figures, formulas, and custom structures. The following are the disadvantages of direct access to SAP NetWeaver BW: Does not allow for customization of the metadata. Does not allow for the creation of custom objects. Does not allow for administrative limits such as a connection timeout on the SAP Business Objects stack. Does not allow for the creation of universe-based parameters. All parameters need either to be based on variables in the BEx query or to be created as parameters on a report level. Does not allow for changing the aggregation functionality of key figures. All key figures are treated as a database delegated key figure and ask for the aggregated 135

15 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity values from SAP NetWeaver BW. The exception are key figures that are defined as a standard summary in SAP NetWeaver BW; these key figures are treated as a standard summary aggregation key figure in the BI client tools as well. As you can see in Figure 3.3, direct access towards the SAP NetWeaver BW system can be leveraged by all the BI client tools, except SAP Crystal Reports 2011 and SAP Business Objects Explorer. In addition to access to SAP NetWeaver BW, access to your SAP ECC system is also possible using direct access (in combination with the transient provider of the SAP ECC system). Enterprise Reporting Self Service Reporting Data Visualization Analysis Search & Exploration Crystal Reports 2011 Crystal Reports for Enterprise Web Intelligence Dashboards (Xcelsius) Analysis Office Analysis OLAP BusinessObjects Explorer Live Office BI WebServices Semantic Layer Direct Access Universe Based Access Direct Access BICS ODBC JDBC BICS SQL SAP NetWeaver BW SAP NetWeaver BWA SAP HANA Data Services/Sybase Replication Server Transient Provider SAP HCM SAP SD SAP FIN Third party data Figure 3.3 Direct Access to SAP NetWeaver BW 136

16 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes 3.3 Leveraging direct access to SAP NetWeaver BW requires a connection to be established in the Central Management Console of your SAP Business Objects system, which we demonstrate in a step-by-step fashion in the BI client chapters later in this book. Direct Access Connections to BEx Queries or InfoProviders SAP Business Objects 4.x allows you to configure connections to your SAP NetWeaver BW system as part of the Central Management Console (CMC) and to share those connections among the different BI client products. All of the BI client products are able to use a single connection pointing to the InfoProvider and to provide a list of available BEx queries at report design time Relational Access to SAP NetWeaver BW In addition to direct access to the SAP NetWeaver BW system, the semantic layer also offers you the option to create a relational or multi-source universe on top of SAP NetWeaver BW. The relational interface on top of SAP NetWeaver BW provides you the option to create a universe on top of the SAP NetWeaver BW system and also to combine data coming from SAP NetWeaver BW with other data sources using a multi-source universe. The following are advantages of relational access to SAP NetWeaver BW: Direct access to the InfoProvider level. Allows combining multiple data sources into a single logical view. Allows customization of the metadata. Allows creation of custom objects. The following are disadvantages of relational access to SAP NetWeaver BW: No support for external SAP NetWeaver BW hierarchies. No support for restricted and calculated key figures. No support for custom structures. No support for SAP variables. As you can see, relational access provides access to the bare minimum of information about the necessary InfoProvider. The items listed as disadvantages are not 137

17 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity impossible to solve, but those components need to be recreated as part of the universe and cannot be leveraged as pre-existing objects in SAP NetWeaver BW. Table 3.2 shows possible workarounds for the most important metadata from your SAP NetWeaver BW system, and how you might be able to recreate them as part of the universe. BEx Query Elements Calculated/restricted key figures Variables Currency and unit conversion Display attributes External BW hierarchies Conditions Relational Universe Define calculated measures as part of the universe. Define prompts as part of the universes or Web Intelligence query panel. Not possible for EXIT variables or variables filled through authorizations. Possible with manual modeling of tables with conversion rates in the SAP Business Objects Universe Designer and joins in Data Federator. Possible with joins from InfoProvider to the master data tables in the universe. No workaround. Use filters on measures. Table 3.2 Possible Workarounds Further Details You can find further details on the relational interface for SAP NetWeaver BW at this URL : frameset.htm The relational access approach using a universe can be leveraged in combination with SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, SAP Business Objects Dashboards, and SAP Business Objects Explorer. In the following sections, the focus is on data connectivity using the direct BI Consumer Services (BICS) approach, because it provides the richest set of metadata support for SAP NetWeaver BW. In the next section, we provide more background information for this recommendation. 138

18 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes Recommendation for SAP NetWeaver BW Data Connectivity Now that we have provided you with an overview of the two options for connecting to the SAP NetWeaver BW system, we compare these two options in more detail. Figure 3.4 shows the different level of support for the elements from your SAP NetWeaver BW system across the different tools. The columns shown for the separate products assume a direct connectivity to SAP NetWeaver BW using the direct BICS data connectivity. The two columns on the right SAP Business Objects Explorer and Universe (Relational) assume a data connectivity using the relational universe option on top of SAP NetWeaver BW. In addition to these two options, SAP Business Objects Explorer is also able to leverage a direct connectivity to SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator (BWA) and to leverage the pre-existing indexes. As shown in Figure 3.4, you can see that support for the most common metadata elements is relatively identical, with the exception of support for compounded characteristics and defaults in the BEx query. BEx Query Element InfoProvider Dimension Characteristic Characteristic with Hierarchy Structure based on Characteristics Crystal Reports for Enterprise (BICS) Web Intelligence (BICS) Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius) Analysis, edition for MS Office Analysis, OLAP Edition SAP Business- Objects Explorer Universe (Relational) Navigational Attributes Display Attributes Key Figure Unit/Currency Calculated Key Figure Restricted Key Figure Compounded Characteristics Defaults in the BEx Query Constant Selection (!) (!) (!) (4.x) Figure 3.4 Metadata Support Part 1 Compounded characteristics are supported by the BI client tools, but the dependency when prompting for values (for example, financial year variant and financial year) is not supported for SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, or SAP Business Objects Dashboards. 139

19 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity Defaults defined in the BEx query (not to be confused with default values for variables) are supported only by SAP Business Objects Dashboards and the Analysis products. BEx Query Element Single Value Variable Multiple Single Value Variables SAP BusinessObjects 4.x Connectivity for SAP Landscape: Metadata Support for BEx Queries Crystal Reports for Enterprise Web Intelligence Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius) Analysis, edition for MS Office Analysis, OLAP Edition SAP Business- Objects Explorer Universe (Relational) Interval Variable Selection Option Variable (!) (!) (!) Hierarchy Variable Hierarchy Node Variable Hierarchy Version Variable Text Variable EXIT Variable Single Key Date Variable Multiple Key Date Variable Formula Variable Default Values for Variables (!) (!) (!) Figure 3.5 Metadata Support Part 2 Figure 3.5 shows the support for the different types of variables you can create as part of your BEx query. As mentioned already, the relational universe on top of SAP NetWeaver BW is not able to support those variables. Some key items to be aware of: A selection option variable is fully supported only by the Analysis products. All other BI clients turn the selection option variable into an interval variable. Hierarchy version variables are not supported by SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise or SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence. BEx queries with multiple key date variables are not supported using SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence or SAP Business Objects Dashboards. 140

20 Data Connectivity for SAP Landscapes 3.3 SAP Business Objects Dashboards combined with the BICS connectivity provided by SAP Business Objects Enterprise offers proper variable support only for single value and multi-single value variables. Hierarchy and hierarchy node variables are supported, but lack the cascading factor, which means the list of nodes is not updated after you select a hierarchy. You will notice that in Figure 3.5 the column for SAP Business Objects Explorer does not state that the variables are supported; nor does it state that they are not supported. The reason behind this is simply that SAP Business Objects Explorer works on top of an indexed dataset and the user at viewtime cannot interact with those prompts. If you plan to leverage SAP Business Objects Explorer based on a relational universe on top of SAP NetWeaver BW, you can use the Universe (Relational) column to see the supported elements. Figure 3.6 outlines the support for the most common display settings from the BEx query: The defined scaling factor for a key figure is leveraged and the correct result set is shown. The scaling factor is shown as a separate field for each of the key figures configured with a scaling factor in SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, and SAP Business Objects Dashboards. For both of the Analysis products, the scaling factor is shown as part of the result set automatically. The option to configure a so-called local calculation (for example, a ranking) as part of the BEx query is supported only by SAP Business Objects Dashboards and the Analysis products. If you are using a BEx query configured with such a local calculation with Crystal Reports for Enterprise or Web Intelligence, the key figure with this configuration will not be available as part of the metadata; instead, it will simply be removed and not shown to the BI client. The option to leverage the display as a hierarchy setting from the BEx query is supported only by the Analysis products. For the other BI clients, such as Crystal Reports for Enterprise and Web Intelligence, there are options to design the report in a similar way. 141

21 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity SAP BusinessObjects 4.x Connectivity for SAP Landscape: Metadata Support for BEx Queries BEx Query Element Scaling Factor Number of Decimals Display Result Rows (top/ bottom) Suppress Result Rows Calculate Result as... (local calculation) Display as hierarchy Sorting Hide/Unhide Reverse +/- signage Crystal Reports for Enterprise (4.x) Web Intelligence (4.x) Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius) Analysis, edition for MS Office Analysis, OLAP Edition (4.x) (4.x) SAP Business- Objects Explorer Universe (Relational) Figure 3.6 Metadata Support Part 3 Figure 3.7 shows the support for more advanced concepts, such as conditions and exceptions, and the option to create reports based on master data: The support for conditions is limited to the Analysis products in the 4.x release. Support for conditions for the other BI client products is planned for a future version. Exceptions are supported only by the Analysis products. For products such as SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, and SAP Business Objects Dashboards, you can leverage the functionality provided by each of the tools to achieve the same goal. For example, you can leverage highlighting and conditional formatting in SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise and alerts in SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence. BEx Query Element Conditions in rows Conditions in columns Conditions on selected characteristic Crystal Reports for Enterprise Web Intelligence Exceptions Empty/non empty Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius) Analysis, edition for MS Office Analysis, OLAP Edition SAP Business- Objects Explorer Universe (Relational) Figure 3.7 Metadata Support Part 4 142

22 Relational Access to SAP ECC 3.4 Based on the superior support for your existing SAP NetWeaver BW metadata and the option to share the same metadata across all the different BI client tools, we highly recommend leveraging direct connectivity to SAP NetWeaver BW using the BICS connectivity option. The connectivity option provided by the relational universe can be a compelling option for those scenarios where you need to combine your data stored in SAP NetWeaver BW with another data source. So, as a rule of thumb: Use the direct BICS connection to BEx queries unless you want to combine SAP NetWeaver BW with another data source. 3.4 Relational Access to SAP ECC As shown in Figure 3.8, the SAP Business Objects 4.x release gives you several options for connecting directly to the information in your SAP ERP system. Crystal Reports 2011 Crystal Reports for Enterprise 4.x Web Intelligence 4.x SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards 4.x SAP BusinessObjects Explorer 4.x Universe (4.x) Direct Access (BICS) SAP ERP BI Client Classic InfoSets SAP Queries ABAP Functions Table and Cluster BEx Query Transient Provider Figure 3.8 SAP Business Objects BI and SAP ERP SAP Crystal Reports 2011 offers the same data connectivity options that are available with SAP Crystal Reports 2008, which means that SAP Crystal Reports 2011 is able to connect directly to classic InfoSets, SAP queries, ABAP functions, and tables in your SAP ERP system. 143

23 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity In addition to these options, release 4.x allows you to create a universe based on a classic InfoSet, SAP queries, and ABAP functions as well. These universes can then be leveraged by SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, SAP Business Objects Dashboards, and SAP Business Objects Explorer. An alternative to the universe-based approach is the option to use the transient provider (which is available with SAP ERP 6.0, enhancement package 05) and the direct access method using the BI Consumer Services (BICS) layer, which then can be used by SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, and SAP Business Objects Dashboards. As part of the SAP Business Objects 4.x release, the semantic layer is able to leverage a classic InfoSet, ABAP functions, and SAP queries as data sources. Figure 3.9 shows the list of available sources when you establish a data foundation on top of an SAP ERP system. Figure 3.9 Data Foundation 144

24 Relational Access to SAP ECC 3.4 Each export as part of an ABAP function is returned as a single table (see Figure 3.10) in the semantic layer, and input parameters from ABAP functions or InfoSets are returned as input columns for these tables (see Figure 3.11). In addition, each input for an ABAP function and each table from an ABAP function are also presented as input columns. If the input is configured as an actual table, each field of the table definition is presented as an input column. Figure 3.10 BAPI_SFLIGHT_GETDETAIL Figure 3.11 Input Columns ABAP Function Tables As described above, each table of an ABAP function is also presented as an input column. Because the interface is not able to recognize whether the table is really leveraged as an input, this can sometimes result in a situation where a result table is listed as an input column in the semantic layer data foundation. All tables leveraged as exports are shown correctly with the prefix EX as an export result set in the data foundation. 145

25 3 Semantic Layer and Data Connectivity Figure 3.12 shows the resulting table of the BAPI_SFLIGHT_GETDETAIL function, where you can identify the result set returned as part of the FLIGHTDATA table and with the first set of columns marked as input columns. Figure 3.12 Example BAPI_SFLIGHT_GETDETAIL This new capability to create a semantic layer on top of your SAP ERP system allows you to go beyond SAP Crystal Reports 2008 for your operational reporting. You can leverage a single definition of the metadata for SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, 146

26 Summary 3.5 SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, SAP Business Objects Dashboards, and SAP Business Objects Explorer. We provide you with a step-by-step approach to creating a universe on top of SAP ERP as part of Section Recommendation for SAP ERP Access We are often asked whether customers can report on top of their SAP ERP system without the need to create a complete data warehouse. The simple answer is Yes. But you need to keep in mind that you are using your operational system in such a scenario for reporting and that you are putting an additional load in addition to running your business on the system. This is something you always should keep in mind when creating reports and analytics directly from the SAP ERP system. There is, of course, a need to have real-time information, and there are even systems where there is no data warehouse at all as part of the overall landscape. From a technical viewpoint, it is possible to report on top of an SAP ERP system without a complete data warehouse. However, when considering this option, you have to remember that your SAP ERP system might not be sized for the additional load. In such scenarios, using SAP Business Objects Enterprise capabilities (such as scheduling a report and creating a publication, where you schedule a report for several users in a single step) will help to mitigate the risk that the reporting and analytics aspects impose on your day-to-day business operations. 3.5 Summary In this chapter, you received an overview of the different connectivity options you can leverage as part of your SAP Business Objects BI platform. You learned some of the advantages and disadvantages of each connectivity option, and you should now have a better understanding of which connectivity is the best option for your requirements. In the next chapter we discuss SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, and provide step-by-step instructions about how you can connect SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise to your SAP system. 147

27 Index /CRYSTAL/RLS, 188 /CRYSTAL/RPTADMIN, 417 A ABAP Dictionary, 186 ABAP function, 34, 143, 145, 170, 172, 173, 176, 177, 179, 184, 186, 192, 208, 296, 414 ABAP transport, 68, 69, 397 Abbreviate table, 245 Access control list (see ACL) Access level, 101 ACL, 338, 344, 367 Adaptive processing server, 128 Add and Assign Security button, 100 Add node with no servers, 349 Add principals, 102 button, 100 function, 99 Administration console, 369, 382 Administration services, 230 Alerting, 424 Alias, 122 Allow external access, 397, 157 Analysis, 22 services, 114 Application, 304 Server, 73 type, 85 Architecture, 21 Archive Uploader, 369, 382 Assertion tickets, 120 Authentication, 159, 172, 304, 325, 353, 356, 364, 415 mode, 219, 301 type, 162 authentication.default, 374 authentication.visible, 374 Authorization, 74, 86, 153, 205, 231, 233, 250, 267, 294, 397 detailed, 87 object, 189, 190, 191 variable, 155 Authorization-relevant, 356 Auto update, 256 B Base64, 341, 344 Base folder, 45, 92 Behavior, 281 BEx Analyzer, 235, 252 BEx query, 132, 135, 137, 138, 140, 151, 155, 156, 157, 163, 170, 197, 202, 203, 206, 207, 208, 210, 215, 225, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 244, 248, 249, 251, 252, 254, 258, 263, 265, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 282, 284, 286, 287, 288, 293, 311, 356 BEx text element, 276 BEx Web Analyzer, 252 BEx Web Application Designer, 104 BEx web application, 70, 105, 109, 110, 119 Service, 115 BEx web template, 104, 119 BI client SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, 22 SAP Crystal Reports, 22 BI Consumer Services (see BICS) BICS, 34, 53, 131, 133, 135, 139, 143, 144, 150, 151, 202, 203, 206, 207, 213, 215, 224, 225, 230, 234, 248, 251, 264, 265, 269, 270, 271, 272, 292, 295 BI launch pad, 22, 119, 379, 380 BILaunchpad.properties, 374 BI Web Services, 264, 311, 312, 321, 322, 326, 328 Broadcasting,

28 Index Bursting, 329, 355, 361 Business layer, 181, 183, 221, 223, 303 BusinessObjectsKM.par, 382 BusinessObjects repository, 384 Business Warehouse Accelerator (see BWA) BWA, 291, 292, 297 BW query, 151, 203, 232, 248, 265, 293 BW (see SAP NetWeaver BW) C Cache service, 25 Calculated key figures, 135, 137, 152, 155, 156, 203, 206, 232, 235, 248, 251, 266, 269, 270, 293, 295 CCM, 23, 348 Central Configuration Manager, 23, 82, 347, 348 Central Management Console (CMC), 23, 71, 96, 97, 101, 103, 110, 113, 126, 127, 157, 283, 350, 353, 356, 418 Central Management Server (CMS), 24, 46, 80, 88, 237, 349 host and port, 386 Cert, 122 Certificate, 123, 331, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 355, 366, 367, 416 list, 367 Change data source, 226, 225 Characteristic, 132, 152, 155, 156, 203, 206, 232, 234, 236, 248, 251, 265, 269, 270, 275, 293 Compounded characteristics, 140, 152, 155, 204, 206, 232, 249, 266, 294 values, 132, 236 Chart, 212 Client, 112, 159 Client number, 73 Cluster, 188, 192 Definition Editor, 69 Definition Tool, 188 tables, 186 CmcApp.properties, 375 Compatibility mode, 60 Component, 45, 59, 62 Conditional formatting, 132, 142, 236 Condition, 132, 138, 142, 152, 154, 203, 206, 232, 236, 249, 266, 293, 294 Configuration, 37, 38 Configuring trust, 364 Connection, 156, 216, 217, 230, 231, 273, 298, 319, 327 Connector, 372 Constant selection, 152, 204, 232, 249, 266, 294 Content administration, 387 Content Administration Workbench, 35, 69, 79, 81, 93, 96 Content Administrator, 102 Content base folder, 93 Content folder root, 76 Content management, 383 Country, 335 CPI-C timeout, 85 Cross-tab data, 275, 278 CTS, 23 Currency, 152 Custom exit, 153, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295 Custom installation, 43 D Dashboards, 263, 264, 265, 269, 270, 271, 272, 282, 283, 311, 312, 319, 320, 321, 322, 327, 328 Database delegated, 213 key figures, 213 Data cluster, 188, 192 Data connection, 175 Data connectivity, 33, 131, 150, 185, 201, 202, 229, 231, 247, 263, 265, 291, 311 Data Dictionary, 192 Data foundation, 175, 180, 181, 220, 222, 302, 303 Data-level security, 329 Data panel, 254 Data preview, 277, 286 Data type, 153, 204, 233, 249, 267, 294 Default gateway, 85 Defaults,

29 Index Default system, 75 Default System checkbox, 88 Default value, 154, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295 Definition, 274, 278 Deployment, 230 Destination folder, 59, 61, 64 Destination, 359 Dimension, 132, 236 Dimensional universe, 131 Direct access, 135, 151, 202, 230, 263, 272, 282 Direct connectivity, 139 Dispatch URL, 386 Display, 257 attribute, 138, 152, 155, 156, 203, 207, 232, 235, 249, 251, 266, 269, 270, 276, 293 Distinguished name (see DN) DN, 334, 339, 342, 343, 345, 354, 418 dname, 122 Document ID, 378 type, 378 E Enable server, 352 Enterprise recipient, 358 Exception, 132, 142, 152, 203, 206, 232, 236, 249, 266, 293, 294 Exit, 153, 205, 233, 250 Export, 260 Export certificate, 343 Extended maintenance, 333 External access, 397 F Facet, 305, 307 Field mapping, 196, 198 File repository service, 24 Filter, 152, 156, 203, 232, 249, 266, 293, 305 by measure, 132, 236, 242, 259 by member, 239, 255 Formula, 152, 155, 203, 232, 248, 266, 293 Free characteristic, 152, 203, 232, 248, 266, 293 Full installation, 43 Function, 192 Function group, 176 G Gateway host, 82, 85, 107 Gateway service, 82, 85, 107 Global, 186 access, 188 restriction, 188 global.properties, 374 Group list, 358 Group, 99 H Handler List tab, 102 Hierarchical reporting, 199 Hierarchy, 137, 138, 152, 155, 156, 203, 206, 232, 234, 248, 251, 265, 269, 270, 293, 295 version variables, 140 Highlighting, 142 HTTP tab, 89 I Impersonation, 329 Import certificate, 341 Imported Roles field, 77 InfoCube, 151, 155, 203, 232, 248, 265, 293 InfoProvider, 137, 202, 207, 215, 219, 220, 221, 230, 248, 252, 291, 298, 301, 303 Information, 276 Information Broadcasting, 105, 312, 355 Information Design Tool, 33, 53, 131, 132, 170, 215, 298 Information space, 297, 304, 307, 308 InfoSet environment, 176 InfoSet queries, 170,

30 Index InfoSet, 34, 68, 143, 145, 170, 173, 176, 184, 185, 208, 296, 397, 414, 415 InfoView, 22 Input column, 179, 180 Input value, 279 Insertion type, 281 Installation, 37, 38, 41, 42 folder, 55 process, 50, 57 routine, 41 type, 43, 56 Instance profile, 333, 337 Instance, 311, 312, 319 Integration for SAP Solutions installation, 37 Introscope Enterprise Manager, 50 iview, 363, 367, 376 template, 367, 369, 376, 380 J Java Application Server, 49 JBoss, 41 Job processing services, 25 K Key date, 141, 154, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295 Key figure, 132, 155, 156, 204, 206, 235, 236, 251, 255, 269, 270 Keystore, 122, 123, 364, 365 administration, 364 certificate, 121 file, 121 Knowledge Management, 35, 105, 381, 382, 383, 384 content, 387 L Language, 112, 159 Setup, 42, 57 Language pack, 43, 55, 59, 61 Language tab, 91 Launch, 282 Layout, 385 panel, 255 set, 389 tab, 96 Lifecycle management, 23, 50 Lifecycle management console, 79 Lifecycle mechanism, 230 Linking, 194 Live Office (see SAP BusinessObjects Live Office) Local, 186 Local calculation, 141, 204, 232, 249, 267, 294 Log off URL, 386 Log on as system account, 350 Logon group, 73 Logon method, 372 Logon ticket, 364 logontoken.enabled, 374 M Manage space, 304 Mapping, 227 Measure, 132, 236, 239, 305 Measure format, 258 Member, 132, 236 selector, 254 Message, 277 Message server, 73 Metadata, 135 support, 139 Migration, 196, 224 Multi-pass, 329, 361 Multiple structures, 152, 203, 232, 248, 266, 293 MultiProvider, 151, 203, 220, 223, 232, 248, 265, 293 Multi-source, 137 enabled, 221, 302 foundation,

31 Index universes, 131 MySQL, 41 N Navigational attribute, 152, 155, 156, 203, 207, 232, 235, 249, 251, 266, 279, 270, 293 Node, 351 O Object, 305 ODS, 34 Offline dashboard, 424 OLAP connection, 110, 157, 161, 252, 283 OLAP universe, 224 One database fetch per recipient, 361 OpenDocument, 378 OpenDocument.properties, 375 OpenDoc URL, 386 Open SQL, 34, 68, 414 Optional, 208 Optional variable, 164 Oracle, 41 Organization, 335 unit, 335 Output values, 275, 278 P Page view, 166 Parameter, 179, 181, 184, 187 Password requirement, 48 Path, 90 Pause refresh, 240, 241 Personalization, 154, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295, 307 Personal security environment (see PSE) PKCS12 tool, 122 Platform, 109 Pool tables, 186 Portal anywhere, 369 Precalculated value set, 153, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295 Prefix, 385, 391 Prerequisite, 40, 41, 54 Presentation, 388 Processing service, 348, 350, 352 Processing tier, 25 Profile parameter, 69, 332, 333, 337 Program, 85, 186 Program ID, 82 Prompt, 132, 236, 287, 288, 321 Prompting, 285 Property, 350 Property category, 372 Property Search Manager, 386 Protocol, 90 Provider, 112, 158 PSE, 331, 338, 339, 340, 341, 345, 346, 347, 350, 366, 418 file, 346 tool, 338 Publication, 25, 312, 329, 330, 355, 357, 417, 418 Publish, 282 Publish as a web service, 324 Publishing, 416 process, 70, 79 service, 84 Q Quality of protection, 353 Query, 132, 236 Query Browser, 283, 287, 288 Query Data, 288 QuickViewer, 415 R Reassign Roles button, 92 Refresh options, 318 Registered server program,

32 Index option, 107 Relational access, 137, , 298 Relational connection, 216, 223, 298 Relational data source, 181, 221, 303 Relational universe, 34, 131, 138, 141, 151, 215 access, 203 Release for ODBO, 157 Reorder members, 256 Replacement path, 153, 205, 233, 250, 268, 294 Report bursting, 120 Report element, 212 Report-report interface, 106 Repository, 230 Manager, 384, 390 resources, 216, 298 services, 385 Restricted key figure, 135, 137, 152, 155, 156, 203, 206, 232, 235, 248, 251, 266, 269, 270, 293 Result objects, 210, 287 Return types, 186 RFC destination, 81, 83, 86, 106, 417, 104 RFC Destinations tab, 89, 93 Roadmap, 423 import, 77, 356 Import tab, 77 Role members, 95 membership, 73 Roles tab, 91 Row-level security, 188 RSPOR_T_PORTAL, 109 S SAP alias, 121 SAP authentication, 34, 70, 72, 77, 79, 97, 103, 121, 172, 353, 382, 415 configuration, 74 SAP BEx web applications, 104 SAP BusinessObjects, 15, 21, 68, 97, 160, 230, 237, 247, 269, 272, 347, 355, 363, 372 client-side installation, 52 role assignment, 92 SAP BusinessObjects, 314 administrators, 95 content publisher, 95 document list template, 380 document viewer template, 377 repository, 384 server definition, 86 system template, 371 SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, 16, 30, 247, 424 SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for Microsoft Office, 30, 52, 53, 64, 229, 231, 234, 236 technical prerequisites, 65 SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP, 53, 247, 248, 251, 252, 261, 262 SAP BusinessObjects BI platform, 45 client tools, 52, 62 technical prerequisites, 63 SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, 16, 22, 29, 53, 57, 60, 144, 263, 424 SAP BusinessObjects, 37, 39 application server, 41 installation, 41 installation routine, 41 server-side installation, 39 setup language, 42 technical prerequisites, 40 SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, 22, 32, 52, 144, 291, 291, 424, 292, 296, 297, 298, 304, 16 SAP BusinessObjects Integration for SAP Solutions, 33 SAP BusinessObjects Live Office, 22, 264, 271, 311, 312, 313, 314, 319, 320, 321, 322, 16, 53, 60 license keys, 62 prerequisites, 61 SAP BusinessObjects Live Office Compatibility, 320 SAP BusinessObjects Live Office Connections, 319 SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, 22, 27, 16, 53, 144, 201, 206, 207, 213, 264, 283, 311, 312, 321, 322, 329, 330, 347, 355, 361, 424 data connectivity,

33 Index OLAP universe, 202 SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence query, 327 SAP client, 386 sapcrypto.dll, 331, 338 SAP Cryptographic Library, 330, 333, 335, 338, 355 SAP Crystal Reports, 16, 22, 26, 149, 191, 329, 330, 347, 355 ABAP function, 186 data connectivity, 151, 185 ERP, 185 InfoSet, 185 SAP queries, 185 SAP Crystal Reports 2008, 143, 149 SAP Crystal Reports 2011, 27, 149, 134, 143, 184, 185, 187, 191, 312, 264, 313, 45, 271, 321, 53, 194, 53, 68, 79, 80, 91 SAP Crystal Reports Designer, 57 SAP Crystal Reports enterprise server, 372 SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, 27, 53, 54, 144, 149, 151, 154, 156, 160, 170, 184, 197, 283, 423 SAP Crystal Reports services, 351 SAP CTS+, 79 SAP ECC, 134, 143, 150, 184, 201 SAP entitlement systems, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78 SAP ERP, 67, 143, 147, 170, 171, 176, 180, 184, 185, 186, 191, 194, 201, 202, 207, 208, 229, 264, 271, 291, 296, 297 SAP exit, 153, 205, 233, 250, 268, 295 SAP frontend, 230 SAP Gateway, 85, 417 sapgenpse.exe, 331, 338 SAP GUI, 53 SAP HANA, 133, 229, 291, 292, 296, 424 SAP J2, 41 SAP landscape, 86 SAPLOGONTICKET, 372 SAP MaxDB, 41 SAP NetWeaver BW, 15, 21, 53, 67, 70, 106, 135, 151, 201, 202, 207, 208, 215, 217, 218, 220, 225, 229, 230, 231, 235, 247, 248, 252, 262, 263, 264, 265, 272, 282, 291, 292, 293, 295, 296, 298, 299, 300, 302, 304, 311, 322 publishing service, 45, 80 server-side configuration, 66 source parameters, 81, 93 star schema, 220 SAP NetWeaver BW MDX, 69 driver, 34 SAP NetWeaver BW ODS, 69 SAP NetWeaver BW Publisher, 35 SAP NetWeaver Portal, 22, 35, 363, 364, 368, 382 archive, 368 archive file, 368, 382 certificate, 365 content, 369, 376, 379 runtime, 368, 382 system landscape, 369, 373 SAP query, 143, 184, 185, 208, 296 SAP system ID, 386 Save language, 159, 219 Scaling, 152, 204, 206, 232, 249, 266, 294 Scaling factor, 141 Schedule, 329, 361 Scheduling server group, 360 Scorecarding, 424 SEC, 338 sec/libsapsecu, 334 SECUDIR, 333, 339 Secure network communication (see SNC) Security Definition Editor, 188, 190, 191 Security token service, 128 Select data source, 236 Selected field, 316 Selection, 152, 185, 203, 232, 248, 266, 293 Selection option variable, 140 Self-service reporting, 27 Semantic layer, 33, 131, 137, 184, 194, 207, 271, 296, 297, 311, 322, 425 Send Assertion Tickets option, 108 Server, 112, 158, 350 list, 351 name, 162 patch level, 67 port number, 162 PSE, 345 type, 112, 158 Server context, 162 Server group, 348, 352 Server Intelligence Agent (see SIA) 435