Highlights of the latest version of SAP BusinessObjects
It has been over a year since the first installable versions of SAP BusinessObjects 4.3 were released, which provided massive visual enhancements, a simplified WebI interface, a harmonized look and feel, and tighter integration with SAP Analytics Cloud. However, these improvements were not enough for many customers, who had been reluctant to upgrade or migrate during 2021, meaning older versions are still in common use.
With the start of a new year and the announcement of this latest version update, some key missing features have finally been reintroduced. Also, surprisingly, there is a collection of new features that will push the capability, usability, and productivity of this release's users to a much higher level than they have previously experienced.
Key points
For those still using earlier versions of SAP BusinessObjects (SAP BO), the key elements already released in 4.3 were, briefly, the HTML Fiori look and feel, a simplified WebI interface, and the Live Data Connector with SAP Analytics Cloud, which were already described in a previous article here. However, the latest version, which has been released recently, constitutes the first version to be put into production that includes the following long-awaited additional features:
Compatibility with Cloud Drive – With many installations already located in the cloud, being able to consume or distribute data stored in cloud files becomes a necessity. Here, SAP proposes to use Google Drive for now, with more providers coming in the future. Authorization and authentication are done via OAuth and OpenID, providing end-to-end SSO, which also works with Snowflake.
WebIntelligence OData Web Services: Information from a platform query or query block (ie, a static table) can be exposed for consumption internally (from another WebI document) or externally from any third-party external tool via of the standard OData protocol, covering the gap left by the disappearance of Web Services/QaaWS. This will leave the Live Office product in a redundant position and therefore likely to be superseded by this emerging protocol.
New functions for WebIntelligence: the most interesting improvements are:
Presentation Mode: Provides dynamic and refreshable displays for demo displays.
Unified Query Panel: Universal use of objects and conditions for all font types in the query area and object properties that are managed in the document area.
Show and hide tabs: dynamically based on the value of your data.
Improved and more usable data selectors.
An improved formula editor with more space and better use of color.
WebI features that are back: Some features that were missing in SAP BO 4.3 release for some customers to green light the upgrade are:
Shared elements, that is, WebI elements built once and reused in many WebI documents.
Local files as source, using MS Excel or external TXT files with manually processed data.
Freeze Panels, first introduced in 4.2.
Re-introduction of WebI extensions: with additional JavaScript API support, providing:
Continuity for paid add-ons such as Galigeo geographic maps.
Need4viz freemium, a currently free plugin that enhances WebI with data exploration and visualization. This is a good option for those who miss Lumira and aren't in SAP Analytics Cloud yet.
Compatibility with Private Cloud Edition (PCE), which opens a new path to the cloud in a new license model where SAP hosts the SW and OS and takes care of HW and updates. This will extend support beyond 2027 which is indefinite for now.
Conclusions
SAP remains strongly committed to investing in the local Business Intelligence (BI) suite and Web Intelligence remains the most widely used reporting tool. It has acquired a harmonized appearance and improved user experience, putting it in a strong position compared to its direct competitors.
Plans for the future include continuing to integrate the platform into the new world of cloud platforms, such as MS Drive, Sharepoint and cloud databases, providing greater data management capabilities in WebI Intelligence and driving better usability by focusing on the ideas and requests of users.
Before planning your migration to this latest version, please check for potential issues with version zero which was released on December 21st. If one of the following scenarios applies to your organization, we recommend that you ensure a remediation plan is in place before upgrading:
Version 4.2 SP3 or earlier
Content from Design Studio or Lumira Designer
WebI plus Free Hand SQL sources