sbop part ii best practices bi
TRANSCRIPT
II. SAP BusinessObjects BI Solutions XI 3.1 and SAP NetWeaver BW 7Current risks, approach, and mitigating strategies for Client Partners, License Sales, and Consulting Delivery Managers
Partner Enablement SeminarJuly 2009
© SAP 2008 / Page 2
1. SAP Integration Risks
2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
© SAP 2008 / Page 3
SAP BusinessObjects BI Solutions XI 3.1 and SAP NetWeaver BW 7 – Integration Risks
Key Risks to Successful Integration Under estimating BI project complexity Implementations skills often left to JIT (Just In Time) Un-realistic Expectation setting with project teams as well as with Clients Planning for some SAP/SBO Field Services assistance/knowledge transfer where project
teams have little experience on latest Integration practices Historical or pre-acquisition integration issues may still be seen by client as a roadblock Rapid product updates/fixes require regular review/adjustment of best practices
© SAP 2008 / Page 4
Risk of Failure Where SAP/SBO Field Services or Partner Services Not Involved
Increased project risk where neither Partner nor Field services involved with project Increasing risk severity where neither Partner nor Field Services involved in actual
escalation Success primarily determined by Partner/Field Services involvement and ability to adjust
processes
© SAP 2008 / Page 5
Business Intelligence Green FieldsCommon Risks
No common terminology, will only know SAP terms
What is the meaning of “report”, “BI”, “dashboards”
Dimension vs. Characteristic Measure vs. Key Figure
No prior experience with BI tools Hard to get beyond operational/regulatory
reporting Lots of customer education required, lack of
product knowledge Clarification of key business intelligence
concepts are likely to be necessary Putting the data source central, rather than
the end user report
Expectation that Web Intelligence should replace BEx Analyzer
Lack of product knowledge Misunderstanding of product portfolio and
roadmap SAP doesn’t dictate moving all your analysts
off BEx Analyzer at all Web Intelligence is not an OLAP interface Confusion of intended audience
Assumption we just connect up to existing BEx Queries
Product may not support all elements of the existing BEx queries well
Violates the BI principle of working backwards from report requirements
BEx queries need to be purpose-built, tuned, and potentially aggregation added
© SAP 2008 / Page 6
1. SAP Integration Risks
2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
© SAP 2008 / Page 7
Right tool for the right job(General Guidance)
BEx AnalyzerWeb Intelligence (via OLAP Universes)
Reporting & Analysis General interactive reporting BW in place Target audience: casual business user
OLAP Cube navigation BW in place Target audience: analysts
XcelsiusCrystal Reports
Operational or pixel-perfect reporting ERP (ECC)/Business Suite or BW as data source Target audience: IT for report authoring / most
business users for report consumption
Dashboards and visualization BW in place Architecture: Query as a Web Service (QaaWS)
with OLAP universes and/or LiveOffice Target audience: most business users
© SAP 2008 / Page 8
Current State Assessment Recommendedespecially where Field Service not included
Assessment Objectives
Perform a high-level review of the BW implementation High level review of any existing BOE environment Determine the appropriate BOE and/or BW deployment track Identify Key Business Initiatives driving the BOE implementation Develop initial high-level business requirements Develop high-level project and technology implementation roadmaps
Act
ivit
ies
Is the BW environment ready to integrate and support the BOE platform? What should the BOE environment look like? What are the short- and long-term Business Initiatives? What are the dependencies? What design consideration must be addressed for BOE in the BW environment? What is the implementation roadmap? What are the skills and resources required to develop, maintain and support the full solution?
To
An
swer
© SAP 2008 / Page 9
OLAP Universes DesignModification of Established Best Practices
BOE XI R2 + SAP IK BOE XI 3.1 + SAP IK
Many BEx queries and OLAP Universes per subject area/InfoCube
Keep BEx queries small to maintain acceptable performance levels
“Keep number of data elements low” Full BEx query MDX run when
refreshing any query
One or very few BEx queries and OLAP Universes per subject area/InfoCube
Add additional universe only if performance unacceptable
Watch out for number of Key Figures, Hierarchies, and how you deal with Restricted and Calculated Key Figures, and Navigational Attributes
MDX statement now modified by selection of objects in the report query definition
© SAP 2008 / Page 10
Performance Considerations for OLAP Universes in Web Intelligence
Key FiguresHierarchies
Hierarchy support in Web Intelligence for BW is limited
Use of hierarchy variable is recommended The Use Query Drill option in the WebI
significantly improves drill down performance
A large number of Key Figures in the BEx query will incur a significant performance penalty when running queries, regardless of whether the Key Figures are included in the Universe or used in the Webi query. Only include Key Figures used for reporting in the BEx Query. This performance impact is due to time spent loading metadata for units, executed for all measures in the query
Navigational Attributes and Key DatesRestricted and Calculated Key Figures
Restricted and Calculated Key figures should be built as part of the underlying BEx query to use the BW back-end processing for better performance
Queries with a larger set of such Key Figures should use the “Use Selection of Structure Members” option in the Query Monitor (transaction RSRT) to leverage the OLAP engine
A large number of navigational attributes defined in the underlying InfoProvider negatively impacts overall performance
A single universe can only support a single Key Date variable
Performance should be comparable to BEx queries, although the following can dramatically increase response times
NOTE: From BOE XI 3.1 FP 1.1 the impact of large number of key figures has been reduced, by retrieving metadata information only when the unit/currency metadata info is selected in the Web Intelligence Query
Fix to assist a customer using over 200 key figures in their BEx query
We do not recommend you do the same, but the impact is significantly less, and comparable to R2
© SAP 2008 / Page 11
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
© SAP 2008 / Page 12
OLAP Universe Refresh Structure Issue
Problem Description Consequences
Universe Designer has a button that is intended to pick up changes from a modified BEx query
Clicking this button re-generates the universe from scratch (as if it was a new one), generating new object IDs
Reports built on the universe prior to clicking the button contain objects with now invalid object IDs
All such reports will lose their query definitions and leave an empty query panel
Multiple individual support cases logged by various customers can be reduced to this issue
Partial fixes included with FixPack 1.4, available now. More to follow in SP2
Existing dashboards have to be rebuilt, or at least query definitions redeveloped
Existing reports have to be rebuilt, or at least query definitions redeveloped
Increased and unforeseen addition project work Where clients do report development
themselves, we’ve encountered resistance, and refusal to continue development work
Any project approach based on an iterative & incremental model will cripple the project
Until the issue is fixed, a strict formal project approach and tight change management is required
© SAP 2008 / Page 13
Project Approach and “Universe Refresh”
More formal project approach allows for better change management after impact analysis
“Waterfall”-like approach reduces assumption of continuously required changes
SAP’s ASAP Methodology follows “waterfall” and enables such a formal structure
Incremental approach: assumes continuous changes during implementation
Continuous refinement after review, continuously changing requirements
Each change to back-end will invalidate previously built reports
© SAP 2008 / Page 14
The “Business Intelligence” Approach(with SAP IK and OLAP Universes)
Identify data elements needed for universe in BEx
Purpose-build the BEx query, bearing in mind BOE supported product features
Consider adding aggregation
Tune the query
If data for a query is not yet in the cube, change the cube to support the required query, universe and reports
Consider whether going directly against an InfoCube or MultiProvider is desirable
requirements gathering
end User interviews
vision, strategy and purpose
visual layout mockups navigation folder structure Access rights
identify subject areas
define required data elements
evaluate ad-hoc requirements
Prioritize ease-of-use/ maintenance or performance
Develop the BEx query
Test the BEx query
Generate the OLAP universe
Hide inappropriate objects
Test universe
Develop required reports
Develop required dashboards
Test reports Test
dashboards
ReportsDashboards
Universes BEx Queries InfoCubeBEx Queries
UniversesReports
Dashboards
Universe Design
BEx Query Design
© SAP 2008 / Page 15
Tight Change ManagementStricter, to avoid Universe Refresh Problems
Test all reports associated with the same universe together
Test all reports on the basis of report requirements, and capture suggested changes
Test reports on: Data quality Data elements Filters and/or
conditions Performance Visualization
and representation
Determine whether defect or genuine change
If it is a change, add the change request to a Change Management Log
Collect all change requests
Determine whether the change requires a change to the back-end or underlying BEx query, or is only a formatting or report change
Analyze each change request and consider the amount of work/cost implementing a change would take
Include all rework and redevelopment of reports potentially impacted by the change, if the change requires a change to the back-end and the BEx query for the universe
Weigh the implementation costs against the business need for the change in requirements
Select the changes accepted for implementation
Document other changes for implementation at a later date
Adjust project cost and/or duration
Implement accepted changes
Return to the test cycle
Test/Review Reports
EvaluateChange Requests
Perform Impact Analysis
PrioritizeImplement (any)
changes
© SAP 2008 / Page 16
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
© SAP 2008 / Page 17
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW1. Options for Universe-Based Access to BW
2. Design Considerations
3. Performance Considerations
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
Overview: Options for Universe-Based Access to BW 7.00
BW
Data Federator
RDBMS Analytic Engine
OLAP BAPI ODBOXMLA
UniversesQT ODA
SQL Access MDX Access
WebICrystalReports
XcelsiusQaaWS
BIA
Overview: Options for Universe-Based Access to BW 7.01
BWDF Fascade
Data Federator
RDBMS Analytic Engine
OLAP BAPI ODBOXMLA
UniversesQT ODA
SQL Access MDX Access
WebICrystalReports
XcelsiusQaaWS
BIA
changes and additions in red
Overview: Options for Universe-Based Access to BW 7.01
BWDF Fascade
Data Federator
RDBMS Analytic Engine
OLAP BAPI ODBOXMLA
UniversesQT ODA
SQL Access MDX Access
WebICrystalReports
XcelsiusQaaWS
cells
rows
rows
rows
cells
BIA rowsrows
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Comparison
BW Server Feature MDX SQL
BW Hierarchies
Restricted and Calculated Key Figures
Security
BW Variables
Currency and Unit Conversion
Exceptions, Conditions
SUM, MIN, MAX Aggregations
AVG, COUNT, COUNT DISTINCT, … Aggregations
OLAP Cache
Navigational Attributes
Mass Data Enabled
Federation (e.g. BW – RDBMS, BW – BW)
= fully supported = limited support / workaround
WebI – BW Interoperability via ODA (MDX)Details
Improvements1. Avoid unnecessary sorting
MDX standard imposes results to be sorted However, those sorts are typically ignored or not required by WebI sorting can be avoided by using a new UNORDER() function in SAP's MDX
2. Leaner memory consumption during flattening optimized flattening algorithm non-standard result structure
3. Leaner communication ODA – OLAP BAPI use compressed data exchange via binary XML
Availability SAP NetWeaver BW 7.01 SP 3 Business Objects Enterprise XI3.0
Fix Pack 2 w/ LAFix2.1 SAP Integration Kit Fix Pack 2 w/LAFix2.1
backback
WebI – BW Interoperability via Data FederatorAvailability
SAP NetWeaver 7.01 (Enhancement Package 01) Support Package Stack 03 Delivered with the BW Data Federator facade
BOE XI 3.1 Fix Pack 1 or BOE XI 3.0 Fix Pack 2 (+ LaFix 2.1 and 2.3) Include the BW Universe strategies Include Universe Designer strategy bug fix
Data Federator XI 3.1 Include the BW SQL connector Include specific BW SQL compensation techniques Updated optimizations for BW Support for BW authentication mode
SAP Integration Kit XI 3.1 For Single-Sign On (SSO) – Available in Q2 09
backback
WebI – BW InteroperabilityDecision Help
WebI / BWImplementation
Project
WebI / BWImplementation
Project
YesYes
NoNo
YesYes
NoNo
YesYes
NoNo
Question 1:Are BEx queries already in place and should be used as basis for Universes?
Question 1:Are BEx queries already in place and should be used as basis for Universes?
Question 2:Does the customer require specific BW OLAP features not covered today in the WebI Query Panel or Universe Designer?
Question 2:Does the customer require specific BW OLAP features not covered today in the WebI Query Panel or Universe Designer?
Implement connectivity through Data FederatorImplement connectivity through Data Federator
Check BEx query and WebI query design + implement fixes and improvements
Check BEx query and WebI query design + implement fixes and improvements
Implement well designed BEx and WebI queries for performance + fixes and improvements
Implement well designed BEx and WebI queries for performance + fixes and improvements
Evaluate effort / risk to replace BEx queries by Data Federator. If feasible, do so. If not, see A.
Evaluate effort / risk to replace BEx queries by Data Federator. If feasible, do so. If not, see A.
AA
BB
CC
DD
Please refer to https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/elearn?rid=/library/uuid/50d85927-4b07-2c10-d797-bb10917eae1d for more details.Please refer to https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/elearn?rid=/library/uuid/50d85927-4b07-2c10-d797-bb10917eae1d for more details.
© SAP 2008 / Page 28
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW1. Options for Universe-Based Access to BW
2. Design Considerations
3. Performance Considerations
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
Architecture of Layers – WebI Connectivity to SAP BW
The Query Panel Definition is what defines the “Microcube” and thus the MDX Query which is executed on SAP BW
When refreshing the data in the WebI report, the entire Microcube is refreshed
OLAP UniversesRecommendations & Considerations
The recommended approach is to create a query (or set of queries) on InfoCubes or MultiProviders that are in scope for Ad-Hoc Analysis, and then create an OLAP Universe on each of them Utilizing a BEx Query as the basis for the Universe allows for functionality such as
Navigational Attributes, Calculated Key Figures, Restricted Key Figures, Variables, etc to be leveraged
This setup also allows for performance optimizations to be made by hard-coding characteristic restrictions (thus limiting data), or reducing the characteristics and key figures which can be displayed in WebI or other frontend tools utilizing Universes (i.e. to prevent Line Item data from being displayed)
Understand the BEx Query definition and even the Universe Design does not directly impact the performance of a WebI Report* Rather, the design of the WebI Report and the InfoObjects (Dimension or Measure)
included in the report will impact performance *However, limiting the InfoObjects (Dimension or Measure) available in the Query or
Universe will influence performance (by virtue of the fields not being available in the WebI Report)
© SAP 2008 / Page 31
BEx Query Design and Best Practices
Some general things to be aware of: Placement of Characteristics / Key Figures - no direct impact on generation of OLAP Universe “Allow External Access” option should be set Items not supported via InfoCube data access:
Variables Restricted or Calculated Key Figures Filters Custom Structures
Restricted Key and Calculated Key Figures For large sets of key figures, use option - “Use Selection of Structure Members” Leverage the capabilities of the Restricted Key and Calculated Key Figures where possible
– As part of the underlying BI query, they will be processed by the BW back end– Can be shared across queries, minimizing development downstream
Filters & Prompts Greater end-user flexibility through predefined filter objects as part of the Universe
Data Level Security & BW Use BW authorizations for data level security
Recommendations for BEx Query & Universe Design
Consider splitting up the large Queries & Universes into smaller ones Depending on # of objects (Dimensions & Measures) utilized per report, it might make
sense to find common groupings of objects to service particular WebI Reports For example…
Grouped by Commonality
Group A Group B
Group C Group D
Mea
sure
s
Dimensions
= WebI Report
Overview: Options for Universe-Based Access to BW 7.01
BW
OLAP BAPI ODBOXMLA
UniversesODA
MDX Access
WebI
cells
rows
cells
BIA rows
WebI Query Panel
WebI Query Panel
Universe DesignerUniverse Designer
BEx QueryDesigner
BEx QueryDesigner
AnalyticEngineAnalyticEngine
GOOD BAD
60 WebI Queries
60 WebI Queries
12 Universes
1 Universes
12 Queries
1 Query
Total number of Objects
Total number of Objects
GOOD BAD
5 5
10 10
10 30
Number of Chararacterics in single objects
Number of Chararacterics in single objects
Example!Example!
© SAP 2008 / Page 34
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW1. Options for Universe-Based Access to BW
2. Design Considerations
3. Performance Considerations
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
Performance Considerations
SAP Business WarehouseBusinessObjects Enterprise
Service Load Distribution and Resource Allocation
Tuning Web Tier
Network Bandwidth
WebI Connectivity Options OLAP vs Relational
Xcelsius Connectivity Options QaaWS vs Live Office
Support Package / FixPack Level
Product Positioning
SAP Notes
RSADMIN Parameters
SAP Profile/Kernel Settings
BEx Query Settings
Data Manager Runtime Tuning
OLAP Engine Runtime
Support Package Level
Enhancement Package Level
Architecture of Layers – WebI Connectivity to SAP BW
BW Accelerator
SAPNetWeaver BW 7.0x BOE XI 3.1Physical Virtual Semantic 1 Semantic 2 Semantic 3 Report
Aggregation Engine
MultiProviders, HybridProviders
BEx QueriesInfoProviders
Uni1
Uni2
Uni3
Uni4
Universes WebI Query, QaaWS
WebI Report
It is important to understand where time is spent in the
runtime and how it influences the overall performance
Layers of Performance Analysis:Web Intelligence to BW
Web Intelligence
BOE / Semantic Layer
MDX
Query
AnalyzePerformance
Network
Network
Analyze SAP
NetWeaver BI
Performance
Key Message: Start performance analysis on Query layer. If performance is not sufficienton this layer, continue with general analysis of SAP NetWeaver BI.
Overview
Check the Query performance on SAP NetWeaver BW as benchmark
Perform BOBJ‘s MDX directly on SAP NetWeaver BW
Compare runtime of Query with the overall time it takes to Refresh the report
Optimizations
1. Optimize Query definition
2. Optimize MDX execution on SAP NetWeaver BW (notes)
3. Optimize Universe definition and generation of MDX on BOE (WebI, QaaWS)
4. Optimize Report definition and generation of MDX on WebI, Crystal
© SAP 2008 / Page 39
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
Dashboarding and data visualizationEnhanced integration with SAP NetWeaver BW
Today - Flexible options for accessing both SAP
and non-SAP data Leverage existing Crystal and/or Web Intelligence reports Leverage existing Universes Built upon Web Services
Tomorrow - Integration to BI Consumer Services ** Direct data access to SAP NetWeaver BW Consume SAP BEx/Pioneer Queries and Views Deliver high performance data access Enable low TCO with simple architecture
**Currently planned availability later in 2009
Xcelsius Connectivity to SAP NetWeaver BW
SAP NetWeaver BWSAP NetWeaver BW
BEx Query
Live OfficeLive Office
Web IntelligenceWeb Intelligence
OLAP UniverseOLAP UniverseCrystal ReportCrystal Report
Query as a WebServiceQuery as a WebService
XcelsiusXcelsius
BICS Web ServiceBICS Data Access BICS Web ServiceBICS Data Access
MDXMDX
BW InfoProvidersBW InfoProviders
Data FederatorData Federator
SQLSQL
BEx Query
New New
Deploying Xcelsius with SAP NetWeaver BWNew Xcelsius / BW Integration - Overview
General facts about Xcelsius and BW Xcelsius is a design tool for building Dashboards At runtime the dashboard is delivery as an interactive SWF (flash file) Excel Spreadsheet area acts as “clipboard”
1. Data source (e.g. BEx Query) > 2. Spreadsheet > 3. Xcelsius visualization controls
Main aspect of new integration Connect Xcelsius to BW through the BI consumer services (BICS - on BI-JAVA)
Provide to the Xcelsius Designer query metadata for easy implementation Provide to the resulting SWF the query result set and value helps Use existing BI Java Runtime for launching the dashboard via the Browser
Integrate Xcelsius to BW lifecycle management through introduction of an own object type (TLOGO) Support translation support and internationalized texts (multi-language) Integrates with the BW transport connection
Prerequisite Xcelsius Designer 2008 SP2 BEx Frontend Patch 901 SAP NetWeaver BW 7.01 SP Stack 5 (planned for late September 2009)
Documentation: http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/xcelsius2008/en/Xcelsius2008_user_guide_en.pdf
Page 226
Deploying Xcelsius with SAP NetWeaver BWNew Xcelsius / BW Integration – User Interface
11
22
33
© SAP 2008 / Page 44
Deploying Xcelsius with SAP NetWeaver BWCurrent Xcelsius / BW Integration
Remember: OLAP Universe is primary source for Xcelsius dashboards via the QaaWS
For performance: Keep datasets to 500 rows - 5,000 rows maximum Beware of Flash engine overload Use cascaded prompt / queries Reduced # of Key Figures in Universe Execute queries when needed, not all at once Avoid aggregation in Flash – push back to BW
Consider LiveOffice when real-time query is not possible Optimize underlying Live Office document objects
Ensure Updated Xcelsius Fixpacks are used
© SAP 2008 / Page 45
1. SAP Integration Risks2. Design Considerations
3. Project Approach Considerations
4. Best Practices Web Intelligence and SAP NetWeaver BW
5. Best Practices Xcelsius and SAP NetWeaver BW
6. Additional References
Agenda
© SAP 2008 / Page 46
Additional References
Available from http://help.sap.com, SAP BusinessObjects area:Using SAP BW in universe DesignerDesigner’s GuideBusinessObjects XI Integration for SAP User's Guide
Available from http://service.sap.com/releasenotes, SAP BO area (login required):BusinessObjects XI 3 Release Notes
Available from http://service.sap.com/bosap-support (login required):BusinessObjects XI 3 for SAP - Supported Platforms
Available from http://service.sap.com/bosap-instguides (login required):BusinessObjects XI Integration for SAP Solutions Installation and Administration Guide A
Best Practices for XI3 deployment on NW - “Web_Intelligence_XI3_On_NetWeaver_BW.pdf”
– Contact Partner Director
© SAP 2008 / Page 47
Additional References
Available from SDN: “OLAP Universes Best Practices.”
SAP NetWeaver BW and BusinessObjects Web Intelligence Performance Best Practices SQL Access to BW via Data Federator Faster Universe-Based Access To BW via MDX
© SAP 2008 / Page 48
Thank you!