2012 Year In Review

2012 was the year of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0 (BI 4.0).  After going through ramp-up and going into general availability last year, early adopters began using it in full force.  In contrast to prior years, I focused on two major BI 4.0 projects instead of a series of smaller projects. The first was a BI 4.0 upgrade from SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1. The second was a new initiative (no migration) using BI 4.0.  2012 was the year that SAP’s mobile BI strategy began to coalesce, with Feature Pack 3/Support Pack 4 shipping in June with Exploration Views and Support Pack 5 shipping in November with mobile support for Dashboards 4.0 and SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio. Thankfully, the Mayan Apocalypse had no effect on the SAP BusinessObjects Maintenance Schedule Calendar and Forward Fit Plan.

Professionally, 2012 was a year of many firsts for me, including:

• First time speaking at an SAP Insider/BusinessObjects Expert conference
• First time giving four presentations at a single conference
• First time having a best friend as a boss (I joined EV Technologies in June 2012)
• First time author, co-authoring the SAP Press title SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence 2nd edition
• First time doing live video podcast with the Diversified Semantic Layer at the 2012 ASUG SAP BusinessObjects User Conference
• First year since 2004 that I did not teach any SAP education classes
• Contributor to the Diversified Semantic Layer and Cindi Howson’s BI Scorecard

This blog had more than twice the number of readers it had in 2011- a 108% increase- from 181 different countries around the globe. Thank you for visiting. I wish you continued success in business intelligence and a prosperous new year!

Speaking Events

This year I was able to deliver several new presentations, but even the older ones required significant updates for the BI 4.0 platform.

ASUG Indiana Chapter Meeting
Indianapolis, Indiana (Fishers)
February 17, 2012
A comprehensive introduction to the Business Objects BI security model

SAP Insider/BusinessObjects Expert BI 2012
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, NV
February 28 – March 2, 2012
Ensuring a successful Business Objects Explorer deployment — A systems perspective
A comprehensive introduction to the Business Objects BI security model
Guidelines to secure and personalize your BusinessObjects universes
E-learning, help desk, and more: Picking the right training and user adoption approach for your user base

ASUG Kentucky Chapter Meeting
Bellermine University
Louisville, Kentucky
June 22, 2012
Universe Design – Evolution, Intelligence Design, or Just a Big Mess?

Pittsburgh BusinessObjects User Group (PGHBOUG)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 19, 2012
Exploring the Universe with Explorer 4.0: What IT Needs to Know

ASUG SAP BusinessObjects User Conference
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort
Orlando, Florida
September 10-13, 2012
Secrets of a Business Intelligence Barista
Delivering Personalized and Secure Business Intelligence
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0: How to Make the Magic Happen (panel discussion)

Business Intelligence Summit for Higher Education
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky
October 9-10, 2012
Secrets of a Business Intelligence Barista

Other Significant Events

ASUG User Conference/SAP SAPPHIRE
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
October 9-10, 2012

The Tableau Experience
Louisville, Kentucky
December 6, 2012

ASUG Developer Tool Days
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky
December 7, 2012