BusinessObjects Expert BI 2012

In just a few months, I’ll be speaking at SAP Insider BI2012 in Las Vegas, a conference sponsored by WIS Publishing and BusinessObjects Expert. The conference features more than 200 sessions and labs, a packed agenda of networking events, and hundreds of demos showcasing the latest updates and best practices for business intelligence solutions.

Follow the hashtag #BI2012 on Twitter to get live updates about the conference.

UPDATE: Check out my December 16, 2011 interview,  Security Access Concerns for Administrators to Tackle, with Scott Wallask, Managing Editor, BusinessObjects Expert

There’s an incredible wealth of talent speaking at this year’s event – experienced voices like Chris Greer, Alan Mayer, Dave Rathbun, Jay Riddle, Eric Vallo, and Michael Welter. A full list of speakers and their presentations is available from the conference web site or brochure.

The BI2012 conference will be my first appearance at a WIS Publications event. Three of my four breakouts will be about SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0. The fourth is about user adoption, a pet topic of mine.

What happens in Vegas… could transform your business intelligence strategy. Join me at BI 2012 for expert sessions and professional networking that can change the way you use Business Objects Business Intelligence.

Here are the abstracts from my BI2012 sessions.

Ensuring a successful Business Objects Explorer deployment — A systems perspective

This session offers a system architectural perspective on how to plan, install, and configure Business Objects Explorer. View a system architecture diagram and workflow to see how Business Objects Explorer fits within the overall context of your landscape. Explore various options for Business Objects Explorer installations, from single-server deployments with Business Objects Edge series to larger, multi-server deployments. Examine criteria to evaluate and determine data sources. Understand when it makes sense to leverage existing universes for your Business Objects Explorer environment, and when it makes sense to invest in SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator or SAP HANA. Get advice for managing key security considerations, including tips to set custom access levels in Business Objects Explorer specific to power users and casual business users. Walk through a detailed demo of how to create, secure, and personalize Business Objects Explorer Information Spaces. Get best practices for deploying Business Objects Explorer onto mobile devices.

A comprehensive introduction to the Business Objects BI security model

This presentation offers an introductory look at the Business Objects BI security model, along with guidelines and technical best practices for ensuring your SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise or Business Objects Edge Series landscape is secure. Get an overview of the key components of a Business Objects security model, including functional security, data security, and infrastructure security, and understand which should be implemented first. Explore options for defining custom access levels to simplify user and application security, including tips for assigning multiple access levels to a single user. Prevent unexpected access rights for groups and users with tips to establish varying levels of inheritance. Learn how to leverage the scope of rights component to assign specific access rights to sub-folders. Understand how to use Central Management Console (CMC) features like Permissions Explorer and Security Query to identify and troubleshoot potential threats to your security model.

Guidelines to secure and personalize your BusinessObjects universes

Learn how to leverage the new information design tool in SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 to secure and personalize universes using security profiles to address the security needs of distinct user groups within your organization. First, review key differences between the new information design tool and the previous BusinessObjects universe design tool — including the separation of data layer and business layer and support for multiple data sources in a single universe — and gain insight into how these differences impact universe security. Understand how to restrict access to sensitive KPIs in the universe. Walk through live demos to understand how each restriction type configured on the back-end impacts user interactivity on the front end with tools like SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, SAP Crystal Reports, and SAP Dashboards.

E-learning, help desk, and more: Picking the right training and user adoption approach for your user base

This session explores various user training and adoption methodologies for report end-users and provides criteria for selecting the best approach for your business and user needs. Step through examples that weigh the pros and cons of user training methodologies, ranging from traditional classroom learning and e-learning, to one-on-one mentoring. Get tips for analyzing and revamping the relationship between your organization’s user base and help desk to ensure users are getting the right information at the right time. Explore the benefits of creating an internal user group program to increase user self-sufficiency and address common help desk calls. Get tips for leveraging power users as addendums to local and national user group meetings. Understand the importance of routine user training — such as weekly or monthly — rather than just a one-time post-implementation initiative. Evaluate criteria to choose the most appropriate user training method based on your organization’s training budget and geographical make-up. Take home a sample agenda for a user group meeting to reference back in the office.