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Ten Features That Absolutely Must Be in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0 (BI4 or BI 4.0) went into general availability in September 2011 after a lengthy ramp-up period. But despite the delays, there were still many features missing or deferred to what we now know as Feature Pack 3 (FP3). Here are my picks for “must have” features in Feature Pack 3, based on my experiences so far with the current release. I have no inside information about Feature Pack 3’s final feature list,  I’m just making the case that these ten features should be coming, if not in Feature Pack 3 then in Support Package 4.

1. Tree control for Web Intelligence universe selection

When choosing a universe in Web Intelligence, the user is presented with (cue fanfare of trombones) a list. This sad situation has been the case for far too long. Although the universe folder is displayed next to the universe (in the most confusing way possible), the current UI doesn’t help users navigate through our purposefully constructed universe folder structures. This situation is also a problem on the BI Launch Pad home screen, where I may have recently used universes with the same name but in different folders. Users need to always quickly grasp the universe’s location.  And more detailed information via a mouse-over of the universe name would be a nice touch.

2. Improved visual distinction between UNV and UNX universes in Web Intelligence

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0 introduced the Information Design Tool (IDT) and its new semantic layer. Universes created by the IDT have a UNX extension rather than the legacy UNV extension. But in the current UI, the only way to tell the difference is that the UNX suffix is appended to a new universe while the old UNV universes have none. I am finding the process of testing converted UNX universes versus their unconverted counterparts to be very tedious. I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for here (unique icons?) but would like some usability improvements.

3. OLAP universe support for Explorer

Not sure whether this is coming in Feature Pack 3 or not, so I’m mentioning it. Currently, Explorer 4.0 can only create information spaces on relational UNX universes, not OLAP ones (UPDATE: see SAP KB 1559221).

4. UNX universe support for Live Office

Live Office didn’t receive a lot of enhancements in BI 4.0, although the ability to push a spreadsheet back to Explorer is an interesting addition. Live Office currently supports classic universes. Will the situation be changed in Feature Pack 3 to support UNX universes? UPDATE: According to SAP KB 1582061, UNX functionality “is in the roadmap but [has] no confirmed date from the [SAP] product group” (although the rumor mill is suggesting we’ll see this feature in BI 4.1 SP6).

5. Improved qualification selection in Information Design Tool

While there are many new workflows in what is essentially a brand new product, there are several from the old Universe Design Tool that I miss. One is the ability to easily change an object’s qualification from dimension to detail (now called an attribute) to measure. In fact, I have so far been unable to figure out how to convert an existing dimension to a detail (uh, attribute) or vice versa.

6. Corporate customization of Central Management Console

Feature Pack 3 includes vastly improved customization capabilities for the BI Launch Pad, which will be greatly enhanced from what existed for InfoView in SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1. But what about the Central Management Console (CMC)? I would like to be able to choose from multiple pre-defined “themes” that tastefully change the color scheme of the CMC to indicate which environment I’m using (Development, QA, Production, etc.). These themes should be based on which cluster I’m logged into, not which web application server I’m using. I frequently have multiple browser tabs open to multiple environments but visually they’re alike- indistinguishable. Literally seeing red, for example, would help me remember that I’m working with the production cluster and shouldn’t do anything stupid. I’d also like to see the cluster name at the top of each web page, perhaps next to my login name. And maybe a long “pretty” name for the cluster if my organization has cryptic standards for cluster name. Lastly, the cluster name should appear in the browser <TITLE> tag, so I can infer the environment on minimized browser windows, too.

7. No more monolithic Adaptive Processing Server

The BI 4.0 installation program creates a single, beastly Adaptive Processing Server (APS) that according to “best practices” should be divided into multiple APS’s. Regardless of whether the current situation is a result of the BI 4.0 installation team trying to meet a deadline or concern about minimal memory requirements, this situation must be handled by the Feature Pack 3 installation program. XI 3.0’s revised CMC introduced the ability to view services by application (Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, etc.) and the out-of-the-box configuration of the APS should continue to support this important idea. For example, if I’m a non-SAP ERP customer, I want to see APS’s clearly defined for SAP that can be safely turned off, just like I could turn off clearly labeled Desktop Intelligence servers if I didn’t need them.’

UPDATE: Early adopters of BI4 will want to read SAP KB 1580280,  a chipper article entitled “Adaptive Processing Server and Adaptive Job Server in SAP BI 4.0 are using high amounts of memory and are hard to manage and troubleshoot.”

UPDATE: SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 introduces the System Configuration Wizard for APS configuration and some other post-installation tasks, which you can read about here.

8. Improved control of Web Intelligence default paper size

For those readers outside the United States, A4 paper is as unfamiliar to most Americans as the metric system or soccer (which you call football).  So one of our first post-installation tasks is switching the default paper size to A4 (see my related article on the EV Technologies blog).  Ideally, the paper size should be controlled via the Central Management Console and not by the web application tier per current practice. While we’re at it, let’s add printer support to the Web Intelligence Job Service identical to the Crystal Reports Job Service, both of which are now part of the BI 4.0 Adaptive Job Server.

9. Improved browser support

Everyone assumes that Feature Pack 3 will finally bring Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 compatibility to the BI 4.0 platform. And SAP has promised to accommodate Mozilla’s need to update Firefox versions what seems like every 48 hours. These are all good developments.

But I’d also like to see Apple Safari for Windows officially supported for the same versions as supported on the Macintosh.  And I agree with Jamie Oswald (see related SAP Community Network article One App to Enable Them All) that we need support for mobile browsers, not just mobile applications.

UPDATE 02/14/2012: Google Chrome support was rumored for Feature Pack 3 but does not appear in the official supported platforms document.  Google’s browser adoption strategy appears to be “make Google Docs flaky enough in IE so enterprise customers will use our browser”.  SAP should officially support Google Chrome in Feature Pack 3.

UPDATE 01/08/2013: Support Pack 5 improves the browser support for both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Sadly, Apple quietly discontinued the Safari browser for Windows platforms.

10. Improved and better organized sample content

BI4, just like XI 3.1 before it, has two versions of the eFashion universe. To make matters worse, they point to slightly different Microsoft Access databases with different year ranges.  But the final insult for me is that the installation program rudely places content in the root universe folder.  So for Feature Pack 3, I’m asking for:

  • No universes placed in the root universe folder
  • A single top-level Samples folder, both for content (objects) as well as universes and connections
  • A single eFashion.unv universe, not two
  • An Information Design Tool that properly converts eFashion.unv to eFashion.unx.  Don’t include eFashion.unx because I think it’s valuable for a customer to try out the IDT conversion feature.
  • A new sample UNX universe that brilliantly shows off all of the new features of the Information Design Tool. And not eFashion, which has become as out of fashion as eBusiness.  Unlike eFashion, this new universe will have at least one date object as part of a date hierarchy. But I hope it still includes party pants.

So that’s my list of ten features that absolutely must be in Feature Pack 3. What’s yours?

Dallas Marks

Dallas Marks

I am an analytics and cloud architect, author, and trainer. An AWS certified blogger, SAP Mentor Alumni and co-author of the SAP Press book SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence: The Comprehensive Guide, I prefer piano keyboards over computer keyboards when not blogging or tweeting.

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24 thoughts on “Ten Features That Absolutely Must Be in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3”

  1. Great post Dallas. I haven’t thought about what makes my top 10 per se, but here is a few more:
    – Provide sort in the interactive viewer – don’t force users into Design mode.
    – With linked universes gone, still need a way to provide common dimensions consumable by multiple universes
    – Make the activity universe part of install – in fact, where did it go at all? Real-time monitoring nicely improved but admins need historical too.

    Regards,
    Cindi

  2. All great features that definitely should be in there. I’d also like to add:

    – more standard formats for universe objects in UNX – at the moment, there are like 4 and you can’t save new ones in the app – it’s a big step back from UNV.
    – automatically adding default query and projection aggregation functions (like sum) when you convert a dimension to a measure

    Cheers, Josh

    1. Josh,

      I’m trying hard to love the IDT but omissions like the ones you mention make it seem like somebody labeled the SP2 build while the IDT team was out on a smoke break. I hope FP3 closes some fairly obvious gaps with UDT.

  4. I’m really hoping the next iteration of the #SAP Explorer app ends up with ability to create measures and open emailed bookmarks. I’d generally hope a lot more attention is paid to the mobile experience.

  5. I’ll also second Alper – SAP ERP connectivity natively will be a huge step-up for those customers who run SAP without BW – at least as an interim measure to do operational reporting prior to a DW, whether that be BW, HANA or Sybase IQ..

    – Josh

    1. Andrea,

      Thank you for your question.

      No, I haven’t heard anything about BI Mobile and FP3. Remember that BI Mobile also supports XI 3.1 and has a release cycle independent of the rest of the BI platform.

  7. About Andrea’s question : FP3 will come with an enhanced “Explorer” called “Exploration Views” if that counts. i wonder when will the html5 version of xcelsius arrive

    1. I’am interested about BI Mobile and not Explorer.

      In BI4 platform , the BI Mobile is included on the server and i think that his release life cycle depends at release of BI4 server.

      With FP3 for BI4, i think that will be different update and enhancement but i would know if will be upgraded also the BI Mobile 4 server.

      Thanks.

      Andrea

      1. Andrea,

        Yes, you are correct about the server component. There are actually two mobile servers – the “legacy” mobile server from the old Blackberry/Symbian/Microsoft CE days and the “new” mobile server that was introduced with (I think) XI 3.1 SP3 FP3.4. I haven’t heard of any specific improvements on the server – most of them are coming on the mobile apps themselves.

        You should take your question to your SAP sales rep.

        Dallas

  8. On my list:

    If you migrate a universe from unv to unx, (and retire the old unv) all documents should automatically re-point to the new unx universe.

    1. Hayden,http://www.dallasmarks.org/blog/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form

      I’m not sure I have enough faith in the Information Design Tool’s universe conversion process to want my Web Intelligence documents automatically converted. I’d prefer to regression test each document and its SQL. That said, SAP must give its customers a utility designed specifically for this process rather than making us hurl profanity at the Query Builder.

  9. Also SAP has a liking towards Enterprise Authentication. This should be addressed in SP4

    Most organizations runs in LDAP or other security authentication. AMS teams who does the administration job are authenticated by LDAP, and not necessarily will or should log in as “Administrator”. For administration purpose – Loging by named ids is something that SAP should encourage – this keeps a transperency which AMS person did what.

    Till BI4 SP2 Patch 14 there is a tendency from SAP for using “Administrator” id, authenticated by “Enterprise”. Examples – In Upgrade Management Tool Source and Destination CMS get Autheticated by Enterprise Authentication. Another example – Infospaces can scheduled only by Enterprise Autheticated users (might be only administrators).

    This should go away. Its the job of Custom Access Level to define who can do what, and should not be dictated by SAP that administration work can handled only when you login as “Administrator” (Enterprise Authentication)

    Dallas, please share your views as well in this regards.

    Thanks in advance.

    Thanks
    Aurobindo

    1. Aurobindo,

      Thanks for writing – always great to hear from you. Your points are definitely valid. I’m working with Support Pack 4 but haven’t had time to determine if the Adminstrator user is still required in situations where the Administrator group should, but doesn’t. I guess we can always look forward to SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.1?

      Dallas

      1. Hi Dallas,

        Thanks for your reply & nicely said, particularly the last question (4.1).

        In Hindu mythology, there is something known as “Maya” … everything earthly is unreal…. Kind of “Matrix” movie concept.

        Now with a product launched around a year, and seeing so many FPs, SPs, and expecting more fixes… the Product seems to me like a “Maya”.

        Thanks
        Aurobindo

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  12. Hi Dallas: I noticed you mentioned in 4.0 BO Explorer cannot go against OLAP Universes as UNV to UNX conversion for OLAP is not supported and one cannot create UNX universes over BEx queries. What do you think is the option left for once to explore select BEx query output in that case. I know we can go against Cube or OLAP Relational Connection which can get one to SAP Multi-provider. But I want to go against BEx queries which are like pre-designed and used a lot with several Calculated and Restricted Key Figures.

    1. Rohit,

      SAP’s answer to Explorer + BEx is to use HANA. Both OLAP and UNV support is promised for BI 4.1, so we’ll have to see what the product looks like when ramp-up begins in Q2-2013.

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