Lumira & Explorer

When I’m Sixty-Four (Bit)

Lumira Splash Screen

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four (bit)?

Lennon–McCartney from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

New 64-bit engine leads SAP to sunset 32-bit Lumira Desktop

In a SAP Community Network article entitled 32-bit Lumira Desktop: Direction and Support Going Forward, SAP reveals that Lumira 1.25 (not yet released) will be the last edition of Lumira with 32-bit support.

SAP Visual Intelligence 1.0 (the original product name for what we now know as Lumira) was originally released as 64-bit. SAP Visual Intelligence 1.07 added 32-bit support based on customer feedback. I’m not surprised that SAP acted to meet customers wishes, but I was surprised that giving users, especially power users, a 64-bit operating system was such a large obstacle for SAP customers. Most of these same customers were deploying 32-bit Windows 7 on 64-bit hardware. Starting with the iPhone 5S and iOS 7, even pocket-sized smartphones sport 64-bit processors and operating systems.

SAP introduced its new “in-memory database engine”, formerly known as the much hipper “velocity engine”, in the latest 64-bit edition of Lumira Desktop, version 1.23 (see related SAP Community Network article, What’s New in SAP Lumira 1.23). The 32-bit edition of Lumira Desktop will move into its impending retirement with the older IQ-based database engine. However, Lumira has reached a point in its development where new features (on the Lumira 1.26 desktop and soon to be on the BI 4.1 server) will require this new engine.

The new in-memory database engine will soon come to the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.1 platform as an add-on, allowing visualizations created with SAP Lumira Desktop to be viewed and refreshed in the BI Launch Pad (see related SAP Community Network article, Planned Native Integration of Lumira into BI Platform Details).

Will SAP BI 4.2 Client Tools Go 64-bit?

With SAP Lumira, SAP Design Studio, and even SAP Data Services Designer already available in 64-bit editions, will SAP BI 4.2 introduce 64-bit editions of “go-forward” client tools like Crystal Reports for Enterprise, Information Design Tool, and Web Intelligence Rich Client? Or does “interoperability” in the SAP BI tool simplification diagram mean that future versions of Crystal Reports and Web Intelligence will receive an adrenaline boost and also take advantage of the in-memory database engine?

SAP BI Simplified Portfolio

At this point, nobody outside of SAP knows but I’m sure we’ll hear more details in the latter half of 2015.

Is Your Organization Ready for 64-bits?

One thing is clear. Now is the time to install 64-bit Windows on the workstations of your Business Intelligence Competency Center (BICC) team and the power users you support. Let your SAP Lumira Desktop pilot act as a catalyst in discussions with your enterprise desktop support organization. And while Microsoft is planning a 32-bit edition of its upcoming Windows 10, offer to be guinea pigs for your organization’s Windows 10 pilot, insuring that 64-bit Windows 10 will be the operating system deployed to your core constituencies.

Resources

Are you ready to go 64-bit?

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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5 thoughts on “When I’m Sixty-Four (Bit)”

  2. I sure hope the client tools go 64bit. The number of customers I have wanting to go 64bit with Office is higher than I expected. Especially with BW and HANA sources where Analysis is used heavily. But then we find out they are using Dashboards and Live Office (which should cease to be a conflict soon). Oh and it would sure be nice to only have to setup a single ODBC connection. I’ve toyed with recommending JDBC instead.

    How’s the Lumira Server BIP testing going for you? I noticed you in the list. Just wrapping up my Wave 2 installs today.

    1. Chris,

      I didn’t give any thought to the Microsoft Excel plug-ins, Analysis and Live Office. Going 64-bit with Microsoft Office has several caveats (more than I expected), which Microsoft explains here.

      Lumira Server BIP testing is coming along. I understand why it’s an add-on but hope it’s integrated into the master BI 4.2 installation.

      Regards,
      Dallas

  3. At Jamie: yep 32-bit release as useful as an Apple version of Lumira desktop would be.

    1. Actually I could see a use for an Apple version or at least a Java version although there are so many other things that should go on the top of the priority list, in my opinion of course. I could work with a Java version for users on OSes other than Windows. Believe it or not, as a consultant I see about 10-15% of my customers working on Macs and maybe 2-3% using Linux. They would all love a native tool option vs having to go the VM or Parallels route. Those who are SAP ERP customers like the Java version of SAPGUI.

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