Reporting and Analytics with SAP BusinessObjects 2nd Edition (H3191)

Description

* Learn about the capabilities of the different reporting and analysis tools from SAP BusinessObjects

* Determine which tool is the right choice for your business intelligence needs

* Build your first report with each of the SAP BusinessObjects products

This book tells you everything you always wanted to know about getting started with the SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (BI) tools. What are the different capabilities of each tool? How should you choose one over another? How do you build your first report in each tool? If you want to understand what the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform can do for you, look no further. This book is your first step.

Reporting and Analysis Business Requirements

Explore the basic business requirements for financial, sales, HR, and management analysis, and learn how each SAP BusinessObjects tool meets, or doesn't meet, these requirements.

Building Your First Report

Dive into the details: Get step-by-step instructions and detailed screenshots for building your first report with each of the SAP BusinessObjects BI tools.

Best Practices

Ensure that you get the most for your time and money by learning the best practices for working with SAP BusinessObjects BI tools.

Changes in SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 FP3

Stay up to date on the latest changes in SAP BusinessObjects 4.0, including feature pack 3, such as the introduction of the BI launch pad and BI workspaces.

Future Outlook

Get a sneak peek at what SAP is working on for future releases of the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform.

Highlights

* SAP Crystal Reports

* SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence

* SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards

* SAP BusinessObjects Analysis

* SAP BusinessObjects Explorer

* SAP BusinessObjects Live Office

* BI workspaces

* BI launch pad

CONTENTS:

... Introduction ... 13

1 ... Introduction to the SAP BusinessObjects Reporting and Analysis Tools ... 19

1.1 ... Overview of the SAP BusinessObjects Tools ... 19

1.1.1 ... Reporting - SAP Crystal Reports ... 20

1.1.2 ... Dashboards and Visualization - SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards ... 22

1.1.3 ... Interactive Analysis - SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 24

1.1.4 ... Analysis - SAP BusinessObjects Analysis ... 26

1.1.5 ... Data Exploration - SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 27

1.2 ... Other Capabilities of the SAP BusinessObjects Tools ... 28

1.2.1 ... SAP BusinessObjects BI and Microsoft Office ... 28

1.2.2 ... SAP BusinessObjects BI and Mobility ... 30

1.3 ... Summary ... 30

2 ... Customer Requirements and Usage Scenarios ... 31

2.1 ... General Guidelines for Establishing Business Requirements ... 31

2.2 ... Matching Business Requirements to BI Products ... 33

2.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 33

2.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 35

2.2.3 ... Human Resources (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 36

2.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 36

2.3 ... Mapping SAP BusinessObjects BI Tools to Capabilities ... 37

2.4 ... Mapping SAP BusinessObjects Tools to the Audience ... 42

2.5 ... Summary ... 48

3 ... The Role of the Semantic Layer ... 49

3.1 ... Semantic Layer Technology ... 49

3.2 ... Data Connectivity Options for SAP Systems ... 53

3.3 ... Recommendations for Semantic Layer Usage ... 55

3.4 ... Summary ... 56

4 ... Enterprise Reporting with SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise ... 57

4.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity ... 57

4.2 ... Assessing the Business Requirements ... 62

4.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 63

4.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 63

4.2.3 ... Human Resources (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 64

4.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 65

4.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 65

4.3.1 ... SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise Designer Environment ... 66

4.3.2 ... Data Explorer ... 69

4.3.3 ... Establishing a Connection to SAP NetWeaver BW ... 70

4.3.4 ... Groupings ... 78

4.3.5 ... Section Expert ... 80

4.3.6 ... Conditional Formatting ... 81

4.3.7 ... Saving to SAP BusinessObjects ... 86

4.4 ... Building a Report for Financial Analysis ... 87

4.5 ... Building a Report for HR Analysis ... 101

4.6 ... Summary ... 118

5 ... Interactive Analysis with SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 119

5.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity ... 119

5.2 ... Assessing the Business Requirements ... 124

5.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 124

5.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 126

5.2.3 ... Human Resource (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 126

5.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 127

5.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 128

5.3.1 ... Creating Your First Report ... 128

5.3.2 ... Using Filters ... 141

5.3.3 ... Arranging Objects ... 147

5.3.4 ... Using Breaks, Sections, and Summaries ... 151

5.4 ... Building a Report for Sales Analysis ... 154

5.5 ... Building a Report for Financial Analysis ... 170

5.6 ... Summary ... 179

6 ... Dashboarding and Data Visualization with SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards ... 181

6.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity ... 181

6.2 ... Assessment of Business Requirements ... 189

6.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 189

6.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 190

6.2.3 ... Human Resources (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 192

6.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 192

6.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 193

6.3.1 ... SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Designer Overview ... 193

6.3.2 ... Setting Up Your Environment ... 195

6.3.3 ... Role of Microsoft Excel ... 198

6.3.4 ... Common Look and Feel ... 199

6.3.5 ... Creating Your First Dashboard ... 200

6.4 ... Building a Dashboard for Sales Planning ... 224

6.5 ... Summary ... 250

7 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office ... 251

7.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity ... 251

7.2 ... Assessing the Business Requirements ... 256

7.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 256

7.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 257

7.2.3 ... Human Resources (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 258

7.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 258

7.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 259

7.4 ... Building a Workbook for Financial Analysis ... 272

7.5 ... Building a Workbook for Sales Analysis ... 284

7.6 ... Summary ... 295

8 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, Edition for OLAP ... 297

8.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity ... 297

8.2 ... Assessing the Business Requirements ... 302

8.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 302

8.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 303

8.2.3 ... Human Resources (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 304

8.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 304

8.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 305

8.4 ... Building a Workbook for Financial Analysis ... 317

8.5 ... Building a Workbook for Sales Analysis ... 327

8.6 ... Summary ... 338

9 ... Data Exploration and Searching with SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 339

9.1 ... SAP Data Connectivity for SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 339

9.2 ... Assessing the Business Requirements ... 344

9.2.1 ... Financial Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 344

9.2.2 ... Sales Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 345

9.2.3 ... Human Resource (HR) Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 346

9.2.4 ... C-Level Management and Leadership Reporting and Analysis Requirements ... 346

9.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 347

9.4 ... Creating an Information Space for Sales Analysis ... 368

9.5 ... Summary ... 383

10 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Live Office ... 385

10.1 ... SAP BusinessObjects Live Office Configuration ... 385

10.2 ... SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform Content and Microsoft Office ... 387

10.3 ... Introduction to the Tool ... 388

10.3.1 ... SAP BusinessObjects Live Office Environment ... 388

10.3.2 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Live Office and Microsoft Excel ... 391

10.3.3 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Live Office and Microsoft PowerPoint ... 404

10.3.4 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Live Office and Microsoft Outlook ... 404

10.3.5 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects Live Office and SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 410

10.4 ... Summary ... 419

11 ... Using SAP BusinessObjects BI Workspaces ... 421

11.1 ... Overview ... 421

11.2 ... Creating Content for Your First SAP BusinessObjects BI Workspace ... 427

11.3 ... Creating Your First BI Workspace ... 440

11.4 ... Summary ... 447

12 ... Navigating the BI Launch Pad ... 449

12.1 ... User Authentication ... 449

12.2 ... User Interface (UI) Overview ... 452

12.3 ... Folders and Categories ... 455

12.4 ... Using Search in the BI Launch Pad ... 456

12.5 ... Configuring User Preferences ... 462

12.6 ... Summary ... 467

13 ... Best Practices and Tips and Tricks for SAP BusinessObjects BI Tools ... 469

13.1 ... Selection of the Right Tool ... 469

13.2 ... SAP NetWeaver BEx Query Design ... 470

13.2.1 ... Relationship: BEx Query and Report ... 470

13.2.2 ... Elements of an SAP NetWeaver BEx Query ... 471

13.2.3 ... Using Variables in a BE Query ... 473

13.2.4 ... Display Relevant Settings ... 473

13.3 ... Data Connectivity ... 475

13.4 ... User Security ... 478

13.5 ... Performance Considerations ... 479

13.6 ... Known Limitations ... 481

13.7 ... Report Design Topics ... 488

13.8 ... Tracing and Troubleshooting ... 488

13.9 ... Summary ... 489

14 ... Integration Outlook ... 491

14.1 ... SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise ... 491

14.2 ... SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards ... 492

14.3 ... SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 492

14.4 ... SAP BusinessObjects Analysis Suite ... 492

14.5 ... SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 492

14.6 ... Semantic Layer ... 493

14.7 ... Summary ... 493

... The Author ... 495

... Index ... 497