It has been over a year since the first installable versions of SAP BusinessObjects 4.3 were released, which provided massive visual enhancements, a simplified WebI interface, a harmonized look and feel, and tighter integration with SAP Analytics Cloud. However, these improvements were not enough for many customers, who had been reluctant to upgrade or migrate during 2021, meaning older versions are still in common use.
Con el comienzo de un nuevo año y el anuncio de la actualización de esta versión más reciente, algunas características clave que faltaban finalmente han sido reintroducidas. Además, sorprendentemente, hay una colección de nuevas funciones que impulsarán la capacidad, la facilidad de uso y la productividad de los usuarios de esta versión a un nivel mucho más alto que el que han experimentado anteriormente.
Puntos clave
For those still using earlier versions of SAP BusinessObjects (SAP BO), the key elements already released in 4.3 were, briefly, the HTML Fiori look and feel, a simplified WebI interface, and the Live Data Connector with SAP Analytics Cloud, which were already described in a previous article here. However, the latest version, which has been released recently, constitutes the first version to be put into production that includes the following long-awaited additional features:
Compatibility with Cloud Drive – With many installations already located in the cloud, being able to consume or distribute data stored in cloud files becomes a necessity. Here, SAP proposes to use Google Drive for now, with more providers coming in the future. Authorization and authentication are done via OAuth and OpenID, providing end-to-end SSO, which also works with Snowflake.
WebIntelligence OData Web Services: Information from a platform query or query block (ie, a static table) can be exposed for consumption internally (from another WebI document) or externally from any third-party external tool via of the standard OData protocol, covering the gap left by the disappearance of Web Services/QaaWS. This will leave the Live Office product in a redundant position and therefore likely to be superseded by this emerging protocol.
New functions for WebIntelligence: the most interesting improvements are:
Presentation Mode: Provides dynamic and refreshable displays for demo displays.
Unified Query Panel: Universal use of objects and conditions for all font types in the query area and object properties that are managed in the document area.
Show and hide tabs: dynamically based on the value of your data.
Selectores de datos mejorados y más utilizables.
Un editor de fórmulas mejorado con más espacio y mejor uso del color.
WebI features that are back: Some features that were missing in SAP BO 4.3 release for some customers to green light the upgrade are:
Shared elements, that is, WebI elements built once and reused in many WebI documents.
Local files as source, using MS Excel or external TXT files with manually processed data.
Congelar paneles, introducido por primera vez en 4.2.
Re-introduction of WebI extensions: with additional JavaScript API support, providing:
Continuidad para complementos pagos como los mapas geográficos de Galigeo.
Need4viz freemium, un complemento actualmente gratuito que mejora WebI con exploración y visualización de datos. Esta es una buena opción para los que extrañan a Lumira y aún no están en SAC.
Compatibility with Private Cloud Edition (PCE), which opens a new path to the cloud in a new license model where SAP hosts the SW and OS and takes care of HW and updates. This will extend support beyond 2027 which is indefinite for now.
Conclusiones
SAP remains strongly committed to investing in the local Business Intelligence (BI) suite and Web Intelligence remains the most widely used reporting tool. It has acquired a harmonized appearance and improved user experience, putting it in a strong position compared to its direct competitors.
Los planes para el futuro incluyen continuar integrando la plataforma en el nuevo mundo de plataformas en la nube, como MS Drive, Sharepoint y bases de datos en la nube, brindando mayores capacidades de administración de datos en WebI Intelligence e impulsando una mejor usabilidad al enfocarse en las ideas y solicitudes de los usuarios.
Antes de planificar su migración a esta última versión, verifique los posibles problemas con la versión cero que se lanzó el 21 de diciembre. Si uno de los siguientes escenarios se aplica a su organización, le recomendamos que se asegure de que exista un plan de corrección antes de actualizar:
Versión 4.2 SP3 o anterior
Contenido de Design Studio o Lumira Designer
WebI además de fuentes de Free Hand SQL