SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP BusinessObjects: The Comprehensive Guide

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Product Details

ISBN:

978-1-59229-384-1

Author:

Loren Heilig, Torsten Kessler, Thilo Knötzele, Peter John, and Karin Thaler-Mieslinger

Type:

Hardcover, 782 pages

Year:

2011

Product Description and Table of Contents

• The complete guide to business intelligence with SAP
• Learn everything you need to know about data warehousing and reporting with SAP
• Covers data modeling, data collection, administration, and more

Finally—the entire world of business intelligence in SAP comes in one volume! This comprehensive guide covers the full spectrum of SAP solutions for BI: both SAP NetWeaver 7.3 and SAP BusinessObjects 4.x. In this book, you’ll learn everything you need to know regarding data modeling and retrieval, optimal use of reporting tools from SAP (BEx and BusinessObjects), and the essential updates in the new SAP NetWeaver release.

BI in the Enterprise
Learn how to plan your BI strategy and which special features you should keep in mind for your BI project.

Backend
Find everything you need to know about essential topics in data warehousing: data modeling, extraction, administration, and authorization.

Frontend
Explore the entire portfolio of reporting: SAP Business Explorer (BEx), SAP Crystal Reports, SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, and SAP BusinessObjects Analysis.

Consolidation and Planning
Discover the most important tools based on SAP NetWeaver BW, such as BW Integrated Planning and the consolidation solution, SEM-BCS.

Practical Information
Examine the most important administration issues in a way that’s both understandable and practical (based on the current releases: SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3 and SAP BusinessObjects 4.x).

Highlights

• BI in the enterprise
• Data modeling
• ETL
• Administration
• Permissions
• SAP Business Explorer
• SAP BusinessObjects Analysis
• SAP Crystal Reports
• SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius)
• SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
• SAP BusinessObjects Explorer
• SAP BusinessObjects BI platform
• BW integrated planning
• SAP SEM-BCS

The Authors

Led by Loren Heilig, the authors of this book are BI experts with years of experience in SAP.

... Introduction ... 21
PART I ... Business Intelligence Fundamentals ... 29
1 ... Business Intelligence in the Enterprise ... 31
1.1 ... What is Business Intelligence? ... 31
1.2 ... Layer Model of the BI Architecture ... 33
1.3 ... User Groups in the Enterprise ... 35
1.4 ... Data Warehousing ... 36
1.4.1 ... What Is a Data Warehouse? ... 37
1.4.2 ... Architecture of a Data Warehouse ... 38
1.5 ... Data Staging ... 39
1.5.1 ... Data Acquisition Layer ... 40
1.5.2 ... Quality and Harmonization Layer ... 40
1.5.3 ... Data Propagation Layer ... 41
1.5.4 ... Business Transformation Layer ... 41
1.5.5 ... Reporting Layer ... 42
1.6 ... Online Analytical Processing ... 42
1.6.1 ... Multidimensional Dataspaces ... 43
1.6.2 ... Extended Star Schema in SAP NetWeaver BW ... 47
1.6.3 ... Structure Anomalies ... 48
1.6.4 ... Data Retention ... 50
1.6.5 ... Usage Areas of Multidimensional Data Structures ... 51
1.6.6 ... Presentation and Navigation ... 51
1.7 ... Business Reporting ... 52
1.7.1 ... Report System Types ... 53
1.7.2 ... Periodic Reporting ... 54
1.7.3 ... Aperiodic Reporting ... 55
1.7.4 ... Ad-Hoc Reporting ... 56
1.7.5 ... Report Design ... 56
2 ... Overview of SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3 and SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 ... 59
2.1 ... Overview ... 60
2.2 ... Main BI Terms ... 61
2.2.1 ... Business Intelligence ... 63
2.2.2 ... Data Warehousing ... 67
2.2.3 ... Enterprise Performance Management ... 68
2.2.4 ... Enterprise Information Management ... 70
2.2.5 ... Comparison of Former and New Terms ... 72
2.3 ... New Features in SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3 ... 73
2.3.1 ... InfoObjects ... 74
2.3.2 ... DataStore Object ... 74
2.3.3 ... InfoProviders ... 75
2.3.4 ... Nearline Storage ... 75
2.3.5 ... Data Flow ... 75
2.3.6 ... Extraction ... 76
2.3.7 ... Authorizations ... 76
2.3.8 ... BW Integrated Planning ... 77
2.3.9 ... SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator and SAP HANA ... 77
2.4 ... New Features in SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 ... 78
2.4.1 ... New Semantic Layer ... 78
2.4.2 ... SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards ... 79
2.4.3 ... SAP Crystal Reports ... 79
2.4.4 ... SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 80
2.5 ... Using SAP NetWeaver BW 7.3 and SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 Together ... 80
2.6 ... Data Modeling ... 82
2.6.1 ... Data Warehousing Workbench ... 83
2.6.2 ... DataStore Objects ... 88
2.6.3 ... InfoProviders ... 90
2.6.4 ... Aggregates ... 94
2.6.5 ... SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator ... 95
2.7 ... Data Staging ... 96
2.7.1 ... Creating DataSources ... 97
2.7.2 ... Creating Data Flows ... 97
2.7.3 ... Transformations ... 98
2.7.4 ... InfoPackages ... 99
2.7.5 ... Data Transfer Process ... 99
2.8 ... Extraction ... 99
2.8.1 ... Source Systems ... 100
2.8.2 ... Extraction from Systems of the SAP Business Suite ... 101
2.8.3 ... Extraction from Non-SAP Systems ... 101
2.8.4 ... SAP BusinessObjects Data Services as an ETL Tool ... 102
2.9 ... Administration of the BW System ... 103
2.9.1 ... Process Chains ... 103
2.9.2 ... Monitoring ... 103
2.9.3 ... Transport System ... 104
2.9.4 ... Analysis Process Designer ... 104
2.9.5 ... BW Administration Cockpit ... 105
2.10 ... Analyses (Reporting) ... 105
2.10.1 ... Which Tool Should I Use, and When? ... 106
2.10.2 ... BEx Query Designer ... 107
2.10.3 ... SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform ... 107
2.10.4 ... Excel-Based Analysis ... 108
2.10.5 ... Web-Based Analyses ... 109
2.10.6 ... Formatted Reporting ... 110
2.10.7 ... Dashboards and Office Integration ... 111
2.10.8 ... Mobile Applications ... 112
2.10.9 ... Roadmap for SAP NetWeaver BW 3.x and 7.x Users ... 114
2.11 ... Planning with BW Integrated Planning ... 116
2.11.1 ... Modeling Planning Applications ... 116
2.11.2 ... Designing the Planning Frontend ... 118
2.12 ... Outlook ... 120
2.12.1 ... SAP BusinessObjects ... 120
2.12.2 ... SAP HANA ... 122
PART II ... Backend ... 125
3 ... Data Modeling ... 127
3.1 ... Data Warehousing Workbench ... 128
3.1.1 ... Structure of the Work Area ... 128
3.1.2 ... Functions of the Task Area ... 130
3.1.3 ... Data Modeling Using the Data Warehousing Workbench ... 140
3.1.4 ... Best Practices for Data Modeling ... 144
3.1.5 ... Naming Conventions ... 151
3.2 ... InfoObjects ... 155
3.2.1 ... Creating Characteristics and Key Figures ... 155
3.2.2 ... General Settings for the Characteristic ... 158
3.2.3 ... Business Explorer Settings for the Characteristic ... 160
3.2.4 ... Characteristic Settings for Master Data and Texts ... 165
3.2.5 ... Attributes in Characteristics ... 169
3.2.6 ... Hierarchies in Characteristics ... 171
3.2.7 ... Time Dependency ... 179
3.2.8 ... Compounding ... 181
3.2.9 ... Document Storage ... 183
3.2.10 ... Geo-Coding for Preparing Map Presentations ... 183
3.2.11 ... Characteristics as InfoProviders ... 185
3.2.12 ... General Settings for the Key Figure ... 186
3.2.13 ... Aggregation of Key Figures ... 187
3.2.14 ... Additional Settings for Key Figures ... 192
3.2.15 ... Special InfoObjects: Units and Time ... 193
3.2.16 ... Best Practices for Maintaining InfoObjects ... 195
3.3 ... DataStore Objects ... 198
3.3.1 ... DataStore Objects in the Data Warehousing Architecture ... 198
3.3.2 ... Standard DSOs ... 202
3.3.3 ... Write-Optimized DSOs ... 209
3.3.4 ... DSOs for Direct Update ... 211
3.3.5 ... Semantic DSOs ... 212
3.3.6 ... Administration and Performance ... 217
3.4 ... InfoCubes ... 221
3.4.1 ... InfoCubes in the Data Warehousing Architecture ... 221
3.4.2 ... Standard InfoCube ... 224
3.4.3 ... Real Time-Enabled InfoCube ... 230
3.4.4 ... Semantic InfoCube ... 232
3.4.5 ... Performance and Administration ... 233
3.4.6 ... Remodeling Tool ... 235
3.4.7 ... (Re)partitioning and (Re)clustering ... 239
3.5 ... Special InfoProviders ... 240
3.5.1 ... Special Data Targets in the Data Warehousing Architecture ... 240
3.5.2 ... MultiProviders ... 242
3.5.3 ... InfoSet ... 247
3.5.4 ... VirtualProviders ... 253
3.5.5 ... HybridProviders ... 256
3.6 ... Aggregates and BW Accelerator ... 259
3.6.1 ... Aggregates in the Data Warehousing Architecture ... 259
3.6.2 ... Creating Aggregates ... 260
3.6.3 ... Using Aggregates ... 264
3.6.4 ... BW Accelerator ... 265
3.7 ... Data Flow ... 267
3.7.1 ... Procedure Model for Data Flow Generation ... 267
3.7.2 ... DataSources ... 273
3.7.3 ... InfoSources ... 279
3.7.4 ... Open Hub Destinations ... 280
3.7.5 ... Transformations ... 281
3.7.6 ... Programming Transformation Routines ... 290
3.7.7 ... Migrating Data Flows from 3.x Systems ... 294
3.8 ... Load Processes ... 296
3.8.1 ... InfoPackages and PSA ... 296
3.8.2 ... Data Transfer Processes ... 303
3.8.3 ... Process Chains ... 309
3.9 ... Report-Report Interface ... 310
4 ... Extraction ... 315
4.1 ... DataSource ... 316
4.2 ... Extraction from SAP Source Systems ... 317
4.2.1 ... Extraction of Business Content ... 319
4.2.2 ... Generic Extraction from SAP Systems ... 324
4.3 ... Extraction from Non-SAP Systems ... 327
4.3.1 ... DB Connect ... 327
4.3.2 ... Universal Data Integration ... 329
4.3.3 ... Web Service ... 331
4.4 ... Extraction with SAP BusinessObjects Data Services ... 334
4.4.1 ... Overview ... 334
4.4.2 ... Graphic Modeling of Data Flows ... 335
4.4.3 ... Data Sources ... 336
4.4.4 ... Transformations ... 337
4.5 ... Integration of SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP BusinessObjects Data Services ... 339
4.6 ... Delta Capability ... 341
4.6.1 ... Delta Queue ... 343
4.6.2 ... Delta Procedure, Delta Mode, and Update Mode ... 344
4.6.3 ... Delta Processing in the BW System ... 346
5 ... Administration ... 349
5.1 ... Data Supply ... 349
5.2 ... InfoPackages ... 353
5.3 ... Process Chains ... 356
5.3.1 ... Overview ... 357
5.3.2 ... Creating Process Chains ... 358
5.3.3 ... Process Types in a Process Chain ... 359
5.3.4 ... Process Categories ... 361
5.4 ... System Monitoring ... 364
5.4.1 ... BW CCMS ... 365
5.4.2 ... Data Load Monitor ... 365
5.4.3 ... Attribute Change Run Monitor ... 369
5.4.4 ... System Load Monitor ... 370
5.5 ... Transport System ... 372
5.5.1 ... BW Object Version Management ... 372
5.5.2 ... General Transport Procedure in BW ... 373
5.5.3 ... Transport Connection in the Data Warehousing Workbench ... 375
5.5.4 ... Special Features of BEx Elements ... 379
6 ... Authorizations ... 381
6.1 ... Transaction Authorizations ... 382
6.1.1 ... Separation of Backend and Reporting ... 382
6.1.2 ... New Objects in SAP NetWeaver BW 7.30 ... 383
6.1.3 ... Roles in BW ... 383
6.2 ... Analysis Authorizations ... 384
6.2.1 ... Fundamentals ... 385
6.2.2 ... Barrier Principle ... 386
6.2.3 ... Authorization Management ... 387
6.2.4 ... Authorization Maintenance ... 387
6.2.5 ... Assignment to Users: Transactions RSU01 and SU01 ... 393
6.2.6 ... Mass Maintenance Transaction RSECSY ... 397
6.2.7 ... Analysis of Authorization Checks and Authorization Log ... 400
6.2.8 ... Generating Authorizations ... 403
6.2.9 ... Migrating from Release BW 3.x to BW 7.x ... 405
6.2.10 ... Migrating from Release BW 7.0 to BW 7.30 ... 406
6.3 ... Conclusion ... 407
7 ... SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform ... 409
7.1 ... Structure and Architecture ... 410
7.1.1 ... BI Launchpad: UI for End Users ... 416
7.1.2 ... Administration: Central Management Console ... 417
7.1.3 ... Transports with the Lifecycle Management Console ... 421
7.1.4 ... Transports with the Upgrade Management Tool ... 422
7.2 ... Data Providers—Common Semantic Layer and BICS ... 423
7.2.1 ... Universe Design Tool ... 424
7.2.2 ... Information Design Tool ... 427
7.2.3 ... Query as a Web Service Designer ... 432
7.2.4 ... SAP BusinessObjects Live Office ... 433
7.2.5 ... Business View Manager ... 436
7.3 ... Queries in the Clients ... 437
7.3.1 ... Result Objects ... 439
7.3.2 ... Query Filter ... 440
7.3.3 ... Data Preview ... 442
PART III ... Frontend ... 443
8 ... BEx Query Designer ... 445
8.1 ... SAP Business Explorer Suite ... 445
8.1.1 ... Tools ... 445
8.1.2 ... Interaction between BEx Components ... 447
8.2 ... BW Query ... 447
8.3 ... Structure of the BEx Query Designer ... 449
8.3.1 ... InfoProviders ... 450
8.3.2 ... Work Area ... 451
8.3.3 ... Menu and Toolbar ... 456
8.3.4 ... Properties ... 459
8.4 ... Getting Started ... 471
8.5 ... Filters ... 478
8.6 ... Structure Definition ... 482
8.7 ... Structures ... 483
8.8 ... Selection ... 486
8.9 ... Formulas ... 489
8.10 ... Calculated and Restricted Key Figures ... 493
8.11 ... Designing Variable BW Queries ... 494
8.11.1 ... BEx Variables ... 494
8.11.2 ... Pre-Queries ... 501
8.12 ... Special Functions ... 503
8.12.1 ... Local versus Global Objects ... 503
8.12.2 ... Conditions ... 504
8.12.3 ... Exceptions ... 507
8.12.4 ... Cell Definitions ... 509
8.12.5 ... Constant Selection ... 512
8.12.6 ... External Access to BW Queries ... 513
8.12.7 ... OLAP Processor ... 516
8.12.8 ... Query Monitor ... 517
9 ... General Query Navigation ... 521
9.1 ... Restricting the Value Range of a Report ... 522
9.1.1 ... Variants ... 524
9.1.2 ... Personalization ... 526
9.2 ... Navigation Options ... 527
9.2.1 ... Changing Filter Values ... 527
9.2.2 ... Filtering Key Figures ... 530
9.2.3 ... Modifying the Drilldown ... 530
9.2.4 ... Back Navigation ... 531
9.2.5 ... Saving Navigation States ... 531
9.3 ... Modifying the Display of a BEx Report ... 531
9.3.1 ... Global Settings ... 532
9.3.2 ... Settings for Characteristics ... 534
9.3.3 ... Settings for Key Figures ... 535
9.3.4 ... Saving Settings ... 535
10 ... BEx Analyzer ... 537
10.1 ... Overview ... 537
10.1.1 ... General ... 538
10.1.2 ... Architecture ... 540
10.1.3 ... Operation ... 541
10.1.4 ... Saving the Workbook ... 543
10.1.5 ... Specifying the Default Workbook ... 543
10.1.6 ... Working with Pivot Tables ... 544
10.1.7 ... Tools ... 545
10.2 ... Analysis Mode ... 546
10.2.1 ... Variable Dialog ... 548
10.2.2 ... Navigating ... 549
10.2.3 ... Adapting the Presentation ... 551
10.3 ... Design Mode ... 552
10.3.1 ... DataProvider ... 553
10.3.2 ... Design Items ... 554
10.3.3 ... Interfaces ... 558
10.3.4 ... Layout ... 559
11 ... SAP BusinessObjects Analysis ... 561
11.1 ... Overview ... 561
11.1.1 ... Report Types ... 562
11.1.2 ... Data Sources ... 562
11.2 ... Getting Started ... 563
11.2.1 ... Interface ... 563
11.2.2 ... Inserting Data ... 565
11.3 ... Functions ... 568
11.3.1 ... Prompts ... 568
11.3.2 ... Filtering ... 569
11.3.3 ... Sorting ... 571
11.3.4 ... Hierarchy ... 572
11.3.5 ... Calculations ... 573
11.3.6 ... Conditional Formatting ... 574
11.3.7 ... Members, Measures, and Totals ... 575
11.3.8 ... Charts ... 576
11.4 ... Settings ... 577
11.4.1 ... Styles ... 577
11.4.2 ... Info Fields ... 578
11.4.3 ... Macros ... 579
11.5 ... Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint ... 580
11.5.1 ... Creating a Slide from Microsoft Excel ... 580
11.5.2 ... Creating a Slide in Microsoft PowerPoint ... 581
12 ... BEx Web Analyzer ... 583
12.1 ... Overview ... 583
12.2 ... Integration with SAP NetWeaver Portal ... 585
12.3 ... Functions ... 586
12.3.1 ... Table and Graphical Display ... 586
12.3.2 ... Exceptions and Conditions ... 587
12.3.3 ... Information ... 591
12.3.4 ... Changing Variable Assignments ... 591
12.3.5 ... Export, Printing, and Broadcasting ... 591
12.3.6 ... Saving and Using Report Results ... 592
12.3.7 ... Document Functions and Comments ... 594
12.3.8 ... Modifying the Standard Web Template ... 595
13 ... BEx Web Application Designer ... 597
13.1 ... Overview ... 597
13.1.1 ... General ... 598
13.1.2 ... Architecture of a Web Template ... 600
13.1.3 ... BICS Structure ... 602
13.2 ... Structure of the BEx Web Application Designer ... 603
13.2.1 ... Operating the BEx Web Application Designer ... 605
13.2.2 ... Design Area ... 606
13.2.3 ... Web Items ... 608
13.2.4 ... Properties ... 611
13.3 ... Creating Web Templates ... 612
13.3.1 ... Layout Design ... 613
13.3.2 ... Creating the Web Template ... 614
13.3.3 ... Testing the Function of a Web Template ... 616
13.4 ... Advanced Functions ... 617
13.4.1 ... Language-Dependent Texts ... 617
13.4.2 ... Web Design API ... 619
13.4.3 ... JavaScript ... 620
13.4.4 ... Integration with SAP NetWeaver Portal ... 621
14 ... SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 623
14.1 ... Structure ... 623
14.2 ... Getting Started ... 628
14.3 ... Functions ... 630
14.3.1 ... Report Elements ... 630
14.3.2 ... Sections ... 634
14.3.3 ... Variables/Formula Fields ... 634
14.3.4 ... Filter Bar ... 636
14.4 ... Ad-Hoc Analysis ... 637
15 ... SAP Crystal Reports ... 639
15.1 ... Interface Structure ... 640
15.2 ... Getting Started ... 643
15.3 ... Filters and Parameters ... 644
15.3.1 ... Dynamic Parameters ... 646
15.3.2 ... Static Parameters ... 647
15.3.3 ... BEx Variables ... 648
15.4 ... Groupings ... 649
15.5 ... Charts ... 653
15.6 ... Subreports ... 657
15.7 ... Modified Functions ... 660
15.7.1 ... Formula Workshop ... 660
15.7.2 ... Conditional Formatting ... 661
15.7.3 ... Document Settings ... 662
16 ... SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards ... 665
16.1 ... Structure and Functions ... 665
16.2 ... Getting Started ... 671
16.3 ... Integration with SAP NetWeaver BW ... 679
16.3.1 ... Overview ... 679
16.3.2 ... Access to BW Queries ... 679
16.4 ... Components and Their Properties ... 682
16.4.1 ... Tables ... 682
16.4.2 ... Tabs ... 683
16.4.3 ... Charts ... 684
16.4.4 ... Maps ... 686
16.4.5 ... Buttons and Other Input Items ... 687
17 ... SAP BusinessObjects Explorer ... 689
17.1 ... Structure ... 689
17.2 ... Getting Started ... 691
17.2.1 ... Search ... 691
17.2.2 ... Analysis ... 691
17.2.3 ... Calculated Measures ... 692
17.2.4 ... Filtering and Sorting ... 693
17.2.5 ... Changing the Analysis Details ... 694
17.2.6 ... Table Display ... 694
17.2.7 ... Analysis Types ... 695
17.2.8 ... Export Options ... 697
17.3 ... Administration ... 698
17.3.1 ... Roles ... 699
17.3.2 ... Creating and Maintaining Information Spaces ... 699
PART IV ... Evaluations on BW Basis ... 701
18 ... BW Integrated Planning ... 703
18.1 ... Overview of the Planning Process ... 704
18.2 ... Modeling of Data Retention ... 706
18.3 ... Planning Modeling in ABAP or Java ... 707
18.3.1 ... Selecting Real Time-Enabled InfoProviders ... 708
18.3.2 ... Aggregation Levels ... 709
18.3.3 ... Restricting Aggregation Levels with a Filter ... 711
18.3.4 ... Planning Functions ... 712
18.3.5 ... Planning Sequences ... 714
18.4 ... BW Query: Creating Input Masks with the BEx Query Designer ... 714
19 ... SAP SEM-BCS ... 717
19.1 ... Overview of SAP Consolidation Solutions ... 717
19.2 ... Fields of Implementation for SAP SEM-BCS ... 719
19.2.1 ... Benefits of a Consolidated Financial Statement ... 719
19.2.2 ... Preparations for the Creation of a Financial Statement ... 720
19.2.3 ... Consolidation ... 720
19.3 ... The Concept of SAP SEM-BCS ... 722
19.3.1 ... Architecture of SAP SEM-BCS ... 722
19.3.2 ... Structure of SAP SEM-BCS ... 723
19.3.3 ... Data Model ... 725
19.3.4 ... Reporting ... 727
19.4 ... Process of Creating a Financial Statement ... 727
19.4.1 ... Supply of Company Data ... 727
19.4.2 ... Currency Translation ... 728
19.4.3 ... Consolidation Functions ... 729
19.5 ... Summary ... 733
... Appendices ... 735
A ... Abbreviations ... 737
B ... Glossary ... 741
C ... Bibliography ... 753
D ... Tables ... 755
E ... Transactions ... 759
F ... SAP Notes ... 765
F.1 ... Extraction ... 765
F.2 ... Modeling ... 766
F.3 ... VirtualProviders ... 766
F.4 ... Business Content ... 766
F.5 ... Reporting ... 767
F.6 ... BW Integrated Planning ... 767
F.7 ... SAP BusinessObjects ... 767
F.8 ... SAP NetWeaver BW in Production ... 768
G ... The Authors ... 769
... Index ... 773

Product Reviews

Showing reviews 1-4 of 10 | Next

Posted by sapelks on May 4th, 2013

It covers a lot of ground on the different BI objects and I like the fact that its written by different authors, that gives it a mixed perspective on the same overall subject.
Good for introduction purposes...

Posted by Shailesh on May 1st, 2013

I've gone through this book half way till now. Writers have made an attempt to cover everything including BW 7.3 & BO. They have included screens of important transactions & what every option does. But its in theoretical nature only. There are few errors at the begining chapters where transfer routine is mentioned in place of transformations.
Overall this book is good for beginers only who have basic level of hands. Obviously SAP BW BO topic is too hugh in case some one trying to give practical example of each & every small option. Definately not for intermediate or advance consultants who look for specific topic in detail rather than overall summary. But good to have for beginers.
best comprehensive book on the market!!!

Posted by Dr. Berg on Nov 11th, 2012

First I have to make one clarification: I say it is THE BEST BW and BusinessObjects book on the market simply because it is the most comprehensive book. This book is 795 pages of details and overview of each of the tools with practical examples and clear recommendations. Something that makes this book easily understandable and a quick read. Best of all, it clearly demonstrates that the book is not reformatted PowerPoint slides like some other BusinessObjects books. The chapters:

1. BI Fundamentals - 57 pgs
2. Overview of BW 7.3 and BI 4.0 - 70 pgs
3. Data Modeling - 188
4. Extraction - 32 pgs.
5. Administration - 30 pgs
6. Authorizations - 26 pgs.
7. SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform - 36 pgs.
8. BEx query designer - 63 pgs.
9. Query Navigation - 15 pgs.
10. BEx Analyzer - 22 pgs.
11. BusinessObjects Analysis - 20 pgs.
12. BEx Web Analyzer - 37

14. BusinessObjects WebI
15. Crystal reports
16. SAP Dashboards (Xcelsius)
17. SAP BO explorer

This is 77 pages of to-the-point tools overview with good examples.

18. Integrated Planning - 13 pgs.
19. SAP SEM BCS - 17 pgs.
A good book that I assigned to my students at the SAP University alliance
Non Technical Book

Posted by Harry on Oct 7th, 2012

I ordered for this book and was a bit disappointed
The Front page of this book says :
"everything you need to know about DW and SAP reporting" .....I'm afraid that this is not correct!
This book doesn't cover everything you need to know about BW and SAP reporting. Its just a comprehensive guide. No BW technical information.