HANA...

My first question when I into the diagram below is will HANA be able to replace the SAP BI (backend)? In my opinion, after going though some articles by Thomas Zurek , I do have the impression that the future data modelling and transformation can take place in the database-level modelling tool .In one of  the talk on HANA by Daniel Rutschmann, he answered the question by saying that BW will not be replaced as there is a need of having a datawarehouse system for harmonization and consolidation purposes, eg. to consolidate data from more than one ERP system in a company (But bear in mind, any multinational company out there will surely put aside a big budget to cut down cost of operation and to standardize the process through convergence of all the ERP systems into one single instance). John Appleby says 'No', with one of the reason being the business content (But it won't be a surprise that SAP is starting to look at building HANA around the business suites).

This is an interesting forum that discuss some of the confusion and in this clip, you can see how well SAP BO integrate directly with SAP HANA. This is also an interesting technical step by step document that demonstrate how a variable is applied in HANA modelling.

SAP HANA Overview and Roadmap 

 

Big Changes in SAP BI with the new acquisitions

We have all heard of SAP acquisition of BO,Outlooksoft and HANA. For BO,the impact hits directly on the SAP Bex frontend tools as it will replace Bex query and WAD as the frontend reporting tool. But there is still a lot to work on the integration part between BI7 backend and BO in which we are still seeing Bex query as a much needed component to integrate the customer exit and authorization portion with the BI7 backend engine. Universe is still build on Bex query, and it is required for Webi and Xcelsius via QAAWS to read the dataset.But in BO4, the universe layer is eliminated, as in the Bex query integrate directly with Webi and Xcelsius. Before BO acquisition, SAP never has a true dashboard tool and this position Xcelsius as the strategic dashboard tool for SAP.

As for acquisition of Outlooksoft, SAP has already build a strong integration of the new BPC tool with the netweaver platform. BPC will be a poweful budgeting and consolidation tool that leverage on excel and netweaver platform. But a lot of customers on BI-IP and SEM-BCS are quite reluctant to transition their existing budgeting and consolidation tool as that would merely means a whole new setup and deployment in the wide organization. There is not any direct linkage between BI-IP, SEM-BCS and BPC. They are completely different tools altogether, meaning there isn't any real transition, it means replacement.

It took quite a while for HANA to evolve when SAP bought over Transactions In Memory. But ever since BO acquisition and cost of hardware storage become more affordable,the future of SAP BI is starting to piece all the new products acquisition into picture as we are now seeing HANA to tap into huge volumes of detailed information directly to access real time data. HANA is expected to include BICS,SQL and MDX interfaces, meaning that it can be easily dropped into BO environments to dramatically improve performance. Some BO analyses, whether in the BO web client interface or in Advanced Analysis can achieve optimized reporting capability through HANA.

Many BW consultants are in pressure to move into BOBJ and HANA platform so to catch up with the desired skillsets in the future job demand. Some of the info in the links below provide some clarity on the whole transition from SAP Bex to BO as well as the positioning of HANA and the BW backend.

Business Objects vs. BEX
Is upgrading to SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 right for you?
SAP BI roadmap one year later: How's Business Objects working out for SAP BI customers?
Customers express hopes for, concerns about SAP BusinessObjects 4.0
What to do with BEx tools in a BOBJ world?
SAP: Don't rush from SAP BEx tools to SAP BusinessObjects
HANA and BW 7.30
SAP HANA Overview & Roadmap
Will HANA eliminate the need for BW? 
Why SAP HANA should start replacing SAP BW?

When it comes to in memory data modelling, this is the part I am a bit confuse. How is SAP going to integrate and maximize the features of SAP BODS and Hana Studio.

We have also heard of  Rapid Application Development. The objective of such tool is to enable customer to deliver something fast within the company's budget. The tool is bundled into most of the stuffs the user can use out of the box with some configuration on the master data and authorization being the biggest chunk of work there is. A good example is the SRM BI module called Spend Performance Management. The dashboards and reports are made available in the package and data is retrive directly from the ERP via Data Integrator. Now, that put SAP BW closer to the space of legacy tools.

SAP BI-BO-BPC-Xcelsius Integration

Recently I came across a reporting requirement to develop an Xcelsius dashboard that contain data  from BPC reporting.The first thing that came across my mind is the integration point and the single version of truth in terms of the final results and formulas applied in BPC.We can connect Xcelsius to the BPC Applications via the universe using QAAWS or we can opt for the EPM connector that leverage on the Extended Analytics.For the later approach, be careful that the Extended Analytics and the EPM connector wil only work in Xcelsius if the Service Pack level for the ODBO driver is the same as the Extended Analytics. Else you may encounter issue using 'getreportdefinition' command in the Extended Analytics or connecting to the BPC server via EPM connector.

Another thing to consider is the SSO, if your BPC has domain login and BO server has SAP logon, there is no way you can skip the BPC domain logon prompt when you refresh the data from Extended Analytics.Using the Extended Analytics and EPM approach,we can use the Custom Member feature to apply the MDX formula to derive any calculated field.

Another thing that came across my mind is the single client tool that the organization has to strategically deploy across for all reporting users. For example if consolidation and budgeting is build on the BPC platform, it is just logical that the reporting on group console and budgeting reports are done from Extended Analytics which enable user to read the BPC data structure rather than start building Webi or Bex reports out of BPC applications due to the differences in BW and BPC structure. Furthermore  BPC v10 client can read both BPC and BW structures.

In regards of Xcelsius, finance dashboard can be build from the EPM connector interface and other reports such as PTP or OTC reporting via the universe from QAAS. In BO4, universe layer is not required anymore to read from Bex query. Instead there is Advanced Analysis (embedded in Excel engine) that has direct connectivity to SAP BW backend system and Bex query.Xcelsius can consume data displayed in Advanced Analysis via BICS (BI Consumer Services). Just take note that Advaced Analysis (as well as Explorer) does not come in BO Starter Package licence.

Outsourcing BW and BI – When Does it Make Sense?

Stumbled upon this article today discussing on the outsource reality that hits BI.

Early positioning of organizational change management during your implementation process

In reality, supporting a BI solutions in BAU mode can be challenging not only because there are no documentation or insufficient knowledge transition but there are many important points that were only known by the project consultants which  were not possible to be knowledge transferred or documented fully at the end of the project milestone.A lot of times, the issue is only discovered when the report is showing inaccurate data or process chain fails. This can happen if a working solution is not robust enough to handle different type of future changes and scenarios.Hence it is important for a professional project consultant to document and highlights areas of common maintenance required, known bugs and customized/hardcoded method applied during the implementation process. To ensure the smoothness of handover, this has to be reviewed and updated periodically during the implementation phase and not only at the stage of near completion as what most of the project practices. This is to ensure a complete understanding of the solution and a proactive working partnership between the project and the clients/support. Some of the crucial points that can be covered in this area:

• customized abap program to lookup mapping values or selection of period filtering
• deletion selection in the process chain
• process chain failure root cause
• possible enhancement area in the transformation logic (any hardcoded values that can changed or added in future)
• impact of changing a web template or query objects to the other items in same template
• shared datasources and infoobjects and the dependency 
• any customized objects sits on erp/feed system 
• which master data attributes required to be maintained when new assignment is added
• roles and authorization matrix (usually liase with S&A and Portal team)

Bye to CO-PA BW backend and welcome CO-PA HANA?

Read the full article here.

Production Support Project TCODE

The consultant is required to have access to the following transactions in R3 :

1. ST22 
2. SM37 
3. SM58 
4. SM51 
5. RSA7 
6. RSA3
7. RSA6
8. SM13
9. SE16
10. RSO2

Depending on needs:

1. SP01
2. DB02
3. SM14
4. SUIM
5. SM01

Authorizations for the following transactions are required in BW:

1. 1. RSA1 
2. 2. SM37 
3. 3. ST22 
4. 4. ST04 
5. 5. SE38 
6. 6. SE37 
7. 7. SM12 
8. 8. RSKC 
9. 9. SM51 
10. 10. RSRV 
11. 11. RSMO

Query Design Tips for Performance

• Use filters - use as many as possible to reduce amount of data need to read from source
• Use the 0infoprov in query restriction if data model is designed in a multiprovider that contain data segregated by same definition for each Infocube
• Avoid using condition and exception
• Use free characteristics - use as few as possible
• Use restricted key figure with care - generate more complex sql
• Use more than one structure with care
• Characteristics/Navigational attribute are more efficient than hierarchies
• Avoid complex queries - consider RRI to offer analysis path rather than define queries showing everything in the infoprovider
• Check the Use Selection of Structure Elements option

*While filters are evaluated by the database, conditions and exceptions are usually 
evaluated by the application server resulting in a much larger volume of data being transferred between both servers.

Some throw in for BI Whitepaper titles

1) IT Globalization impacts to BI and ERP
2) ERP convergence impacts to existing BI landscapes
3) Global template architecture and its feasibility in long run and local change management
4) The handshake relationship between BI and its feed partners - APO, SRM,CRM, ERP
5) Master Data Management gearing up towards ERP convergence
6) Reaping benefits from Consolidated Financial Reporting
7) How BI plays its role in bridging the gap between a fragmented business entities and Global Enterprise Model

Dimension attribute, navigational attribute or display attribute?

When modeling the infocube, the decision to include the infoobject in the dimension object itself or either as a navigational or display attribute is influenced by
1) slowly changing dimension/historical data view
2) cleanliness of the master data

Display attributes values are stored in the dimension table itself and it has its advantage such as data will reflect data from the historical-truth perspective.The disadvantage is the data in the infocube has to be reloaded if there is unclean or changed of master data assignment to the value of the infoobject which happen quite frequently in a global alignment environment. If the impact of truncating the infocube and reload is too high, a new infoobject that refers to the same business object may be introduce to replace the one with unclean master data. The later one may be labelled as 'no longer in use'.

Navigational attribute values are not stored in the dimension table but in the attribute table of the characteristic used in the infocube. Any changes to the attribute value assignment of the infoobject does not require the realignment of infocube. It may however require realignment of the aggregate containing the navigational attribute. If the infoobject and its attribute values are used in hierarchy , the hierarchy may required to be drop before the attribute value can be changed.

If the value is stored as a display attribute, any changes on the value of the attribute of the infoobject won't impact the data in the infocube as the display attribute is not stored as SID in the dimension table.Display attribute does not support drill down reporting and it can only be displayed in the report.

Either it's navigational or display attribute, the report will always refer to the current value in the master data and modelling the infocube with this approach does not support historical-truth.

Common questions posted during handover

1) How do we manage the number of records in error stacks?
2) Identify owner of mapping and filter tables
3) Test on unit and currency conversion done?
4) Data release mechanism tested?
5) Yearly process chain or mechanism (such as balance brought forward) tested?
6) Any master data issue and escalation process?
7) Cleaning up of obsolete objects?

Intercompany Elimination - how BI helps to reduce manual workload

When preparing or combining consolidated balance sheet,routine manual finance task is required to deduct the intercompany items between a parent and its subsidiary. This can be done either through manual adjustment (by manual entries) or through dummy account posting.

However, there is a feature in BI that allows this deduction to be done automatically. It uses the elimination feature in the key figure infoobject (SAP reference). The elimination is by each characteristic pairs or done via start routine in the transformation for a more complex approach such as elimination at parent-child level (Intercompany elimination). The elimination figures is calculated in a separate flow and consolidated in the financial multiprovider for reporting.In a global environment, the different regions must have the standard and consistent master data that is referred to during the elimination such product (SKU) , selling business unit and buying business unit.

The business rules behind intercompany elimination:
1) IC sales -done as soon as data available in BI(dynamic) for the following account:

• Internal Net Turnover
• Bought in Goods
• Primary Supply Chain Cost

2) IC margin -done monthly
3) Profit in stock (involve IC margin and sales volume) - done monthly.Eg:

• 6 month rolling IC margin in June will be based on Jan-June IC Margin / Jan-June IC Sales volume
• 6 month rolling IC margin in July will be based on Feb-July IC Margin / Feb-July IC Sales volume

4) There are 2 types of elimination:

• Intracompany Elimination

BI will eliminate when the BU/Entity has an identical corresponding Partner BU/ Partner Entity

• Intercompany Elimination

BI will eliminate when the BU/Entity and the corresponding Partner BU/ Partner Entity
belong to the same level of the market hierarchy (eg. same End Market, Cluster, Zone, Area or Region)