SAP BusinessObjects BI Release Plan Update

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Oct 072011
 

The following information is related to recent updates to the SAP BusinessObjects BI release plan.

What’s new in the BI release plan?
With the recent GA of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0, we are updating our BI release plan. Instead of releasing both BI 4.0 SP3 and BI 4.1, we will now deliver one release consisting of:

  • BI 4.0 SP3 customer fixes
  • The new product features that were to be included in the original BI 4.1 release


What will we call this release?
It will be called SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3.


Why was this change made?
The change was made to ease the deployment of these new features. Customers can deploy these features on their existing BI 4.0 deployment without waiting for the availability of a separate minor release. Installation of the new product features will be a straightforward install that does not require a major upgrade.


What new product features are included with BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
There are many new product features in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3. The highlights include the following new features:

  • Next generation of SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, which empowers end users to easily organize and share exploration views with web and mobile users
  • Enhanced capabilities for SAP BusinessObjects Mobile BI, with expanded platform support and Sybase Unwired Platform integration
  • SAP StreamWork integration for BI enabled collaborative decision making
  • Insight to Action framework, which enables closed loop BI in the context of your business processes


Are feature packs part of the traditional SAP release process?
No, the usual support packs only typically contain customer fixes or improvements to existing releases – no new features. We needed a deliverable that communicated all the new features – hence the feature pack. This is an exception to our traditional SAP release process. From time to time we make such process modifications in order to benefit customers.


Should I wait for BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 to release before upgrading to BI 4.0?
No. The best path forward is to deploy BI 4.0 today to get the system ready for production. Then install the BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 as soon as it becomes available. BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 will be released with an update installer. The content of BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 can simply be added on top of your existing deployment.


How can customers deploy BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
We will be delivering both a new installer and an update installer. New customers will be able to install BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 using the new installer without requiring a pre-deployment of the BI 4.0 GA build. Existing customers will be able to upgrade from BI 4.0 SP2 by applying the BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 update installer.


Can customers implement new customer fixes without using the new product features in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
Yes. The majority of the new features are additive to existing workflows. Many are configurable by administrators. Others are available in the environment but the users have to explicitly select to use them. There are no features that will create major disruption to customers’ existing workflows.


Will there be fixes on BI 4.0 SP2 prior to the release of BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
Yes. We will continue to deliver patches on the BI 4.0 SP2 line (e.g., patch 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, etc.) to support customers currently rolling out BI 4.0. Learn more about the standard SAP support process.


Will BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 include a ramp-up process?
Yes. Since the feature pack includes new features, this release will have its own ramp-up.


How can I get involved in the ramp-up?
Please contact your account manager. We are excited about the BI 4.0 Feature Pack ramp-up and will start accepting pre-nominations in a few weeks with official nominations beginning early January, 2012.

 

For additional questions to these changes to the release plan, please contact your account representative or feel free to add a comment, question to this blog post.

SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 Available Today

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Sep 162011
 

Today, SAP announced the general availability of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0, allowing organization to know their business, decide with confidence and act boldly. The BI and EIM 4.0 release represents the future of analytics with real-time, mobile and social capabilities, read the BI and EIM 4.0 RTC (release to customer) press release. Organizations such as Lionsgate and Hilti use business analytics from SAP to run better.

What’s New with SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0?
This release includes the latest versions for Web Intelligence, Dashboards, Crystal Reports, Explorer,  the Business Intelligence Platform, Edge BI and Information Steward and completes the BI 4.0 development cycle with the Analysis, and Data Services solutions already being GA.

Unified on a common infrastructure and with a user experience that boasts the friendly usability of social networking tools, the new Business Intelligence and Enterprise Information Management releases manifest the broad range of technology innovations that are shaping the future of analytics – in real time, with in-memory computing; instant powerful BI in users’ hands, with more mobile devices supported than ever before; across business and social data with certainty, combining structured and unstructured information and providing the tools to govern the information; and providing the best fit, right now in any deployment model, whether on-premise, on-demand, embedded in business operations, or in a “hybrid” manner.  Learn more about what’s new in SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0.

 Watch this demonstration of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0


Demo of SAP BusinessObjects 4.0

Watch the live keynote of SAP BusinessObjects BI and EIM 4.0

New innovations for Mobile BI
Along with new BI and EIM suite enhancements in 4.0, there are new capabilities for mobile BI available in 4.0 including the SAP BusinessObjects Mobile app for iPad. The existing SAP BusinessObjects Explorer for iPad/iPhone continues to be one of the top downloaded apps for business with over 200,000 downloads from the Apple Apps Store. This fully supported app now includes new enhancements for location-based analytics and integration with Google maps. Download these mobile apps from iTunes today.



Analytics for SME and LOBs
SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 is not just about analytics for the large enterprise, SAP recently announced analytics for SME and lines of business. With this latest releases of SAP Crystal Server and SAP BusinessObjects Edge, organizations can gain better insight into business opportunities for a broader range of users.

Analytics and BIG data with SAP HANA
SAP also recently announced the generally available for SAP HANA, the in-memory computing appliance for real-time analytics on BIG data, SAP HANA provides the in-memory foundation for the next generation of analytics to be realized.  SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 and SAP HANA are part of a broader portfolio of solutions for Business Analytics at SAP. Learn more about Business Analytics from SAP and listen to Steve Lucas (EVP of Business Analytics and Technology) talk about the complete business analytics portfolio and how that aligns with SAP’s core business suite and enterprise mobility strategy.

Resources and Education
A major focus of the SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 release was making the products easier to use. To help customers learn how the BI products work a complete collection of eLearning tutorials for the entire BI suite is included with this release. These tutorials are available on the SAP Community Network and are directly integrated into the products with the 4.0 release. Watch and learn more about building Crystal Reports, designing dashboards, or using the new information design tool to build a universe.

How do I Access and Download SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0?
Customers can access SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 by visiting the SAP software download center on service marketplace today.

 Stay Connected with Business Analytics from SAP

 

4.0 Releases of BI and EIM Solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects Portfolio Now Generally Available

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Sep 162011
 

Delivering on its business analytics product road map, SAP today announced the global general availability of the 4.0 releases of BI and EIM solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio, including the 4.0 release of SAP BusinessObjects Edge BI software. The solutions represent the future of analytics with real-time, mobile and social capabilities to help organizations better understand their businesses and make confident, data-driven decisions. Read the newsbyte.

Update on SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 General Availability

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Aug 312011
 

Update: SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 is now available - http://blogs.sap.com/analytics/2011/09/16/sap-businessobjects-bi-4-0-generally-available/

Together, SAP and a select group of customers are in the final phase of Ramp-Up for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.0.  Based on efforts over the last several weeks, BI 4.0 is targeted to become generally available starting September 16, 2011. The SAP Ramp-Up process ensures that our customers and partners receive the best in software quality and performance as this is the largest release of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence software in company history.

In its current product release phase, any customer currently on SAP BusinessObjects BI maintenance can access BI 4.0 for use in production with full support from SAP. Customers can download 4.0 from the SAP Service Marketplace today by following the steps on our 4.0 Ramp-Up page. To date there have been over 4,000 downloads of the RTC (release to customer) version.

For customers and partners currently using BI 4.0, new eLearning tutorials are now available on the SAP Community Network. Check out the latest tutorials and take advantage of the new capabilities BI 4.0 has to offer.

Stay connected with the Business Analytics Blog for future updates on 4.0 and Business Analytics from SAP.

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Mar 232011
 

New Version of SAP BusinessObjects GRC Launches

Is SAP’s new GRC release 10.0 really the most comprehensive GRC suite in the market?  I heard this marketing phrase thrown around at SAP and wanted to know if there is validation behind this claim.

Jim Dunham, the solution manager for SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions, gave me the download about the new version. And in fact there are a lot of enhancements.  More importantly the solution brings together three critical components of managing risk and compliance:

  1. Manages compliance
  2. Monitors the enterprise 
  3. Gathers the data from 1 and 2 for analysis

From the backend customers of the SAP BusinessObjects GRC system hook into other systems a customer might run, as well as SAP systems this is possible via an OEM link

This seems pretty comprehensive to me and these are only the highlights. I am not an expert in risk and compliance; I’m adverse to risk and tend to be conservative (especially when it comes to money)!  So what I found interesting about the new 10.0 release was “bow-tie builder,” a drag and drop tool. What a perfect name! Jim explained that this is a feature that risk managers can use to explain the steps they have taken to mitigate risk to the line of business.  Check out the demo Jim gave me of the bow-tie builder.

SAP has enhanced over 20 areas of its GRC version 10.0 where there are updates in the individual solution areas: Access Control, Global Trade Service, Risk Management and Process Control. Here is a summary of the enhancements:

  • The solution now has a common look and feel that is easier to navigate and easier for customers to train their organization.
  • SAP Business Intelligence is embedded into SAP BusinessObjects GRC for visualization of compliance across the enterprise.
  • Through the SAP Ecohub, customers can pull content provided from partners to let the customers tailor the solution for their specific industry needs.
  • The bow-tie builder gives the risk manager a graphically pleasing visual tool that is easy to display.

I wanted to know how many customers are moving to version 10.0 and Jim did not hesitate to answer that over 50 customers are already ramping up. Right now only existing SAP customers can get the new version, but come June the version will be generally available.

Three SAP customers claim that because of only one new feature they will upgrade to version 10.0.  I will follow-up to this blog with some of the customers he mentioned.  They will upgrade because of the cost saving from efficiency gains made to the upgrades of SAP BusinessObject Access Control solution. 

Here is what sold them.  Within SAP Access Control there is a component called super user privilege manager, AKA Firefighter (another creative name!). Rules are set-up in the system to protect a company of risk, i.e. segregation of duties. If a company needs to change the rules because of an issue or emergency they now can, but only through a monitoring capability, allowing the company to watch any changes being made.  This created a lot of log of changes, which takes a lot of time for an organization to review.  With version 10.0 this log is now segment- able and can be made into a workflow for distribution to the organization for assistance in resolving the issue. This will save companies tons of time and money in tracking all changes made to rules.

In my opinion, the new version does create a comprehensive GRC suite that addresses a lot of the demands from SAP’s customers.

What do you think? Is this the most comprehensive GRC solution in the market?

SAP launched the SAP BusinessObjects GRC new release today.

Customers and Partners Recognize the Power of Business Analytics From SAP

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Feb 232011
 

Here’s what customers, partners and industry analysts are saying about the 4.0 releases of business intelligence (BI) and enterprise information management (EIM) solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio:

For Lionsgate, the 4.0 releases combined with the SAP BusinessObjects analytics applications help the company compete against bigger production companies, improve revenue and sharpen the bottom line. “One of the things that’s very exciting to me – opportunities that are provided by things like SAP BusinessObjects [software] – is that we’re able to use all these new tools, things like the iPad and the new smartphones, we’re using those tools to drive sales that we didn’t anticipate before,” said Leo Collins, executive vice president and chief information officer, Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. “We’ve implemented [SAP NetWeaver] BW and [SAP NetWeaver] BW Accelerator – systems that pull data directly out of the core financial systems. We’re focused on the new SAP BusinessObjects modules that SAP has acquired, working with SAP directly, and seeing these new products and figuring out together how we can use them – new products like SAP HANA – and that makes for a really valuable partnership. We do have phenomenal amounts of data. We know how every motion picture has done in every theatre, we know all of the expenses at a very granular level, and these new tools we’re getting from SAP allow us to have better revenue streams and better control of costs.”

Accessing enormous amounts of customer data in real-time is exactly what Christian Ritte, head of PCC, Finance, HR and Reporting for Hilti – the Lichtenstein-based technology provider to the global construction industry – is looking for to respond faster to customers. After finishing the pilot phase of SAP HANA, Hilti plans to unite the incredible power of SAP HANA with the easy-to-use reporting of the 4.0 releases from SAP. “Complexity can only be addressed by providing better visualization,” said Ritte, “and we think that with SAP BusinessObjects [software] we can really go a step ahead.”

“Accenture recently launched a new program with SAP to build and deliver advanced analytics and mobility solutions leveraging the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio. This industry-leading effort is available throughout Accenture’s state-of-the-art network of analytics innovation centers and Accenture Technology Labs. At our center in San Jose, for instance, Accenture and SAP specialists are working side-by-side to enhance existing analytics applications and develop the next generation of industry-specific analytics solutions on the newly-announced 4.0 releases. It’s also worth noting that Accenture is active in the SAP Ramp-Up program, which expedites migration to the 4.0 releases. As a result, Accenture has already upgraded its Utilities Asset Management solution, originally built on SAP BusinessObjects XI 3.1 and Xcelsius 2008, to the 4.0 releases.” – Hettie Tabor, global lead for SAP Business Analytics, Accenture

“With the 4.0 releases of the SAP BusinessObjects solutions, SAP is extending access to powerful business intelligence to all business users that need it. It’s a next-generation, intuitive solution that provides easy access to SAP data and unprecedented interoperability between BI tools,” said Andreas Keller, competence team manager, SAP BusinessObjects, cundus AG

“Powerful trends are driving increased emphasis on business analytics in every industry sector. Key among them: unforgiving demands for continued improvements in performance; the need to proactively manage risk in increasingly complex business and stringent regulatory environments; and exponentially increasing amounts of data and new signals to process, analyze and react to. With the right capabilities in place, organizations can gain deeper, more accurate business insights to better inform decision-making, better meet customer needs and gain competitive advantage. Deloitte has been collaborating with SAP to develop and deliver solutions that help our mutual clients improve their analytic capabilities. The 4.0 releases are an exciting development, and will be an important catalyst in our efforts to help Deloitte clients harness the power of analytics.” – Lee Dittmar, principal, Deloitte U.S. (Deloitte Consulting LLP); national sales leader, Deloitte Analytics

“To effectively serve customers, employees, partners and citizens, organizations must reduce regulatory compliance risk, have real time access to information as well as improve collaboration. Combining HP enterprise solutions with new offerings from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio will help our joint clients rethink how information is gathered, stored and used – harnessing its power, ensuring its protection and delivering it in the context of their enterprises.” – Elke Reichart, vice president, SAP Alliance, HP

“Siemens IT Solutions and Services has a long standing relationship with SAP, investing engineering and entrepreneurial skills to transform business intelligence innovations into measurable value for the customer. Leveraging our profound IT knowledge and business expertise gathered in global projects across various industries, we work as ‘business technologists’ to integrate the4.0 releases from SAP into business processes. Clients will achieve substantial cost savings using the integrated business analytics and reporting structures designed for easy handling by end-users. Always considering new trends such as online access to information from mobile devices anytime anywhere or social media analytics.” – Carl-Rainer Stetter, head of Global Competence Center Business Intelligence, Siemens IT Solutions and Services

SAP Unveils Future of Analytics: Real-Time, Mobile, Social

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Feb 232011
 

The world of business is becoming increasingly global and marked by virtual organizations using mobile technology and social networks. Organizations must be equipped to better assess and act decisively on huge volumes of data both from within and outside their businesses. In response to this transformation, SAP today launched the 4.0 releases of business intelligence (BI) and enterprise information management (EIM) solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio, harnessing the advances of three years of software development.

SAP Adds New Analytic Applications for Industries

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Feb 232011
 

SAP today introduced six new SAP BusinessObjects analytic applications tailored to help address the needs of organizations in the media, oil and gas, healthcare, insurance, life sciences and public sector industries. These new applications join the family of analytic applications launched in fall 2010 that target business intelligence (BI) use cases in specific industries. The announcement was made during the SAP Run Better Tour. Read the press release.