SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
The Comprehensive Guide
4th Edition
Will be published approx. on 28. October 2017
Book
Hardback
814 pages
978-1-4932-1547-8 (ISBN)
Description
Bring your data presentations into focus with this comprehensive guide to SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence. Updated for Webi 4.2, this book will teach you to create, design, and share your reports, while exploring the fundamentals of Webi and its extended capabilities. This fourth edition includes information on data source options for building new documents and queries, and a new HTML5-based viewing interface. Punch up your reporting and analysis!a. SAP BI 4.2 SP4Dive into Web Intelligence 4.2 enhancements and platform improvements, including a new HTML5 user interface, support for geomaps, and access to additional data sources.b. Webi from A to ZGet the complete picture of working with Web Intelligence, from creation to publication. From the first step to the last, learn how to design reports that make an impact with this comprehensive guide.c. Web Intelligence Interactive ViewerDiscover the HTML5-based Web Intelligence Interactive Viewer and BI launchpad, a fully integrated interface for organizing, viewing, analyzing, and sharing business intelligence content.
More details
Other editions
Previous edition
Jim Brogden | Heather Sinkwitz | Dallas Marks
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
The Comprehensive Guide
Book
10/2014
3rd Edition
SAP PRESS
€79.95
Article not available at the moment
Persons
Author
Christian Ah-Soon has worked for SAP BusinessObjects for 15 years as a program manager on transversal areas like administration, security, internationalization, installation, semantic layers, and SDKs. He is co-author of SAP BusinessObjects BI Security (SAP PRESS, 2013) and Universe Design with SAP BusinessObjects BI: The Comprehensive Guide (SAP PRESS, 2014). Christian holds a Ph.D. in computer science and graduated from TELECOM Nancy.
Jim Brogden is an award-winning technical author and dashboard designer, and a Senior Data Warehouse Developer for Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia. He combines a master's degree in Information Technology with nearly ten years of business intelligence consulting experience and a proven track record for delivering BI solutions in a variety of industries. He's the lead author of all three official textbooks dedicated to Web Intelligence, and is an active contributor to SAP's Idea Place (http://ideas.sap.com). A happily married father of sons Jamie and Hunter, in his off time Jim proclaims himself an avid (beginner) cricket player on the ICE Storm cricket team, a passionate hacker of the golf ball, and a runner (jogger/walker) of frequent (annual) 10Ks in Atlanta.
Dallas Marks is a principal technical architect and trainer for EV Technologies and an SAP Certified Application Associate for SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and the Business Intelligence platform. Dallas has worked with SAP BusinessObjects BI tools since 2003 and has implemented solutions for a number of industries, including retail, energy, health care, and manufacturing. He is a frequent speaker at local ASUG chapters, national ASUG, and SAPinsider conferences, and independent SAP BusinessObjects user groups. Dallas holds a master's degree in computer engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Dallas blogs about various business intelligence topics at http://www.dallasmarks.org/. You can follow him on Twitter at @dallasmarks.
Gabriel Orthous is a population health management and healthcare analytics expert, and a senior consultant to Wellcentive. Gabe has more than 15 years of business analytics managerial and software engineering experience with extensive expertise around business intelligence, financial reporting, and decision analytics. Gabe graduated from Mercer University with a master's degree in Business Administration and was inducted to the International Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma in 2008. In addition, Gabe is chair for the Dashboarding and Visualization Special Interest Group for ASUG, co-chair for ASUG's Business Objects' Strategic SIG, and an active member of the Customer Advisory Council, as well as a renowned international speaker.
Heather Callebaut Sinkwitz gained her expertise while working as a business intelligence consultant, specializing as a certified SAP BusinessObjects instructor and solution provider. She currently dedicates herself to building innovative Business Intelligence solutions using a variety of technologies. A data junkie, she enjoys presenting meaningful information in new and unique ways to aid customers in making informed decisions. She remains actively involved in the BI community through participation in user groups and speaking engagements, both locally in her home state of Arizona or nationally. Currently, Heather is the Analytics and Reporting Product Manager for Trax Technologies (www.traxtech.com).
Content
1 ... Introduction to SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence ... 25
1.1 ... Features of Web Intelligence 4.2 ... 26
1.2 ... Web Intelligence Clients ... 32
1.3 ... Web Intelligence Preferences ... 36
1.4 ... What's New in Web Intelligence 4.2 SP 3 and SP 4 ... 41
1.5 ... Summary ... 43
2 ... Creating New Documents and Queries ... 45
2.1 ... Creating a Web Intelligence Document from a Universe ... 45
2.2 ... The Query Panel in Web Intelligence ... 51
2.3 ... Query Filters ... 61
2.4 ... Prompted Queries ... 67
2.5 ... Saving Your Document in the BI Platform Repository ... 71
2.6 ... Other Data Sources ... 76
2.7 ... Document Options ... 89
2.8 ... Summary ... 92
3 ... Creating a Report in Web Intelligence ... 95
3.1 ... Adding Data to Report Elements ... 96
3.2 ... Sections and Breaks ... 99
3.3 ... Outline Navigation ... 105
3.4 ... Enhanced Sorting and Ranking ... 109
3.5 ... Conditional Formatting ... 118
3.6 ... Headers, Footers, and Background Images ... 122
3.7 ... Summary ... 126
4 ... The Web Intelligence Report Panel ... 129
4.1 ... The Web Intelligence Reporting Interface ... 129
4.2 ... Reporting Toolbars ... 132
4.3 ... The Side Panel ... 143
4.4 ... Report Panel ... 147
4.5 ... Report Property Categories ... 151
4.6 ... Summary ... 159
5 ... Displaying Data with Tables ... 161
5.1 ... Using Tables ... 164
5.2 ... Table Types ... 180
5.3 ... Converting Table Formats and Types ... 183
5.4 ... Blank Cells, Predefined Cells, and Comment Cells ... 185
5.5 ... Summary ... 188
6 ... Displaying Data with Charts ... 191
6.1 ... Adding Charts to a Report ... 192
6.2 ... Chart Types ... 198
6.3 ... Chart Properties ... 225
6.4 ... Zone Formatting ... 229
6.5 ... Custom Elements ... 230
6.6 ... Summary ... 234
7 ... Making an Impact with Charts ... 237
7.1 ... Properties That Enhance the Display of Data ... 238
7.2 ... Hierarchical Charting with Relational Data ... 244
7.3 ... Reports Functioning as Dashboards ... 246
7.4 ... Formatting Tips ... 248
7.5 ... Custom Color Enhancements ... 252
7.6 ... Summary ... 258
8 ... Report Properties, Tools, and Formatting ... 259
8.1 ... Formatting Report Properties ... 259
8.2 ... Document Summary ... 261
8.3 ... Navigation (Report) Map ... 265
8.4 ... Input Controls ... 266
8.5 ... Web Services Publisher ... 274
8.6 ... Available Objects (Design Mode Only) ... 277
8.7 ... Document Structures and Filters ... 279
8.8 ... Data ... 280
8.9 ... Style Sheet Modification ... 282
8.10 ... High Precision Numbers ... 287
8.11 ... Geolocalizing a Dimension ... 288
8.12 ... Summary ... 295
9 ... Filtering Data in the Query Panel and Report Panel ... 297
9.1 ... Filtering in the Query Panel ... 298
9.2 ... Complex Filtering Options ... 310
9.3 ... Filtering in the Report Panel ... 323
9.4 ... Conditionally Hiding Report Elements ... 342
9.5 ... Element Linking ... 344
9.6 ... Summary ... 350
10 ... Scope of Analysis and Drill Functionality ... 351
10.1 ... Setting the Scope of Analysis in the Query Panel ... 352
10.2 ... Drill-Down Setup in the Report Panel ... 359
10.3 ... Drilling on Tables ... 360
10.4 ... Drilling on Charts ... 366
10.5 ... Taking a Snapshot ... 370
10.6 ... Drill Options ... 371
10.7 ... Summary ... 374
11 ... Using Formulas and Variables ... 375
11.1 ... Formulas and Variables ... 376
11.2 ... Custom Grouping ... 383
11.3 ... Reporting Functions and Operators ... 386
11.4 ... Formula Syntax ... 404
11.5 ... Input, Output, and Calculation Contexts ... 407
11.6 ... References ... 414
11.7 ... Summary ... 417
12 ... Advanced Query Panel Functionalities ... 419
12.1 ... Cascading and Optional Prompts ... 420
12.2 ... Saving Prompts Answers in BI Variants ... 424
12.3 ... Querying Multidimensional Data Sources ... 427
12.4 ... Editing Auto-Generated SQL Scripts ... 440
12.5 ... Support of Query Stripping ... 442
12.6 ... Partial Results, Purged Data, and Cancelled Queries ... 444
12.7 ... Summary ... 447
13 ... Access to SAP BW and SAP HANA ... 449
13.1 ... SAP BW and SAP HANA Access Overview ... 449
13.2 ... SAP BEx Query through Direct Access ... 452
13.3 ... SAP BEx Query through Multidimensional Universe ... 459
13.4 ... SAP BW through Relational Universe ... 462
13.5 ... SAP HANA Direct Access ... 464
13.6 ... SAP HANA Online Mode ... 471
13.7 ... SAP HANA View through Relational Universe ... 477
13.8 ... SAP HANA through Free-Hand SQL ... 479
13.9 ... Summary ... 479
14 ... Using Multiple Queries and Data Sources ... 481
14.1 ... Setting Up a Combined Query ... 481
14.2 ... Adding a New Query ... 484
14.3 ... Managing Queries ... 491
14.4 ... Running Multiple Queries ... 492
14.5 ... Merging Dimensions ... 494
14.6 ... Merging Variables ... 506
14.7 ... Changing Source ... 507
14.8 ... Summary ... 515
15 ... Adding Hyperlinks in Web Intelligence Documents ... 517
15.1 ... Linking to Document with the HTML Client ... 518
15.2 ... Linking to the Web Page URL ... 527
15.3 ... OpenDocument Syntax ... 536
15.4 ... Summary ... 540
16 ... Working in the BI Launch Pad ... 541
16.1 ... Navigating in BI Launch Pad ... 541
16.2 ... Setting BI Launch Pad Preferences ... 550
16.3 ... Organizing in Folders and Categories ... 553
16.4 ... Deleting Documents and the Recycle Bin ... 557
16.5 ... Viewing, Printing, and Saving Objects in BI Launch Pad ... 558
16.6 ... Summary ... 561
17 ... Using Web Intelligence with SAP BusinessObjects BI Workspaces ... 563
17.1 ... Introducing BI Workspaces ... 563
17.2 ... Working with Modules ... 572
17.3 ... Working with Web Intelligence Report Parts ... 574
17.4 ... Using a BI Workspace as the Default Home Tab ... 581
17.5 ... Printing BI Workspaces ... 583
17.6 ... Content Linking ... 584
17.7 ... Summary ... 589
18 ... Interaction from a User's Perspective ... 591
18.1 ... Creating Shortcuts and Hyperlinks ... 591
18.2 ... Searching within the BI Launch Pad ... 593
18.3 ... Sorting and Filtering Content ... 598
18.4 ... Creating Discussions ... 600
18.5 ... Commenting Documents ... 601
18.6 ... Tracking Data Changes ... 607
18.7 ... Summary ... 615
19 ... Sharing Web Intelligence Content ... 617
19.1 ... Sharing Document Content through Shared Elements ... 617
19.2 ... Using the Send Feature in BI Launch Pad ... 626
19.3 ... Exporting a Web Intelligence Report ... 632
19.4 ... Scheduling a Web Intelligence Report ... 636
19.5 ... Summary ... 643
20 ... Report Scheduling and Distribution with Publications ... 645
20.1 ... Publication Roles ... 646
20.2 ... Creating a Publication ... 648
20.3 ... Mobile Publications ... 661
20.4 ... Summary ... 662
21 ... Web Intelligence Rich Client ... 665
21.1 ... How Web Intelligence Rich Client Is Different ... 665
21.2 ... Data Provider Options ... 670
21.3 ... Working with Web Intelligence Reports ... 672
21.4 ... Setting Preferences in Web Intelligence Rich Client ... 679
21.5 ... Summary ... 680
22 ... Web Intelligence Interactive Viewer ... 681
22.1 ... New BI Launch Pad and Web Intelligence Interactive Viewer Overview ... 681
22.2 ... Navigating in the New BI Launch Pad ... 682
22.3 ... Viewing a Document ... 685
22.4 ... Refreshing a Document ... 690
22.5 ... Filtering a Report ... 693
22.6 ... Sorting or Ranking Data in a Report ... 697
22.7 ... Scheduling a Document ... 700
22.8 ... Saving and Exporting to XLS and to PDF ... 703
22.9 ... Setting Web Intelligence Preferences ... 703
22.10 ... Logging Out ... 704
22.11 ... Summary ... 704
23 ... Connecting SAP BusinessObjects Live Office to Web Intelligence and Universes ... 705
23.1 ... Introduction to SAP BusinessObjects Live Office ... 705
23.2 ... Creating Queries from Universes ... 709
23.3 ... Retrieving Web Intelligence Content ... 713
23.4 ... Editing Added Content ... 718
23.5 ... Setting Preferences ... 719
23.6 ... Summary ... 725
24 ... Mobile Business Intelligence ... 727
24.1 ... Introducing SAP BusinessObjects Mobile ... 727
24.2 ... Designing Reports for Mobile Viewing ... 728
24.3 ... Mobile-Only Analytic Types ... 742
24.4 ... Report Linking ... 754
24.5 ... Input Controls ... 756
24.6 ... Mobile Thumbnails ... 758
24.7 ... Summary ... 759
... Appendices ... 761
A ... Converting Desktop Intelligence Reports to Web Intelligence Documents ... 763
B ... Web Intelligence Security Rights ... 777
1.1 ... Features of Web Intelligence 4.2 ... 26
1.2 ... Web Intelligence Clients ... 32
1.3 ... Web Intelligence Preferences ... 36
1.4 ... What's New in Web Intelligence 4.2 SP 3 and SP 4 ... 41
1.5 ... Summary ... 43
2 ... Creating New Documents and Queries ... 45
2.1 ... Creating a Web Intelligence Document from a Universe ... 45
2.2 ... The Query Panel in Web Intelligence ... 51
2.3 ... Query Filters ... 61
2.4 ... Prompted Queries ... 67
2.5 ... Saving Your Document in the BI Platform Repository ... 71
2.6 ... Other Data Sources ... 76
2.7 ... Document Options ... 89
2.8 ... Summary ... 92
3 ... Creating a Report in Web Intelligence ... 95
3.1 ... Adding Data to Report Elements ... 96
3.2 ... Sections and Breaks ... 99
3.3 ... Outline Navigation ... 105
3.4 ... Enhanced Sorting and Ranking ... 109
3.5 ... Conditional Formatting ... 118
3.6 ... Headers, Footers, and Background Images ... 122
3.7 ... Summary ... 126
4 ... The Web Intelligence Report Panel ... 129
4.1 ... The Web Intelligence Reporting Interface ... 129
4.2 ... Reporting Toolbars ... 132
4.3 ... The Side Panel ... 143
4.4 ... Report Panel ... 147
4.5 ... Report Property Categories ... 151
4.6 ... Summary ... 159
5 ... Displaying Data with Tables ... 161
5.1 ... Using Tables ... 164
5.2 ... Table Types ... 180
5.3 ... Converting Table Formats and Types ... 183
5.4 ... Blank Cells, Predefined Cells, and Comment Cells ... 185
5.5 ... Summary ... 188
6 ... Displaying Data with Charts ... 191
6.1 ... Adding Charts to a Report ... 192
6.2 ... Chart Types ... 198
6.3 ... Chart Properties ... 225
6.4 ... Zone Formatting ... 229
6.5 ... Custom Elements ... 230
6.6 ... Summary ... 234
7 ... Making an Impact with Charts ... 237
7.1 ... Properties That Enhance the Display of Data ... 238
7.2 ... Hierarchical Charting with Relational Data ... 244
7.3 ... Reports Functioning as Dashboards ... 246
7.4 ... Formatting Tips ... 248
7.5 ... Custom Color Enhancements ... 252
7.6 ... Summary ... 258
8 ... Report Properties, Tools, and Formatting ... 259
8.1 ... Formatting Report Properties ... 259
8.2 ... Document Summary ... 261
8.3 ... Navigation (Report) Map ... 265
8.4 ... Input Controls ... 266
8.5 ... Web Services Publisher ... 274
8.6 ... Available Objects (Design Mode Only) ... 277
8.7 ... Document Structures and Filters ... 279
8.8 ... Data ... 280
8.9 ... Style Sheet Modification ... 282
8.10 ... High Precision Numbers ... 287
8.11 ... Geolocalizing a Dimension ... 288
8.12 ... Summary ... 295
9 ... Filtering Data in the Query Panel and Report Panel ... 297
9.1 ... Filtering in the Query Panel ... 298
9.2 ... Complex Filtering Options ... 310
9.3 ... Filtering in the Report Panel ... 323
9.4 ... Conditionally Hiding Report Elements ... 342
9.5 ... Element Linking ... 344
9.6 ... Summary ... 350
10 ... Scope of Analysis and Drill Functionality ... 351
10.1 ... Setting the Scope of Analysis in the Query Panel ... 352
10.2 ... Drill-Down Setup in the Report Panel ... 359
10.3 ... Drilling on Tables ... 360
10.4 ... Drilling on Charts ... 366
10.5 ... Taking a Snapshot ... 370
10.6 ... Drill Options ... 371
10.7 ... Summary ... 374
11 ... Using Formulas and Variables ... 375
11.1 ... Formulas and Variables ... 376
11.2 ... Custom Grouping ... 383
11.3 ... Reporting Functions and Operators ... 386
11.4 ... Formula Syntax ... 404
11.5 ... Input, Output, and Calculation Contexts ... 407
11.6 ... References ... 414
11.7 ... Summary ... 417
12 ... Advanced Query Panel Functionalities ... 419
12.1 ... Cascading and Optional Prompts ... 420
12.2 ... Saving Prompts Answers in BI Variants ... 424
12.3 ... Querying Multidimensional Data Sources ... 427
12.4 ... Editing Auto-Generated SQL Scripts ... 440
12.5 ... Support of Query Stripping ... 442
12.6 ... Partial Results, Purged Data, and Cancelled Queries ... 444
12.7 ... Summary ... 447
13 ... Access to SAP BW and SAP HANA ... 449
13.1 ... SAP BW and SAP HANA Access Overview ... 449
13.2 ... SAP BEx Query through Direct Access ... 452
13.3 ... SAP BEx Query through Multidimensional Universe ... 459
13.4 ... SAP BW through Relational Universe ... 462
13.5 ... SAP HANA Direct Access ... 464
13.6 ... SAP HANA Online Mode ... 471
13.7 ... SAP HANA View through Relational Universe ... 477
13.8 ... SAP HANA through Free-Hand SQL ... 479
13.9 ... Summary ... 479
14 ... Using Multiple Queries and Data Sources ... 481
14.1 ... Setting Up a Combined Query ... 481
14.2 ... Adding a New Query ... 484
14.3 ... Managing Queries ... 491
14.4 ... Running Multiple Queries ... 492
14.5 ... Merging Dimensions ... 494
14.6 ... Merging Variables ... 506
14.7 ... Changing Source ... 507
14.8 ... Summary ... 515
15 ... Adding Hyperlinks in Web Intelligence Documents ... 517
15.1 ... Linking to Document with the HTML Client ... 518
15.2 ... Linking to the Web Page URL ... 527
15.3 ... OpenDocument Syntax ... 536
15.4 ... Summary ... 540
16 ... Working in the BI Launch Pad ... 541
16.1 ... Navigating in BI Launch Pad ... 541
16.2 ... Setting BI Launch Pad Preferences ... 550
16.3 ... Organizing in Folders and Categories ... 553
16.4 ... Deleting Documents and the Recycle Bin ... 557
16.5 ... Viewing, Printing, and Saving Objects in BI Launch Pad ... 558
16.6 ... Summary ... 561
17 ... Using Web Intelligence with SAP BusinessObjects BI Workspaces ... 563
17.1 ... Introducing BI Workspaces ... 563
17.2 ... Working with Modules ... 572
17.3 ... Working with Web Intelligence Report Parts ... 574
17.4 ... Using a BI Workspace as the Default Home Tab ... 581
17.5 ... Printing BI Workspaces ... 583
17.6 ... Content Linking ... 584
17.7 ... Summary ... 589
18 ... Interaction from a User's Perspective ... 591
18.1 ... Creating Shortcuts and Hyperlinks ... 591
18.2 ... Searching within the BI Launch Pad ... 593
18.3 ... Sorting and Filtering Content ... 598
18.4 ... Creating Discussions ... 600
18.5 ... Commenting Documents ... 601
18.6 ... Tracking Data Changes ... 607
18.7 ... Summary ... 615
19 ... Sharing Web Intelligence Content ... 617
19.1 ... Sharing Document Content through Shared Elements ... 617
19.2 ... Using the Send Feature in BI Launch Pad ... 626
19.3 ... Exporting a Web Intelligence Report ... 632
19.4 ... Scheduling a Web Intelligence Report ... 636
19.5 ... Summary ... 643
20 ... Report Scheduling and Distribution with Publications ... 645
20.1 ... Publication Roles ... 646
20.2 ... Creating a Publication ... 648
20.3 ... Mobile Publications ... 661
20.4 ... Summary ... 662
21 ... Web Intelligence Rich Client ... 665
21.1 ... How Web Intelligence Rich Client Is Different ... 665
21.2 ... Data Provider Options ... 670
21.3 ... Working with Web Intelligence Reports ... 672
21.4 ... Setting Preferences in Web Intelligence Rich Client ... 679
21.5 ... Summary ... 680
22 ... Web Intelligence Interactive Viewer ... 681
22.1 ... New BI Launch Pad and Web Intelligence Interactive Viewer Overview ... 681
22.2 ... Navigating in the New BI Launch Pad ... 682
22.3 ... Viewing a Document ... 685
22.4 ... Refreshing a Document ... 690
22.5 ... Filtering a Report ... 693
22.6 ... Sorting or Ranking Data in a Report ... 697
22.7 ... Scheduling a Document ... 700
22.8 ... Saving and Exporting to XLS and to PDF ... 703
22.9 ... Setting Web Intelligence Preferences ... 703
22.10 ... Logging Out ... 704
22.11 ... Summary ... 704
23 ... Connecting SAP BusinessObjects Live Office to Web Intelligence and Universes ... 705
23.1 ... Introduction to SAP BusinessObjects Live Office ... 705
23.2 ... Creating Queries from Universes ... 709
23.3 ... Retrieving Web Intelligence Content ... 713
23.4 ... Editing Added Content ... 718
23.5 ... Setting Preferences ... 719
23.6 ... Summary ... 725
24 ... Mobile Business Intelligence ... 727
24.1 ... Introducing SAP BusinessObjects Mobile ... 727
24.2 ... Designing Reports for Mobile Viewing ... 728
24.3 ... Mobile-Only Analytic Types ... 742
24.4 ... Report Linking ... 754
24.5 ... Input Controls ... 756
24.6 ... Mobile Thumbnails ... 758
24.7 ... Summary ... 759
... Appendices ... 761
A ... Converting Desktop Intelligence Reports to Web Intelligence Documents ... 763
B ... Web Intelligence Security Rights ... 777