How-To: Creating a Universe with the BO XI 4.0 Information Design Tool

The following describes the steps to create a universe with SAP BusinessObjects XI 4.0's new Information Design Tool.


We would like to start with a graphic displaying a systematic method to create universes in the new tool.

Figure 1: Universe Creation Flowchart for the Information Design Tool

There are a few new terms that may jump out as you are reading this, but in case you have not noticed them, let's take a minute to list those terms out:

• Connection – define how a universe connects to a relational or OLAP database. Local connections are stored as .CNX files, and secure connections are stored as .CNS files.
  
• Data Foundation – a schema that defines the relevant tables and joins from one or more relational databases. The designer enhances the data foundation with contexts, prompts, calculated columns, and other SQL definitions. The data foundation becomes the basis of one or more business layers.
  
• Business Layer – the universe under construction, and when the business layer is complete, it is compiled with the connections or connection shortcuts and data foundation, published, and deployed as a universe.
  
• Universe – the compiled file that includes all resources used in the definition of the metadata objects built in the design of the business layer.
  

Each of the items above refers to a resource that can be stored in a Project when developing in the Information Design Tool. A project is a named local workspace that contains one or more resources used to build universes. Projects can be shared so that multiple designers are able to work on the same resources.

Step 1: Open the Information Design Tool. The new interface screen will be displayed.

NOTE – All created resources will be labeled as "TestProject[resourceType]", i.e. "TestProjectConn" for Test Project Connection.

Figure 2: New Interface Screen

Step 2: Create a new Project by clicking on File->New->Project.

Figure 3: Create Project Option

A local project must exist to assign resources; otherwise an error message will be given.

Figure 4: Sample Error if no local project exists

Figure 5: New Local Project Created

Step 3: Create a new Connection. Right-click on the project you just created, or use "File->New" and choose the Relational Connection or OLAP Connection.

For the purpose of this entry, we will be creating a Relational Connection.

Figure 6: Choose a Connection

Figure 7: Define a name for Connection

Step 4: Select the proper Database Middleware driver and configure the connection. The tool comes equipped with several DB driver connections with a default installation.

Note – You must have proper privilege to the schema you are accessing. Also, an ODBC or OLE DB connection must already be established to function properly.

Figure 8: Choose the Middleware Driver

Figure 9: Connection Configuration 1

Figure 10: Connection Configuration 2

Figure 11: Connection Configuration 3

Figure 12: New Local Connection Created

A new connection should now be present and expanded in the project. This connection remains local to the project. Connections to be used in published universes will need to be published to the repository and saved as secure connections.

Step 5: Publish the connection to the repository as a secure connection. Right-click on the new local connection, or highlight the connection and choose the "File->Publish->Publish Connection to a Repository" option.

Figure 13: Publish the Connection to a Repository

Figure 14: Secure Connection Shortcut Established

Step 6: Create a new Data Foundation and configure the Data Foundation. Right-click on the project you created, or use the "File->New->Data Foundation" option.

Figure 15: Data Foundation Configuration 1

Note – there are two types of data foundations: Single-Source and Multisource-Enabled.

Single-Source

• Support a single connection.
  
• The connection can be local or secured, which means you can publish universes based on the data foundation either locally or to a repository.
  
• Recommended for the following situations: you want to work exclusively with database-specific SQL syntax, or you want to publish the universe locally and work outside of a repository.

Multisource-Enabled

• Support one or more connections.
  
• You can add connections when you create the data foundation and anytime later.
  
• Multisource-enabled data foundations only support secured connections, and universes based on this type of data foundation can only be published to a repository.
  
• Required for the following situations: you want to insert tables and joins from more than one relational data source, you want to insert tables and joins from more than one relational data source, or you want to use SQL-92 syntax and SAP BusinessObjects SQL functions.

Figure 16: Data Foundation Configuration 2

Step 7: Select the Connection to associate to the Data Foundation.

Figure 17: Data Foundation Configuration 3

Figure 18: Data Foundation Created

Step 8: Choose the Tables to Insert. You also have an option to insert Derived Tables and Views as well.

Note – Joins to objects in the Data Foundation can either be detected or manually inserted.

Figure 19: Insert Tables for Data Foundation 1

Figure 20: Insert Tables for Data Foundation 2

Figure 21: Data Foundation Created

Step 9: Create a Business Layer. Right-click on the project you created, or use the "File->New" and choose the Relational Business Layer or OLAP Business Layer. The type of business layer depends upon the connection that you used for the Data Foundation.

Figure 22: Business Layer Configuration 1

Step 10: Select the Data Foundation that you would like to use as the basis for the business layer. The tool also provides the option to automatically create classes and objects based on the Data Foundation Layer.

Figure 23: Business Layer Configuration 2

Figure 24: Business Layer Created

Step 11: Publish the Universe to the Repository. Right-click the Business Layer and choose the "Publish->To a Repository" option. This will save the Universe as a .UNX file.

Note – Ensure the Connection for the corresponding Data Foundation is a Secure Connection.

Figure 25: Publish Universe 1

Step 12: Execute a Universe Integrity Check and ensure critical errors are resolved.

Figure 26: Publish Universe 2

Step 13: Choose the Repository Folder to store the Universe.

Figure 27: Publish Universe 3

After clicking the "Finish" button, the Universe is successfully published and ready for use by the users.

Figure 28: Universe Published

You can verify that the Universe is available by logging into Interactive Analysis and creating a new document.

Figure 29: Universe Available for use in Interactive Analysis

This concludes the guide to create a Universe using the Information Design Tool. As you can see, some new terminology has been added along with a different approach to create an entire universe. We feel that the new layout and approach is tailored for multiple information designers to work on specific resources. Even though no official statement has been made by SAP BusinessObjects, we believe that the Information Design Tool will become the eventual successor to the Universe Design Tool.

Overview of Business Objects XI 4.0

SAP recently released its Business Objects Enterprise 4.0 Business Intelligence (BI) platform. The new version made updates to enhance both the end user experience and the administration of the application.

End Users

The new home page for Business Objects 4.0 is the BI Launch

pad. Formerly called InfoView, BI Launchpad welcomes users to Business Objects with a home page similar to iGoogle. Widgets displayed on the home page include My Applications, My Recently Viewed Documents, Unread Messages in My Inbox, My Recently Run Documents, and Unread Alerts. A ‘Widget’ is a user interface allowing quick access to data or an application. The BI Launchpad also features tabbed browsing.

When logging in, users have two default tabs, a home tab (previously mentioned) and a documents tab. The Documents tab gives users the old InfoView Folders view featuring Favorites and Inbox. Another advantage of tabbed browsing is the ability to have multiple reports open at once, a feature Business Objects users have wanted for awhile now. Users have the option to pin reports/documents, making them available for quick access each time the user logs into the system. Below is a screenshot of the BI Launchpad.

Another user tool modified for the Business Objects 4.0 release was WebIntelligence. WebIntelligence is also called Interactive Analysis for this release. The best feature added to the WebIntelligence tool is a raw data view available in the query panel. Users simply click a Refresh button when building their query and 15 rows of raw data are presented allowing for a quick analysis of the returned data set sample. See the screenshot below for an example of the Data Preview feature.

This allows the user to modify the query if the expected results are not shown before running a larger report. Other highlights include more chart types with additional chart features, toolbars in ribbon form similar to Office 2007, and greater consistency between the Java and Web Interfaces.

Other user tools updated with the Business Objects 4.0 release include Desktop Intelligence, Xcelsius, Life Office, Voyager, and Explorer. Desktop Intelligence is eliminated from the Business Objects Enterprise package. All Desktop Intelligence reports must be converted to either Crystal Reports or Web Intelligence reports. The report conversion tool can be used before or after the Business Objects 4.0 upgrade is performed. Xcelsius is still available but has been renamed to Dashboard Design. Live Office is incorporated within the release, allowing BI content to be more accessible throughout the Microsoft Office suite. Voyager, Business Objects’ OLAP data analysis tool, has been replaced with Advanced Analysis. Advanced Analysis highlights an enhanced task and layout panel view to improve productivity and depth of analysis for multidimensional data. SAP Business Objects Explorer is a data discovery application that allows users to retrieve answers to business questions from corporate data quickly and directly. Explorer is installed as an add-on to Business Objects Enterprise 4.0, and can be integrated with the BI Launchpad.

Administrators

Administration updates have been made throughout the Business Objects 4.0 Enterprise.

The look and feel of the Central Management Console (CMC) is similar to that of BOXI 3.0, although several features have been updated for greater user administration. Auditing has been updated throughout the release. The CMC Auditing feature allows administrators to modify what is being audited. Monitoring is now available through the CMC. Monitoring allows administrators to verify all components of the system are functioning properly. Response times can be viewed and CMS performance can be evaluated within the Monitoring feature. See the screenshot below for the Monitoring interface.

Universe design received an update in the 4.0 release with a new tool called the Information Design tool. The highlights of the tool include the ability to create multisource universes, dimensional universes that support OLAP dimensions and hierarchies, and easier management of repository resources. Each universe will now consist of three files (or layers), a connection layer, a data foundation, and a business layer. The connection layer defines the connections used for universe development. The data foundation layer defines the schemas being used for a relational universe. The business layer is the universe created based on your data foundation. Resources can be shared, allowing connections and data foundations to help create multiple business layers (or universes). Below is a screenshot showing the Information Design Tool. The upper left shows the project with the different layers created. The bottom left shows the shared repository resources. The right side is similar to previous versions of Business Objects Designer.

Import Wizard has been replaced by two separate tools, the Upgrade Management tool and the Lifecycle Management Console. The Upgrade Management tool allows for direct upgrades from Business Objects XI R2 SP2 or later. The new easy to use interface allows upgrades to go more smoothly. The Lifecycle Management Console is a web-based tool which gives administrators a way to handle version management. Rollback and promotion of objects is available among different platforms if the same version of Business Objects is being used.

Getting to 4.0

Business Objects 4.0 is a complete new install, an upgrade option is not available. To migrate over specific application resources (Universes, CMS data, etc.), older versions of Business Objects (5.x, 6.x) must be upgraded to Business Objects XI R2 or later first. The deployment of 4.0 has also been simplified through the use of a single WAR file for web application deployment. Business Objects servers and web application tier can only be installed and run on 64-bit operating systems.