Transcript Session Title - Lenoir

Creating an upgrade plan
and strategy for SAP
NetWeaver 2004s
Dr. Bjarne Berg
MyITgroup Ltd.
© 2006 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved.
What We’ll Cover …
• Why upgrade
End of support
New support strategy &
NetWeaver
New features and capabilities
• Creating an upgrade strategy for the future
Content Vs.
Technical upgrades
Upgrades with NetWeaver
• Planning and Executing the upgrade
The upgrade plan
The business case
 Staffing, duration and scope
• Questions and Answers
• Bonus material: ideas for the business case
2
Why Upgrade – end of support…
BW
Ve rsio n
Re le ase
date
End o f mainstre am
mainte nanc e
2.0B
2.1C
3.0A
3.0B
3.1C
3.2
3.3
3.5
8/14/00
12/18/00
11/15/01
5/13/02
11/11/02
3/31/03
8/30/03
3/31/04
12/31/2005
12/31/2005
12/31/2005
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
3/31/2010
Many upgrades are driven by end of support for a certain release.
SAP has now created a 5-1-2 maintenance system that consists of:
- mainstream maintenance
- extended maintenance
- customer-specific maintenance
3
The 5-1-2 maintenance strategy
Going forward, SAP will provide five years of mainstream (standard)
maintenance, with the option to extend their maintenance coverage for a
period of up to three years for small premiums over the standard
maintenance rate.
1. Five years of mainstream maintenance at the standard maintenance fee.
2. One year of extended maintenance at an additional two percent maintenance fee.
3. Two more years of extended maintenance at an additional four percent maintenance
fee per year. After these eight years, customer-specific maintenance begins, providing
a program of support and services uniquely tailored to individual customer
requirements.
The plan covers SAP solutions based on the SAP NetWeaver platform
including mySAP SCM, SRM, PLM, CRM, and industry add-ons.
4
The Bigger Picture – NetWeaver ??
NetWeaver is a set of solution
components that provides a
comprehensive architecture.
Multichannel access
Portal
Collaboration
INFORMATION INTEGRATION
Bus.
Bus.Intelligence
Intelligence
Knowledge
Mgmt
Knowledge
Mgmt
Master Data Management
PROCESS INTEGRATION
Integration
Broker
Bus. Process
Mgmt
APPLICATION PLATFORM
J2EE
LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT
COMPOSITE APPLICATION FRAMEWORK
PEOPLE INTEGRATION
ABAP
DB and OS Abstraction
...
Source: SAP AG
All components of NetWeaver can use the same operating
system release, and the same database release.
All components can be run within a single physical server
if it is a small configuration, thereby reducing the number
of systems and databases to be managed.
5
Why Upgrade to NW 2004s?
One of the major reasons for upgrading your BW environment is the
availability of new content and features in the next release. Let us take
a look at some of the major new features of version 2004s:












Web Application Designer
BI Accellerator
BEx Broadcaster
BEx Query Designer
BEx Report Designer
ReModeling Toolbox
Security Changes
New ETL Interface
BPS Integrated Planning
PDF print
Real-time data warehousing
BEx Web Analyzer
We will now take a quick
look at these features
6
Web Application Designer gets better
The Web Application Designer is improved with new chart types (Heat Map, GANTT &
Milestone Trend Analysis), as well as new layout elements such as ‘tab strips’.
WAD also has new stepby-step wizards for maps,
command editing to
create Web API
Commands and charts, as
well as a simplified wizard
for layout elements such
as radio buttons, action
buttons etc.
This reduce the amount
of custom coding
required with the help of
Command wizards, Auto
complete and support for
HTML tags.
WAD is a key tool
for all SAP BI shops
and in NW2004s the
tool is simplified
and more powerful.
New: integration with
NW 2004s BEx Report
7
Designer.
Why upgrade? - BI Accellerator for 2004s
SAP
BW
The SAP BI accelerator
makes query response
time 50-10,000 faster.
You use process
chains to maintain the
HPA engine after each
data load
Any
tool
Analytic
Engine
InfoCubes
HPA Engine/Adaptive Computing
Data
Acquisition
SAP NW 2004s BI
Both HP and IBM have standard solutions
ranging from $32K to $200K+ that can be
installed and tested in as little as 2-4 weeks
1. In-memory processing
2. Dictionary-based, smart
compression using integers
3. High parallel data access /
horizontal partitioning
4. Column-based data storage &
access/vertical table decomposition
8
New Broadcaster features of BI 2004s
New Object Types
You can broadcast BEx query views and formatted
reports (“reports”) in addition to Web applications,
queries and workbooks. Reports are a new BEx
object type developed within the new BEx Report
Designer tool.
New Output Formats
New output formats are based on the distribution
type you select. But, you now can broadcast web
documents as PDF files.
9
New Broadcaster features of BI 2004s
New Distribution Types
You can broadcast to any printer using Adobe’s
PDF, Printer Common Language (psl) or Post
Script (ps). (hint: Set up the printers under tools
CCMS  print).
You to broadcast user-specific information based
on attributes in the master data attributes using a
distribution list in BI (bursting of emails). The
information can be controlled by the system so
that users only see data related to them.
10
New Broadcaster Features of BI 2004s (cont.)
Exception broadcasting is now available in the
Broadcaster. Create the exceptions in the query
designer and select distribution type in the
broadcaster. You can also use additional distributions
types (subordinate) and create rules for when the
exception report is “monitored”/executed. Exceptions
can be based on single events or levels of any
performance measure.
NOTE: To manage all alerts and workflow tasks from a
single location, an alert is integrated with the portal’s
universal worklist in the “central alert framework” of
NW application server.
You can use multiple distribution types to create a
setting that broadcasts over many channels (e.g., the
printer and the portal).
11
New Broadcaster Features of BI 2004s (cont.)
To increase the performance of key queries, you can fill
the OLAP Cache, or the MDX Cache. This is useful if you
have large numbers of users accessing a query, or you
have a query that accesses a high volume of data.
The Fill Precalculation Store distribution type allows you
to precalculate Web templates, and the Precalculate
Value Set option allows you to fill precalculated value set
variables with values for characteristic values. The
precalculated value sets are then available as variable
values in BEx queries.
BREAKING NEWS: Reporting agent “goes away”. In the old Reporting Agent you could
precalculate the data of a template and access it through the URL . It could not
broadcast queries, workbooks or web templates by email or to KM folders.
SAP Dec. 2005: Old Reporting Agent scenarios still run in NetWeaver 2004s. However, the Reporting
Agent will not be developed any further and is removed from the 2004s Workbench. You can now
only reach the Reporting Agent using transaction code REPORTING_AGENT
12
BEx Query Designer gets a needed ‘facelift’
The 3.5x BEx
Query Designer
This new property pane makes it
easier to format and control displays
than in the past.
The NW2004s BEx
Query Designer
Note:
13
Why upgrade? - BEx Report Designer is here!!
This new tool was
created to simplify the
formatting of reports
and fix many of the
printing issues in
previous versions of
BW.
We now get color
control, header-footer
control and many new
features such as
location control of
cells and integration
of pictures, charts and
fixed text.
Source: SAP AG, 2006
Don't
Forget
For many, this tool may reduce the need for 3rd
party tools to address structured reports.
14
Why upgrade? – New Remodeling Tool Box
In NW2004s you get a new tool to add characteristics and key figures to
your model.
In older BW versions,
if you forgot to
include a field in your
infocube, the rework
was quite substantial
and often involved
reloading the
infocube as well.
Source: SAP AG, Richard
Brown, Aug. 2006
NW 2004s goes a long way to address the complaints that BW is a
hard to maintain environment with ‘forever’ fixed models.
15
Why upgrade? - Better security features
There are many new security features in NW
2004s, and a conversion is needed (all or
nothing).
Role menus are displayed in the portal and
passwords becomes case sensitive.
Authorizations are
fundamental building
blocks of the new
reporting concept and
security contains both
the data value and
hierarchy restrictions.
The new security can be
built using new
“RSECADMIN”
transaction
Source: SAP AG
ASUG Security Upgrade by Eric Dwyer, Nike: http://www.asug.com/client_files/Calendar/Upload/EA1_upgrade_bw_security_2.ppt
16
Why upgrade? - More Authorization Objects
Authorization objects for the Data Warehousing Workbench:
S_RS_DS: For the DataSource or its sub objects (NW2004s)
S_RS_ISNEW: For new InfoSources or their sub objects (NW 2004s)
S_RS_DTP: For the data transfer process and its sub objects
S_RS_TR: For transformation rules and their sub objects
S_RS_CTT: For currency translation types
S_RS_UOM: For quantity conversion types
S_RS_THJT: For key date derivation types
S_RS_PLENQ: Authorizations for maintaining or displaying the lock settings
S_RS_RST: Authorization object for the RS trace tool
S_RS_PC: For process chains
S_RS_OHDEST: Open Hub Destination
You get the ability to
use much lower
Authorization objects for the Business Explorer:
security granularity for
S_RS_DAS: For Data Access Services
developers and users!!
S_RS_BTMP: For BEx Web templates
S_RS_BEXTX: Authorizations for the maintenance of BEx texts
Authorization objects for the Admin of analysis authorizations
S_RSEC: Authorization for assignment and administration of analysis authorizations
S_RS_AUTH: Authorization object to include analysis authorizations in roles
Changed Authorization Objects:
S_RS_ADMWB (Data Warehousing Workbench: Objects):
New sub objects:
CONT_ACT – Installing Business Content; USE_DND - Drag & Drop to InfoAreas and
application components; CNG_RUN - Attribute change run
Source: SAP AG July 2006
17
Upgrading to NW2004s Security
SAP has created an ABAP migration tool to help you upgrade security in
NW 2004s. To access it, goto transaction code SA38, and execute
migration program RSEC_MIGRATION.
About 80% of you security setup is expected to make it using this tool.
i.e. customer exit variables for the object 0TCTAUTHH does not migrate,
and you will have to manually reassign all hierarchy nodes.
While you upgrade, the old security is left intact and you can switch
back if absolutely needed (IMG setting). Plan to test…test..and test…
More Great Details about
the Security Upgrade at :
http://csc-studentweb.lrc.edu/
swp/Berg/Articles/
2004S_Authorizations.pdf
(Source: Amelia Lo, SAP)
18
Why Upgrade? - Better interface for ETL Design
On a typical DW project, 40-60% of project effort will be spent
on data integration, transformation and loads (used to be
higher when tools were more immature).
SAP NetWeaver
2004s has a new
and better GUI and
formula editors to
write complex
transfer rules,
update rules and
data mapping.
19
Why upgrade? - BPS Integrated Planning
1
InfoProvider
2
3
4
Aggregation Level
Filter
Planning Function
5
Planning Sequence
6
Pattern
You can now create planning templates using the web based planning wizard to create
models using patterns in the data (tool: “Road map Pattern”). Queries based on
aggregation levels can now also write back to the InfoProvider
20
Source: SAP AG, 2006
Why upgrade? – New PDF Print
You can also use the PDF to create
reports based on BEx web
applications, queries and reports
using the Adobe DS (comes with
NW2004s).
The PDF options allows companies to
protect reports from changes by
employees by taking a ‘snapshot’ of the
data regardless of subsequent updates
to the data warehouse.
Risks: no link back to SAP BW is needed
and security is not validated.
The only Gotchas.. Your users now
need to install Acrobat Reader
(free at http://www.adobe.com/
products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
The PDF document can also be
Broadcasted through BEx
Broadcaster
21
Why upgrade? - Real-time Data warehousing gets better
NW 2004s has more features for updates that does not follow the
typical asynchronomous (batch) updates. This include:
1. We can use XML to fill the PSA directly
2. Daemon-based update from delta queue (BW API)
3. Daemon-based update of the ODS and minimal logging
Note: XML documents creates
many tags that will slow down
large dataloads due to the size of
each XML record (relatively large)
However, it works great for
smaller streams of data.
22
Why upgrade? - BEx web Analyzer integrates Excel
The Excel integration in the BEx
analyzer is far better.
Source: SAP AG, 2006
Unlike the old days of dynamic
HTML, you can now use the BEx
analyzer more like a real
application without refreshing the
whole page every time you click
on something (this is due to the
Java component in NW2004s)
News: BEx browser
goes away in NW2004s
23
Why upgrade? - Drag-and Drop in BeX web Analyzer
You can drag a
characteristics into a filter
area and automatically filter
on that value, and you can
also drag it into a column
header or a a row.
BEx web analyzer is a better user
tool than in the past. You now get
the best world of Java & the web
instead of the more ‘clunky’ user
experience related to Dynamic HTML
Building conditions and
activating them was often
confusing in earlier versions
and exception based
reporting was sometimes not
easy to create for beginning
users. NW2004s has now
simplified this with more
wizards that helps users to
build this step-by-step.
24
What We’ll Cover …
• Why upgrade
End of support
New support strategy &
NetWeaver
New features and capabilities
• Creating an upgrade strategy for the future
Content Vs.
Technical upgrades
Upgrades with NetWeaver
• Planning and Executing the upgrade
The upgrade plan
The business case
Staffing, duration and scope
• Questions and Answers
• Bonus material: ideas for the business case
25
BW Content Upgrades
The new upgrade strategy from SAP is to provide BW technical
releases as part of NetWeaver and BI content add-ons,
You do not need to perform a technical upgrade to update the
business content.
We now have SAP BI 7.0 and the content releases 7.0.1 and 7.0.2 and
7.0.3 are now available. Planned upgrades should also include the
content releases up to version 7.0.3
Details around each content release is available at http://help.sap.com
The current content (7.0.3) is available at: http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/
helpdata/en/ 44/16e6f7a6f30d19e10000000a114a6b/RN_703_en_final.pdf
Apply content when you need it, to the technical release you have!!
26
An Upgrade Strategy
Think bigger than BW..
Tip
Apply content as soon as feasible. Especially if you have on-going
development work. This way you can avoid many “work-arounds”.
You should seriously consider having all NetWeaver components
on the same upgrade strategy instead of selecting each component
for upgrade. This will help in the shared extractors and also
substantially simplify the upgrade planning and landscape.
Look at SAP’s release strategy for each
component you are using and plan ahead,
instead of last-minute “must-do” projects.
27
Some hints on the upgrade – client, engines and usage types
We are in a transition period,
when some items of NW2004s
are separate engines, some are
clients, and other are usage
types.
Key question: is you
organization committed to java
and the new NW2004s direction?
-- if so, go java ‘all the way’..
Note: standard system copy and SAP
migration tools have no standard
support for splitting or merging
systems with different usage types
Source: SAP Installable
software units May 2006
28
Some upgrade choices – the architecture
1
2
3
Upgrade
Upgrade
Upgrade
Or
Or
Or
Source: SAP AG May 2006
Note: Depending on your current installation of
SAP BW, you have different upgrade options
29
What We’ll Cover …
• Why upgrade
End of support
New support strategy &
NetWeaver
New features and capabilities
• Creating an upgrade strategy for the future
Content Vs.
Technical upgrades
Upgrades with NetWeaver
• Planning and Executing the upgrade
The upgrade plan
The business case
Staffing, duration and scope
• Questions and Answers
• Bonus material: ideas for the business case
30
Upgrade Pre-planning
It is important to communicate the goals and timings to the technical
team to help them prioritize their research and activity or hardware setup
Communicate goal of having existing content continue to work to
functional test team, so they do not get hung up in testing new features
before the upgrade is in production.
You need to have the SAP solution Manager to generate the key during
the upgrade to NW2004 SR1, and you will need to be on Solution
Manager release 3.2 SP8 or higher to make it work (note: 805390).
31
NetWeaver 2004s Upgrade paths
Current Release
BW 3.5 (min. SP04) and ABAP, any content release (3.5.x)
BW 3.1c (min. SP14) content 3.2 or 3.3
BW 3.0B (min SP20)
BW 2.1C (min. SP18)
NW 2004s Release/support
NetWeaver 2004s usage type ABAP,
(usage BI java and EP can be add-ins or
separate systems.
Must be upgraded to SAP BW 3.5 first and
then BI7.0 (upgrade with NetWeaver 2004s
Support release 1)
BW 2.0B (min. SP26 & Basis SP29)
Other
SAP BI 3.5 Java components (i.e. UDI) on WAS-Java
System with usage type SAP AS Java
BW
Ve rsio n
Re le ase
date
End o f mainstre am
mainte nanc e
Can be upgrade d to
2.0B
2.1C
3.0A
3.0B
3.1C
3.2
3.3
3.5
8/14/00
12/18/00
11/15/01
5/13/02
11/11/02
3/31/03
8/30/03
3/31/04
12/31/2005
12/31/2005
12/31/2005
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
12/31/2006
3/31/2010
2.1C, 3.0B, 3.1C, 3.50/3.51
3.0B, 3.1C, 3.50/3.51
3.0B, 3.1C, 3.50/3.51
3.1C, 3.50/3.51
3.2 and 3.3 must be applied before 3.5
3.3 must be applied before 3.5
3.5
Still an option…
32
Some hints – Upgrade programs SAPup and SAPjup
You will need to install the NetWeaver Application Server Java and the
specific user type, before you can use all the features of NW2004s (i.e.
Business planning and analysis services, Enterprise data
warehousing, Reporting and analysis scenarios etc). You can install
this as a separate system or as an add-in to the upgraded ABAP
server.
SAP provides a software program called SAPup to help you upgrade
the WAS (ABAP) and SAP BW. It is called a “system switch upgrade”.
Note: if you already have java installed, you can also use the upgrade
program called SAPjup, to upgrade the WAS-java.
If the WAS-Java was installed on the same system as the WASABAP (as an add-in) you need to run both the SAPup and SAPjup
programs in parallel (see the Master upgrade guide for more details).
33
Some hints on the upgrade - Unicode conversion
G
o
o
d
Unicode has been available since BW version 3.5.1. and is now
highly recommended as part of the upgrade (hint web application
T
h
i
n
g
designer is now also unicode compliant).
Some things to remember and plan for:
Area
Memory
Processing power
Disk space
‫ﻲﻶﻺﻕﻒﻏﻎ‬
Recommended increased capacity
20%
20-25%
20-30%
‫תשרחפא‬
34
Planning Your Upgrade – a Hardware Example
Example
Production
12 CPU
96GB RAM
Sandbox
4 CPUs
32GB RAM
Development
Test
4 CPUs
32GB RAM
4 CPUs
32GB RAM
This west coast company reallocated
their Sun-6900 box (on Oracle) and have
3 Appservers on the production box..
More memory allows them to take better
advantage of the parallel load of the BW
system as well as to cache many of the
frequently run queries (BEx Broadcaster)
The hardware also allows them to have a
system where performance between the
boxes are comparable.
Key numbers: 3.1 Terabytes of data; 2810
named users and about 620 active users
35
Resources
Team Lead
Basis
resource
Technical reviewer
BW Developer
Upgrade Support
External
Regression Testers
• A Dedicated team with a technical team lead (100%), a Basis resource
(100%) and a technical reviewer (100% is required).
• In addition, a dedicated “go-to” resource for technical issues is
recommended. This should be an individual that have solid
knowledge about the upgrade and have done his before. SAP
resources should be considered, due to their contact network within
the SAP organization.
• Regression testing is required on behalf or the user community. This
should be coordinated with the Power Users or existing developers.
36
Sample Timeline - complete landscape for large BW implementation
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
W8
W9 W10 W11 W12
Project startup and Team training
Preparation for upgrade of Sandbox system
and roll out of SAPGui
Upgrade Sandbox system
Test functionality and decide what to
implement in upgrade (What has the best ROI)
Plan upgrade of production landscape
And roll out of new functionality to users
Upgrade development system
Test and validate upgrade
Implement new functionality
Upgrade Test system
(Copy of production if possible)
Test and validate Test system and user training
& roll out of SAPGui
Upgrade Production system
Test and validate Production system
The duration is driven by:
1. The number of BW systems in your landscape.
2. The new functionality your are rolling out
3. The support technology needed
The more content you have
the longer the upgrade
(the more you have to
regression test)
37
Minimum Timeline and Basic events:
Do initial upgrade guide and note research [1-2 days]
Upgrade BW sandbox and do
cursory issues check [1-4 days]
Upgrade a copy of
BW production – have key development leads regression test all
live content (both systems must be connected to other landscape environments –
testing extractors too!) [2-5 days (size/copy/hw depending)]
Once the initial regression test is complete, create
any correctional transports. [3-5
days?]
Post-fix, have full team in for “Upgrade buy-in testing” that all works properly [2-3
workdays]
KEY:
now freeze development and release transports, upgrade development and a
test system, incorporating the fix transports generated from the upgrade regression
test. This should be a clean 2-4 day process.
Plan for regression test glitches – and production cut-over.
38
Move into Landscape
• At this point you have a temporary BW Dev to test patch, and
perhaps static training, production and production support
systems.
• Ideally, you’d migrate the upgrade to these as soon as possible,
but this is a stable point. You will have to decide, based on
content, whether copying a test box to training makes sense (can
preserve user master)
• For production and production support, you’ve already done a dry
run – just do production and copy back to production support
unless the size makes this impractical [~ >500GB]
Don't
Forget
Hardware requirements changed if you also did
unicode conversion (recommended)
39
Knows issues and fixes
• Query Designer: Remove reference in reusable structures/ reusable filters (FEP/SP9)
• Report Designer: Formatting Hierarchies based on Hierarchy levels (FEP/SP9); Chart integration in
report item: standalone chart (FEP/SP10); Report designer/item – Chart depending on group level
context (FEP/SP11); Images in Enterprise Reports: via Mime Repository (FEP/SP9); Display the
Document icon in Enterprise Reports (FEP/SP12); Formatting of frames (color, line styles and sizes),
definition of cell – frame margin (FEP/SP11)
• General: Change of Currency translation settings during runtime by end-user (FEP/SP9): Download
from Web to Excel 2000 without further navigation. Before SP 9 it only works with Excel 2002/3
(FEP/SP9): List calculation: Normalization according to not visible values (FEP/SP9): Variant Creation
(FEP/SP9)
• Web Application Designer: Pattern Wizard in WAD (FEP/SP9): GIS Features (Map Toolbar, Dynamic
Geo Objects, context menu for map) (FEP/SP10) Context menu for charts (FEP/SP9): Inclusion of BEx
Web Applications as Single iView into a federated NW2004s Portal (SP10): Modal Windows cannot be
displayed in Firefox. That will be added in SP10.
• Call Document Integration functionality from within BEx Analyzer (FEP/SP12), Query Designer
(FEP/SP10), Web Application Designer, Report Designer (FEP/SP12)
There are still a few outstanding issues that will be addressed in Source: SAP SP Capabilities NW2004s
BI SP/FEP 8 to 12 Version 2 (June
the next few service packs (may, or may not, impact you)
2006)– subject to change
40
Knows issues and fixes
AdHoc Query & Analysis
• Upload of text files for variable selection in Web Analyzer (SP12)
• Search (Advanced Search (TREX): Search using Search attributes) in Open/Save Dialogs in
Web Analyzer (SP10)
• Search Objects in Portal in Open/Save Dialogs in Web Analyzer (SP9)
• CSV Export (SP9)
• Change currency translation settings during runtime (SP9)
• Flicker Free Rendering (SP12)
Information Broadcasting
• Using Variants in Broadcaster (SP9)
• Broadcasting BEx Analyzer workbooks via Excel Precalculation Service (FEP/SP10)
• Direct Broadcasting into NW2004s Federated Portal (SP12)
EDW:
• Transformation - Check referential integrity as part of transformation (SP9)
• Return table in transformations (one rule returns a table with keys and figures) (SP10)
• Transformation: Navigational attributes as Source for Target Open Hub Destination (SP10)
Source: SAP SP Capabilities
• Nearline Storage: restore data from nearline/archive (SP9)
NW2004s BI SP/FEP 8 to 12 Version 2
(June 2006) – subject to change
41
7 Key Points to Take Home
• Is it cheaper to upgrade to new content or risk reinventing the wheel?
• A BW architecture is part of a larger decision support landscape
• An upgrade strategy should contain all NetWeaver components
• You upgrade strategy must include both release and content upgrades
• Your upgrade time is largely a function of scope, your regression test
strategy and the amount of content in your BW
• The NW2004s upgrade is an extensive one and you should treat it as so.
• Cross reference new features & functionality with your organization’s
pain points…and ensure the upgrade costs do not exceed the business
benefits
42
Resources
Dr. Bjarne Berg's web page -- 60+ presentations, tutorials &
articles http://csc-studentweb.lrc.edu/swp/Berg/BB_index_main.htm
The document “NW 2004s Upgrade master Guide“ is available at
http://www.sdn.sap.com/
“Business content and extractors SAP BI 7.0.3” available at
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/en/44/16e6f7a6f30d19e10000000a114a6b/
RN_703_en_final.pdf
“Component upgrade guide SAP Netweaver 2004s ABAP” available at
http://help.sap.com
43
Your Turn!
How to Contact Me
Dr. Bjarne Berg
[email protected]
44
The Business Case for upgrading – Some ideas
Strategic:
• Timing of releases - NW2004s BI70 is a major BI release - better to absorb it and new technologies now
• Technology like Java and EP usage type is mature and stable enough for productive use
• All included technologies are the future of SAP software development - unicode, java and portal especially - it
is better for the technical team to become experienced in installing and maintaining them in a non critical
application like reporting and data analysis before applying this know-how to mission critical applications like
mySAP ERP 2005/ECC 6.0 (R3)
• While NW2004s has a lot of new technology, much of which has been tested for over ten months, there is no
requirement to convert to newer features on upgrade - BW 3.x content can be migrated scenario by scenario.
• Integrated Planning features are the best planning approach
Technical:
• Better administration capability thru Netweaver Administrator - and BW load and query statistics have been
redesigned and a cockpit provided which includes better process chain support
• Unicode support
• The GUI component, used by developers even if end users are 100% web based, is in maintenance and SAP
supported past 2010. In addition, the Visual composer component can be used for development, which may
shorten KPI reporting request turnaround time.
• BI capability is integrated into the new ECC - but will likely not be used as an integrated reporting component.
• Utilizing the NW2004s BI usage type allows early adoption and testing of enterprise services
• BI Accelerator capable - indexes InfoCube data - acts as super fast aggregate to overcome bad modeling or
design or simply huge data volumes. (hardware based, provided separately)
• New additional support for near-line storage of infrequently used data
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The Business Case for upgrading – Some ideas
Functional:
• Security changes - new model is provider oriented, not the old R3 transactional model - enables
better architecture of security solution for reporting, dashboarding and planning - new security
implementation has enhanced monitoring, auditing and test tools.
• Better linked extract performance - helps with larger volume extracts, consolidated data transfer
• Better now before a larger volume of data, larger user community and more content requires
testing or is affected by downtime
• Allows greater automation and self service capability, freeing business experts for more
strategic and less daily operational workload. (source SAP What's new in NW2004s)
• Migration towards single user interface (via EP usage type) in place, tested and scalable before
ERP upgrade
• One BI Toolset - Report Design takes place in the new BEx Report Designer
• Specific new components which may drive a component based business justification: (source: SAP
New Developments in SAP BI)
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The Business Case for upgrading – Some ideas
Modeling new features:
• remodeling toolbox - change InfoCubes without rebuilding them
• enhanced datastore objects (ODS) - write optimized objects
• enhanced InfoSets (can integrate InfoCubes into join with time dependent Master data)
• new, unified datasource definitions
• enhanced remote capability - remote master data access without replication
• better EDW transformation - graphic UI, simplification of transfer rules, new end and expert
routines
• unit conversion - new capabilities during data load and reporting
• streamlined Data Flow control definition and process chain build - includes better real-time
data acquisition
• new Data Transfer Process (DTP) for better transparency, filtering and parallism in staging, and
delta management
• Real time EDW push from XML to PSA vs delta queue
• Completely redesigned Administration Cockpit and Statistics for BI runtime, Data load and new
Data load status stats.
• redesigned BW "Warehousing Workbench"
• Improved Business Content Analysis - overview, search and analysis capability
• New process chain functionality and process types
• Better Data quality thru improved error handling
• Re-partitioning capability - removes drop and rebuild restriction
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The Business Case for upgrading – Some ideas
Reporting new features:
• Redesigned Business Explorer Suite of tools...
• New Query Designer tool is VB, .NET based unicode compliant, and has enhanced UI features.
• New Query Designer supports multi-selected objects, and has options for BI Integrates planning
• New report designer tool for better formatted reporting
• BEx integrated Web Application Design - more model driven with new layout chart and map wizards
• New Web App designer -new layout elements, web items, chart types (GANTT) and is planning aware
• Improved intuitive ad-hoc design on the web with better drag and drop
• PDF based BEx web printing
• Excel based data entry capability
• New Information Broadcasting features (query views, formatted reports, data bursting, exception
broadcast, alerts etc)
• Visual Composer BI kit for modeling BI applications - can integrate heterogeneous DataSources
(OLAP/relational)
• Planning Improvements - speed of analysis, access to real-time data for forecasting, planning wizard
using roadmap pattern
• Planning capability built into Query designer - ie queries based on aggregation level can write back to
infoprovider
• Planning layouts can be done in Web Application designer - create-configure layout, bind data and
configure interaction
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