SAP Solution Brief

SAP BusinessObjects Business

Intelligence Solutions
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence

Interactive Analysis for Busi- With SAP® BusinessObjects™

Web Intelligence® software,
ness Information and Insights companies can perform so-
Empowering Users with phisticated ad hoc reporting
Self-Service Access and analysis. Powerful func-
tionality and an intuitive user
interface enable your people
to turn data into insights, im-
To keep pace with the competition and Powerful Ad Hoc Reporting
seize timely opportunities, people in Solution
prove decision making and
your organization need access to critical productivity, and share knowl-
business intelligence (BI) to answer ad Business analysts and nontechnical
hoc questions and queries. Predefined information consumers can use SAP
edge across the enterprise.
reports created by IT are an excellent BusinessObjects Web Intelligence to
resource but don’t answer all business ask spontaneous and iterative business
users’ needs. When further questions questions involving diverse sets of data.
arise during the course of analysis, addi- For example, people can compare the
tional reporting demands can overwhelm performance of suppliers this year over
IT and slow decision-making processes. last year, combine the data with fore-
Moreover, using various analytics tools casts from Microsoft Excel spread-
can result in multiple versions of the sheets, and access trusted enterprise
truth, lead to decisions based on isolat- data for more information. Business
ed, outdated, or erroneous data, and users can identify trends and areas with-
thwart the ability to learn from earlier in the supply chain to reduce costs and
decisions. optimize profitability – all in a single
session.
SAP® BusinessObjects™ Web
Intelligence® software combines self- SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
service access with ad hoc reporting is designed to support the typical
and analysis – all in one integrated solu- decision-making lifecycle and the analy-
tion. Powerful new functionality enables sis and reporting process. Business
businesses like yours to turn insights users can follow the lifecycle and query,
into effective decisions, improve produc- access, analyze, and share data – and
tivity, and share knowledge across the they can enter the cycle at any stage,
organization. An improved, intuitive inter- facilitating collaboration and enabling
face provides business users with drag- greater flexibility. People can start from
and-drop functionality to create free- scratch to build reports, solicit or weigh
form, dynamic reports without expen­- in with comments on reports, and also
sive, time-consuming help from IT. With use and customize existing reports,
a few clicks, users can access, format, leveraging previous learning and improv-
and analyze information to identify ing efficiency.
trends and root causes. They can build
two- and three-dimensional charts to
visualize data for sharper analysis and
deeper insights. The software is built
on a trusted and agile BI platform and
allows both online and offline use.
 provide a deeper understanding of data
behind reports and analyses.

In short, the software lets business us-

ers analyze reports to find exactly the
information desired rapidly. With mini-
mal knowledge of underlying structures,
people can use the intuitive interface to
access and analyze data stored in multi-
ple formats, including multidimensional
or relational databases, Microsoft Excel
spreadsheets, text files, and comma-
separated values (CSV) files.

Sophisticated Visualization
Cutting-edge visualization functionality
allows business users to view two- and
three-dimensional charts and graphs
and zero in on specific areas of focus
for more powerful, revealing analysis
Figure: Examples of Ways to Ask Questions and Get Answers (see the figure). Users can choose from
different options including heat maps,
Intuitive, Web-Based Interface for With SAP BusinessObjects Web tree maps, tag clouds, bar charts, and
Self-Service Data Access and Intelligence, business users can ac- bubble charts. And they can quickly
Analysis cess, format, and analyze information in build these charts with simple drag-and-
a single interface – there’s no need for drop techniques and fine-grained, preci-
The software offers self-service access a separate analysis tool. The software sion controls. For example, people can
to heterogeneous sources of data – offers a feature-rich, enhanced interface use variables in the title of the chart,
such as data from relational and dimen- organized to reflect the natural analysis set the plot area and chart area colors,
sional databases, personal files, and workflow. The interface has an updated, and apply special effects, all in a single
existing documents created in SAP sophisticated look and feel that eases view.
BusinessObjects Web Intelligence. The use for both new and experienced us-
standardized query panel makes it easi- ers. Commonly used features are just a Sharing Trusted Insights
er to access all types of data including click away. Context-related menus and
multidimensional sources. A robust, drag-and-drop features improve usabili- SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
patented semantic layer hides the com- ty and enhance productivity. enables your organization to share its
plexity of underlying data sources, so insights across a wide audience. Al-
people can analyze information using People can analyze and format reports though your end users may sometimes
their own business terms. The semantic by dragging and dropping report ele- need to build reports from scratch, they
layer also makes reusable metadata and ments such as tables and charts. They will often be able to answer current
powerful calculation functionality avail- can navigate information hierarchies to business questions by adjusting existing
able, to get to key information rapidly. get deeper insight. On-the-fly browsing reports. With SAP BusinessObjects
of data providers and result validation Web Intelligence, users can add more
context to existing reports to meet their BusinessObjects Web Intelligence Business analysts and
information needs. The result is in- helps end users access and create
creased end-user confidence in busi- reports containing Unicode data. The nontechnical information
ness decisions made using timely, ac- semantic layer metadata and report consumers can use SAP
curate, and interactive reports. prompt can be localized to the report
viewer’s language, enabling your organi- BusinessObjects Web
The Power of Mobility – Working Offline zation to standardize on a single query, Intelligence to ask spontane-
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence reporting, and analysis solution, thus
delivers a unique, single environment reducing deployment costs. ous and iterative business
for accessing and interacting with infor- questions involving diverse
mation – whether business users are in Data Lineage and Impact Analysis
online or offline mode. People can cre- sets of data.
ate queries and reports in offline mode The software defines document filters,
and then synchronize data when recon- report objects, variables, and formulas
nected to the network and share the and keeps track of data modifications. ble, powerful ad hoc query, reporting,
results. The interactive interface allows Definitions can be carried across the dif- and analysis tool to your end users, you
users inside and outside the organiza- ferent formats of a document created in enable IT to focus on other value-added
tion to access secure information, re- SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence. activities.
ducing the tools needed to deliver trust- This allows business users to review
ed analyses throughout the enterprise. metadata and offers IT a clear view of Part of the SAP BusinessObjects port-
how a change will impact other applica- folio of solutions, SAP BusinessObjects
Multiple Delivery Options tions and reporting environments. Web Intelligence software serves as
SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence the foundation of a broader BI strategy
offers multiple information delivery op- Benefits of Flexible, Self-Service BI and provides information reliably and
tions and integration points. Business securely over the Web or within enter-
users can deliver a document to dash- SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence prise applications. The software scales
boards, Microsoft Office applications, offers self-service information access to meet the needs of any size organiza-
mobile devices, and portals. Built on an to your business users, providing full tion and leverages your investment in
open platform, the software can also be flexibility and control on data analysis other SAP BusinessObjects BI solu-
integrated with custom applications. and interactivity. Business users have tions, reducing the overall cost of your
decision-quality information at their fin- enterprise BI deployments.
Multilingual Information in a Single gertips – they can investigate issues,
Deployment identify the root causes of problems, Find Out More
It is crucial for global organizations to and explore new opportunities. They
provide end users with multilingual infor- need not rely on IT or expert program- To learn more about SAP
mation access. SAP BusinessObjects mers to create reports. BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
Web Intelligence allows users around or other solutions in the SAP
the world to work with the software in With self-service business intelligence BusinessObjects portfolio, call your
their native language. The software sup- available throughout the enterprise, IT is SAP representative or visit us online at
ports major Western European languag- no longer burdened with a backlog of www.sap.com/sapbusinessobjects.
es as well as multibyte languages such reports and need not build and maintain
as Japanese – all from a single server. multiple variations of numerous queries
Beyond interface localization, SAP and reports. By implementing the flexi-
Quick facts www.sap.com /contactsap

Summary
With SAP® BusinessObjects™ Web Intelligence® software, users can perform sophisticated
ad hoc reporting and analysis. Enhanced functionality and an intuitive interface in the new
release help people turn insights into effective decisions, improve productivity, and share
knowledge across the organization.

Business Challenges
• Enable self-service access to information spread across data sources and not found in
standard reports
• Improve understanding of business issues with data and trend analysis
• Provide access to information on-site and remotely at any time
• Reduce report backlog in IT

Key Features
• Access to heterogeneous data sources – Combine multiple data sources within a report
• Online and offline reporting and analysis – Ask questions, analyze data, and identify
trends no matter where you are
• Interactive and intuitive interface – Use the organized toolbar, menus, drag-and-drop
features, and charting options
• Flexibility and control – Create new reports or modify existing reports
• Consistent, familiar metadata – Leverage semantic layer and common business terms
• Data lineage – View definitions of document filters, report objects, variables, and formu-
las and keep track of data modifications

Business Benefits
• Improve decision making and user autonomy with better access to better data
• Increase confidence in business decisions made
• Gain new insights by breaking data silos
• Improve productivity with enhanced intuitive interface
• Enable ad hoc reporting and analysis with repeatable framework
• Spread insights across the organization by sharing interactive reports
• Control data access and use of system resources
• Reduce tools needed to deliver information throughout the organization with unified que-
ry, reporting, and analysis software 50 103 205 (10/12)
©2010 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
• Cut overall cost of business intelligence implementation across the organization
SAP, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign,
• Enhance IT role as a business partner supporting and driving business changes SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, and other SAP products and services
mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or
For More Information registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries.

Call your SAP representative, or visit us online at www.sap.com/sapbusinessobjects. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects,
Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius,
and other Business Objects products and services mentioned
herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Business Objects Software Ltd. in the United States
and in other countries.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of
their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves
informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.

These materials are subject to change without notice. These materials

are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies (“SAP Group”)
for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of
any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with
respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products
and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty
statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing
herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.