With the much anticipated release of SAP BusinessObjects 4.0, there has been much discussion over which version of SAP BusinessObjects clients should implement: version 4.0 or 4.1? SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 has had a few delays in its release; the original anticipated date was back in May 2011.

The new release date is now scheduled for September. Plenty of clients are asking plenty of questions: How do I handle the transition from SAP Business Warehouse BEx to SAP BusinessObjects? Which version (4.0 or 4.1) is compatible with our existing BW landscape? And what changes and value will we get out the transition?

In February 2010, I wrote an article titled “Factors to consider when deciding to move off SAP BEx.” (Which, thanks to all of you who read it, made it to #6 in the top 10 articles read in 2010 on SearchSAP.com.) This is a follow-up to that article based on the following critical client questions: What do I get with either SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 or 4.1? And should I move to SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 when it’s available or wait until 4.1?

Question 1: What Do I Get with Either the 4.0 or 4.1 Versions of SAP BusinessObjects?

From last year’s article I set the notion that the move to the new SAP BusinessObjects tools was to satisfy the need to increase user-adoption rates, increase ROI and lower the TCO. There is evidence supporting this. We at Claricent have been looking into the research on BI trends and found that there is significant effort by companies to achieve Best-in-Class BI status (as reported by the Aberdeen Group, May 2011). More than 70 percent of companies surveyed by Aberdeen reported the need to enable their end users with self-service tools. For good reason, too; companies who reach Best-in-Class BI status enjoy benefits such as having a lower BI spend per user—about half as much—over companies that do not reach that designation.

This lower BI spend is in direct correlation to the breadth of access to BI self-service tools. Best-in-Class BI companies rollout self-service tools to more than 78 percent of their BI users (Aberdeen Group, October 2010). Which brings me back to question: What are the benefits of the SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 release? This release offers significant opportunities for companies to roll-out BI self-service tools. There are three things which I have found to be of importance to end-users:

• Common User interface
• Ease of Use
• Integration

Significant work was put into the consistency of the SAP BusinessObjects tool UIs both visually and in the interaction across all the tools:

• SAP BusinessObjects Analysis edition for OLAP
• SAP BusinessObjects Analysis edition for MS-Office (previously code named Pioneer)
• Webi
• Crystal Reports
• BI Launchpad (replaces InfoView)
• SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design (previously known as Xcelsius)

All of the tools have a common likeness to the menus, layout and tool use. They all have highly visual interactive controls and visual output.

From all the product documentation, the following is a summary of the tools with specific new features/functions, the version available, and the benefit to your BI deployment.

All of the front-end tools have access to SAP BW and SAP ERP (Use of Transient Provider as of ECC 6.0 Enhancement Pack 5) via the BI Consumer Services (BICS) API. The BICS API provides access to the native BEx OLAP engine. You now get what you expect, effectively a 1:1 performance relationship to what native BEx offered.

If there is one thing that SAP is consistently known for it is integration—and now we have it. A significant feature is the ability to create a universe and access both SAP BW and non-SAP data for self-service reporting needs. There is now robust self-service capability for distribution to a large user population, while providing the flexibility of flexible data access.

Question 2: Adopt SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 or Wait for 4.1?

Here’s my short answer:  “It depends.” What BusinessObjects 4.1 will give you is further improvement of everything released with 4.0. The one item above which I personally have waited for is the capability of “Data Binding” for SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design.

The concept of Data Binding is what we have been spoiled with for years with the BEx Web Application Designer. In short, Data Binding provides a dynamic link of an onscreen component (for example, a table, chart, or drop-down list box) with a data source—without an intermediary mapping layer (such as Excel). What is frustrating and limiting for a developer using Xcelsius is being “locked-in” with the Excel-based layer to a specific range of data cells. Data Binding is a great feature of SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design coming in version 4.1.

Now, is Data Binding that great of a feature to wait until 4.1 and sacrifice an opportunity to reduce your cost per-user of self-service reporting? Not in my opinion. There are enough significant changes with SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 that will give organizations a solid reporting platform to adopt now and truly reduce their BI cost per-user and increase their BI ROI—and not just BI ROI, but true ROI across the organization.

David Fox is Principal Consultant and Practice Manager of Claricent, Inc. Headquartered in Acton, Mass., Claricent, Inc. is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW), SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (SAP BI), and SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation (SAP NW BPC). The company’s team of SAP technology experts and information management specialists provide architecture and design, implementation, staff augmentation, and BI remote support services for clients throughout North America. Claricent also partners with leading-edge hardware and software companies to develop innovative solutions to the unique BI challenges facing mid-market enterprises. Claricent delivers world-class solutions that move clients’ businesses forward.

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6 Comments for SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 or 4.1: What’s Worth the Wait?

Jamie Oswald

From your table, it sounds like us non-SAP ERP shops have no good reason to wait. Any idea when 4.1 will come out?

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Dave Fox

Hi Jamie,

I ‘heard’ around October ’11 timeframe however as with most dates, no firm answer. When I come across something more specific I will issue a post.

Best Regards,
Dave

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Henrique Pinto

Planned RTC (under Ramp-up) is October 28th.

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Hunain

Will 4.1 add support for Microsoft IIS in other will there be a .NET offering for the platform same same as 3.1.x. Thanks in advance.

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Dave Fox

A great release from SAP on their plans to incorporate the BI 4.1 features/functions into the BI 4.0 SP3 release. That pretty much seals the deal about not waiting for 4.1.

http://blogs.sap.com/analytics/2011/10/07/sap-businessobjects-bi-release-plan-update/

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