Designed for both business and technical users, SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence (Webi) enables the creation of interactive reports and data visualizations directly from a web interface, allowing teams to explore and analyze data in real-time.
This article explores the core features of SAP Webi, its role in connecting multiple data sources across organizations, and how it empowers companies to maximize their data potential.
Understanding SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
SAP Web Intelligence (Webi) is a key component of the SAP BusinessObjects suite, offering powerful ad-hoc reporting and analysis capabilities for users across an organization. By using Web Intelligence, users can access and share insights, make data-driven decisions, and gain a deeper understanding of critical business metrics.
The Web Intelligence platform works both as a standalone reporting tool and as a client tool for the broader BusinessObjects suite, offering critical report design and analytics capabilities to facilitate better decision-making and improve future data management strategies.
By leveraging SAP’s Web Intelligence tools, business users can create reports from key transactional data, combine data from any SAP or non-SAP data source, and analyze data located within an existing data warehouse, further streamlining data management and improving insights across business units.
Navigating the Web Intelligence Architecture
The SAP Web Intelligence architecture takes a tri-layered approach, offering multiple interfaces to retrieve data, create analytical and ad-hoc reports, and consolidate information from various data sources in a single platform. Here’s a closer look at each layer:
- Database layer: Define multiple SAP and non-SAP data sources, including information from SAP systems like SAP HANA, SAP ECC, SAP SRM and external systems like the Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, and Sybase.
- Semantic layer: Define the multidimensional data model to align with specific customer dimension requirements.
- Presentation layer: Define the method in which data will be presented to end users, such as dashboards and ad-hoc reports within the SAP Web Intelligence Rich Client.
Key SAP Webi Application Modes
When a user opens an existing report, three application modes are available to build queries, create documents, and analyze data located within complex reports. Here’s how each mode works:
Design Mode
The design mode enables users to modify and restructure existing reports, including creating variables, applying conditional formatting, attaching formulas to a report, and adding or deleting objects in any given report. It offers both a data-specific and structured approach that empowers users to improve control over their reporting tasks and enhance overall report accuracy.
The design mode with structure allows users to view the structure of the report, meaning that any changes made in this mode are not applied to the server until it’s populated with data. The design mode with data consolidates all modifications on the server, meaning that any changes made are automatically applied to the server without requiring the population of business data.
Reading Mode
The reading mode allows users to access and display existing reports, modify and monitor changes within each report, search specific text, and drill down into any report for further analysis. When Web Intelligence documents are viewed in reading mode, users can access certain features based on their individual security and access permissions.
- Create, open, save, and print documents
- Export comprehensive documents or associated reports
- Refresh an existing document
- Track changes in any given document
- View overall document history
- Undo or redo an action to modify the document
- Filter and drill down into document data
- Toggle between pages and page displays
Data Application Mode
The data application mode allows users to create new data providers, change or rename existing data sources, and manage queries used to translate data to specific reports. This mode shows a comprehensive list of all available data providers; however, all tool options are disabled in this mode.
Creating Documents in SAP Web Intelligence
When business users open a web interface within the BI Launchpad or the Web Intelligence Rich Client, they have the option to create a new document or modify an existing one. If the option to create a new document is chosen, users can either create it as a blank document or use an interface based on existing data sources, such as flat files, BEx queries, or Universe files.
By leveraging the Rich Internet application interface or the Webi Rich client, users can choose from a list of all available data sources. However, if users choose the Web Interface, only no data source or Universe from Information Design Tool (IDT) or Universe Design Tool (UDT) is supported.
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