Mastering the SAP Business Information Warehouse, 2/e: Leveraging the Business Intelligence Capabilities of SAP NetWeaver

"This book is the definitive guide for SAP NetWeaver BI professionals. Based on their extraordinary expertise with the product, the authors provide deep insights about key innovations in the areas of user experience, query performance, integrated planning, and enterprise-wide data warehousing."
-Stefan Sigg, Vice President, SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

The long-anticipated publication of this second edition reflects the growing success of SAP NetWeaver as well as the various Business Intelligence (BI) capabilities that are embedded with SAP BW version 7.0. Written by SAP insiders, this comprehensive guide takes into account the ever-changing features, functionality, and toolsets of SAP NetWeaver to bring you the most updated information on how to use SAP BW to design, build, deploy, populate, access, analyze, present, and administer data. You'll discover the options that are available in SAP NetWeaver and uncover a new means to improve business performance.

This book reflects the process an organization goes through during an implementation of the software. The authors begin with an introduction to BI and SAP NetWeaver and quickly progress to information modeling and enterprise data warehouse concepts. You'll learn how to access and deliver meaningful analytic information to the organization, as well as perform integrated planning functions. Finally, the authors share invaluable insight on warehouse administration, performance, and security.

With more than 50 percent new or revised material, this second edition of Mastering the SAP Business Information Warehouse shows you how to:
* Extract data from online transaction processing systems
* Store transformed data in a way that best supports reporting and analysis
* Use the various Business Explorer tools such as BEx Report Designer, BEx Analyzer, BEx Broadcaster, and BEx Web Application Designer
* Schedule, monitor, troubleshoot, and archive data loads

The companion Web site contains sample chapters in Wiki format and the authors' blog where readers may enter discussions about the book and SAP.

Wiley Technology Publishing Timely. Practical. Reliable.

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

Visit the companion Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/mcdonald

The companion Web site contains the sample code presented in the text of the book, plus implementation templates.

 

Table of Contents

About the Authors.

Foreword.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter 1 The Origins of Business Intelligence.

Evolution of Information Processing.

Data-Storage Advancements.

Transaction Processing Dominates.

Extract Files Appear.

The Data Warehouse Is Conceived.

What Is Data Warehousing?

The Data Model.

Different Physical Tables.

Integration and Transformation Processing.

Metadata.

Granular Data.

Historical Data.

Timestamping.

Data Relationships.

Generic Data versus Specific Data.

Data Quality.

Volumes of Data.

Removing Dormant Data.

Architected Solutions.

Corporate Information Factory.

Government Information Factory.

Evolution of SAP.

Evolution of SAP Reporting and Analysis.

SAP BW and the New Dimension Applications.

The Road to Business Process Integration.

Summary.

Chapter 2 The SAP NetWeaver Integration Platform.

The Architectural Roots of SAP NetWeaver.

NetWeaver Overview.

Application Platform (Technology).

Application Server Architecture.

Front-End Technologies.

Mobile Infrastructure.

System Landscape.

Security.

Administration.

Process Integration.

Integration Builder.

Integration Repository.

Integration Directory.

Integration Server.

Runtime Monitor.

Information Integration.

Business Intelligence.

Master Data Management.

Knowledge Management.

People Integration.

Portal Framework.

Composite Application Framework.

Summary.

Chapter 3 SAP Business Information Warehouse Architecture.

SAP BW Architectural Components.

Metadata and Document Management.

Metadata Management.

Document Management.

Elementary Metadata Objects.

Obsolete Metadata Objects.

Design, Monitoring, and Administration.

Design.

Monitoring.

Administration.

Data Acquisition and Transformation.

Most Important Metadata Objects.

Staging Engine.

DataSource Manager.

Data Storage.

Master Data Manager.

Data Store Object Manager.

InfoCube Manager.

Aggregate Manager.

BI Accelerator.

Information Lifecycle Manager.

Data Access and Analysis.

InfoProvider Interface.

ODS BAPI.

OLAP Cache.

Analytic Engine.

Analysis Process Designer.

Information Distribution.

Information Distribution Interfaces.

Broadcasting.

Presentation.

Presentation Metadata Objects.

BEx Analyzer and BEx Web Analyzer.

BEx Query Designer.

BEx Report Designer.

BEx Web Application Designer.

BI Patterns.

Visual Composer.

Planning.

Analytic Engine.

Planning Functions.

Planning Sequences.

Summary.

Chapter 4 Information Modeling.

Information Modeling Prerequisites.

Understanding the SAP BW Metadata Model.

Master-Data Data Model.

The InfoCube Data Model.

The DataStore Object Data Model.

Developing an Information Model.

Multidimensional Modeling.

Additional Information Modeling Options.

Summary.

Chapter 5 Enterprise Data Warehousing.

Business Intelligence Strategy.

Architecture.

Layers of an EDW Architecture.

Topology.

System Landscapes.

Data Integration.

Master Data Integration.

Transaction Data Integration.

Data Quality.

Modeling the Layers of an EDW.

Modeling the Data Staging Layer.

Modeling the Operational Data Store.

Modeling the Data Warehouse Layer.

InfoMart Layer.

Modeling Support for Data Integration.

Modeling with Global Keys.

Modeling with Qualified Local Keys.

Concatenation Versus Compounding.

Mapping Approaches.

Modeling Support for Data Historization.

Tracking History of Transactional Data.

Tracking History of Master Data.

Governance.

Standards.

Organization.

Processes.

Training.

Project Marketing.

Summary.

Chapter 6 Data Acquisition and Transformation.

Data Acquisition.

Classes of Data.

Data Flow and Integration.

Dimensions of Data Acquisition.

OLTP Technology Considerations.

Architecture.

Metadata Flow.

Data and Control Flow.

Example of an Application-Specific Extractor.

Client-Specific Data Extraction Options.

Architecture.

Data and Control Flow.

Architecture.

Data and Control Flow.

Data and Control Flow.

Architecture.

Data and Control Flow.

Ascential DataStage.

Architecture.

Data and Control Flow.

Transformation.

Data Integration Transformations.

Application Logic Transformations.

Reference Objects for Transformations.

Architecture and Data Flow.

Persistency Considerations.

Multilevel Staging Considerations.

Conversion Routines.

Aggregation.

Rule Types.

Transformation Routines.

Loading.

Master Data Texts.

Master Data Hierarchies.

Summary.

Chapter 7 Data Access, Analysis, and Information Distribution.

Data Access.

Query Processing Overview.

InfoProvider Interface.

DataStore Objects and PSA APIs.

Information Analysis.

Knowledge-Discovery Process.

Analytic Services.

Information Distribution.

Broadcasting.

Interface Options for Third-Party Presentation Tools.

The Business Explorer API.

Summary.

Chapter 8 Information Presentation.

BEx Presentation Components.

BEx Query Designer.

BEx Analyzer.

BEx Web.

Generic Presentation Options.

Personalization.

Print Versions — PDF Output.

Local Calculations.

Other Presentation Options.

Crystal Reports Integration.

BEx Mobile Intelligence.

Portal Integration.

Visual Composer.

Summary.

Chapter 9 Integrated Planning.

Integrated Planning Positioning.

History and Trends.

Definition of Planning.

Architecture Considerations.

Integrated Planning Technology.

Architecture.

Evolution.

Planning Modeler.

Integrated Planning Data.

Information Logistics.

Information Modeling.

Data Access and Locking.

Semantic Rules.

Planning Functions.

Controlling Function Behavior.

Function Types.

Basic Functions.

Advanced Functions.

Integrated Planning User Interface.

Runtime Capabilities.

Design-Time Capabilities.

Integrated Planning Process Control.

Status and Tracking.

BW-BPS Coexistence.

Best and Worst Practices.

Delta Change Modeling.

Enterprise Design.

Summary.

Chapter 10 Business Analytics.

Analytic Application Architecture.

What Is Business Content?

Business Content Progression.

Horizontal Growth.

Vertical Growth.

Using Business Content.

Myths.

Usability.

Challenges.

Customer Relationship Analytics.

Analytic Engines.

Customer Behavior Analysis.

Supply Chain Analytics.

SCOR Model.

Supply-Chain Cockpit.

Demand Planning (DP).

Network Design and Production Planning.

Financial Analytics.

Corporate Performance Management.

Enterprise Planning.

Financial Consolidation.

Summary.

Notes.

Chapter 11 Administration.

Application-Oriented Administration.

Process Chains.

Data Management Processes.

Application Management Processes.

Monitoring.

Troubleshooting.

System-Oriented Administration.

Information Lifecycle Management.

Authorizations.

Transports.

Upgrades.

Summary.

Chapter 12 Performance Planning and Management.

Performance Planning.

Managing User Expectations.

Information Modeling.

Process Design.

System Landscape Design and Setup.

Performance Management.

BI Statistics.

Optimizing Query Performance.

Data Loading and Data Management.

Information Lifecycle Management.

System Performance.

Summary.

Appendix A Acronyms.

Index.