You need tools to manage mobile devices and the resulting data generated from them across geographies and time zones. A combination of analytical, database, and mobile technology is needed to deal with the increasing number of highly distributed devices and to give you real-time analytical insights on the big data generated. Such a combined solution also needs to be easy to consume.

I want to introduce an example of how SAP is looking for practical ways of combining SAP BusinessObjects BI with SAP mobile solutions to enable enterprise mobility management (EMM) reporting (Figure 1). Let me also explain SAP HANA’s role when included in the analytical scenario. Mobile device management and related analytics can be deployed not only on-premise, but also in the cloud as an installation or dedicated software-as-a-service to help you easily jump on the mobility bandwagon.

Figure 1

An early concept of a BI dashboard visualizing SAP Afaria device data in SAP HANA in the cloud

The analytical scenario presented here covers key process flows for mobile device management (MDM) and EMM, focusing on devices and their activity and compliance, the enterprise applications installed, and telecom-related aspects (e.g., roaming). SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions enable you to build visually appealing and easy-to-consume analytical reports on top of your device management data in SAP Afaria.

To learn more about SAP Afaria, watch this short demo from SAP:

You can access BI reports with device data via a Web browser using SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence (WebI) or SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, for example, or on a mobile device. The SAP BusinessObjects BI platform offers an information-delivery option to enable and simplify BI consumption from your mobile devices:

• The SAP BusinessObjects Mobile app delivers targeted, personalized, analytical information to your mobile device by extending existing SAP Crystal Reports and SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, Dashboards, and Design Studio reports to the iPhone and iPad.
• The SAP BusinessObjects Explorer mobile app is optimized to search for, categorize, and visually explore BI data, enabling data exploration and interactive views for your mobile device.

You can link these generic apps with your enterprise mobility data in BI generated by SAP Afaria. This combination gives SAP Afaria administrators and IT managers access to device analytics directly from their mobile devices. Here’s an example: Suppose a company-owned or bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phone registered to SAP Afaria has been jail-broken (i.e., the user has broken into the phone’s operating system), posing a security threat to your enterprise mobile infrastructure. SAP Afaria’s database sends a device alert to the BI platform (Table 1), which becomes instantly visible on the tablet of the SAP Afaria administrator and the CIO.

Table 1

Examples of device alerts

I tackle the following two basic data integration options between BI and the underlying device data to help you tap into some of the best practices available to build mobile-enabled BI reports for SAP Afaria:

• Option 1: Direct Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) calls to the relational database of SAP Afaria to enable device management reports
• Option 2: SAP HANA as the in-memory database for enhanced device management analytics

Option 1: Direct ODBC Calls to the Relational Database of SAP Afaria to Enable Device Management Reports

SQL Anywhere is the relational database used by SAP Afaria. SAP BusinessObjects BI has a standard ODBC connection for SQL Anywhere, enabling you to access data in the database directly. This scenario has low implementation complexity and performs well on the data volumes of a typical SAP Afaria installation with several hundreds or even thousands of registered devices.

The architecture of the ODBC-based data integration scenario consists of several layers (Figure 2).

Figure 2

A high-level architecture of device management analytics accessing the SAP Afaria database directly

Between SAP Afaria and the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform, the ODBC connection references relevant data from table views sitting on top of the respective database tables in SAP Afaria.

Next, the ODBC connection gives access to the data through the semantic layer in the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform. The semantic layer makes it easy to access, analyze, and enrich data regardless of the underlying source. There are two semantic layers types to consider:

• Universes, which are required for Web Intelligence reports available on mobile devices via the SAP BusinessObjects Mobile application
• Information Spaces, which can be put on top of universes as report definitions for SAP BusinessObjects Explorer and the Explorer app for mobile

The end-user-facing layer of the architecture represents your BI tool of choice (i.e., Web Intelligence or Explorer), in which you can build analytical reports based on the data available through the semantic layer and extend the reports to the mobile devices for consumption.

To enable a simple analytical scenario for device management using ODBC connectivity, you need to create and configure the following objects in your SAP BusinessObjects BI system:

• Universes
• Universe database connections
• Explorer Information Spaces
• Dashboards
• Web Intelligence reports

The technical implementation of the scenario requires the following expertise and roles in your project:

• SAP Afaria expert
• System administration expert
• Database expert
• SAP BusinessObjects BI expert
• Data integration expert

You can either create the related objects from scratch or use the SAP Afaria Rapid-Deployment Solution (RDS). The SAP Afaria RDS fast-tracks implementation with preconfigured software and predefined services, including:

• A standard SAP Afaria installation
• Analytical reports (as an optional component) using SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions

From a technical standpoint, the analytical component of the RDS delivers a preconfigured SAP BusinessObjects analytics package including reports and related objects for Explorer and Web Intelligence. The preconfiguration is delivered in the form of a BI Archive Resource (BIAR) file to be imported and promoted through the Lifecycle Management Console of your SAP BusinessObjects BI system. Setting up the preconfiguration in your system is included in the predefined services SAP customers get delivered when they opt for the SAP Afaria RDS.

The set-up includes several system admin or technical tasks performed by the respective expert for your system landscape (e.g., opening ports, updating your SAP Afaria database, or configuring firewalls). Let me explain the three main, generic BI configuration steps for you to better understand the set-up process and possibly build or modify such an analytical scenario on your own:

• Step 1. Create a database connection
• Step 2. Configure the semantic layer
• Step 3. Configure reports

Step 1. Create a Database Connection

You need to configure the 32-bit and 64-bit ODBC data sources in your BI system to point them to your SAP Afaria’s SQL Anywhere database. You can find the respective connections in your ODBC Data Source Administration > System DSN. Enter the database user and password the connection uses to access data in the database of SAP Afaria (Figure 3).

Figure 3

Maintain an ODBC connection to SAP Afaria to enable BI reporting

Step 2. Configure the Semantic Layer

Next, you have to connect to the ODBC data source with the SAP BusinessObjects universe as the semantic layer you are using. The universe is used by all Web Intelligence reports and Explorer Information Spaces in this scenario to retrieve data. You can configure the universe connection in the SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 Information Design Tool by following menu path SAP BusinessObjects BI platform Client tools > Information Design Tool > Tools > Connections. Provide the authentication method, including user and password, and link the connection with the ODBC data source you created in Step 1.

Next, verify the universe that has been imported with the BIAR file. Launch the Information Design Tool. Create a new project and select Retrieve a Published Universe > From a Repository. Browse to the Afaria folder and select the Afaria Reporting.unx file to retrieve it (Figure 4). You can also test the connection now.

Figure 4

Retrieve the Afaria reporting universe

The above steps assume you are using the SAP Afaria RDS, in which the universe and the related universe connection are imported via the BIAR file. You can, however, also create the universes from scratch if you have the respective skills available as this is a standard, well-documented activity in the Information Design Tool. Review Table 2 for what database tables and views in SAP Afaria you need then to include in your semantic layer for best-practice mobile device management reporting (as of SAP Afaria 7.0 Service Pack 1 Hot Fix 21).

Table 2

Database tables and views that you can include in a universe for reporting on devices

Next, you need to index the Afaria Explorer Information Spaces to make device data visible in BusinessObjects Explorer. Start Explorer via a Web browser and choose Manage Spaces. Follow menu path Universes > Afaria > Afaria Reporting.unx. For each of the Information Spaces, click the Index Now button. A green check box means that the Information Space has been indexed successfully (Figure 5).

Figure 5

Index Information Spaces with device data

Step 3. Configure Reports

From a content perspective, the reports should contain the EMM insights wanted by your SAP Afaria administrators or other users, such as IT executives. You can center your reporting on the following key areas of device management:

• Devices
• Activities
• Applications
• Compliance
• Roaming and telecom costs

The semantic layer created in Step 2 gives you access to the right set of objects, such as measures and dimensions. These objects automatically retrieve reporting data from SAP Afaria tables and views.

Building the reports is a standard activity performed in the respective design environment:

• SAP BusinessObjects Explorer for mobile-enabled, exploration-type reports for further filtering and drill-down by the end user.

• SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence Rich Client for mobile-enabled, predefined management reports (e.g., top 10 charts, key performance indicator reports, sorted lists, and latest alerts). You can also build cockpits and dashboards that merge key information and insights per each category into one layout (e.g., the dashboard in Figure 1).

SAP has created predefined exploration and management reports available as part of the SAP Afaria RDS (see below) for you to use out-of-the-box or to modify. However, following the description in Steps 1 and 2 above while creating a simple analytical scenario from scratch also gives you a good starting point for report creation.

SAP BusinessObjects Explorer Reports

The universe semantic layer is already connected to the respective SAP Afaria views (with activity, applications, and device data), and it is visible by following menu path SAP BusinessObjects Explorer > Manage Spaces. Here you can easily create or modify Information Spaces as the basis for Explorer reports (Figure 6) by including or removing measures (e.g. number of devices), facets (e.g., dimensions such as platform or status), and filters. After refreshing the Information Spaces, the report data is available for exploration reporting via the Web or on a mobile device.

Figure 6

Create or modify Explorer reports

SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence Reports

Launch the Rich Client of Web Intelligence. The universe semantic layer is connected to the respective SAP Afaria table views (with activity, applications, and device data), and you can include the different measures and dimensions in your queries (Figure 7). Finally, you can arrange the query data in a visual layout (Figure 8), creating dashboard-type management reports for the Web or a mobile device.

Figure 7

Create or modify Web Intelligence queries

Figure 8

The definition of a dashboard-type report

The following descriptions help you find the right data for your new or modified reports. Also, knowing where the data for each area comes from helps you create your own reports. Include the objects of the respective views in your Explorer or Web Intelligence reports as described above. You can also combine different data areas to source management-type dashboards. The main content areas include the following:

• Devices, which are sourced from the table view A_V_BOBJ_DEVICES. This content provides aggregated statistics with a drill-down option down to the device level on devices registered in SAP Afaria. Key figures track the number of devices and voice minutes for dimensions, including tenant (e.g., the respective IT department managing the device), device type (e.g., what type of devices you have based on the inventory collection), device category (e.g., an optional custom grouping), geography, carrier (Figure 9), and compliance status.

Figure 9

A dashboard using the SAP BusinessObjects Mobile app showing the number of devices per carrier

• Activity, which is sourced from the table views A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY, A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY_CURRENT, and A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY_PREVIOUS. This content tells you what your users do with the devices. Activity data is collected for those enrolled devices the user has opted into for information collection (note that not every device type collects the same information). Dimensions include tenant, geography, carrier, opted state, roaming status, and last connected (e.g., last three days or last seven days). Key figures include data volumes, number of devices, voice minutes, and number of messages for each dimension.
• Applications, which are sourced from the table views A_V_BOBJ_APPS_ASSIGNED, A_V_BOBJ_APPS_SW_INV, and A_V_BOBJ_APPS_VPP. You can see which enterprise applications are installed from a list of apps available through SAP Afaria. Details include package name, how many applications are up-to-date, platforms (e.g., Android or iOS), and application status (e.g., assigned or installed). Key figures include the number of apps and the number of devices per dimension.
• Compliance, which is sourced from the table view A_V_BOBJ_DEVICES. . . You can drill down into what kinds of policies apply to devices, including passcode policy (e.g., passwords applied to devices), access control violations (e.g., number of devices registered that do not have access to email), policy compliance (e.g., jail-broken device), and when devices were last connected.
• International roaming, which is sourced from the table views A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY, A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY_CURRENT, and A_V_BOBJ_ACTIVITY_PREVIOUS. This content lets you see all the devices that are currently roaming. You can drill down on each device to find out where it is, whether there are any alerts, and the identity of the user. The layout for this might be a map displayed on a mobile device on which you can zoom in, see the distribution of the devices, isolate those devices that have alerts, and focus on specific devices (Figure 10).

Figure 10

A geographical roaming report visualizing devices on a map in SAP BusinessObjects Explorer

For reports to be visible in the mobile device you must first create a mobile category in the SAP BusinessObjects Central Management Console (CMC). Create a new mobile category if one is not yet available, and select the respective reports for mobile use.

You may also need to provide rights to your end users to access the SAP Afaria analytical reports in the CMC. For SAP Afaria-related universes, folders, connections, categories, and apps, maintain user security by adding the respective users and granting the desired access levels.

Finally, your end users need to configure the SAP BusinessObjects Mobile app and SAP BusinessObjects Explorer mobile app for the iPad by adding the respective connection (e.g., URL, user, password, or authentication type) to the BI server with SAP Afaria data and reports.

Option 2: Use SAP HANA as the In-Memory Database for Device Management Analytics

Another option to enable analytical reporting for enterprise mobility involves SAP HANA. SAP has developed an early concept about how to combine SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions and SAP Afaria with the in-memory capabilities of SAP HANA, ready to consume out of the cloud. This combination enables next-generation EMM analytics for a large number of managed devices. Table 3 explores how SAP HANA can be used with EMM reporting.

Table 3

Examples of business uses from adding SAP HANA to an EMM reporting scenario

Figure 11

A prototype of a consumer app for a mobile phone using device data from a rental car

From a technical perspective, the easiest approach is to regularly replicate data from SAP Afaria’s reporting-optimized tables and table views (Table 2) in SAP HANA for BI reporting. The tables and table views in SAP HANA are accessible to BI via a semantic layer (Figure 12), similar to the ODBC method described in Option 1.

Figure 12

SAP HANA as a remote server in SAP Afaria’s SQL Anywhere database

There are different methods for how to achieve the data integration between a relational database and SAP HANA. Once you know what tables you need to replicate, all of these methods represent a documented, standard activity:

• SAP Data Services for extraction, transforming, and loading-based replication
• SAP LT Replication Server for trigger-based replication
• Proxy tables, which offer a convenient, low-complexity method for replicating SAP Afaria data in SAP HANA. SQL Anywhere, as SAP Afaria’s relational database, can have remote tables appear as local proxy tables. You can map the proxy tables in SQL Anywhere to the respective remote tables in SAP HANA (Figure 13) that have identical or a similar structure to those reporting tables in SAP Afaria described in Table 2. You can then run a simple INSERT script in SQL Anywhere to replicate SAP Afaria data in SAP HANA.

To set-up a proxy table-based integration with SAP HANA, follow menu path SQL Anywhere Studio > Sybase Central to configure SAP HANA as a generic remote server connection in SQL Anywhere (Figure 12). This connection uses a generic ODBC driver. Specify the mapping of a local proxy table to the remote table by defining the server where the remote table is located, the database name, the owner name, the table name, and the column names of the remote table. Once set up, you can start using the SAP HANA tables and views as an analytical data model for BI reporting instead of the original reporting tables in SAP Afaria.

Figure 13

Tables in SAP HANA that appear as proxy tables in SQL Anywhere

The rest of the steps needed to build the analytical scenario, including building semantic layers and reports, is technically and content-wise identical with the direct database access approach described in Option 1. Regularly replicate your SAP Afaria device data in SAP HANA to make it visible via the semantic layer to the BI tools for Web and mobile reporting consumption.

I’ve described a few analytical scenarios you can create to help you manage your enterprise mobility based on best practices. You can enhance these concepts with any additional focus that your end users deem valuable. There are many other areas of device management worth exploring and including in your analytical reports, including adding the inventory of all apps per device beyond enterprise apps pushed to the devices by SAP Afaria, exploring security aspects, providing statistics around SAP Afaria administration (e.g., server uptime), and retrieving detailed information on the individual users of your mobile devices.

Dr. Karol Bliznak

Dr. Karol Bliznak is vice president of the Rapid Innovation Group (RIG) within the mobility division at SAP. He focuses on converging SAP’s strategic innovation categories, such as mobile solutions, SAP HANA, business analytics, and the cloud. He works at the SAP AG headquarters in Walldorf, Germany. He has more than 14 years of SAP experience in business intelligence, mobility and in-memory technologies, enterprise performance management, financial accounting, controlling, governance, risk, and compliance.

You may contact the author at karol.bliznak@sap.com.

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