Jun 8, 2021
•1 minute read
SAP Business Intelligence
SAP Business Intelligence focuses on how SAP customers turn enterprise data into trusted reporting, dashboards, visualizations, and decision-ready insights. The topic spans SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BW/SAP BW/4HANA, SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Datasphere, and SAP Business Data Cloud.
It is relevant to CIOs, analytics leaders, finance teams, line-of-business managers, data architects, and SAP administrators who need governed access to operational and historical data. In the SAP context, BI supports faster decisions, better performance management, improved transparency, and a stronger foundation for AI-enabled analytics.
What is SAP Business Intelligence?
SAP Business Intelligence is the use of SAP data, analytics tools, and reporting processes to analyze business performance and convert enterprise information into actionable insight. In practice, SAP BI helps organizations report on finance, supply chain, HR, sales, procurement, and operations using platforms such as SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BW/4HANA, SAP Datasphere, and SAP Business Data Cloud.
SAP Business Intelligence focuses on how SAP customers turn enterprise data into trusted reporting, dashboards, visualizations, and decision-ready insights. The topic spans SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BW/SAP BW/4HANA, SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Datasphere, and SAP Business Data Cloud.
It is relevant to CIOs, analytics leaders, finance teams, line-of-business managers, data architects, and SAP administrators who need governed access to operational and historical data. In the SAP context, BI supports faster decisions, better performance management, improved transparency, and a stronger foundation for AI-enabled analytics.
What is SAP Business Intelligence?
SAP Business Intelligence is the use of SAP data, analytics tools, and reporting processes to analyze business performance and convert enterprise information into actionable insight. In practice, SAP BI helps organizations report on finance, supply chain, HR, sales, procurement, and operations using platforms such as SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BW/4HANA, SAP Datasphere, and SAP Business Data Cloud.
It connects data from SAP and non-SAP systems, applies governance and business logic, and delivers dashboards, reports, visualizations, and self-service analytics so business users can make informed decisions.
What are some SAP Business Intelligence use cases?
Executive performance dashboards
Leadership teams use SAP BI to track revenue, margin, working capital, supply chain performance, and operational KPIs across SAP S/4HANA and other enterprise systems.
Finance reporting and planning
Finance teams use SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP data models to support management reporting, forecasting, variance analysis, consolidation, and board-level performance reviews.
Supply chain visibility
Operations teams use BI dashboards to monitor inventory, demand, logistics performance, supplier risk, and fulfillment trends across SAP ERP and supply chain applications.
Self-service analytics for business users
Line-of-business teams use governed BI tools to create reports, explore data, and answer operational questions without relying on IT for every data request.
Migration and modernization reporting
SAP teams use BI to compare legacy ERP data with SAP S/4HANA outputs, validate transformation progress, and identify process or data quality gaps.
AI-ready data foundations
Data and analytics teams use SAP Datasphere or SAP Business Data Cloud to prepare governed datasets that support predictive analytics, Joule-enabled workflows, and AI use cases.
What does SAPinsider research say about SAP Business Intelligence?
The Evolving Business Intelligence and Analytics surveyed 144 business and IT leaders overseeing BI and data analytics. The report found that 45% cited agility in response to global change as a key driver of BI strategy, while 35% pointed to improving ROI from technology investments.
The SAP Business Data Cloud Use Cases and Adoption report shows why BI modernization depends on data foundations. Only 3% of organizations have a unified governed data layer, while 38% remain siloed.
The Enterprise Data and Analytics in the Era of AI report connects BI maturity to AI readiness. SAPinsider found that organizations modernizing data and analytics strategies are focused on improved forecasting accuracy, faster decision-making, enhanced user experiences, and stronger AI foundations.
Executive Q&A: The intelligent finance imperativeThe recent economic disruption has accelerated the evolution of finance. Business demands that finance and accounting teams provide tighter integration, increased automation, better visibility into operations as well as more sophisticated planning and reporting capabilities. This interactive panel examines:
- How finance and accounting teams are adapting critical priorities when it comes to planning, visibility, and providing real-time insights for the business
- How companies are integrating intelligence into their finance processes that extend far beyond simple automation
- What ROI and business benefits early adopters are seeing and how they are measuring success
- What skills and steps organizations are taking to incorporate intelligent capabilities within their core end-to-end finance and accounting processes
Traditional and Modern BI Tools Have Their PlaceThe world of data and analytics is quickly evolving. The role of traditional BI tools like SAP BusinessObjects is shifting as today’s software-as-a-service subscription-based platforms incorporate advanced analytic capabilities.
Ken Coleman, Business Intelligence Manager for the American Red Cross, describes several trends impacting the data and analytics space. Modern BI tools like SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) are becoming more widely adopted for their interactive dashboards and feature sets. However, this does not mean there is not a place for traditional BI solutions.
Learn how ERP and other source systems are shifting the data landscape in operational reporting. What are the architectural differences between SAP BusinessObjects and SAC and their ideal applications? And why does data need to be architected properly for it to be analyzed?
Jun 1, 2021
•1 minute read
Understanding the difference between Business Intelligence (BI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)In the world of technology, it will be an impossible task these days to find someone who is not aware of the term data science.
With the emergence of data science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools appreared on the horizon. The world was introduced to the significant impact AI and ML tools could make to the way businesses plan and operate.
Among all this hype, BI, which was the poster child of the world of analytics till then, started to lose its glamour.
However, the fact is, descriptive analytics is one of the foundational capabilities and is in no way inferior to other type of tools and algorithms. The fact is, an organization strategically needs to define what type of analytics it will be leveraging across its functions and processes.
Eventually, you will be leveraging a portfolio of tools. And for some aspects, descriptive analytics is all that you need and anything more than that may be an overkill.
May 25, 2021
•5 minute read
Enterprise Business Intelligence: Best practices, tips, and tricksIn today’s data driven world, organizations are investing heavily in Business Intelligence tools and capabilities like SAP BusinessObjects. The sessions in this track will provide you with tips and tricks to get the most out of the current analytic solutions that you already have such as the business object solutions and native SAP reporting solutions.
Jan 15, 2021
•2 minute read
Accelerating the Intelligent Enterprise with InsightViews from ProtivitiThis fun, non-technical mini workshop will give you the game-changing tools and techniques you need to start crafting compelling data stories with your data! Our BI Data storytelling Mastery framework removes the guesswork from crafting data stories that pop! Learn how to craft a compelling data story using only a whiteboard and post-its.
After taking this workshop you will be able to:
- Craft a four-part data story that emotionally connects to your users
- Cut requirement gathering time in half
- Transform otherwise daunting user sessions into fun gamified workshops
- Unlock the key to user buy-in, trust, and ownership
- Leave with a wealth of tips, techniques, and templates to take your data skills to the next level. All data professionals welcome!
Oct 20, 2020
•1 minute read
Discover What’s New – SAP BusinessObjects BI4.3Join this session and learn about the upcoming release of the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) Platform. During this session, you will see a demo-rich showcase of the latest and greatest capabilities, such as a redesigned launchpad and workspace, a new SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence software designer, new visualizations, updated data sources, and deployment support. This session will help you discover the enhancements and key improvements for administrators and content consumers.
Oct 20, 2020
•1 minute read
Case Study: Tips and Tricks to Build High-Powered Semantic Layers with SAP BusinessObjectsGain practical advice from the American Red Cross on how to build semantic layers to support complex reports, dashboards, and structured Big Data. Based on real-world lessons using the information design tool (IDT) to create universes for its deployment of self-service BI to a portion of its 6,000 users nationwide, attendees will:
- Learn how and why to create fact tables from dimension tables, and to build derived dimension tables within the IDT tool when there is no equivalent table that exists in the data source
- Gain insight into when and how to use the IDT tool as the semantic layer for SAP HANA data sources
- Discover techniques for creating “smart measures” and coding useful custom conditions in the IDT business layer
- Be presented with a methodology that uses the concepts of “shared and private dimensions” and “area of analysis” to simplify the business layer for self-service BI users
- Obtain use cases for using the IDT projection function feature
Plus, take home a step-by-step document of use cases and the various techniques demonstrated in the session
Oct 20, 2020
•1 minute read
Twelve Traits That a Business Intelligence Program and Building With LEGO Bricks Have in CommonA strong and reliable business intelligence (BI) program can quickly reveal areas for improvement and help organizations make proactive decisions by identifying business patterns and trends and providing a comprehensive view of a company’s data. Establishing such a program, however, requires many pieces to fit together, similar to—according to SAPinsider Expert Jeff Stout—building with LEGO bricks. Stout lists a dozen shared traits between creating your next BI program and building with plastic blocks.
After reading this article you will be able to:
- Understand when to incorporate creativity and visionary qualities into your BI program;
- Explain strategies for collaboration, community, and sharing feedback during your program creation; and
- List the different parts of and apply a simple framework for a BI program.
Jul 14, 2020
•10 minute read
Planning in a Crisis – Business Lessons from The Eye of the StormFeatures 8 critical lessons Finance should learn from the Covid-19 pandemic as well as why it’s critical to evolve your finance function today — and how to do it. Find other insightful content from Wolters Kluwer | CCH Tagetik on their Vendor Showcase
Jul 1, 2020
•1 minute read
White Paper: Enter the Next Planning EvolutionIn the report, learn how software innovations are transforming the planning process into a strategic, future-focused activity that you can use to drive your business forward. Find other insightful content from Wolters Kluwer | CCH Tagetik on their Vendor Showcase
Jul 1, 2020
•1 minute read
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