The objective of Business Intelligence (BI) is to make informed business decisions to maximize returns on investments, improve competitive advantage and deliver unparalleled customer service.

Business Intelligence is the integration or intersection of the Information needed, the Data behind it and the Technology that delivers it to the consumer improves decision making throughout the organization and provide the ability to respond to changing market trends

Provides business users with an easy-to-use interface to build simple and/or complex reports

Eliminates the cost of custom programming for each report; eliminates business user dependency on programmers for data access

SAP BW is an Enterprise Data Warehouse system: The SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) not only provides the data warehousing functionality but also has a suite of business intelligence tools and therefore , in effect, is a business intelligence platform. It provides the tools to perform the ETL (Extraction, Transformation, and Loading) of data from both R3 and other source systems, master data management, and data archiving. It has its own query and reporting tools, including an integrated version of Excel and a web based query tool. All the relevant business information from productive SAP applications and all the external data sources can be integrated, transformed, and consolidated in SAP BW using the BI tools provided with the SAP BW and integrated in the Net weaver platform. SAP BW can run on several different operating systems and databases. Several leading 3rd party tools integrate with SAP BW, including Ascential for ETL processing and Cognos, Business Objects, SAS, and others for query/reporting. The business user can integrate content from SAP BW in SAP EP using the BEx Broadcaster, the BEx Web Application Designer, the Bex Query Designer, KM Content, the SAP Role Upload or the Portal Content Studio.

• Users can better manage the business by accessing critical data when & how they want.
• Users no longer dependent on programmers to create new reports.
• Enterprise can transfer resources from data collection and reconciliation activities to business analysis.
• New information is available to analyze the business in revolutionary ways.
• Improved internal communication through common business definitions

SITACORP is actively engaged in delivering BI/ BW solutions with a focus on the following services:

1. BW upgrades including BI 7.0
2. BI Assessment, Strategy, and Road Map services
3. Performance Assessment
4. KPI's, evaluation
5. SAP BI implementation staff augmentations
6. Production Support ( On Site, Off Site, Off Shore)

The types of Implementations normally done are

• Proof of Concept
• Pilot
• Phase Wise Implementation
• Full Blown Implementation
• Global Implementations and Roll Outs

The project can be a technical upgrade of BW only. The new BW 7.0 web functionality & tool suite requires the Java stack rather than the ABAP stack. Some of the upgrade steps are given below

List of Tasks

Pre-PREPARE Process

• RSDG_ODSO_ACTIVATE
• Repair Info objects and recreate the views
• Communicate outage to users
• Warning msg on screen
• Run Baseline for Regression tests
• Stop the Data extract jobs
• Lock Out users
• Full Backup
• Run RSMDCNVEXIT Using BSSUPPORT ID
• If there conversion process runs longer delay the regular backup
• Re-run Baselines and sign off
• If there conversion process Fails repeat the steps on Sunday after the regular backup

BW work

• Back up customer-specific entries in EDIFCT (note 865142)
• Activate all ODS objects
• Execute report RSUPGRCHECK with flag "ODS objects" (note 861890)
• Check Inconsistent InfoObjects - Upgr Guide 4.4; OSS 46272; Convert Data Classes of InfoCubes - Upgr Guide 4.3
• Execute report SAP_FACTVIEWS_RECREATE (note 563201)
• Make sure Delta queues are empty (RSA7)

Basis Work

• Full Backup of BW
• Lock users
• Unlock id's RFC id's and designated test users
• Confirm backup complete OK
• Apply OSS 447341 Convert Inconsistent Characteristic Values - Upgr Guide 4.5
• Confirm OK to PREPARE
• Run PREPARE
• Review of results

Through the four phases of the creation of the SAP BW assessment, strategy and road map services, we will collect the information requirements from enterprise wide / global perspective and create an enterprise wide information model (logical design of the solution), We will come up with a recommendation on system architectures, implementation approach, program management to insure integration and make recommendation on the maintenance phases of the SAP BWs in your organization

Four main tasks are being described in more detail:

Strategy Blueprint

We will find out if the organization is ready for the implementation of an enterprise-wide or even global business warehouse. Explore the possibilities and opportunities to build solutions for the entire company using SAP BW technology and check against the SAP BW solution map. Find out about strategies, goals, business processes, information flows and performance indicators. The Blueprint phase main ingredient are the Executive Workshops focusing on information modeling, in which the Strategy Teams:

Get commitment for a global / enterprise-wide SAP BW project. Determine the business case and enterprise scope for a global / enterprise-wide business information warehouse and become familiar with the organizational information supply chain as well as high level business requirements for an information model from a business and IT point of view.

Program Definition and strategy study

Study findings of the executive workshop. Draft strategy covering business and IT requirements for the enterprise-wide business information warehouse and information management. Create information model (roles, information needs, information access, information gathering, global information and data model) recommend system architecture, implementation approach and program organization.

Define Program Charter

Definition of projects: goals, timelines, staffing, organization

Deliverables

Documentation of

• Business information requirements: Goals, Strategies, Key Processes, KPI's., Roles, business area organization (one part of the information model)
• IT requirements: IT strategy, data sources landscapes, technical solutions, organization

Recommendations on

• Information Supply Chain
• Globally defined data model (data structures)
• System Architecture and SAP BW landscapes
• Implementation approaches, timetable of roll-out projects
• Organizational recommendations for implementing and maintaining an enterprise wide business information warehouse.
• Change Management Strategy (Communication Strategy)
• Program Management Approach
• Risk Assessment

The BW system can be improved by

1. Improving data load performance
2. Improving query performance
3. Study useful transactions
4. Apply useful OSS notes

a. Improving data load performance includes study of

Impact of Data Model

• Verify hardware sizing
• Dimensions/fact table ratio
• Use of line Item dimensions
• Use of Multi-Cubes
• Time dependent attributes/hierarchies
• PSA - if this is not necessary - eliminate PSA from loads

Impact of INDEXES, DB STATISTICS AND AGGREGATES

• Data loads always take place faster if indexes are dropped because the load process doesn't have to update indexes during the data load
• If aggregate roll - up is to take place after the data load, then indexes must be created BEFORE the roll (and after the data load)
• DB statistics must also be generated after the indexes have been created
• See OSS notes

FACTORS AFFECTING FLAT FILE LOAD PERFORMANCE

• Use predetermined record length (ASCII) - Significantly faster than delimited files (CSV)
• File should read from the application server, not on the client PC
• Work with network administrator to eliminate bottlenecks
• Avoid placing input load files on high I/O disks
• Split files up into multiple files and load in parallel whenever possible
• Sort flat files by characteristics

b. Improving query performance

FACTORS INFLUENCING QUERY PERFORMANCE

• Try and define the query to fetch summarized data in the first pass
• Avoid fetching line item level data unless absolutely necessary
• Avoid including too many characteristics as rows. Keep them as
• Define high level filters wherever possible to limit the data being fetched (E.g. company code, fiscal year variant, controlling area)
• Restricted and calculated key figures are executed on the data that is fetched by the OLAP processor. Try and limit the fetch from the DB
• Virtual key figures and characteristics also deteriorate query performance

Business intelligence often uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the present state of business and to prescribe a course of action. Examples of KPIs are things such as lead conversion rate (in sales) and inventory turnover (in inventory management). Prior to the widespread adoption of computer and web applications, when information had to be manually input and calculated, performance data was often not available for weeks or months.

KPI Analytics is used to easily integrate statistical tools to understand and improve KPIs

Dashboard Reporting is a Powerful Business tool for KPI presentation and Score carding.

• Key Performance Indicators are NOT performance targets.
• Key Performance Indicators are put in place primarily as a monitoring facility with a view to moving the organization to a desired end state as expressed as objectives or performance targets
• Key Performance Indicators should be designed to prove that performance targets are being met.
• Performance targets should form part of an objective definition. Assuming this is the case, and objectives are drawn from Mission and Vision, then it should be possible to clearly demonstrate that KPI's contribute to successful execution of strategy
• Key Performance Indicators should be implemented with a view to eliminating variance in any process such that all outputs are fit for purpose
• Key Performance Indicators fall into two board categories, Qualitative and Quantitative.