Most companies that use SAP NetWeaver BW have multiple data warehouse tools for staging data. They can find it hard to deploy common front-end solutions to end users. Furthermore, reporting challenges arise when they have SAP NetWeaver BW running in parallel with other data warehouse solutions. For example, BEx and SAP NetWeaver Portal can fetch and read data from an SAP data warehouse. If you also have a non-SAP data warehouse — such as SQL 2005 or Oracle — you need another front end, such as Cognos or Hyperion. Deploying multiple solutions not only adds more complexities in the landscape, users also find it hard to learn the tools, so companies end up having silos of applications.

However, if you already have SAP BusinessObjects, you can consolidate your front-end software. Two of the most common options for this purpose are SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and SAP BusinessObjects Voyager. You can save time three ways by using these applications. First, less training time is required for users because they do not need to learn separate applications for multiple data warehouse solutions. Second, using a familiar front end avoids user confusion and results in fewer change management issues. Finally, the implementation time for an SAP BusinessObjects front end is relatively short compared to an SAP NetWeaver front end. I’ll show you how these two options compare and explain when you should consider using each option.

When to Use Each Reporting Option

SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and SAP BusinessObjects Voyager are reporting front ends that are each appropriate for different business needs. Table 1 shows how SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and SAP BusinessObjects Voyager compare.

It’s best to use SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence for operational and ad hoc reporting where data granularity is necessary. For example, a sales analyst would use this application to look at sales per region while also viewing details such as product and sales document quantity at the transaction level. Figure 1 shows an example view in SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence. The sources for the universe can be InfoCubes or BEx reports.

Figure 1

View of data in SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence

In comparison, you should use SAP BusinessObjects Voyager for analytical purposes. For example, Figure 2 shows data displayed in one crosstab with the chart in another crosstab. These are standard features, so users just select the options. Executive users and users who are not computer savvy find it easy to learn SAP BusinessObjects Voyager because it doesn’t require much user training.

Figure 2

Data view in SAP BusinessObjects Voyager

You can accomplish most reporting tasks, such as displaying data in tabular form or a pie chart and adding a graph or filter, with SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence. You can also connect this application to the SAP NetWeaver BW back end. With SAP BusinessObjects Voyager, you can view summarized data in different formats more quickly in different crosstabs by using self-defined toolbars.

Who Should Use Each Application

I find that SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence is more suited to computer-savvy users. You first have to create a universe based on either an SAP query or InfoCube. (The general recommendation is to use a BEx query for the universe.) SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence works fine when you have to read granular data or operational reporting, but adjusting the look of the report requires significant product training.

Alternatively, SAP BusinessObjects Voyager is more suited to business users. Most users find it easy to learn and use, even more so than existing SAP NetWeaver BW reporting solutions. SAP BusinessObjects Voyager works well for users who would like to create formatted reports, but lack reporting design experience. Table 2 summarizes who should use each application.

I’ll use a typical business example of a profit and loss (P&L) report to highlight the differences between SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and SAP BusinessObjects Voyager. Running P&L reports using BEx requires reporting knowledge to make the report format look compelling. Furthermore, developing a template or workbook not only requires significant development efforts, it doesn’t offer flexibility to users, a feature that is important for finance users.

In comparison, SAP BusinessObjects Voyager is a little more user-friendly. SAP NetWeaver BW 7.0 has a few basic and remote InfoCubes that have the SAP template for finance reports. All you need to do is to establish a connection between SAP BusinessObjects Voyager and these InfoCubes to create formatted finance reports. Minimal training (e.g., a one- to two-day workshop) is all that most users need. Users can quickly learn to make minor changes in their reports without needing to contact IT. I find that many BI users are surprised that they can create formatted reports without requiring IT’s assistance.

SAP BusinessObjects Voyager Architecture and Reporting

Ingo Hilgefort explained how SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence works with SAP NetWeaver BW in his article “SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence Plus SAP NetWeaver BW Equal Empowered Users.” I will highlight the SAP BusinessObjects Voyager architecture and how you can change reporting views. You can read more about setting up the connection between SAP BusinessObjects Voyager and SAP NetWeaver BW in the “BusinessObjects Voyager Administrator’s Guide.”

SAP BusinessObjects Voyager consists of a Web-based analysis client and a Multi-Dimensional Analysis Server (MDAS). The Web-based analysis client is basically a Web-based front end in which the analyst can create new workspaces. Users just need an internet connection and sufficient rights to access SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise to create or view workspaces. The MDAS is a Java-based SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise Server that connects to the underlying data layer (Figure 3). Typically, your SAP BusinessObjects administrator monitors the MDAS server to ensure that it is available for accessing Voyager reports.

Figure 3

Overview of SAP BusinessObjects Voyager architecture

SAP BusinessObjects Reporting Toolbar

Now that you know who should use each reporting option and what types of reports you can create with each application, I’d like to quickly show you how to use the SAP BusinessObjects reporting toolbar. In SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, you create a document and execute it to retrieve the data. When creating the SAP BusinessObjects Voyager workspace, you can see the key performance indicator (KPI) value displayed as you drag measures along with dimensions. This helps users to develop the analytical view of the report.

In SAP BusinessObjects Voyager, you can also view data from different InfoCubes simultaneously. You do not need advanced reporting skills to create a complex view because all the report options are available on the top toolbar (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Click an icon on the toolbar to change the report crosstab

That’s it. After configuring the report to your liking, you should end up with output such as the output shown in Figure 2.