SAP BI Tools


What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

The end-to-end process of BI involves analyzing the data generated by businesses, transforming the data into insights, and leveraging those insights to make optimal decisions. BI tools primarily leverage “descriptive analytics,” because these tools traditionally focus on analyzing the current and historical performance based on data generated by the enterprise.

SAP BI Tools

SAP BusinessObjects is a centralized BI tool that provides organizations with the ability to perform reporting, create visualizations, and generate near-real-time BI. SAP BusinessObjects is the on-premises BI layer for SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). It is currently among the most widely used BI tools in the SAP technology ecosystem, according to SAPinsider research The Future of Business Intelligence. Key capabilities of this tool are:

What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

The end-to-end process of BI involves analyzing the data generated by businesses, transforming the data into insights, and leveraging those insights to make optimal decisions. BI tools primarily leverage “descriptive analytics,” because these tools traditionally focus on analyzing the current and historical performance based on data generated by the enterprise.

SAP BI Tools

SAP BusinessObjects is a centralized BI tool that provides organizations with the ability to perform reporting, create visualizations, and generate near-real-time BI. SAP BusinessObjects is the on-premises BI layer for SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). It is currently among the most widely used BI tools in the SAP technology ecosystem, according to SAPinsider research The Future of Business Intelligence. Key capabilities of this tool are:

  • Near-real-time BI
  • Increased user autonomy
  • On-premise deployment
  • Integration with SAP technologies

SAP Analytics Cloud is an evolution of SAP’s initial business intelligence (BI) offering as an extension of its all-inclusive SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) product. But this evolution in the form of SAP Analytics Cloud also aligns with three top trends in today’s rapidly evolving data and analytics solutions landscape, as identified in SAPinsider research report Enterprise Data and Analytics State of The Market.

Key Considerations

  • Build a foundational analytics culture: While SAP sees the future of analytics in the cloud, primarily in the form of SAP Analytics Cloud, BI tools like SAP BusinessObjects provide an opportunity to fine-tune the “data-driven culture” aspect of your organization. Success with analytics tools is about the capability to assimilate, absorb, and leverage the tool in day-to-day decision making (SAPinsider research Analytics in The Cloud).
  • Democratize BI: Modern BI tools like SAP BusinessObjects have functionalities like drag-and-drop features to build reports, intuitive interfaces, and dashboards that allow business users to leverage these tools without needing any technical or coding skills. Ensure that you put these tools in the hands of more business users.
  • Document BI tools in action: A powerful way to capture the value BI tools is to document use cases generated by business users and share these across the organization to promote a data-driven business culture. You can find examples of BusinessObjects use cases on SAPinsider.
  • Understand the transition to a cloud roadmap: There is no doubt that SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise has amassed an immense user base. However, as the need for business intelligence evolved, SAP created a new Software as a Service (SaaS) product in SAP Analytics Cloud. SAP has made it clear that the ultimate go-forward solution for SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise users is SAP Analytics Cloud. Many SAP BusinessObjects customers have yet to move to SAP Analytics Cloud, and it is therefore imperative that they start planning this transition strategy. Read more about what product leaders at SAP have to say about this journey to the cloud.

949 results

  1. An Introduction to SAP Predictive Analysis and How It Integrates with SAP HANA

    Published: 30/June/2013

    Reading time: 57 mins

    In this exclusive report, take a walk into the world of SAP Predictive Analysis and how it ties into SAP HANA and SAP Lumira (formerly known as SAP Visual Intelligence). Learn the importance of general predictive modeling concepts, and then apply those concepts as part of a bigger discussion about the architecture and features of...…

  2. Balancing supply and demand

    How to Setup Demand Planning in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization

    Published: 21/May/2020

    Reading time: 21 mins

    SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization, demand planning allows a business to perform forecasting of their materials while considering all the factors that affect the demand. Demand planning is periodic and contains multi-step processes such as data gathering, statistical analysis, reviewing market intelligence reports, and performing adjustments against budgeted forecast to drive material requirements planning. SAP…

  3. SAP Announces Strong Q1 and Cloud ERP Private

    SAP Announces Strong Q1 and Cloud ERP Private Launch

    Published: 24/April/2025

    Reading time: 4 mins

    SAP reported strong first-quarter 2025 financials with a 28% increase in cloud backlog to €18.2 billion and a 27% rise in cloud revenue to nearly €5 billion, although total revenue grew modestly by 12% to €9 billion.

  4. From Complexity to Intelligence: Scaling Enterprise AI with SAP Business AI, SAP Databricks, and DXC Technology

    Published: 14/March/2025

    Reading time: 6 mins

    This article discusses how DXC Technology leverages over 30 years of partnership with SAP to help enterprises effectively implement and scale AI solutions, such as SAP Business AI and SAP Databricks, overcoming challenges like data silos and governance issues to drive significant business transformation.

  5. SAP BI Product Convergence Update: What’s Happening Today, What is Coming Next, and What Does It Mean for You?

    Published: 01/April/2017

    Reading time: 65 mins

    SAP’s BI suite continues its course of ongoing product advancements, and there are significant new product releases on the very near horizon. With the pending SP4 release of SAP BI 4.2 due to impact the full BI suite, and the major new release of SAP BusinessObjects Lumira 2.0 (where SAP BusinessObjects Lumira and SAP BusinessObjects Design…

  6. Introduction to Responsive Design in SAPUI5 and SAP Fiori

    Published: 09/June/2014

    Reading time: 21 mins

    Ameya Pimpalgaonkar shows how to design responsive SAPUI5 or SAP Fiori applications. SAP Fiori uses the SAPUI5 framework and therefore all responsive design techniques used in SAPUI5 can also be used while developing custom SAP Fiori applications. Key Concept Responsive Design is an approach that enables you to develop Web sites or applications independent of...…

  7. An Insider’s Guide to SAP BusinessObjects and SAP NetWeaver BW: What Tools Should You Use Going Forward?

    Published: 14/May/2009

    Reading time: 17 mins

    Delve into the reporting and analysis tools available with SAP BusinessObjects and SAP NetWeaver BW. Find out when to use which tool, where to find it, and who should be the one using it. Learn which BEx tools SAP will continue to develop and which SAP BusinessObjects tools you should consider for your long-term reporting...…

  8. What does SAP HANA Live mean for reporting and analytics?

    Published: 01/January/2017

    Reading time: 42 mins

    SAP HANA Live allows users to easily access real-time data using pre-developed calculation views and the SAP BusinessObjects platform. In this Q&A, Rob Frye, Fernando Ibarra Avila, and Lilisee Thao of Comerit Labs answered questions on the deployment, installation, and features of SAP HANA Live. If you missed the chat or need a refresher, you may…

  9. Choose the Appropriate SAP NetWeaver BI and mySAP ERP Landscape

    Published: 01/November/2005

    Reading time: 19 mins

    Discover the deployment options for mySAP ERP 2004 and SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI). Know your landscape choices and the sequence in which you should implement your software. Key Concept The most recent ERP release from SAP, mySAP ERP 2004, provides greater access for end users to the SAP NetWeaver platform’s features. SAP...…

  10. Mastering SAP Announces Women in SAP Scholarship

    Published: 07/March/2024

    Reading time: 4 mins

    Mastering SAP today announced the Mastering SAP Women in SAP Scholarship for women new to the SAP world. The scholarship program, valued at over $70,000, is designed to provide women* new to the SAP ecosystem with a learning and networking opportunity to kick-start their SAP career. Mastering SAP will provide 20 scholarships annually split across…