SAP Business Intelligence


What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

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

What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

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

Sap BI Tools

SAP BusinessObjects is among the most widely used centralized BI tools that provides organizations the ability to perform reporting, create visualizations and generate real-time BI. BusinessObjects is the on-premises BI layer for SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP). SAP Analytics Cloud is another analytics related solution from SAP. It is currently the flagship analytics tool that SAP positions as an enterprise analytics tool. It encompasses all the analytics capabilities that Business Objects has to offer and much more.

In addition to these tools, there is a wide portfolio of third part BI tools available from SAP partners like Pyramid Analytics

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 (SAC), BI tools like BusinessObjects provide a great opportunity to fine-tune the “data-driven culture” aspect of your organization. Success with analytics tools is more about the capability to assimilate, absorb and leverage the tool in day-to-day decision making and less about the tool itself (Source: SAPinsider research “Analytics in The Cloud”)
  • Document BI tools in action: A powerful way to capture the value BI tools deliver is to document use cases generated by business users and share these across the organization to promote the penetration of not only the tool but the culture of data-driven way to run the business. You can find examples of BusinessObjects use cases on leading platforms like SAPinsider and SAP blogs.
  • Understand the transition to cloud roadmap: There is no doubt that SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise has amassed an immense userbase. 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 on this transition strategy. Read more about what product leaders at SAP have to say about this journey to the cloud.

66 results

  1. Evolving BI

    Webinar: Evolving BI and Analytics

    August 15, 2023

    Creating a cohesive data fabric is integral to organizational business intelligence (BI). However, while many organizations strive to reach this goal, there is often a gap between building cohesive data fabric strategy and its execution. The introduction of SAP Datasphere earlier this year aimed to address this need by harmonizing mission-critical data across the enterprise…

  2. Evolving BI

    Evolving BI and Analytics

    Published: 30/June/2023

    Reading time: 1 mins

    Creating a cohesive data fabric is integral to organizational business intelligence (BI). However, while many organizations strive to reach this goal, there is often a gap between building cohesive data fabric strategy and its execution. The introduction of SAP Datasphere earlier this year aimed to address this need by harmonizing mission-critical data across the enterprise…

  3. Ariston Group’s Path to Optimizing SAP Implementation on AWS

    Published: 08/September/2022

    Reading time: 4 mins

    In an effort to reduce operational IT costs, many large organizations are beginning to rely on third-party suppliers to deliver high system availability and an optimal cost structure.  This approach consolidates resources into Availability Zones where a Single Pane of Glass Management is the key benefit. Learn how Artison Group, a world leader in energy-efficient,…

  4. Decision Intelligence

    Creating Value Through Decision Intelligence in SAP Landscape

    Published: 30/March/2022

    Reading time: 4 mins

    A key aspect that consistently emerged in 2021, in multiple SAPinsider research reports about data and analytics, was that SAPinsiders believe that while the market has many different analytics tools and solutions to choose from, they still feel there is a void in terms of the kind of available analytics tools vs. the tools that…

  5. Decision Intelligence

    Discussing Decision Intelligence with Pyramid Analytics

    Published: 30/March/2022

    Reading time: 1 mins

    Behind all the innovative features and functionalities of business intelligence and analytics tools is one key need- to be able to leverage the power of analytics across the enterprise. That is one of the key needs that users have when they think about enterprise analytics. And for that to happen, a tool must be “fluid”…

  6. Addressing Data Management Challenges for Data Intense Processes in SAP Ecosystem

    Published: 21/July/2021

    Reading time: 6 mins

    By Kumar Singh, Research Director, Automation & Analytics, SAPinsider Integrated challenge of process and data management A key challenge that organizations operating in complex technology ecosystems like SAP face is managing their business processes seamlessly and efficiently. From  a systems perspective, business processes within an ERP system span across several modules and hundreds of tables.…

  7. Leveraging Operational Intelligence for Competitive Advantage

    Published: 29/June/2021

    Reading time: 5 mins

    While there are many aspects and features that are evolving as business intelligence tools evolve, one key aspect is the transition from leveraging BI tools as providing historical insights into “what happened” to being tools that also provide answers to questions like “what is happening” and “what can happen”. And this is where Operational Intelligence…

  8. Ferrar's cloud strategy image

    Best-of-Breed Business Intelligence for Improved Agility

    Published: 14/June/2021

    Reading time: 5 mins

    Whenever two or more companies merge, an extensive list of technical difficulties soon follows. The challenges include integrating systems, databases, and applications and enabling synchronization of information between organizations. For Ferrara – an emerging North American powerhouse in sweet snacking that recently acquired Nestle’s U.S. Confection and Kellogg’s Cookie, Cones, and Crust business, including Keebler…

  9. Executive Q&A: The intelligent finance imperative

    The 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,…

  10. Traditional and Modern BI Tools Have Their Place

    Published: 01/June/2021

    Reading time: 1 mins

    The 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…