Entry-level tutorials for SAP BI Launchpad / Web Intelligence
October 8, 2017 7:21 PM Subscribe
I need to learn how to create reports with SAP BusinessObjects BI Launchpad and the 5 hours of training I had didn't cut it. I can mimic the few basic reports the trainer taught me, but I don't understand them. I'm looking for your favorite SAP BO BI / Web Intelligence tutorials!
This is part of a software implementation we are launching at work on December 1. I am a BOSS at creating reports using the my old software (iMIS, if you're an association management type like me). I can create solid basic select queries in SQL. But now it feels like I'm going from being fantastic on a moped to being handed a Harley that I can't even stand up.
As you can tell, I barely even know the name of the program is. BI? WeBI? BO? SAP? That's hindering my Google efforts.
I'll watch hours of Youtube videos. I'll buy books. I just need to be able to do my job with basic proficiency in December and I don't have time to waste on bad tutorials.
Assume that my trainer was helpful and intelligent, but since that training, we get billed for my questions so I'm trying to refrain from bothering him with basic things like "how do I add a line total again?" and "I don't care about fancy crap, how do I get this into excel without the extra cosmetic rows and columns?" and "what the hell is this even called?" Also assume I found the help files unhelpful, and there is nobody else at my job I can commiserate with because I'm supposed to be the expert. Thank you!
This is part of a software implementation we are launching at work on December 1. I am a BOSS at creating reports using the my old software (iMIS, if you're an association management type like me). I can create solid basic select queries in SQL. But now it feels like I'm going from being fantastic on a moped to being handed a Harley that I can't even stand up.
As you can tell, I barely even know the name of the program is. BI? WeBI? BO? SAP? That's hindering my Google efforts.
I'll watch hours of Youtube videos. I'll buy books. I just need to be able to do my job with basic proficiency in December and I don't have time to waste on bad tutorials.
Assume that my trainer was helpful and intelligent, but since that training, we get billed for my questions so I'm trying to refrain from bothering him with basic things like "how do I add a line total again?" and "I don't care about fancy crap, how do I get this into excel without the extra cosmetic rows and columns?" and "what the hell is this even called?" Also assume I found the help files unhelpful, and there is nobody else at my job I can commiserate with because I'm supposed to be the expert. Thank you!
I work as a BO consultant, and the Business Objects eco system is huge. From your question, I gather that you are only using the reporting tool. I only consult the help files for technical details, but I find the online help files pretty decent. The website mentioned by Winna is also gold. There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube showing specific techniques but I don't have the patience to really watch them.
For certification requirements (we need a number of certified SAP consultants in order to stay a gold partner) I have skimmed the SAP learning hub offerings. There are some decent introductionary courses on there. If your company has access it may be worth to watch those courses. They are a bit outdated and cover the basics only, but it may help you.
I actually give my customers also WEBI training. Generally, we spend one day going over WEBI, formulas, etc. and building some basic reports. Then I will return a few weeks later for a follow up session. Customers are supposed to practice in the mean time, because otherwise they will just forget everything.
Generally, WEBI reports are connected to universes, and these universes contain the business model, fields, etc. If this universe is properly designed, building reports on it is easy. For improperly designed universes, not so much. Actually, this semantical layer is one of the major selling points for the BO suite for our customers because you have a common source that everybody can use to make reports. Lots of other tools connect directly to database tables and users are supposed to connect the objects themselves, which is a source of errors and mismatches.
posted by IAr at 3:56 AM on October 9, 2017
For certification requirements (we need a number of certified SAP consultants in order to stay a gold partner) I have skimmed the SAP learning hub offerings. There are some decent introductionary courses on there. If your company has access it may be worth to watch those courses. They are a bit outdated and cover the basics only, but it may help you.
I actually give my customers also WEBI training. Generally, we spend one day going over WEBI, formulas, etc. and building some basic reports. Then I will return a few weeks later for a follow up session. Customers are supposed to practice in the mean time, because otherwise they will just forget everything.
Generally, WEBI reports are connected to universes, and these universes contain the business model, fields, etc. If this universe is properly designed, building reports on it is easy. For improperly designed universes, not so much. Actually, this semantical layer is one of the major selling points for the BO suite for our customers because you have a common source that everybody can use to make reports. Lots of other tools connect directly to database tables and users are supposed to connect the objects themselves, which is a source of errors and mismatches.
posted by IAr at 3:56 AM on October 9, 2017
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posted by winna at 7:48 PM on October 8, 2017