Closing the Loop with SAP BW

SAP BW provides a few options for extracting data for use in interface programs that feed data streams into operational or analytic applications:

    *  DataMart interface — From a technical point of view, the DataMart interface is nothing more than the BI Service API.  The DataMart interface allows building complex information logistics models, as shown in the topology examples in Chapter 5 (assuming both local and global data warehouses are on SAP BW). All InfoProviders available are at the DataMart interface’s disposal. However, use of the DataMart interface is restricted to SAP BW systems.

    *  Retractors — These are dedicated ABAP programs reextracting data from SAP BW into an SAP ERP system. Retractors are a relatively new concept and are currently only available for a few applications, including SAP SEM-BPS and SAP CRM.

    *  SAP BW Java Connectors — This is an official API for executing queries and retrieving query results. Custom programs can access OLAP cubes to retrieve query results for any purposes. By using the either the ODBO or XMLA interface through the Java SDK, any front-end applications in almost any programming language can access SAP BW query results. However, using OLAP results is not recommended for use with large result data sets, as it is optimized for interactive applications, not extractions.

    *  Open Hub Services — These allow you to define controlled and monitored data-export processes, exporting data target contents into a flat file, a flat database table, or an application for further processing. Open Hub Services may end up as the Dodo bird did.... time will tell.

Are these the options good enough? Share your comments with us and look for our perspectives and commentary in future posts. 

Posted by Kevin McDonald at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Elements of a business intelligence strategy:

    *  A definition of the scope of the business intelligence initiative and its alignment with the overall business strategy to grant sponsorship from senior management and create awareness across the organization

    *  A list of business requirements from a high-level perspective, including key metrics, scorecards, and a definition of the level of data quality required

    *  An assessment of the current data warehouse landscape and a gap analysis with respect to high-level requirements

    *  A plan for integrating the business intelligence initiative with other corporate initiatives such as master data management or an ERP implementation

    *  A definition of priorities and master project plans as a basis for development time lines and rollout strategies

    *  An approach to allocate cost to different parts of the business to avoid deadlock situations in fighting over the distribution of budgets

Posted by Kevin McDonald at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)