Planning your SAP BusinessObjects upgrade: best practice

Why Upgrade?

The many reasons for upgrading to SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.1 include:

- End of life for SAP BusinessObjects 3.1 is fast approaching

- Improved data access, usability and integration.

- access to new features and capabilities, such as

• Design Studio – Use HTML5 technology to design interactive visualisations for mobile devices and optimised web application dashboards using BW and HANA; offers support for universes.
• SAP Lumira - Allow users to connect, access and visualise data with ease and maximise business knowledge with real-time insights and granular-level detail.
• Predictive Analytics - Intuitive modelling by harnessing big-data and optimise future outcomes with predictive analytics.
• Mobile Enhancement - latest HTML5 designed BI solutions allowing WEBi, Crystal Reports, Design Studio and Lumira to be seamlessly delivered to your mobile workforce.

With so many benefits stemming from this upgrade, it’s an opportunity to improve business processes, discover new opportunities and surpass competition.

Preparing to upgrade: preparation, preparation, preparation

There are many tasks to consider in a typical upgrade project, and good preparation is the key to success. The more detailed the planning is, the better you will be able to deal with contingencies.

Standard SAP best practice documents and guidelines are available to support the upgrade of content to BI 4.

Before upgrading here are some things to consider:

Decide which content to upgrade

• Should you upgrade all content or take the opportunity for some cleanup?
• Upgrading content that is not needed just increases risks and time to upgrade.
• Understand beforehand what content will not get migrated (e.g. Deski Documents)

Review and document the security settings in the existing deployment

• How will you account for security changes in BI 4 version?
• What security structures are currently in place?
• What changes are required?
• Some security settings are renamed & some security settings are completely removed in the new BI 4 Platform

Prepare the new BI 4 system environment

• Have you done proper sizing of all your new BI 4 system landscapes?
• Setting up authentication on the new platform e.g. Win AD, SAP authentication, LDAP etc…

Plan the upgrade process

• Full system versus staged upgrade?
• Shutdown the production system and upgrade it all or upgrade one application / group at a time?
• Use the upgrade management tool to migrate the content (complete upgrade or incremental upgrade).

Test…Test and Test.

• Identify what needs to be tested and execute a relevant testing plan (i.e. system testing with additional testing for SDK’s, UAT, Load testing)

Each upgrade path offers new ways to solve challenges. If you’re not sure how to get started we’ll analyse your current system and help determine the best path to getting your organisation on the new platform. Talk to us today to find out more about implementing or upgrading to SAP Business Objects 4.1.