SAP Business Information Warehouse
Encyclopedia
SAP Netweaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW) is the name of the Business Intelligence
, analytical, reporting and Data Warehousing solution produced by SAP AG
. It was originally named SAP BIW (Business Information Warehouse), then abbreviated to SAP BW, but is now known as "SAP BI" at the end user level. In contrast, "BW" is still used to describe the underlying Data Warehouse Area and Accelerator components. It is often used by companies who run their business on SAP's operational systems.
BW is part of the SAP NetWeaver technology platform. Other components of SAP NetWeaver include SAP Enterprise Portal
(EP, called SAP NetWeaver Portal as of Release 7.0), Web Application Server
(WAS), SAP Process Integration (PI, or previously XI, i.e. eXchange Infrastructure) and Master Data Management
(MDM). It also includes end-user reporting tools such as Report Designer, BEx Query Designer, BEx Web Application Designer and BEx Analyzer.
SAP's BW solution has a pervasively employed data warehouse and contains a large number of pre-defined business content in the form of InfoCubes, Info Objects, authorization roles, and queries. This allows the ability to leverage SAP's experience and to reduce implementation cycles. The business content can be modified to meet an organization's specific requirements; however, this requires a longer process of customization of the pre-defined elements.
However, roles and authorizations can be customized significantly.
(note that SAP logon tickets are being used in this example)
1) BI trusts SAP logon tickets from EP because the public key of the EP certificate has been imported into BI.
2) EP trusts SAP logon tickets from BI because the public key of the BI certificate has been imported into EP.
RFC
communications is not encrypted. In order to encrypt RFC communications, the SAP environment must use Secure Network Communications
(SNC) or the SAP Cryptographic Library. SAP recommends the usage of x.509
certificates.
Transactional Data is stored in a Datastore or an InfoCube.
A Datastore serves as a storage location for transaction data at an atomic level. The data in a datastore is stored in transparent flat database tables.
An InfoCube is a set of relational tables arranged according to the star schema: A large fact table in the middle surrounded by several dimension tables.
SAP acquired Business Objects, one of the premier business intelligence software providers, via tender offers executed December 2007-January 2008. SAP has indicated that Business Objects will operate as an independent entity to preserve the principle of application agnosticism, but also promised a tighter integration between SAP BI and Business Objects. A new BI roadmap was recently released by the combined entity.
According to SAP, more than 21,000 installations of SAP's BW solution exist.
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
, analytical, reporting and Data Warehousing solution produced by SAP AG
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
. It was originally named SAP BIW (Business Information Warehouse), then abbreviated to SAP BW, but is now known as "SAP BI" at the end user level. In contrast, "BW" is still used to describe the underlying Data Warehouse Area and Accelerator components. It is often used by companies who run their business on SAP's operational systems.
BW is part of the SAP NetWeaver technology platform. Other components of SAP NetWeaver include SAP Enterprise Portal
SAP Enterprise Portal
SAP NetWeaver Portal is one of the building blocks in the SAP NetWeaver architecture. With only a Web Browser, users can begin work once they have been authenticated in the portal which offers a single point of access to information, enterprise applications, and services both inside and outside an...
(EP, called SAP NetWeaver Portal as of Release 7.0), Web Application Server
SAP Web Application Server
SAP NetWeaver Application Server is a component of the NetWeaver solution which works as a web application server to SAP solutions. From the SAP point of view the Web AS is the foundation on which most of their product range runs....
(WAS), SAP Process Integration (PI, or previously XI, i.e. eXchange Infrastructure) and Master Data Management
SAP Master Data Management
SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management is a component of SAP's NetWeaver product group and is used as a platform to consolidate, cleanse and synchronise a single version of the truth for master data within a heterogeneous application landscape. It has the ability to distribute internally and...
(MDM). It also includes end-user reporting tools such as Report Designer, BEx Query Designer, BEx Web Application Designer and BEx Analyzer.
Structure
It may be helpful to consider layers that make up the structure of SAP's BI solution:- Extraction, Transformation and LoadExtract, transform, loadExtract, transform and load is a process in database usage and especially in data warehousing that involves:* Extracting data from outside sources* Transforming it to fit operational needs...
(ETL) layer - responsible for extracting data from a specific source, applying transformation rules, and loading it into the Data Warehouse Area. - Data Warehouse Area - responsible for storing the information in various types of structures (e.g. Data Store Objects, InfoObjects and multidimensional structures called InfoCubes that follows star schema design).
- Reporting - for accessing the information in data warehouse area and presenting it in a user-friendly manner to the analyst or business user.
- Planning and analysis - Provides capabilities for the user to run simulations and perform tasks such as budget calculations.
SAP's BW solution has a pervasively employed data warehouse and contains a large number of pre-defined business content in the form of InfoCubes, Info Objects, authorization roles, and queries. This allows the ability to leverage SAP's experience and to reduce implementation cycles. The business content can be modified to meet an organization's specific requirements; however, this requires a longer process of customization of the pre-defined elements.
User Management
The following types of general user profiles exist:- Executives and Knowledge Workers
- Information Consumers
However, roles and authorizations can be customized significantly.
Authentications and Single Sign-On
The following are the most common forms of authentication:- User ID and Password
- Secure Network CommunicationsSecure Network CommunicationsSecure Network Communications is a software layer in the SAP system architecture that enables the use of stronger authentication, encryption and single sign-on mechanism. SAP provides SNC for server to server communications only...
(SNC) - SAP Logon TicketSAP Logon TicketSAP Logon Tickets represent user credentials in SAP systems. When enabled, users can access multiple SAP applications and services through SAPgui and web browsers without further username and password inputs from the user...
- Client Certificates (e.g., x.509X.509In cryptography, X.509 is an ITU-T standard for a public key infrastructure and Privilege Management Infrastructure . X.509 specifies, amongst other things, standard formats for public key certificates, certificate revocation lists, attribute certificates, and a certification path validation...
)
SAP NetWeaver Single Sign-On Environment
The SAP NetWeaver Portal is the main entry point within SAP NetWeaver. In order to integrate SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence, the following two conditions must be satisfied:(note that SAP logon tickets are being used in this example)
1) BI trusts SAP logon tickets from EP because the public key of the EP certificate has been imported into BI.
2) EP trusts SAP logon tickets from BI because the public key of the BI certificate has been imported into EP.
Authorizations
Companies have to define who has access to which data. An authorization allows a user to perform a certain activity on a certain object in the BI system. There are two authorizations concepts to consider for BI: standard authorizations and analysis authorizations.Communication Channel Security
The communication channel used depends on different cases- Front end and application server uses RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- Application server and application server uses RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- SAP J2EE Engine and application server uses RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- SAP router and application server uses RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- Connection to database uses RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- Web browser and application server uses HTTP, HTTPSHttpsHypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol with SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server...
, and SOAPSOAPSOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks...
Encrypted Communications
RFC
Remote Function Call
Remote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
communications is not encrypted. In order to encrypt RFC communications, the SAP environment must use Secure Network Communications
Secure Network Communications
Secure Network Communications is a software layer in the SAP system architecture that enables the use of stronger authentication, encryption and single sign-on mechanism. SAP provides SNC for server to server communications only...
(SNC) or the SAP Cryptographic Library. SAP recommends the usage of x.509
X.509
In cryptography, X.509 is an ITU-T standard for a public key infrastructure and Privilege Management Infrastructure . X.509 specifies, amongst other things, standard formats for public key certificates, certificate revocation lists, attribute certificates, and a certification path validation...
certificates.
Data Storage
Data can be protected from being accessed by an authorized end user by assigning analysis authorizations. Data is not protected under BI default settings.Transactional Data is stored in a Datastore or an InfoCube.
A Datastore serves as a storage location for transaction data at an atomic level. The data in a datastore is stored in transparent flat database tables.
An InfoCube is a set of relational tables arranged according to the star schema: A large fact table in the middle surrounded by several dimension tables.
History
The 7.0 version of BW was released in June 2006 as part of the SAP NetWeaver 7.0 (aka 2004s). This release includes many features, such as next-generation reporting and analytical features, major data warehousing enhancements, and a memory resident option for improving query performance called "BI Accelerator" (it has since been re-named BW Accelerator). The BW Accelerator comes as an external applicance, i.e. complete hardware with pre-installed software, and requires a separate licence fee. BW Accelerator is licenced per blade server and 16 GB increments of memory.SAP acquired Business Objects, one of the premier business intelligence software providers, via tender offers executed December 2007-January 2008. SAP has indicated that Business Objects will operate as an independent entity to preserve the principle of application agnosticism, but also promised a tighter integration between SAP BI and Business Objects. A new BI roadmap was recently released by the combined entity.
According to SAP, more than 21,000 installations of SAP's BW solution exist.
See also
- Secure Network CommunicationsSecure Network CommunicationsSecure Network Communications is a software layer in the SAP system architecture that enables the use of stronger authentication, encryption and single sign-on mechanism. SAP provides SNC for server to server communications only...
- SAP NetWeaver Portal
- RFCRemote Function CallRemote Function Call is the proprietary SAP AG interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system over TCP/IP or CPI-C connections...
- SAP Logon TicketSAP Logon TicketSAP Logon Tickets represent user credentials in SAP systems. When enabled, users can access multiple SAP applications and services through SAPgui and web browsers without further username and password inputs from the user...
Further reading
- Boeke, Joerg (2009). SAP BW 7.x Reporting - Visualize your data. Createspace USA 2009. ISBN 978-1-4486-0626-9.
External links
- A Practical Guide to SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse 7.0
- SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence
- SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (formerly SAP NetWeaver BI) on SAP Developer Network (SDN)SAP Developer NetworkSAP Developer Network is an online community for SAP developers. It is a resource and collaboration channel for SAP developers, architects, consultants and integrators. SDN Hosts forums, expert blogs, a technical library, downloads, a code gallery, Elearning catalog , a Wiki and more...
- SAP Netweaver BI Basic Concepts
- SAP NetWeaver/BI and Portals 2009 — Educational & Networking Conference
- SAP BI/BW para principiantes