Modeling and Deploying Dashboard and Cockpit Applications with SAP NetWeaver ® Visual Composer

Modeling and Deploying Dashboard and Cockpit Applications with SAP NetWeaver® Visual Composer Dr. Bjarne Berg Comerit Inc.

In This Session ... You will learn all the essentials on how to build and deploy SAP NetWeaver® Visual Composer models We will take a quick overview of the environment followed by a step-by-step model build example We will see a detailed demo of simple techniques and good design principles for building reports with SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Finally, we will look at performance tuning options and the future of SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer in the new SAP BusinessObjects landscape

What We’ll Cover … • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer overview • Building an SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer model • Demo – A cockpit in 8 minutes • Improving performance tuning • Mapping the future of SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer • Looking at other options • Wrap-up

The SAP NetWeaver BI Core Toolset SAP BI is an enterprise-wide comprehensive decision support system (DSS) for the analytical needs of an enterprise BI can also support some degree of operational reporting The SAP BI tool set has many presentation tools and options for companies to leverage. SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is an extension of those tools.

What Is SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer? • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is a tool to visualize the data • It is a browser-based modeling and design tool for rapid application development and prototyping in a code-free development environment

Visual Composer is Easy for Power Users to Learn Visual Composer is a power user tool that is simple to learn for someone with a little bit of technical background (i.e., controllers, report writers, analysts) No coding required to create great-looking, Web-based cockpits Take advantage of prebuilt analytic business packages Source: SAP

Getting Started- In SAP NetWeaver BI It All Starts with a Query The query is the core method for accessing BI data. You can use existing queries in your SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models The 3.5x BEx Query Designer The new 7.0 Query Designer was totally redeveloped in Microsoft’s Visual Basic .NET The NWBI 7.0 BEx Query Designer

Details about Visual Composer Cockpits • Delivered as part of SAP NetWeaver Portal in SAP NetWeaver BW 7.0 Usage Type (SPS8 and higher) • Different options available for rendering SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer output • Flash • Web Diner (HTML) • Flash provides high-end visualization of SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models You can pick your own rendering method in the menu: Tools  Options

SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Data Methods Can integrate data from multiple data sources, including SAP and non-SAP systems, into one model Different options available for data access include: BI Extension Kit Remote Function Call (RFC) Web services BI Extension Kit allows access to the following DataSources SAP NetWeaver BI 2004 (SAP BW 3.5 Support Package 14) SAP NetWeaver BW 7.0 JDBC XMLA

Visual Composer Data Providers You can use BI queries and views as Data Providers for SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models You also can use BI query functionalities for exceptions and variables along with SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models • SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer allows access to BI history, favorites, and roles

SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer 7.0 Portal Publishing SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer design-time deploys Visual Composer models directly as iviews to the Portal Content Catalog You can then use SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer iviews in portal pages, roles, etc.

There Are Many Resources for SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer — SDN Community • This is a great site for quickly getting started with SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer and for down loading a free demo-version

SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer — And the SAP Community Network • Many of the beginner questions have already been answered in the expert forums on the SAP Community Network

SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer — SDN Community Blogs • You can also learn from others’ experiences by getting “plugged-in” to the community network blogs dedicated to SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer

Downloading and Getting Started — The Trial Version You can download a trial version on the SAP Community Network • However, to put it into production you must work with your SAP account executive for a license. It is normally not covered by a general SAP license.

Creating a Model The first task is to create an overall model to store all your pages and iviews The name cannot have blanks or special characters You can organize your model in standard folder structures • Remember that this is a power user task, so providing the group with some formal training (4-6 hrs) would be beneficial. Also, teach them your naming conventions.

The SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Add-Ons The models are actually graphics rendered with Adobe SVG (vector graphics) • If you don’t have Adobe SVG installed, you must go to their Web site and download it. It is a small file and it is free.

The Work Environment — Getting Connected First you must make sure that your SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer environment is set up with connection back to your SAP environment(s). • You can also work with your technical team to set up connections to other non-SAP environments.

The SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Configure Toolbar We can add items and see then from the highest level, or you can “drill down” on each item and configure them individually Navigation is provided as a toolbar and you can also zoom in on each item • This tool bar allows you to zoom, access layers, insert grid lines for layout, and move objects.

The Magnifying Glass SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer has many tools that power users can play with The fastest way to proficiency is to try the many features Very few things can break, and the undo button is always available • The magnifying glass is helpful when the model is very complex and zooming in and out is cumbersome.

The Annotation Tool When you are developing very complex models, it is very helpful to add annotations (comments) to document your work. • Consider proposing standards within your company (i.e., dates, initials, and what needs to be documented).

Getting an Overview Over Complex Models Very large SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer cockpits can be hard to read The Browse feature allows you to see the cockpit in a tree format that makes it easier to navigate • Graphical model displays can get hard to read once very complex dashboards are created.

Development Methodology Plan on spending serious time with users working on layout and Web page organization P.S.! You can use the SAP delivered calendar for display, or for users to interact with your data set • The best way to create cockpits is to prototype it first, then ask for feedback. Since this is a discovery-oriented process, it is not a best practice to use functional specifications to create Web cockpits. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is the preferred methodology.

The Back-End GML Code SAP NetWeaver Visual Composeruses the standard GUI Modeling Language (GML). If you are familiar with this language, you can see the code page under the Source tab.

Step 1 — Find the Data You Want to Model • You can look at existing queries developed by others. • In this example we will create a Web Cockpit based on two SAP NetWeaver BI queries. • More advanced developers can also call Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs) that are delivered with SAP NetWeaver BI to build complex applications.

Step 2 — Selecting the Queries and Defining a Starting Point • After the query is selected, the metadata is transferred to the model. • We select one query as the starting point and can require users to use a prompt (in this example we will leave this blank).

Step 3 — Adding a Table View Based on Query Data • We add a table view and select the fields we want from the query. • We give the table view a meaningful business name.

Step 4 – Adding a Chart view based on Query data • We add a chart view based on the query data. • We decide to make it a column chart. • The fields that we want to graph are selected. • We add animation to the column chart.

Step 5 — Defining Graph and Assigning Meaningful Names • We select the fields we want to graph as different data series (columns). • We give each column a meaningful business name (this is what the users will see).

Step 6 — Suppressing Zero Values from the Query • We can suppress the sum rows from the query, so that the graphs are more meaningful and the tables are less cluttered.

Step 7 — Adding Navigation: Linking Tablesto Other Queries • When a user selects a row in the country table, we want to show all the customers in that country and their sales. • We link the output from the country table view to the customer query and map the country-key value between the two objects.

Step 8 — Adding Navigation: Linking Graphsto Other Queries • We also want to give the users the option to click on a country in the graph and see all the customer’s sales. • Again, we link the output from the country graph to the customer query and map the country-key value between the objects.

Step 9 — Adding a Table View for Customer Sales Data • Previously we added a table and a graph of country sales. Now we want to add similar views for customer sales. • First we add a table view. • We select the fields to be displayed from the query. • We give the table a meaningful name.

Step 9 — Adding a Table View for Customer Sales Data (cont.) • Now we add a pie chart. • First we add a graph view. • We select the pie chart type and the fields to be graphed. • We give the field a meaningful business name.

Step 10 — Suppressing Zero Values from the Query • Again, we suppress the sum rows from the query, so that the graphs are more meaningful and the tables are less cluttered.

Step 11 — Layout and Compiling of Dashboard • In the layout section we arrange the objects and resize them so that they look good. We also compile the model and can now view it SAP NetWeaver Portal

The Result: The Web Cockpit in SAP NetWeaver Portal • All country sales are displayed based on the first query

The Result: Navigation Between the Graphs • By clicking on the country in either of the top views, the bottom views display sales for those customers

Performance Tips: Using jump-to and drill down query links • If you pre-run the underlyingqueries using • BEx Broadcaster, and cache the results, you • can make the VC cockpits open much faster. • You can then also use Web Application Designer to provide links to the underlying queries for more detailed information. • When user click the link, the query will not be run again (already in cache). • Leverage the OLAP and the MDX cache to speed up the initial loading of the web page. Consider using jump-to and drill down links to more detailed information.

Performance Tips: BIA and Summary Cubes • 1) If your cockpits are at a higher level such as weekly or monthly, consider the use of summary cubes to reduce the data accessed (also take a look at building aggregates). • 2) For high volume or high number of users, you should seriously consider the BW Accelerator Solution. • This compresses the data and • stores the data in memory (no • disk access when queries • are run). • This is “hyper fast”…

DEMO – A Cockpit in 8 minutes

External Web Services • External Web services such as email, stock quotes, news services, and weather maps can also be integrated into your SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer cockpit.

External Data Providers — Web Services • Each Web service may require different input, so you have to spend some time trying out what works for your site and how to format it.

Making Cockpits Fast — Using the Cache as a Data Provider • It is very beneficial to use the cache as the method for data service retrieval • This makes the cockpits faster by relying on previously accessed data stored in-memory • You can also use broadcasting to cache as a method to pre-populate the cache as well Since a cockpit may have many different DataSources (queries), it can take quite some time to execute them if the memory cache is not used consistently

Speeding up Queries by Using Aggregates Aggregates are much less used by the SAP installation base than training and common sense should dictate. The interface to build the summary tables (aggregates) are intuitive and easy to master, but few are taking real advantage of them. Even among those that are using aggregates, many have poorly defined solutions & seldom monitor the usage, thereby limiting the benefits of this simple technology. To avoid poor definition and usage, aggregates should be developed after the system has been in production for a while and real user statistics are captured.

Modeling and Deploying Dashboard and Cockpit Applications with SAP NetWeaver ® Visual Composer