The Path to BI 2025

[TomWoodhead]

Note: There is a newer version of this post here.

BI 2024 is now BI 2025, with the initial release scheduled for Q4 2024.

With the latest Statement of Direction, SAP has re-emphasized its commitment to the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform.

Notable Points

From the Statement of Direction:

The successor of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.3 will be

• 
  
  
  • enhanced to ease core workflows: report creation, access to information and integration with ever more complex landscapes,
  
  
  • focused on our core strengths and most widely adopted solutions: SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, single source .unx universes, SAP Crystal Reports, SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office and the SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform,
  
  
  • supported on Windows and Linux platforms.
  
  
  

We plan to release the first version in Q4 2024, followed by Support Packages every year.

As per our standard maintenance policy, SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025 will be supported until at least end of 2029 for mainstream maintenance, and 2031 for priority 1 support.

SAP says they will provide alternatives for the components not supported after 4.3.

Read the full SAP Analytics Business Intelligence Statement of Direction

It is important to note that the Statement of Direction is not a change of direction, but a confirmation of direction as laid out in earlier SODs.

Eric Fenollosa provides a succinct summary here.

Embracing UNX

BI 2025 will not support UNV universes. For customers moving to BI 4.3 in preparation for BI 2025, the conversion to UNX and repointing of Web Intelligence reports is becoming an imperative.

The SOD links directly to Laura Vega’s post “UNV is dead, long live UNX,” in which she makes recommendations for customers considering the conversion and repointing process:

To proceed to a massive Change source process, you can either use SAP solutions like SAP Workflow Assistant tool (formerly Automation Framework, see details here), build your own SDK scripts, or rely on some of our partners solutions.

The volume of Web Intelligence reports is an important consideration for customers undertaking this process.

You can use this free project cost estimator to conceptualize the size of a manual conversion project and decide whether an automation solution is the best course of action.