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Deliver high-performing dashboards & cockpits with SAP
NetWeaver Visual Composer: No coding required! Dr. Bjarne Berg
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2 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
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3 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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4 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. The
SAP NetWeaver BI Core Toolset
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5 Visual Composer 7.0 is for SAP BI Development, 7.1 is for the
Composite Environment (CE). There are different SDN forums and
blogs for each - This can be confusing! BREAKING NEWS: VC 7.2 is
now in Ramp-up with planned general availability in 2Q, 2010. "
With the new version of SAP NetWeaver CE 7.2, you are able to
design and develop your "own practices" as business rule-based,
SOA-enabled, composite business processes & applications with
the Eclipse-based SAP Developer Studio" - SAP AG There are Two
'versions' of Visual Composer (VC)
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It is a browser- based modeling and design tool for rapid
application development and prototyping in a code-free development
environment SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is a tool to visualize
the data
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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) Source: SAP Take advantage of prebuilt
analytic business packages No coding required to create
great-looking, Web-based cockpits
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It All Starts with a Query The BEx Query Designer The query is
the core method for accessing BI data. You can use existing queries
in your SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models
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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
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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
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11 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.
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12 SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer 7.0 Using BOBJ Xcelsius SAP
NetWeaver Visual Composer 7.01 (or 7.02) SP5 or higher allows you
to use existing Xcelsius UI controls and use them inside Visual
Composer. You can also use any Flex component made by Adobe Flex
Builder (Flex 2 SDK). You can download flash objects & 'how-to'
on sdn.sap.com (by Sap's Amir Mimran)
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13 Details about Visual Composer Cockpits Delivered as part of
SAP NetWeaver Portal in SAP NetWeaver BW 7.0 Usage Type (SP8 and
higher) Different options available for rendering SAP NetWeaver VC
output Flash Web DynPro (HTML) Flash provides high-end
visualization of SAP NetWeaver VC models You can pick your own
rendering method in the menu: Tools Options
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This is a great site for quickly getting started with SAP
NetWeaver Visual Composer and for down loading a free demo-version
There Are Many Resources at the SDN Community
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Many of the beginner questions have already been answered in
the expert forums on the SAP Community Network SAP NetWeaver Visual
Composer And the SAP Community Network
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You can also learn from others experiences by getting
plugged-in to the community network blogs dedicated to SAP
NetWeaver Visual Composer SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer SDN
Community Blogs
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17 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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You can download a trial version on the SAP Community Network
Downloading and Getting Started The Trial Version 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.
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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 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 Creating a Model
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If you dont have Adobe SVG installed, you must go to their Web
site and download it. It is a small file and it is free. The models
are actually graphics rendered with Adobe SVG (vector graphics) The
SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Add-Ons
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First you must make sure that your SAP NetWeaver VC environment
is set up with connection back to your SAP environment(s). The Work
Environment Getting Connected You can also work with your technical
team to set up connections to other non-SAP environments.
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This tool bar allows you to zoom, access layers, insert grid
lines for layout, and move objects. 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 The SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer
Configure Toolbar
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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 Magnifying
Glass
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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). The Annotation Tool
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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.
Getting an Overview Over Complex Models
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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. 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 Development Methodology
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SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer uses the standard GUI Modeling
Language (GML). If you are familiar with this language, you can see
the code page under the Source tab. The Back-End GML Code
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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 1 Find the
Data You Want to Model
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Step 2 Selecting the Queries and Defining a Starting Point
1.After the query is selected, the metadata is transferred to the
model. 2.We select one query as the starting point and can require
users to use a prompt (in this example we will leave this
blank).
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1.We add a table view and select the fields we want from the
query. 2.We give the table view a meaningful business name. Step 3
Adding a Table View Based on Query Data
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Step 4 Adding a Chart view based on Query data 1.We add a chart
view based on the query data. 2. We decide to make it a column
chart. 3. The fields that we want to graph are selected. 4. We add
animation to the column chart.
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1.We select the fields we want to graph as different data
series (columns). 2.We give each column a meaningful business name
(this is what the users will see). Step 5 Defining Graph and
Assigning Meaningful Names
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We can suppress the sum rows from the query, so that the graphs
are more meaningful and the tables are less cluttered. Step 6
Suppressing Zero Values from the Query
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1.When a user selects a row in the country table, we want to
show all the customers in that country and their sales. 2.We link
the output from the country table view to the customer query and
map the country-key value between the two objects. Step 7 Adding
Navigation: Linking Tables to Other Queries
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1.We also want to give the users the option to click on a
country in the graph and see all the customers sales. 2.Again, we
link the output from the country graph to the customer query and
map the country-key value between the objects. Step 8 Adding
Navigation: Linking Graphs to Other Queries
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Previously we added a table and a graph of country sales. Now
we want to add similar views for customer sales. 1. First we add a
table view. 2. We select the fields to be displayed from the query.
3. We give the table a meaningful name. Step 9 Adding a Table View
for Customer Sales Data
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Now we add a pie chart. 1. First we add a graph view. 2. We
select the pie chart type and the fields to be graphed. 3. We give
the field a meaningful business name. Step 9 Adding a Table View
for Customer Sales Data (cont.)
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Again, we suppress the sum rows from the query, so that the
graphs are more meaningful and the tables are less cluttered. Step
10 Suppressing Zero Values from the Query
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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
in the Portal Step 11 Layout and Compiling of Dashboard
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All country sales are displayed based on the first query The
Result: The Web Cockpit in SAP NetWeaver Portal
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By clicking on the country in either of the top views, the
bottom views display sales for those customers The Result:
Navigation Between the Graphs
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42 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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43 DEMO A Cockpit in 8 minutes
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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 Web Services
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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. External Data Providers Web Services
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46 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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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
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48 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
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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: Using jump-to
and drill down query links If you pre-run the underlying queries
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).
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50 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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51 The Future of Visual Composer We are confident that with the
provisions made for migration to VC 7.1 or 7.2 and the great
feature set in EP-2 for VC 7.0, our existing customers running VC
7.0 will enjoy the best of both worlds: the option to upgrade to VC
7.2 or to stay with the latest release of VC 7.0." - Source:
http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/15801 Source:
SAP, 2009 SAP: "In light of the progress made relating to parity
between VC 7.0 and VC CE, our investment in VC 7.0 will be limited
to maintenance after EP2 is released.
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52 Upgrade Options are Limited so pick the right version There
are no automated upgrade paths from Netweaver VC 7.0 to Netweaver
VC 7.1 or 7.2. Customers who want to use Netweaver VC 7.2 will have
to keep both running and migrate the content from 7.0 to 7.2
manually. Plan carefully how you want to use Visual Composer and
pick the version you want: 7.0 for SAP BI focus and 7.2 for BPM and
composite applications.
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53 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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In the Tools Options section, you can control items such as
auto save, display levels, formats, highlights, and more. These
preferences are stored for each user and can be personalized. SAP
NetWeaver Visual Composer Options
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55 Who gets to use the SAP Visual Composer? There is a
temptation for the IT community of wanting to keep the Visual
Composer tool under their domain That is a mistake - Spend time
teaching Super Users VC.
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56 What Well 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 7.0 Looking at other options Wrap-up
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57 Resources Visual Composer - ppt download with more query
performance tuning details http://www.comeritinc.com/Downloads.htm
Visual Composer Reference Guide
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nwce10/helpdata/en/7c/
0feaee0d214b5e9f2e890e0668a833/content.htm SAP NetWeaver Visual
Composer (2007) Mario Herger The Developer's Guide to the SAP
NetWeaver Composition Environment (2008) Jan Rauscher and Volker
Stiehl.
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58 7 Key Points to Take Home SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is a
tool that is easy to learn The tool is intended for power users Not
primarily IT SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer is not going away You
should provide individual training to each of the power users Spend
serious time performance tuning the back-end queries and data
stores Plan for SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator if you have many users
of the SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer models Seek advise of best
practices and plan on integrating data across systems, Web
services, and other non-SAP sources
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