BI Launch Pad User Guide SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.0 Support Package 2

Transcription

1 BI Launch Pad User Guide SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform 4.0 Support Package 2

2 Copyright 2011 SAP AG. All rights reserved.sap, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign, SAP Business ByDesign, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. in the United States and in other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.all other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.these materials are subject to change without notice. These materials are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies ("SAP Group") for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

3 Contents Chapter Getting Started...9 About this documentation...9 Who should use this documentation?...9 What is BI launch pad?...9 What's new in BI launch pad...10 Licensing...11 Before you start...11 Key concepts...11 Key tasks...12 Chapter BI Launch Pad Basics...15 User interface...15 Header panel...15 Home tab...15 Documents tab...17 Tabs...20 To log onto BI launch pad...20 Chapter Setting Preferences...23 Setting preferences...23 To set general preferences...23 To change your password...24 Preferred viewing locales...25 To set Crystal report viewing preferences...26 To set BI workspaces preferences...27 To set SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP preferences...28 Web Intelligence preferences...28 Chapter Viewing Objects...35 Viewing objects...35 To view an object...35 To pin a tab for future viewing

4 Contents Viewing Crystal reports...37 Crystal report viewers...37 Crystal report viewer toolbar...41 SAP Crystal Reports viewer To drill down Crystal report data...43 To view alerts in Crystal reports...43 To view and edit the parameters of Crystal reports in the Web viewer...44 To print Crystal reports...45 To export Crystal reports...45 To sort data interactively...47 Viewing Web Intelligence documents...47 Web Intelligence viewer toolbar...47 To display the navigation map...48 To display user prompts...49 To find text...49 To drill document data...49 Chapter Working with Objects...51 Managing objects in BI launch pad...51 Creating and adding new objects in BI launch pad...51 Adding objects to BI launch pad...52 To add a document from your computer to BI launch pad...52 Sorting and filtering objects...53 To sort or filter objects...53 To set the object properties...54 To copy an object...55 To move an object...55 To create a shortcut to an object...56 To send an object or an instance to a destination...56 To generate an OpenDocument link for an object...57 To delete an object...58 To create a hyperlink...58 Searching in BI launch pad...58 Platform Search features...59 What gets searched by Platform Search...60 Platform Search techniques...62 To perform a search in BI launch pad...64 Folders and categories...65 To create a folder or category...66 To set the properties of a folder or category...66 Adding objects to a folder

5 Contents To assign an object to a category...67 Chapter Scheduling Objects...69 Scheduling objects...69 To schedule an object...69 To set the instance title...70 To choose a recurrence pattern...71 To specify database logon information...72 To specify an instance format...72 To specify a destination...79 To apply a record selection formula...84 To set the print settings for a Crystal report...85 To schedule an object with parameters or prompts...85 To schedule an object with events...86 To set the scheduling server group settings...86 To select a cache format for Web Intelligence documents...87 To select languages for report instances...87 Pausing or resuming an instance...88 To pause an instance...88 To resume an instance after pausing it...89 Scheduling an object package...89 To schedule an object package...89 Working with instances...90 To view the latest instance of an object...90 Viewing historical instances...90 To empty your BI Inbox...91 Chapter Using Discussions...93 Discussions...93 To open Discussions...93 To add a note...93 To edit a note...94 To reply to a note...94 To delete a note...95 Chapter Publishing...97 About Publishing...97 What is a publication?...97 Publication concepts...97 Report bursting

6 Contents Delivery rules...99 Dynamic recipients Destinations Formats Personalization Publication extensions Subscription PDF merging for Crystal reports Rights required for Publishing Publishers and recipients: Who has rights to view what? Chapter Working with Publications Designing publications Designing publications for use with SAP BusinessObjects Live Office Designing publications for SAP recipients To create a new publication in the CMC To create a new publication in BI launch pad To open an existing publication To enter general properties for a new publication To select source documents To select Enterprise recipients To specify dynamic recipients To specify a destination for the publication To embed content from a dynamic content source document in an To specify scheduling information Design tasks for Crystal reports publications Design tasks for Web Intelligence document publications Using additional publication features Post-design publication tasks Finalizing the publication To test a publication To subscribe to or unsubscribe from a publication To schedule a publication to run Viewing publication results To redistribute a publication instance To retry a failed publication Improving publication performance Recommendations for adding source documents Recommendations for using dynamic recipient sources Recommendations for sending and receiving publication instances

7 Contents Chapter Working with Alerting Alerting Available alert sources Differences between Alerting and Crystal report alert notifications The Alerting workflow Rights required for Alerting Alerting tasks Locating alert source objects in BI launch pad To subscribe to an alert To unsubscribe from an alert To subscribe others to an alert To exclude users from an alert To manage Alerting settings for an alert source Viewing alert notifications Chapter Working with Applications Working with applications in BI launch pad To launch an application in BI launch pad BEx Web applications in BI launch pad To access Business Explorer Web applications in BI launch pad To save Business Explorer Web applications as bookmarks Appendix A More Information Index 167 7

8 Contents 8

9 Getting Started Getting Started 1.1 About this documentation This documentation provides you with information and procedures for using BI platform and BI launch pad. BI launch pad runs within your web browser and is your main interface for working with objects in BI platform. Your BI platform administrator may deploy different types of objects such as Crystal reports and Web Intelligence documents that are created from the BI platform's plug-in components. BI launch pad allows you to view these objects, organize them, and work with them to suit your needs. Because the appearance and functionality of BI launch pad can be customized, your user interface may be different from the one that is described in this documentation. However, you can still apply many of the procedures that are described in the sections that follow. 1.2 Who should use this documentation? This documentation is intended for users who work with objects over the web through BI platform and BI launch pad. For more information about the product, consult the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Administrator Guide and the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform User Guide. Online versions of these guides are available on the SAP Help Portal at What is BI launch pad? SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform comes with BI launch pad, a web application that acts as a window to a range of useful business information about your company. From BI launch pad, you can access Crystal reports, Web Intelligence documents, and other objects, and organize them to suit your preferences. 9

10 Getting Started The features that are available in the BI launch pad vary by content type, but in general, you can view information in your web browser, export it to other business applications (such as Microsoft Excel), and save it to a specified location. The BI platform also provides access to a range of analytic tools to help you explore information in more detail. Various applications are also accessible from BI launch pad when you have the appropriate licenses. For information about the availability of features in your deployment, contact your BI platform administrator. Related Topics Working with applications in BI launch pad 1.4 What's new in BI launch pad BI launch pad features an improved user interface and additional options for interface customization. BI workspaces BI workspaces have replaced the My InfoView functionality that existed in previous releases. To create a personalized view of BI launch pad, you can create a BI workspace, save it, and set it as your default Home tab. Tabs The new user interface features two main navigation tabs, the Home tab and the Documents tab. Objects that you view and edit open in new tabs, although you can also choose to open them in separate windows. Pinning Pinning is a feature that makes document tabs permanently open so that they are easily available for viewing when you log on and off BI launch pad. A document tab remains pinned to the user interface (and therefore open) until you choose to unpin it. Home tab The default Home tab features modules that enable you to better manage the documents you work with most. The default Home tab layout contains the following modules: "My Recently Viewed Documents" "My Recently Run Documents" "Unread Messages in My Inbox" "Unread Alerts" "My Applications" You or your administrator can set a custom Home tab for different users and groups. 10

11 Getting Started Documents tab The Documents tab (formerly called the Document List) lets you browse the repository in various ways. The drawers in the left-hand Navigation panel let you switch between views of your personal documents, folders, categories, and search results without having to navigate away from the Documents tab. The List panel displays the contents of a folder or category. The Details panel displays further information about a selected object. Alerting Alerting is a feature that notifies users and administrators when events have occurred in the system. Related Topics Tabs To pin a tab for future viewing Home tab Documents tab Alerting 1.5 Licensing BI platform supports these types of user licenses: BI Viewer BI Analyst Concurrent user Named user Each license type determines access to tasks and applications. Depending on the license you have, you may be unable to access certain applications, create new content, or add documents to the repository. Consult your system administrator to answer questions about licenses in your environment. For more information about licensing, see the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Administrator Guide available on the SAP Help Portal at Before you start Key concepts 11

12 Getting Started Before you begin, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the following concepts. Depending on the types of tasks you perform, some of these concepts may not apply to you. Objects Objects are documents and files which are created in SAP BusinessObjects applications or in other software and then stored and managed in the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform repository. Categories Categories are an organizational alternative to folders and allow you to label objects. Scheduling Scheduling allows you to run an object automatically at specified times. Scheduling refreshes any dynamic content or data in the object, creates instances, and distributes the instances to users or stores them locally. Events Events are objects that represent occurrences in the system. Depending on the event type, events can be used for a variety of purposes: They act as scheduling dependencies which trigger specific actions once a scheduled job runs. They trigger alert notifications. They allow system administrators to monitor the health of the system. Calendars A calendar is a customized list of run dates for scheduling jobs. Instances An instance is a snapshot of the object that contains data from the time that the object was run. Publishing Publishing is the process of making personalized dynamic content publicly available for mass consumption. Profiles Profiles are objects that associate users and groups with certain personalization values. Profiles are used with Publishing to create and distribute personalized content to recipients. Alerting Alerting is a feature that notifies users and administrators when events have occurred in the system Key tasks 12

13 Getting Started This section identifies some of the key tasks you can perform in BI launch pad and topics that contain more information about these tasks. How do I view objects in BI launch pad? See the Viewing Objects chapter. How do I add objects to BI launch pad? See Adding objects to BI launch pad. How do I modify and manage objects once they have been added? See the Working with Objects chapter. How do I distribute content to users? You can distribute content to users through scheduling, Publishing, and Alerting. For more information about each of these options, see the following topics: Scheduling objects About Publishing Alerting How do I set my personal preferences? See the Setting Preferences chapter. 13

14 Getting Started 14

15 BI Launch Pad Basics BI Launch Pad Basics 2.1 User interface Header panel The Header panel displays the logo and the user name of the account that you used to log on to BI launch pad. It also provides the following options: Option Applications Preferences Help Log Off Description Lets you access various applications that plug into BI launch pad such as BI workspace. Depending on your rights and license, the applications that you have access to may vary. Allows you to set how your information is displayed. Lets you access the online help for BI launch pad, or the "About" page which contains information about the product. Logs the user off. Related Topics Documents tab Home tab The default Home tab contains modules that let you better manage the documents and BI launch pad features you work with most. 15

16 BI Launch Pad Basics Analytic "My Recently Viewed Documents" "Unread Messages in My Inbox" "My Recently Run Documents" "Unread Alerts" "My Applications" Description Shows the last ten documents that you have viewed recently. The list is sorted by view date with the most recently viewed document at the top. Shows the last ten unread messages in your BI Inbox. Shows the last ten documents in the repository that you scheduled or ran recently along with the status of each document instance. You can view successful instances or details of failed instances by clicking the instance link. Shows the last ten unread alert notifications. To view all alert notifications, click the See More link. Provides quick access to applications from within BI launch pad. Administrators can also specify custom Home tabs for different users and groups using different objects. For example, a custom Home tab can be a customized dashboard, a Crystal report that the user views frequently, or a customer website. If you have the appropriate rights, you can also override the custom Home tab that the administrator has set by editing your Home tab setting in Preferences. Related Topics Setting preferences 16

17 BI Launch Pad Basics Documents tab The Documents tab lets you view and manage repository objects Toolbar The toolbar contains menus and controls that let you view and manage objects. 17

18 BI Launch Pad Basics Menu View New Organize Send Description Lets you view objects, the latest instances of objects, and object properties. Lets you upload documents and create the following types of new objects: publications hyperlinks folders categories Lets you manage object shortcuts and cut, copy, paste, and delete objects. Lets you send objects to different destinations. Available destinations may vary depending on what your system administrator has configured. More Actions Details Lets you perform the following tasks: Schedule objects Add objects to categories View categories that objects belong to Create OpenDocument links to objects View the History of an object The available options vary depending on the object type and your system rights. Shows and hides the "Details" panel, which also includes Discussions. Related Topics Details panel Navigation panel The Navigation panel provides a top-level view of the folders and categories in the system and lets you browse for specific objects. Related Topics Drawers 18

19 BI Launch Pad Basics Drawers Drawers are expandable panes in the Navigation panel that enable you to browse objects in different ways. Depending on your rights, you may be unable to view certain objects. Drawer My Documents Folders Categories Search Description Displays the user's Favorites folder, BI Inbox, alert notifications, and personal categories. Displays a folder view of the repository. Displays a category view of the repository. Displays search options and results. Related Topics Navigation panel List panel The List panel displays a list view of the objects in a folder or category Details panel The Details panel displays additional information about an object. To view the details for an object, select it and click the Details button in the toolbar. The "Details" panel opens on the right side of the Documents tab and displays the following information: Owner Description Object type Number of instances Last run date (for objects that can be scheduled) 19

20 BI Launch Pad Basics The Details panel also displays Discussions. Discussions is disabled by default. Before you can use Discussions, your system administrator must enable it Tabs Tabs display multiple pages and documents in one web browser window. BI launch pad has two default tabs, the Home tab and the Documents tab. Applications such as SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, and any objects you choose to view or edit, also open in separate tabs. If you set your document viewing preferences to open objects in new windows, these objects will open in separate windows instead of tabs. Tip: If you want to view the document in a larger viewing area, in the upper right corner of the tab, click "Open in a new window". 2.2 To log onto BI launch pad To use BI launch pad, one of the following web browsers must be installed on your machine: Microsoft Internet Explorer Firefox Safari (for Macintosh users) 1. Open your web browser. 2. Enter the URL for BI launch pad: Replace webserver with the name of the web server and portnumber with the port number that is set up for the BI platform. If your system administrator has configured a custom URL for BI launch pad, you may need to ask your administrator for the name of the web server, the port number, or the exact URL to enter. Tip: If you have any BI platform client tools installed on Windows, you can also click Start > Programs > SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0 > SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise > SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise Java BI launch pad. 20

21 BI Launch Pad Basics The "Log On to BI launch pad" page appears. 3. By default, you will not be asked to supply a system name. However, if you are asked to supply one, enter the name of your Central Management Server (CMS) in the System field. 4. In the User name and Password fields, enter your logon credentials. 5. By default, you will not be asked to choose an authentication type. However, if you are asked to supply one, select your authentication type from the Authentication list. Enterprise authentication is the default authentication method. LDAP, Windows AD, Windows NT, and other third-party authentication types require special setup. If you are unsure of which authentication type to use, consult your system administrator. For more information about the different authentication types, refer to the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Administrator Guide. 6. Click Log On. The Home tab appears. 21

22 BI Launch Pad Basics 22

23 Setting Preferences Setting Preferences 3.1 Setting preferences Preferences determine how you log onto BI launch pad and what view is displayed when you do. They also determine specific settings for the various objects that you view, such as viewers for Crystal reports and view formats for Web Intelligence documents. As a best practice, you should set your preferences before you begin to work with objects in BI launch pad. However, depending on your deployment, your BI platform administrator may configure your system to use predetermined settings by default. Depending on the rights that your system administrator has given you, you may not be able to set your own user preferences To set general preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Ensure that General is selected. If you want to keep the default settings defined by your administrator, ensure Use Default Settings (Administrator defined) is selected; otherwise, clear this check box and proceed to step 4. If you choose not to use the default settings, any updates that the administrator implements for your user group will not be reflected in your view of BI launch pad. However, you can select Use Default Settings (Administrator defined) at any time to switch from your custom preferences to the default settings, which include any updates implemented since you last used the administrator-defined defaults. 4. Set your initial view. If you want the Home tab to be displayed when you first log on, click Home tab and choose one of the following options: 23

24 Setting Preferences Option Default Home tab Select Home tab Description Displays the default view that your administrator has configured. If your administrator has not configured a default, the Home tab provided with BI platform will be used. Displays a repository object that you select. Click Browse Home tab. In the "Select a Custom Home tab" window, select a repository object and click Open. If you want the Documents tab to be displayed when you first log on, click Documents, and then specify which drawer and node are open by default. For example, if you want the My Documents drawer to be open to your BI Inbox when you first log on, click My Documents and click My Inbox. 5. Under "Choose columns displayed in Documents tab", select the summary information that you want to see for each object in the List panel: Type Last Run Instances Description Created By Created On Location (Categories) Received On (Inbox) From (Inbox) 6. Under "Set document viewing location", choose how you want to view your documents. You can open documents for viewing in new tabs or in new web browser windows. 7. Enter a number in the Set the maximum number of items per page field to specify the maximum number of objects that you want to see displayed per page when you view lists of objects. 8. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad To change your password Depending on your rights, you may not be able to perform this task. Consult your BI platform administrator for more information. 24

25 Setting Preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. 3. Click Change Password. 4. Type your old password in the Old Password field. 5. Type your new password in the New Password field, confirm it in the Confirm New Password field, and then click Save & Close. You must use the new password the next time that you log on to BI launch pad. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad Preferred viewing locales The preferred viewing locale (PVL) sets how dates, times, and numbers are formatted. For multilingual objects, the PVL also sets the language used to display the object's name and description. If an object has multiple translated names and descriptions, the display language is determined in the following way: 1. The system displays the name and description that correspond to the user's PVL. In some cases, the system may use a fallback locale. The fallback locale is determined by the system and is usually a variation of the user's PVL. For example, if the PVL is French (Canada) and the object does not have a translated name and description in Canadian French, the system will use French (France). 2. If no PVL has been set, the system displays the name and description in the same language as the product locale. 3. If none of the preceding options are feasible, the system displays the name and description in the object's source language To set locale and time zone preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Locales and Time Zone. 4. In the Product Locale list, select your current language. This setting determines the language set that is used by BI launch pad. 25

26 Setting Preferences 5. In the Preferred Viewing Locale list, select the locale that uses the formatting conventions for dates, numbers, and time that you would like to use while viewing objects. This locale setting also controls which language will be used to display the names and descriptions of multilingual objects. 6. In the Current Time Zone list, select the appropriate time zone. It is important that you check this setting before you schedule any objects to run. The default time zone is local to the web server that is running BI paltform not the Central Management Server (CMS) machine(s) to which each user connects. Setting your time zone ensures that schedules reflect your local time zone. 7. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad To set Crystal report viewing preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Crystal Reports. 4. Under "Select a default view format", select the viewer that you want to use when you view your Crystal reports: Web (no downloading required) The Web viewer does not require any downloading, and will work without Java or ActiveX. Web ActiveX (ActiveX required) The ActiveX viewer is enabled if you use a version of Microsoft Internet Explorer that supports ActiveX controls. Web Java (Java required) The Java viewer is designed for web browsers that support the Java Virtual Machine. The Web ActiveX and Web Java viewers cannot be used to view reports created in SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise. You must use the Web viewer. 5. If you selected the Web viewer, under "Select printing control (for Web)", choose PDF one-click printing (Adobe Acrobat required) or ActiveX one-click printing (ActiveX required). 26

27 Setting Preferences If you choose PDF one-click printing (Adobe Acrobat required), the viewer exports the report to PDF format when you click Print. You can then print the PDF. If you have Flash objects in your report that you want to appear when you print, you must print to a PDF. If you choose ActiveX one-click printing (ActiveX required), you can print the report directly from the Crystal report viewer. The ActiveX option requires the installation of a small ActiveX component. 6. If you selected the Web viewer, choose the resolution that you want to use under "Select a rendering resolution (for Web)". 7. Under "Select a default measuring unit", select Inches or Millimeters. 8. Select or deselect Show SAP Variable Technical Name (SAP Crystal Reports 2011 only). This option sets whether the technical names of SAP variables are displayed when you work with SAP variable reports that are in SAP Crystal Reports 2011 format. 9. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad Web viewer Web ActiveX viewer Web Java viewer To set BI workspaces preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click BI workspaces. 4. Select the visual style you want to use for new BI workspaces. 5. Select Snap to grid if you want draggable elements on your BI workspace to automatically align themselves with gridlines when you work in freeform layout mode. 6. Select the type of gridline you would like to see while editing BI workspaces in freeform layout mode: None Small Medium Large 27

28 Setting Preferences 7. Select Enable Client Tracing if you want to view all client-server activity in BI workspaces and modules. 8. Click Save & Close To set SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP preferences 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Analysis edition for OLAP. 4. In the Select Default Connection list, select a default data connection to use for the creation of new workspaces. 5. Select Accessibility Mode if you want to use a screen reader in conjunction with the web edition of SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP. 6. Click Save & Close Web Intelligence preferences To select a reading interface for Web Intelligence documents 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. Under "View", select the interface that you want to use when you view your Web Intelligence documents. All the reading interfaces except for the PDF interface have view and design modes. The view mode lets you perform simple viewing tasks, while the design mode lets you modify the document that you are viewing. The only difference between the reading interfaces is that some of them require you to download components. 28

29 Setting Preferences Option Web (no download required) Rich Internet Application (download required) Desktop (Windows only) (installation required) PDF Description Lets you view documents online without downloading any components. Installs and runs a Java applet that lets you view documents. Requires you to install and run an application on your desktop to view documents. Lets you view the document as a PDF. 5. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad To select a modification interface for Web Intelligence documents The modification interfaces let you create and/or edit Web Intelligence documents. 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. In the "Modify" area, select the tool that you want to use when you create or edit Web Intelligence documents. Option Web (no download required) Rich Internet Application (download required) Desktop (installation required) Description Lets you create and modify documents without downloading any components. Installs and runs a Java applet. Installs and runs a full desktop application. Tip: Select this option if you plan to work offline occasionally. The modification interfaces all have similar features and capabilities. The only difference between the reading interfaces is that some of them require you to download components. 29

30 Setting Preferences 5. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad To select a default universe You can specify a universe to be used as the default data source for your Web Intelligence documents. 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. Under "Select a default Universe", click Browse and choose one of the following options: If you want to select a default universe to use when you create documents, select a universe from the list. If you do not want to set a default universe, choose No default universe. 5. Click OK to return to the "Preferences" dialog box, and then click Save & Close To select a formatting locale for Web Intelligence documents 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. Under "When viewing a document", select the locale you want to use. The locale you choose will be used to format and display numbers, times, and dates in Web Intelligence documents: Choose Use the document locale to format the data to maintain the locale used when the document was created. Choose Use my preferred viewing locale to format the data to use your preferred viewing locale in BI launch pad. 5. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad 30

31 Setting Preferences Preferred viewing locales To set your drill options Before you begin a drill session, you must specify how your Web Intelligence documents change when you perform a drill. When you drill, you make your view of data more or less detailed. For example, you can drill-down on data grouped by country to view it grouped by region, or drill-up data grouped by city to view it grouped by country. 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. Under "View", ensure that either Web (no download required) or Rich Internet Application (download required) is selected as a reading interface. 5. Under "Drill options", select the general options that you want to apply to your drill sessions: If you want to be prompted whenever a drill action requires a new query to add more data to the document, then select Prompt when drill requires additional data. For example, when you drill the results that are displayed on a document, you may want to drill to higher- or lower-level information that is not included in the scope of the document. In this situation, a new query runs and retrieves additional data from the data source. You can choose to be prompted with a message whenever a new query is needed. The prompt message asks you to decide whether or not you want to run the additional query. In addition, the prompt may allow you to apply filters to the extra dimensions that you include in the new query. As a result, you can restrict the size of the query to just the data that is necessary for your analysis. Note, however, that you need permission from your administrator to drill out of the scope of analysis during a drill session. If you want to synchronize drilling on all report blocks, then select Synchronize drill on report blocks. Each table, chart, or free-standing cell in a report represents a specific block of data. There are two ways to drill on a report with multiple report blocks: Synchronize drill on report blocks. Drill on only the selected block. The following examples show how each option affects a report as you drill down on a table to analyze detailed results per service line. 31

32 Setting Preferences In the first example, Synchronize drill on report blocks is selected, so both the table and the chart display the drilled values: In the second example, Synchronize drill on report blocks is not selected. The drill is only performed on the selected block, and only the table displays the drilled values: If you want to hide the Drill toolbar when you switch to drill mode, then select Hide Drill toolbar on startup. When you start drill mode, the Drill toolbar automatically appears at the top of the drilled report. The toolbar displays the value(s) on which you drilled. These values filter the results that are displayed on the drilled report. For example, if you drill on year 2001, the results that are displayed on the drilled table are the Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 for year This means that the quarterly values to which you drilled to are filtered by The Drill toolbar displays 2001, the value that filters the drilled results. The Drill toolbar allows you to select other values to filter the results differently. For example, if you use the Drill toolbar to select 2002, then the results that are displayed on the drilled table will be Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 for year If the drilled report includes dimensions from multiple queries, a tooltip appears when you rest your cursor on the value that is displayed on the filter. The tooltip displays the name of the query and the dimension for the value. You can choose to hide the Drill toolbar when you start drill mode. This is useful if you do not want to select filters during your drill session. 32

33 Setting Preferences 6. Under "Start drill session", select the option that you want to apply to your drill sessions: If you want to retain a copy of the original document so that you can compare the drilled results to the data in the original document, choose On duplicate report. A duplicate of the original report is created. When you end drill mode, both the original report and the drilled report remain in the document for you to view. If you want to drill on the report so that the report is modified by your drill actions, choose On existing report. When you end drill mode, the report displays the drilled values. 7. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad To select an MS Excel format This option determines the appearance of the data in instances of Web Intelligence documents if you schedule or export the documents to Excel format. 1. Log onto BI launch pad. 2. On the Header panel, click Preferences. The "Preferences" dialog box appears. 3. Click Web Intelligence. 4. Under "Select a priority for saving to MS Excel", select the option that best fits your needs: If you want to display the data in a format that is similar to working in Web Intelligence, then choose Prioritize the formatting of the documents. If you want to display the data in a text format, then choose Prioritize easy data processing in Excel. 5. Click Save & Close. Related Topics To log onto BI launch pad 33

34 Setting Preferences 34

35 Viewing Objects Viewing Objects 4.1 Viewing objects BI launch pad uses tabs to display the main navigation interfaces, the Home tab and the Documents tab, and any objects that you open for viewing or editing. When you select a document in the Documents tab for viewing or editing, it opens in its own tab. From the tab, you can launch the document in its own window if necessary. How you view an object can affect what is displayed: If you view a dynamic content document (for example, a Crystal report or a Web Intelligence document) by double-clicking the object in the List panel, the latest instance of the document opens. If the latest instance is unavailable, the object itself opens. If you view an object by clicking View > View, the object opens. If you click View > View Latest Instance, the latest object instance opens. If you view a publication or program object, BI launch pad will display the object properties if the latest instance is unavailable. Related Topics Tabs To view an object To view an object When you view a Crystal report or Web Intelligence document in BI launch pad, your user rights and the default settings chosen by your administrator determine the data that you see. You can view the report with data directly from the data source, the latest instance of the object, or its saved data. If you have the necessary rights, you can also refresh the report or document with new data from its data source. Refreshing an object may use a considerable amount of system resources. Refresh an object only when you think it is likely that the data has changed. In the Documents tab, navigate to an object and double-click it. 35

36 Viewing Objects If the object is a dynamic content document (for example, a Crystal report or a Web Intelligence document), the latest instance of the document opens. If the latest instance is unavailable, the object itself opens. For publications and program objects, the object properties are displayed if the latest instance is unavailable. To view the object on demand, click Refresh in the object viewer. To view an older instance, select the object in the List panel and click More Actions > History, then double-click the instance that you want to view. If these options are not enabled, you do not have the necessary rights to access them for the object. Related Topics Scheduling objects To view the history of an object To pin a tab for future viewing Your preferences must be set to enable tabbed document viewing. Documents and instances can be pinned to the user interface so that they remain open as tabs the next time you log onto BI launch pad. Pinning is useful for documents that you view frequently. 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. In the List panel, select the object that you want to view. 3. Open the object or object instance by doing one of the following: If you want to pin the object, click View > View. If you want to pin the latest instance, click View > View Latest Instance. If you want to pin an older instance, click More Actions > History, and in the "History" dialog box, click the instance. The object opens in its own tab. 4. Click the pin icon in the upper right corner. The pin icon points downward, indicating that the tab is now pinned. To unpin a tab, click the pin icon so that it points sideways. Related Topics Tabs To set general preferences 36

37 Viewing Objects 4.2 Viewing Crystal reports When you click on a Crystal report, it is displayed in a viewer. Depending on the type of viewer you have, you can perform a number of activities. The following section provides information about the Crystal report viewer toolbar and instructions about how to work with your reports. Related Topics Crystal report viewers Crystal report viewers Crystal report viewers allow you to view reports, navigate through multiple pages, refresh data, drill down to see details behind charts and summarized data, select parameters, and so on. These report viewers also have powerful printing and exporting capabilities. The online Crystal report viewers support ActiveX, Java, and web-only viewing formats. Typically, your BI platform administrator selects the viewer type that is best suited to your company's needs. However, you can also manually select your preferred viewer type in your preferences. You can also view your reports when you are not connected to the BI platform. Some features of the Crystal report viewers may be disabled by your BI platform administrator. Contact your administrator for more information. Related Topics To set Crystal report viewing preferences SAP Crystal Reports viewer Web viewer The Web viewer can be accessed using your browser without downloading a plugin. You can view, refresh, and print your reports, edit parameters, and export reports to a variety of formats. 37

38 Viewing Objects The Web viewer has these functions on its custom toolbar: File menu: Open Send To Create Shortcut In My Favorites Schedule History " Print this report" "Refresh report" " Export this report" "Search for text" " Go to previous page" "Go to next page" Page field "Go to first page" "Go to last page" Zoom The File > Open option lets you open other reports stored in the repository. Other options on the File menu work the same way they do in the rest of BI launch pad. To access the "Group Tree" or the "Parameter Panel", click the icons on the left side of the Web viewer. 38

39 Viewing Objects The Web viewer is the only Crystal report viewer that allows you to access the "Parameter Panel". The Web viewer is the only Crystal report viewer that lets you view reports created in SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise. Related Topics Viewing Crystal reports Web ActiveX viewer The Web ActiveX viewer can be used with Microsoft Internet Explorer versions that support ActiveX controls. It requires you to download and install an ActiveX component. You can view, refresh, and print your reports and export them to a variety of formats. The Web ActiveX viewer has these functions on its custom toolbar: Export report Print report Toggle group tree 39

40 Viewing Objects Go to first page Go to previous page Go to next page Go to last page Go to page Stop loading Refresh Search text Zoom Close current view Related Topics Viewing Crystal reports Web Java viewer The Web Java viewer can be accessed by using a web browser that supports the Java Virtual Machine. You can view, refresh, and print your reports and export them to a variety of formats. 40

41 Viewing Objects The Web Java viewer has these functions on its custom toolbar: Export report Print report Show/Hide group tree Stop Refresh data Go to first page Go to previous page Go to next page Go to last page Current and last page numbers Search for text Magnification factor When you place the mouse pointer over a button on the custom toolbar, the associated description appears in the bottom left-hand side of the browser's status bar. You may experience minor problems when you scroll through reports in the Java viewer. These problems are the result of the implementation of the Java Virtual Machine in certain web browsers. If you experience such problems, click repeatedly on the scroll buttons to scroll. Do not hold the scroll buttons down. Related Topics Viewing Crystal reports Crystal report viewer toolbar Option Description Export this report: Exports the Crystal report to your local machine or to a location on a network. Print this report: Prints the report. Group Tree Parameter Panel Group Tree: Shows/hides the "Group Tree". When the "Group Tree" is displayed, you can use it to navigate through the data in your report. Parameter Panel: Shows/hides the "Parameter Panel". When the "Parameter Panel" is displayed, you can use it to change the data in your report or how it is displayed. You can access the "Parameter Panel" only from the Web viewer. 41

42 Viewing Objects Option Description Navigation: Allows you to move through the pages of a report. Go to First Page, Go to Previous Page, Go to Page, Go to Next Page, and Go to Last Page are available options. Refresh Report: Obtains the most up-to-date data from the report's data source. You must have the necessary rights, and the server must contain the necessary data source information, before you can refresh the report. Search for text: Allows you to search for the specific instance of a text. Zoom: Allows you to zoom in or out on a report. Tip: You can navigate to different areas of a report using the report tabs after you drill down in the report. Related Topics Web viewer SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 is installed locally on your computer. This means you can view any of your downloaded Crystal reports without connecting to BI platform. The viewer functions in the same way as the Crystal report viewers included in BI launch pad. Use the viewer for the following tasks: Print or export your reports Save your reports Select data that you want to view Drill down into the report for more details View multiple reports For more information about tasks that you can perform, access the SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 online Help menu To install SAP Crystal Reports viewer

43 Viewing Objects The SAP Crystal Reports 2011 viewer resides locally as a client-side viewer when installed. This procedure only applies to the English language website. 1. Log onto 2. Point to SAP BusinessObjects Portfolio and click SAP Crystal Solutions. 3. Point to Query, Reporting & Analysis and click SAP Crystal Reports Viewer. The Download Now link appears on the right side of the screen. 4. Download and run the SAP Crystal Reports 2011 viewer installation program. 5. Follow the onscreen instructions and accept the default values when possible. 6. When the installation is done, click Finish Launching SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 is launched when you select a Crystal report (.rpt) file from your machine and double-click it. If SAP Crystal Reports is installed on your computer, it takes precedence over the SAP Crystal Reports viewer 2011 and displays your reports by default To drill down Crystal report data You can drill down into report data to show the data beneath charts and summarized groups. Click the chart or summarized data to see a drilled-down view. 1. Open the report that you want to view. 2. In the Crystal report viewer, double-click the links in the report to drill down for more information To view alerts in Crystal reports This task and feature apply only to reports created in SAP Crystal Reports. BI platform tracks report instances that trigger alerts. Perform this task to view a list of alerts available in a Crystal report. 43

44 Viewing Objects 1. Go to the folder/category that contains the Crystal report that you want to view. 2. Select the object and click More Actions > Alerts. The "Alerts" dialog box appears. You can access alerts only for reports that contain alerts. The "Alerts" dialog box displays only the instances that triggered the alert. 3. Double-click the title to open the report instance. Related Topics Differences between Alerting and Crystal report alert notifications To view and edit the parameters of Crystal reports in the Web viewer 1. Navigate to the Crystal report that you want to view and select it. 2. Click View > View. 3. If you are asked to enter prompt values, you must fill in the report parameters before you can view the report. Select the data you want to view and click OK. Otherwise, you do not need to fill in any parameters and you are taken directly to the report. To view the parameters that you can access from within the report, click the Parameters icon. 4. View the parameters in the "Parameter Panel". 5. Click a parameter to select it. 6. Edit the parameter value in one of the following ways: Edit the parameter directly in the "Parameter Panel" by entering a new value. Click > to open an advanced editing dialog box and enter the new values according to the instructions, and then click OK. 7. Edit additional parameters if necessary. 8. To view the report with your new parameter values, click Apply. 44

45 Viewing Objects To print Crystal reports You can print successful instances of reports or reports that you view on demand. Depending on the Crystal report viewer that you use, the steps detailed in this section may vary; however, the general principles for printing reports remain the same. If onscreen instructions are provided, follow those instructions instead of the steps that are described in this section. Page orientation is set by report designers when they create reports. 1. Open the document that you want to view. 2. On the viewer toolbar, click Print Report. The "Print" dialog box appears. 3. In the "Print range" area, select all pages or type a specific range of pages. 4. In the "Copies" area, select the number of copies that you want to print. Tip: If you select the Collate option, the pages are printed in numerical order. For example, if you are printing two copies of a report that has four pages, your report prints pages one, two, three, and four of the first copy, and then prints pages one, two, three, and four of the second copy. 5. In the "Printer Paper" area, set your paper size and source options. These options are available in the Web and Web ActiveX viewers only. 6. In the "Options" area, select these additional print options if necessary: If the Crystal report is wide and you want it to fit on one page when it prints, select Fit Horizontal Pages to One Page. If you want to print Flash objects embedded in the Crystal report, select Print Flash Objects for Current Page. These options are available in the Web and Web ActiveX viewers only. 7. Click OK To export Crystal reports 45

46 Viewing Objects You can export successful instances of Crystal reports, as well as the reports that you view on demand, to several formats to reach a wider audience. For example, you can export data that predicts sales trends to an Excel spreadsheet and then it to the sales team. Tip: You can select the page range for the report that you want to export. For reports you can drill down into, export the drilled-down view. 1. Open the Crystal report that you want to view. 2. On the viewer toolbar, click Export Report. The "Export" dialog box appears. 3. Choose a file format on the File Format list. 4. In the Page Range area, select all pages or type a specific range of pages. 5. Click Export Export format options BI platform provides you with several file format exporting options: SAP Crystal Reports (.rpt) SAP Crystal Reports read only format (.rptr) Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) Microsoft Excel ( ) (.xls) Microsoft Excel ( ) (.xls) data-only version Microsoft Word ( ) (.doc) Microsoft Word ( ) (.doc) editable Rich Text Format (.rtf) Separated Values (CSV) Extensible Markup Language (.xml) When you export a report to a file format other than SAP Crystal Reports (.rpt), you may lose some or all of the formatting. However, the program attempts to preserve as much formatting as the export format allows. The difference between Excel and Excel (data only) is that Excel attempts to preserve the look and feel of your original report. The Microsoft Word ( ) format maintains as much formatting as possible, including graphics. Each object appears in an individual text field. Microsoft Word ( ) editable format does not preserve as much formatting; text is displayed in lines and images are placed in line with the text. Rich text format is similar to Microsoft Word ( ). Separated Values (CSV) format is only available from the Web viewer. You cannot export to SAP Crystal Reports (RPT) format from a drilled-down view. 46

47 Viewing Objects Flash objects only appear if you export to Crystal reports or PDF formats. Fallback images appear when exporting to all other formats. For more information about the options you must set to schedule a Crystal report to a specific format, see Additional formatting options for Crystal reports and the section on Exporting in the SAP Crystal Reports User Guide To sort data interactively 1. Open a Crystal report that uses interactive sorting. 2. Choose a value to sort by. 3. Click the appropriate arrow to sort the data in the report according to your needs: To create a list of data sorted in ascending order, click To create a list of data sorted in descending order, click 4.3 Viewing Web Intelligence documents When you open a Web Intelligence document, it appears in a viewer. The activities you can perform depend on the type of viewer that is deployed and the functions that are enabled by your BI platform administrator. The following sections provide information about the Web Intelligence toolbar and give instructions on how to work with the navigation map, display user prompts, find text, and drill down into document data. For detailed instructions on how to perform analysis on Web Intelligence documents, refer to the SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence documentation Web Intelligence viewer toolbar The following table describes the options in the Web Intelligence viewer toolbar. 47

48 Viewing Objects Option Web Intelligence Open Save Print Find History Send Undo Redo Refresh Track Drill Filter Bar Outline Reading Design Description The Web Intelligence menu lets you show or hide the following parts of the user interface: Filter Bar Outline Left Pane Report Tabs Status Bar Opens another Web Intelligence document for viewing. Saves changes, saves the document under a new name, or saves the document locally in various formats. Creates a PDF version of the document so that you can print it. Searches for text in the document. Shows the dates of document instances. Sends the document to various destinations. The available destinations may vary depending on what your system administrator has enabled. Reverses the previous action. Reverses the Undo action. Refreshes the current tab or the entire document. Lets you set options for tracking changes. Lets you drill up or down document data. Shows or hides the Filter Bar. Shows or hides the document outline. Lets you view the document in HTML or PDF mode. Lets you modify the document that you are viewing currently To display the navigation map Use the navigation map to navigate to reports in Web Intelligence documents. 1. Open the document that you want to view. 48

49 Viewing Objects 2. Click Web Intelligence > Left Pane > Normal. The left pane opens. 3. On the side of the left pane, click the Navigation Map icon To display user prompts Prompts gather information from users. For Web Intelligence documents, this information may determine what data appears in the document. For example, in a document that is used by sales, there may be a prompt that asks the user to choose a region. When the user chooses a region, the document displays the results for that specific region instead of displaying the results for all of the regions in the document. 1. Open the document that you want to view. 2. Click Web Intelligence > Left Pane > Normal. 3. On the side of the left pane, click the User Prompt Input icon To find text 1. Open the document that you want to view. 2. On the viewer toolbar, click Find. The "Find" panel appears at the bottom of the document. 3. In the Find field, type the text you want to locate. 4. Click the arrow beside the Run find button and select Ignore case or Match case. 5. Click Run find. 6. If necessary, choose whether to search for the previous occurrence or the next occurrence To drill document data You can drill down on document data to see data beneath charts and summarized groups. 1. Open the document that you want to view. 2. Click Drill > Start Drill mode, and then click on links in the document. When the viewer enters drill mode, you can perform either of the actions summarized in the following table. 49

50 Viewing Objects Option Snapshot Filter Bar Description Takes a picture of the drilled view and opens the drilled view in a new tab within the viewer. To use this option, click Drill > Snapshot. Opens the Filter Bar in the viewer and lets you apply filters to your view of the document. To use this option, click the Filter Bar button on the Web Intelligence viewer toolbar. 3. When you are finished, click Drill > End Drill mode to end the drill session. 50

51 Working with Objects Working with Objects 5.1 Managing objects in BI launch pad This section describes how to access, organize, work with, and search for objects in BI launch pad. All of the documents and files in your BI platform are considered objects. Examples of objects include hyperlinks, shortcuts, Crystal reports, and Web Intelligence documents. The BI platform organizes objects in two ways: by folders and categories. Objects must belong to a folder, and they can only belong to one. Categories are an alternate method of organizing objects; objects do not need to be assigned to a category, and can be assigned to several categories. Folders and categories can be public (or corporate) or personal. Public or corporate folders/categories can be seen by any BI launch pad user who has the necessary rights, and you can add or edit objects in them only if you have the necessary rights to do so. Personal categories or your My Favorites folders are for your use; you can create new folders and categories and arrange objects within them as you wish. These are private and cannot be seen or altered by other BI launch pad users, although your BI platform administrator can edit them if need be. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform also allows you to send objects or instances (or shortcuts to objects/instances) to other users. These objects and instances can be sent to a BI Inbox, an address, an FTP server, or a default file location. (Available locations may vary depending on what your system administrator has enabled.) You can send objects from the Documents tab as you browse or from a tab while you view a document. You can also send an instance from an object's History. To view objects that have been sent to you, go to the Documents tab, expand the My Documents drawer, and click My Inbox. Tip: Right-click the title of an object to access all of the actions that you can perform on the object. For example, to view the history of an object, right-click the object, and select History. Depending on the rights that your system administrator gives you, you may not have access to certain folders or categories. For example, your administrator may disable categories if they are not used in your company. 5.2 Creating and adding new objects in BI launch pad 51

52 Working with Objects In addition to working with the objects that your administrator and other authorized users have added to BI launch pad, if you have the necessary rights, you can create objects in BI launch pad. You can also add existing objects to BI launch pad. Related Topics Adding objects to BI launch pad To create a hyperlink To create a new publication in BI launch pad To create a folder or category Working with applications in BI launch pad 5.3 Adding objects to BI launch pad If you have the necessary rights, you can add objects to BI launch pad from your local computer. For example, a business analyst has finished creating a report on how a recent merger has affected sales and needs to share it with the rest of the company. When the business analyst adds the report to the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform, everyone in the company with the necessary rights is able to read it. Related Topics Working with applications in BI launch pad To add a document from your computer to BI launch pad 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. Expand the Folders drawer and navigate to the folder you want to add a document to. When you select the folder, the folder's contents are displayed in the List panel. 3. Click New > Local Document. The "New Local Document in" dialog box appears. 4. Click Browse to choose the document you want to add. 5. Enter a title, description, and keywords for your document. 6. If your document is a Crystal report, do the following: Select Use description from report if you want to preserve the report's summary information. Select Keep saved data if you want to keep the report's saved data. 7. If necessary, enter the MIME type of the file in the MIME field. 52

53 Working with Objects 8. In the "Categories" area, select any categories you want to assign the document to. This step is optional. Depending on the rights your system administrator gave you, you may not be able to add the object to categories. 9. Click Add. 5.4 Sorting and filtering objects By default, objects are sorted alphabetically by title. However, BI launch pad also lets you sort and filter objects according to other criteria. When you click the column heading, the system sorts the objects in ascending order. If you click the column heading again, it sorts the objects in descending order. To apply a more complex sort, point to the column header that you want to sort or filter on. A funnel icon ( ) appears adjacent to the column header name. Click the funnel icon and configure your options accordingly. Depending on the column, the available options may vary. Related Topics To sort or filter objects To sort or filter objects By default, when you view the contents of a folder or category, BI launch pad shows you all of the objects that you have the rights to see. Perform this task to filter your view of repository objects. 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. In the List panel, point to one of the following column headers and click the funnel icon that appears adjacent to the column header name ( ): Title Type Last Run Created By Created On The filter options appear. 3. Configure your filter options. 53

54 Working with Objects Column Title Type Last Run Created By Created On How to configure the filter Type the object title in the search field. Select the object types that you want to view. Specify the start time and end time. Click Everyone or Me. Specify the start time and end time. 4. Click OK. Only objects of the type(s) you selected are displayed in the List panel. When you are finished with your filtered results, you can remove the filter by clicking the funnel icon and selecting the Clear Filter check box. If you filtered your view by object type, click the funnel icon, click All Types, and then click OK to remove the filter. Related Topics Sorting and filtering objects 5.5 To set the object properties If you have the necessary access rights, you can change the following properties for an object: Title Description Keywords Categories 1. Go to the Documents tab and expand the Folders drawer. 2. Navigate to the object and select it in the List panel. 3. Click View > Properties. The "Properties" dialog box appears. 4. Change the title, description, or keywords for the object as needed. 5. Click Save & Close. 6. Select the object again and click More Actions > Categories. This step is optional. Depending on the rights your system administrator gave you, you may not be able to add the object to categories. 7. Select any categories to which you want the object assigned. 54

55 Working with Objects 8. Click OK. 5.6 To copy an object BI launch pad allows you to make copies of objects and save them in folders you have the necessary rights to. This enables you to edit the new object while keeping the original version. The Copy command in BI launch pad copies objects to a clipboard and does not create a copy in the same folder automatically. You must navigate to the destination folder and choose the Paste command to place your copied object in that folder. 1. Go to the Documents tab and expand the Folders drawer. 2. Navigate to the object you want to copy and select it. Tip: You can copy several objects simultaneously by selecting multiple objects at once. Hold down the CTRL or SHIFT key and click the objects. 3. Click Organize > Copy. Your object is now copied to a clipboard. 4. Navigate to the folder in which you want to keep the copy. 5. Click Organize > Paste. Related Topics To create a shortcut to an object 5.7 To move an object 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. Navigate to the object you want to move and select it. 3. Click Organize > Cut. Your object is copied to the clipboard as soon as you click Cut. It is not deleted until you paste it in a new location. 4. Navigate to the folder to which you want to move the object. 5. Click Organize > Paste. Your object now exists only in the folder you pasted it into. Shortcuts to the object continue to function properly. 55

56 Working with Objects 5.8 To create a shortcut to an object 1. Go to the Documents tab and expand the Folders drawer. 2. Navigate to the object you want to create a shortcut to and select it. 3. Click Organize > Copy Shortcut. 4. Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the shortcut. 5. Click Organize > Paste Shortcut. Tip: You can also create shortcuts to frequently viewed objects in your Favorites folder. To do this, select the object in the List panel and click Organize > Create Shortcut In My Favorites. 5.9 To send an object or an instance to a destination You can use Send to send existing objects or instances of an object to different destinations. The Send command handles existing objects or instances only. This command does not cause the system to run the object and create new instances, nor does it refresh the data for a report instance. You can send either a copy of an object or instance, or a shortcut to the object or instance. You can also select the destination, for example, FTP or BI Inbox. Not all types of objects can be sent to all destinations. Tip: If you are already viewing an object or instance in a tab, you can also send the object or instance from within the tab. 1. In the Documents tab, navigate to the object that you want to send. 2. Select the object or instance that you want to send. If you want to send an object, select it, click Send and choose a destination. If you want to send an instance, select the object and click More Actions > History. In the "History" dialog box, select an instance, click Send, and click the destination option that you want. Select only instances with a status of Success or Failed. Instances with a status of Recurring or Pending are scheduled and do not contain any data yet. 56

57 Working with Objects Destination option BI Inbox FTP Location File Location Description Sends the object to a user's BI Inbox. Sends the object to a user's address. Sends the object to an FTP server location. Sends the object to a local disk location. Depending on how your system administrator has configured the BI platform, some of these destinations may be unavailable. Send Web Intelligence documents to BI Inboxes only, or to an destination configured within the BI platform. Tip: Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select multiple objects. 3. Configure your destination option. You can choose to use the Adaptive Job Server's default settings or your own settings. If you use your own settings, you can specify: The users and groups who receive the object (if sent to a BI Inbox or an destination). Whether to send a copy of the object or a shortcut that links to the object. The name of the object that is sent. Whether to clean up instances after objects have been sent. The settings specific to the destination type (for example, a directory for the file location, or the host name and connection port for the FTP server). 4. When you are finished, click Submit To generate an OpenDocument link for an object Perform this task to generate an OpenDocument link for a document. OpenDocument links are useful if you want to send someone a direct link, or if you want that person to avoid the inconvenience of navigating through folders or categories. When the recipient clicks the link, the BI launch pad logon page opens in a web browser. After the recipient enters valid logon credentials, the document opens. 1. In the Documents tab, navigate to the document that you want to send to users and select it in the List panel. 2. Click More Actions > Document Link. The "Document Link" dialog box appears with an OpenDocument link in the Link field. 3. Ensure the entire link in the Link field is selected, and press CTRL + C. 4. Place your cursor where you want to paste the link (for example, in the body of an ), and press CTRL + V. 57

58 Working with Objects The link is pasted. 5. In your BI launch pad session, click OK to close the "Document Link" dialog box and return to the Documents tab To delete an object If you have the necessary rights, you can delete objects in BI launch pad. 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. Navigate to the object that you want to delete and select it. 3. Click Organize > Delete. 4. When prompted for confirmation, click OK To create a hyperlink 1. Go to the Documents tab and expand the Folders drawer. 2. Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the hyperlink. Tip: You can also create a hyperlink in My Favorites in the My Documents drawer. 3. Click New > Hyperlink. The "Hyperlink" dialog box appears. 4. Ensure that General Properties is selected. 5. Enter a title, a description, and keywords for the hyperlink. 6. Click URL. 7. In the URL field, enter the complete URL of the web page you want to create the hyperlink to, including 8. If necessary, click Categories and select the categories you want to assign the hyperlink to. 9. Click OK Searching in BI launch pad This section explains searching in BI launch pad. Platform Search looks for matches between your input and the keyword, title, description, owner information, and content of objects. After you perform 58

59 Working with Objects a search, it is displayed in the Search drawer. The Search drawer lets you refer back to your search results at any time during your BI launch pad session Platform Search features Search techniques You can search using techniques similar to those used in other search engines. Suggestions for alternate spelling The system suggests an alternate spelling if a search input is misspelled or yields no results. The suggestion is made by substituting words in the original input with words from the system that are similar in spelling to the original one. For example, if you search for Euroe sales trent, the system recognizes the misspelled words and provides a suggestion of Europe sales trend. An alternate suggestion is made only if the original search input produced no results and the suggested search term will result in successful matches. This functionality does not apply to text in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Matched word highlighting When the text you are searching for matches the words in an object s title or description, the matched words are displayed in bold type. Facets and search results grouping Some searches may return too many results to look at all of them easily. Search uses information in and about the results to classify them into groups, or facets. The various facets that search results can be classified by include document type, public category, data in reports, and aspects of the report content. You can select a group, and see the search results that are part of that group. For example, you may search for 2006 sales by employee. The public category facet could include HR Reports, Legal Documents and Sales reports, because each of these categories has objects assigned to it that appear in your search results. You were looking for a sales report, so you click Sales report to see only search results assigned to that category. Facets are generated from metadata and document content. Content-based facets are generated based on fields or variables that exist in the documents. For example, the variable Product might be used in many sale reports, and search creates a facet for it. You would then be able to refine your search by product name to see only results related to that product. After you have refined your search, you can either close the refinement to return to the full list of results, or refine the list further by selecting options from other facets. All refinements currently in effect are displayed at the top of the search refinement panel. 59

60 Working with Objects Facet grouping by fields in report content is available only for Crystal reports and Web Intelligence documents. Facet grouping by object type may include objects of other types. For example, if you view search results under the Crystal report facet, the results may show a Crystal report, a PDF document, and a Word document of the same name. This behavior occurs because the other objects are instances of the Crystal report. Search result ranking Each object on the search result page is assigned a score ranging from 1 to 5 bars depending on its relevance to the search input. A score of five bars indicates the object is a strong match, while a score of 1 bar indicates a weak match. Related Topics What gets searched by Platform Search Platform Search techniques What gets searched by Platform Search The following table describes searchable content for each object type. 60

61 Working with Objects Object type Crystal reports Web Intelligence documents Microsoft Excel files Word documents RTF, PDF, PowerPoint, and TXT files Searchable content Titles Descriptions Selection formulas Saved data Text fields Parameter values Sub-reports Titles Descriptions Universe filter names Saved data Constants in the filter conditions defined in the document Universe measure names Universe object names Data in record set Static text in cells Data Document properties (title, subject, author, company, category, keywords, and comments) Header and footer text Calculation or formula values Number and date/time values Text Document properties (title, subject, author, company, category, keywords, and comments) Header and footer text Numerical values Text Metadata 61

62 Working with Objects Object type Searchable content Agnostic objects Analysis views BI workspaces Dashboard Design and Xcelsius objects Discussions Events Flash objects Hyperlinks Life Cycle Management Console jobs Metadata (from Information Designer) Modules Object packages Profiles Program objects Publications Queries (from Query as a Web Service) Universes Widgets Workspaces (created in SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP) Platform Search techniques Platform Search is an optimized search tool which allows you to run a search by using techniques similar to that used in other search engines. This topic describes techniques that you can use to work with Platform Search more effectively. Technique Example Description Separating search terms with spaces finance report Search results will be produced only when all the words are found in the document. Separating search terms with a space implies an AND separation. 62

63 Working with Objects Technique Example Description Using an asterisk or a question mark as a wildcard character sales 199* L?st The first example will produce results that contain the word sales and any year from 1990 to The second example will produce results that contain the words Last or Lost. If you use this technique, the search string you enter cannot be mixed case. Enclosing search input in quotations total sales growth Search results will be produced only when the exact phrase is found in a document. Preceding search terms with a + episode +I Search results will be produced only when all the words are found in the document. This technique is useful to search for words that are typically filtered out during search process. For example: a, for, by, is, the. Preceding search terms with a - Europe sales -rev enue Search results will be produced only if the word immediately after the - sign is NOT found, and all other words are found. Separating search terms with a capitalized OR bug OR defect count report Search results will be produced if any of the words used with OR are found in the document. Attribute search Type: Crystal Re ports Country:USA Attribute search lets you search for specific attribute values and works for metadata or content. To perform an attribute search, type the attribute, a colon, and the value you want to search for. Use quotation marks to enclose attribute values that contain more than one word. The first example will produce results with an object type value of Crystal Reports. The second example will produce results with a country value is USA. 63

64 Working with Objects Technique Example Description Combining different search techniques marketing OR sales -finance increase OR decrease trend This example will produce results if a document contains the word marketing or the word sales, and contains the phrase in crease or decrease trend, but does not contain the word finance To perform a search in BI launch pad Searches are performed on most objects in BI launch pad, unless they have been expressly excluded from search by a user with the necessary rights. 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. On the toolbar, type the word(s) that you want to locate in the Search field. If you pause while you type, quick search functionality displays the top six matches based on the text you enter. You can view one of these matches by clicking it. If matches do not appear immediately, continue typing the search string. 3. Click "Search". Your results appear in the List panel. The following facets may also appear in the Search drawer and provide filtered views of your results: "Location" "Type" "Refresh Time" "Author" "Data Source" "Data Source" may or may not appear; other facets may also appear based on the content of the results. If the search generates more than five facets, click the More link to view the other facets. 4. View one of your search results by doing one of the following: In the List panel, double-click an object link. In the Search drawer, click a facet to refine the results displayed, and then double-click an object link in the List panel. If you double-click a Web Intelligence document or a Crystal report, the viewer scrolls to the place in the report where the first match of the search word occurs. This feature only works for the HTML viewer; it does not work for the Java and ActiveX viewers. 64

65 Working with Objects Facet grouping by object type may include objects of other types. For example, if you view search results under the Crystal report facet, the results may show a Crystal report, a PDF document, and a Word document of the same name. This behavior occurs because the other objects are instances of the Crystal report. Related Topics Platform Search techniques Viewing objects 5.14 Folders and categories Folders and categories that are accessible to all users are typically created for you by your BI platform administrator. However, if you have the necessary rights, you can also create folders and categories in BI launch pad. The BI platform has two types of folders: " My Favorites" You can create any number of folders in "My Favorites" to organize your objects in BI launch pad. The folders that you create appear when you expand the My Documents drawer and click My Favorites. You can add objects to your "My Favorites" folders, as well as create shortcuts to or copies of objects in public folders. You can also create new objects. You are the only user with access to your "My Favorites" folders in BI launch pad, although administrators can manage them as well. Public folders Public folders are typically created by the administrator or the users who have been granted the necessary rights. If you have the appropriate rights, you can create public folders to contain objects viewable to other users, if they have the necessary rights. To view public folders, expand the Folders drawer. The BI platform includes two types of categories: Personal categories You can create any number of personal categories to organize your objects. The categories that you create appear when you expand the My Documents drawer and click Personal Categories. Corporate categories Corporate categories are typically created by the administrator or the users who have been granted the necessary rights. If you have the appropriate rights, you can create corporate categories. To view corporate categories, expand the Categories drawer. 65

66 Working with Objects To create a folder or category 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. Navigate to the location in which you want to create a new folder or category using one of the following ways: If you want to create a personal folder, expand the My Documents drawer and click My Favorites. If you want to create a public folder, expand the Folders drawer. If you want to create a personal category, expand the My Documents drawer and click Personal Categories. If you want to create a corporate category, expand the Categories drawer. 3. Click New > Folder or New > Category. 4. When prompted, type a name for the new folder or category. 5. Click OK To set the properties of a folder or category You can edit the properties of folders or categories that you have created or to which you have the necessary rights. This enables you to change the name, description, and keywords of the folder or category. Keywords can be used to search for folders and categories. 1. Go to the Documents tab. 2. Navigate to the folder or category using one of the following ways: If you want to edit a personal folder, expand the My Documents drawer and click My Favorites. If you want to edit a public folder, expand the Folders drawer. If you want to edit a personal category, expand the My Documents drawer and click Personal Categories. If you want to edit a corporate category, expand the Categories drawer. 3. Select the folder or category, and click View > Properties. The "Properties" dialog box appears. 4. Edit the folder name, description, and key words as necessary. 5. Click OK Adding objects to a folder 66

67 Working with Objects If you have the necessary rights, you can add objects individually to a folder using New > Local Document. You can also create new objects in BI launch pad if you have the necessary rights. For more information, see Creating and adding new objects in BI launch pad To assign an object to a category 1. Go to the folder that contains the object that you want to assign to a category. 2. Select the object and click More Actions > Categories. The "Categories" dialog box appears. 3. Select the categories you want to assign the object to. Tip: To expand a category, click the plus symbol beside the category name. 4. Click OK. 67

68 Working with Objects 68

69 Scheduling Objects Scheduling Objects 6.1 Scheduling objects Scheduling an object allows you to run it automatically at specified times. An instance is created eacah time an object is run successfully; the instance is a version of the object that contains data from the time that the object was run. You can see a list of instances by looking at an object's history, and you can view any of the instances. If you have the rights to view objects on demand, you can view and refresh any instance to retrieve the latest data from the data source. By scheduling and viewing instances, you ensure objects have the most up-to-date information available for viewing, printing, and distributing. Before you schedule objects, be sure to check your time zone setting under Preferences in BI launch pad. The default time zone is local to the web server that runs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform, not the CMS to which users connect. Set the time zone to ensure that your scheduled objects are processed in accordance with the time zone in which you are working. If you do not have the rights to view or set your own preferences, consult your system administrator. Related Topics Setting preferences 6.2 To schedule an object 1. In the Documents tab, browse for the object that you want to schedule and select it. 2. Click More Actions > Schedule. The "Schedule" dialog box appears. 69

70 Scheduling Objects 3. Specify the scheduling options that you want to use. For more information about each option, see the following tasks: Instance title: To set the instance title Recurrence: To choose a recurrence pattern Database logon information: To specify database logon information Parameters or prompts: To schedule an object with parameters or prompts Filters: To apply a record selection formula Formats: To specify an instance format Destinations: To specify a destination Print settings: To set the print settings for a Crystal report Events: To schedule an object with events Server group: To set the scheduling server group settings Languages: To select languages for report instances Caching: To select a cache format for Web Intelligence documents For some scheduling options, the settings that the administrator has specified for the object are already selected when you choose that option. You can schedule an object with these options or choose your own options. 4. Click Schedule. The "History" dialog box opens and displays your scheduled job as an instance with a status of Running. The status refreshes every ten seconds To set the instance title You can enter a name to be used for each scheduled instance. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Instance Title in the navigation pane. 70

71 Scheduling Objects 2. Type the name in the Instance Title field To choose a recurrence pattern Recurrence settings specify a schedule for running an object. Each parameter in the Run object list has its own specific data entry requirements. You can set how many times the server should attempt to run the job if it fails in the Number of retries allowed field. You can also set the amount of time the server should wait before retrying in the Retry interval in seconds field. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Recurrence. 2. Choose one of the recurrence options from the Run object list and set the required options. The following options are available: Now When you click Schedule, the object runs once (immediately). Once This option requires a start and end time parameter. The object runs once at the time that you specify. If you schedule the object with events, the object will run once if the event is triggered between the start and end times. Hourly This option requires information in hours and/or minutes for how frequently the object is run. Instances are created regularly to match the parameters that you enter. The first instance is created at the start time that you specify, and the object will cease to run on its hourly schedule at the end time that you specify. Daily This option requires a start and end time parameter. The object runs once every N days at the time that you specify. It will not be run after the end time that you specify. Weekly This option requires a start and end time parameter. Each week, the object runs on the selected days at the time that you specify. It will not be run after the end time that you specify. Monthly This option requires a start date and time, along with a recurrence interval in months. The object runs on the specified date and time every N months. It will not be run after the end time that you specify. Nth Day of Month 71

72 Scheduling Objects This option requires a day of the month on which the object is run. Instances are created regularly each month on the day that you enter at the start time that you specify. The object will not be run after the end time that you specify. 1st Monday of Month This option requires a start and end time parameter. An instance is created on the first Monday of each month at the time that you specify. The object will not be run after the end time that you specify. Last Day of Month This option requires a start and end time parameter. An instance is created on the last day of each month at the time that you specify. The object will not be run after the end time that you specify. X Day of Nth Week of the Month This option requires a start and end time parameter. An instance is created monthly on a day of a week that you specify. The object will not be run after the end time that you specify. Calendar This option allows you to select a calendar of dates. (Calendars are customized lists of schedule dates that are created by the BI platform administrator.) An instance is created on each day that is indicated in the calendar, beginning at the start time that you specify and continuing until the end time that you specify. 3. Set any other scheduling parameters as required, and click Schedule To specify database logon information Some objects require you to log on to a database before you can successfully schedule them. You can do this in the "Schedule" dialog box if you have credentials for the object's data source. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Database Logon. 2. If necessary, change the logon information for the object's data source. 3. Set any other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule To specify an instance format Depending on the type of object that you choose to schedule, you can select the format in which the object's instance is saved when it is generated by BI platform. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Format or Formats and Destinations. 2. Select the format you want to schedule to. 72

73 Scheduling Objects For example, for a Crystal report, select the format from the Format Options for Selected Document list. 3. Select additional formatting options as required. Some Crystal report format options require you to specify additional formatting options. These options vary depending on the format that you selected. 4. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule. Related Topics Additional formatting options for Crystal reports Available formats The following are the formats to which specific object types can be sent or scheduled. Crystal report formats For Crystal reports, you can select from the following formats: SAP Crystal Reports SAP Crystal Reports read-only (RPTR) Microsoft Excel ( ) Microsoft Excel ( ) (Data Only) Microsoft Excel (2007) (Data Only) Microsoft Word ( ) PDF Rich Text Format (RTF) Microsoft Word Editable (RTF) Plain Text Paginated Text Tab Separated Text (TTX) Separated Values (CSV) XML When you select a file format other than SAP Crystal Reports, the program preserves as much of the formatting as the export format allows. However, you may lose some or all of the formatting that appears in the report. The difference between Excel and Excel (Data only) is that the Excel option preserves the look and feel of your original report, while the Excel (Data only) focuses on preserving data and does not merge cells. 73

74 Scheduling Objects The Tab Separated Text format places a tab character between values and attempts to preserve the formatting of the report; the Separated Values format places a specified character between values and does not attempt to preserve formatting. The Microsoft Word ( ) format maintains as much formatting as possible, including graphics. Each object appears in an individual text field. Microsoft Word Editable format does not preserve as much formatting; text is displayed in lines and images are placed in line with the text. Rich Text Format is similar to Microsoft Word ( ). For more information about the options you must set to schedule a Crystal report to a specific format, see Additional formatting options for Crystal reports and the section on Exporting in the SAP Crystal Reports User Guide. Publications formats For more information about possible publication formats, see Possible formats. Web Intelligence document formats For Web Intelligence documents, you can select from the following formats: Web Intelligence Microsoft Excel PDF Additional formatting options for Crystal reports When you schedule a Crystal report to some formats, you may be required to set additional options. This topic details the additional options for each format to which they apply. Table 6-1: Microsoft Excel ( ) Option Description To include all pages of the report, select All. Page Range To include a page range, select Pages from:, type the first page you want to include, and type the last page you want to include in the to: field. Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. 74

75 Scheduling Objects Option Set Column Width Description To set the widths of Excel columns based on objects in the report, select Column width based on objects in the and choose a report area from which to take the column widths. To set a constant column width, select Constant column width (in points) and type the width. Export page header and page footer To include the page headers and footers in your instance, choose whether you would like to export them Once Per Report or On Each Page. To exclude the page headers and footers from your instance, choose None. Create page breaks for each page Select this option to create page breaks. Convert date values to strings Select this option to export date values as text strings. Show gridlines Select this option to see gridlines in your exported document. Table 6-2: Microsoft Excel ( , 2007) (Data Only) and Microsoft Excel Workbook (Data Only) Option Description Use the export options defined in the report Set Column Width To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. To set the widths of Excel columns based on objects in the report, select Column width based on objects in the: and choose a report area from which to take the column widths. To set a constant column width, select Constant column width (in points) and type the width. Export object formatting Select this option if you want to preserve the object formatting. Export images Select this option to export the images in your report. 75

76 Scheduling Objects Option Description Use worksheet functions for summaries Select this option to use summaries in the report to create worksheet functions in Excel. Maintain relative object position Select this option to maintain the positioning of objects relative to one another. Maintain column alignment Select this option to preserve the alignment of text within columns of your report. Export page header and page footer Select this option to include the header and footer in your instance. Simplify page headers Select this option to simplify page headers. Show group outlines Select this option to show group outlines. Table 6-3: Microsoft Word ( ) Option Description To include all pages of the report, select All. Page Range To include a page range, select Pages from: and type the first page you want to include, and type the last page you want to include in the to: field. Table 6-4: PDF Option Description To include all pages of the report, select All. Page Range To include a page range, select from: and type the first page you want to include, and type the last page you want to include in the to: field. 76

77 Scheduling Objects Option Description Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. Create bookmarks from group tree Select this option to create bookmarks in your PDF file based on the tree structure of the report. This will make the report easier to navigate. Table 6-5: Rich Text Format (RTF) Option Description To include all pages of the report, select All. Page Range To include a page range, select Pages from: and type the first page you want to include, and type the last page you want to include in the to: field. Table 6-6: Microsoft Word - Editable (RTF) Option Description To include all pages of the report, select All. Page Range To include a page range, select from: and type the first page you want to include, and type the last page you want to include in the to: field. Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. Insert page break after each report page Select this option to insert page breaks in your RTF file after each page of the report. Table 6-7: Plain Text Option Description Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. 77

78 Scheduling Objects Option Number of characters per inch Description Type a value between 8 and 16 for the number of characters to include per inch. This setting controls how the text file is displayed and formatted. Table 6-8: Paginated Text Option Description Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. Number of Lines per Page Type the number of lines of text to include between page breaks. Number of Characters per inch Type a value between 8 and 16 for the number of characters to include per inch. This setting controls how the text file is displayed and formatted. Table 6-9: Separated Values (CSV) Option Description Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. Delimiter Type the character you want to use as the delimiter. Separator Type a character to use to separate values, or select Tab. Mode Select either standard or legacy mode. In standard mode, you can choose report, page, and group sections to include in your instance. In legacy mode, you cannot set those options. Report and page sections If you selected standard mode, indicate whether you want to export report and page sections, and if so, whether or not your want to isolate them. 78

79 Scheduling Objects Option Description Group sections If you selected standard mode, indicate whether you want to export group sections, and if so, whether or not your want to isolate them. Table 6-10: XML Option Description Use the export options defined in the report To use the export options already defined in the report, select this option. You will not be able to set any of the other additional formatting options. XML Exporting formats Select the XML exporting format you want to use To specify a destination You can schedule an object instance to be sent to a specific destination on your computer, on a network, a default file location, , or FTP. If your administrator has specified a particular destination for the object, this destination option is displayed. You may be able to update the fields for this destination, or select a different destination. For many of these destinations, you must provide additional information. Available destinations may vary depending on which destinations have been enabled by your system administrator and which user rights you have. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, view your destination options. For example, for a Crystal report, click Destinations. 2. Select your destination. For example, for a Crystal report, choose a destination from the Destination list. 3. Select Keep an instance in the history if you want to save a copy of the instance. 4. Select Use the Job Server's defaults if you want to use the default settings for that location. 5. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule. Related Topics Destination options Available formats 79

80 Scheduling Objects Destination locations You can schedule, send, or publish objects and publications in BI platform to the following destination locations: Default Enterprise location If you select this option, the instance is saved to the default BI platform location (the Output File Repository Server). BI Inbox This option saves the instance to the Output File Repository Server and to BI Inboxes as specified: If you select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, copies of the instance are saved to the BI Inboxes that are configured on the job server. If you do not select Use the Job Server's defaults option, you can specify the BI Inboxes where you want to save the instance. File location This option saves the instance to the Output File Repository Server and to the specified file location: If you select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, copies of the instance are saved to the unmanaged disk location that is configured on the job server. If you do not select Use the Job Server's defaults option, a copy of the instance is saved to the file location that you specify. FTP server This option saves the instance to the Output File Repository Server and to the specified FTP server: If you select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, a copy of the instance is saved to the FTP server that configured on the job server. If you do not select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, you can specify the FTP server where you want to save the instance. recipients This option saves the instance to the Output File Repository Server and to the specified recipients: If you select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, copies of the instance are ed to the recipients that are configured on the job server. If you do not select the Use the Job Server's defaults option, you can specify the recipients to whom you want to copies of the instance. 80

81 Scheduling Objects If you select any option other than Default Enterprise Location and choose to use the job server's default option, then the location must already be configured on the appropriate job server by your administrator. For more information, see the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Administrator's Guide available on the SAP Help Portal at Destination options If you want to specify options for an object that you are scheduling to a destination (for example, the names of users who should receive the instance in their BI Inboxes; the addresses of recipients; or an FTP server to which you want the instance uploaded), you must enter some destination information that will differ depending on the destination you have chosen. These destinations must be configured on the servers that run scheduling jobs. To find out if they are configured on your deployment, contact your SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform administrator. Table 6-11: BI Inbox Option Selected Recipients Description Select users or groups from the "Available recipients" list and click > to add users or groups to the "Selected recipients" list. To let BI platform generate a name for the instance, select Use Automatically Generated Name. Target Name Send As To use a specific file name, select Use Specific Name and type a name in the field. Tip: For specific file names, you can select variables to be included in the name from the list beside the field. The variable is added to the text in the box. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. To send a shortcut to the instance to your recipients, select Shortcut. To send a copy of the instance to your recipients, select Copy. 81

82 Scheduling Objects Table 6-12: File System Option Directory Description Type the path to the directory you would like to send the instance to. To let BI platform generate a name for the instance, select Use Automatically Generated Name. File Name To use a specific file name, select Use Specific Name and type a name in the field. Tip: For specific file names, you can select variables to be included in the name from the list beside the field. The variable is added to the text in the box. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. User name Type the user name required to access the file location. Password Type the password required to access the file location. Table 6-13: FTP Server Option Host Description Type the FTP server. Port Type the port used to access FTP. The default port number is 21. User Name Type the user name required to access the FTP server. Password Type the password required to access the FTP server. Account Type the account required to access the FTP server, if applicable. Directory Enter the path to the directory you would like to send the instance to. 82

83 Scheduling Objects Option Description To let BI platform generate a name for the instance, select Use Automatically Generated Name. File Name To use a specific file name, select Use Specific Name and type a name in the field. Tip: For specific file names, you can select variables to be included in the name from the list beside the field. The variable is added to the text in the box. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. Table 6-14: recipients Option Description Type a return address. From This field may be unavailable depending on your system configuration. Tip: You can select variables to be included in the From field from the adjacent list. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. Type the addresses to which you would like to send the instance. Separate multiple addresses with semicolons. To Tip: You can select variables to be included in the To field from the adjacent list. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. Type the addresses to which you would like to send copies of the instance. Separate multiple addresses with semicolons. Cc Tip: You can select variables to be included in the To field from the adjacent list. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. 83

84 Scheduling Objects Option Description Type the subject line of the . Subject Tip: You can select variables to be included in the To field from the adjacent list. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. Type the message that will appear in the body of the . Message Tip: You can select variables to be included in the message from the adjacent list. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name. Select this check box to add the instance to the as an attachment. Additionally, you can specify the attachment name: To let BI platform generate a name for the instance, select Use Automatically Generated Name. Deliver Document(s) as Attachment To use a specific file name, select Use Specific Name and type a name in the field. Tip: For specific file names, you can select variables to be included in the name from the list beside the field. The variable is added to the text in the box. Available variables include the object's title, ID, owner, the date and time, your address, and your name To apply a record selection formula If an object includes a record or group selection formula, you can modify it before you schedule it. Selection formulas help determine what data appears in a report and may improve performance by eliminating unwanted records. For more information about record selection formulas, see the SAP Crystal Reports User Guide. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Filters. 2. Change the record or group selection formula as necessary. 3. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule. 84

85 Scheduling Objects To set the print settings for a Crystal report When you schedule a Crystal report, you can choose to print the object instance once it has been generated. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Print Settings. 2. Select a print mode for your web viewer. If you want to print the report in PDF format, click Always print to PDF (Preview). If you want to use the report's print settings, click Follow Crystal Reports preference setting. 3. If you want to print the report when it is run, select the Print Crystal reports when scheduling check box and do the following: a. Select Default printer to use your default printer, or select Specify the printer and provide the appropriate printer information accordingly. b. Type the number of copies you want to print in the Number of Copies field. c. Under "Page Range", select All if you want to print all pages of the report, or select Pages and type the first and last of the pages you want to print. d. Select whether or not you want to collate the printed copies of the instance from the Set collate option to list. e. Indicate your scaling preferences in the Page Scaling list. f. If you want to center each page, select Center the page. g. If you want to force horizontal pages to fit the paper, select Fit horizontal pages into one page. 4. Under "Specify page layout", indicate the layout you want to use: If you select Specify printer settings, indicate the printer settings you want to use. If you select Custom settings, indicate whether you would like to use standard layout settings or custom layout settings. For custom layout settings, indicate the orientation and paper size you want to use. 5. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule To schedule an object with parameters or prompts Parameters prompt the user to enter information. In report objects, this information may determine what data appears in the report. For example, in a report that is used by sales, there may be a parameter that asks the user to choose a region. When the user chooses a region, the report displays only the results for that specific region. In Web Intelligence documents, parameters are called prompts. 85

86 Scheduling Objects You can set parameters in the "Schedule" dialog box. If the object that you schedule does not contain parameters, then the Prompts option does not appear. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Prompts. The appearance of the parameter options in the "Schedule" dialog box may differ from object to object, depending on how the parameter field was created. Program objects may provide an Argument field instead. 2. Change the parameter value as necessary. For Crystal reports, click the value of a parameter to change it. For Web Intelligence documents, click Modify to edit prompt values. 3. Set scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule To schedule an object with events Event-based scheduling provides you with additional control when you schedule objects: you can configure the system so that objects are run only after a specified event occurs. Working with events consists of two steps: creating an event and scheduling an object. That is, once you create an event, you can select it as a dependency when you schedule an object. The scheduled job is then processed only when that event occurs. You create events in the Central Management Console (CMC), and then select the events in BI launch pad when you schedule objects. For more information about creating events and the CMC, see the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform User Guide available on the SAP Help Portal at 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Events. 2. To specify an event that will trigger the scheduled object, select the event in the Available Events list and click > to move it to the Events to wait for list. 3. To specify an event triggered upon completion of this scheduling job, select the schedule event in the Available Schedule Events list, and then click > to move it to the Events to trigger on completion list. 4. Set other scheduling options as required and click Schedule. For more information on scheduling with events, see the Scheduling Objects chapter in the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform User Guide To set the scheduling server group settings When you schedule an object, you can select the server group that the system uses to run the object. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Scheduling Server Group. 86

87 Scheduling Objects 2. Select the scheduling server group option you want: Use the first available server This is the default option. BI platform uses the server that has the most resources free at the time of scheduling. Give preference to servers belonging to the selected group Select a server group from the list. This option attempts to process the object from the servers that are found within your server group. If the specified servers are not available, then the object is processed on the next available server. Only use servers belonging to the selected group This option ensures that BI platform uses only the specified servers that are found within the selected server group. If all of the servers in the server group are unavailable, then the object is not processed. 3. If your deployment of BI platform uses federation and you want to run the object at the site on which the object is located, select Run at origin site. 4. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and then click Schedule To select a cache format for Web Intelligence documents To select a cache option, the output format you specified for the object must be Web Intelligence. If you select a different format, the cache options you specify will have no effect. When the system runs a scheduled Web Intelligence document, an instance is generated and stored on the Output File Repository Server. You can also cache the report on the appropriate Report Server by selecting a cache format for the document. If you don't select a cache format, the system won't cache the document. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Caching. 2. Select the format you want to pre-load the cache with. 3. Select the locales with which to pre-load the cache. When you schedule the document, BI platform generates cached versions of the document in the locale(s) that you specify. 4. Set the rest of your scheduling options and click Schedule To select languages for report instances 87

88 Scheduling Objects This task applies to Crystal reports only. Perform this task if you want to generate report instances in different languages. 1. In the "Schedule" dialog box, click Languages. 2. Select a language option. Schedule the report in Preferred Viewing Locale This option schedules the report according to the preferred viewing locale you set in your preferences, and creates instances using that locale only. Schedule the report in Multiple Locales This option schedules the report in multiple languages. If you choose this option, you must also select locales by moving them from the All Locales list to the Selected Instance Locales list. 3. Set other scheduling parameters as required, and click Schedule. 6.3 Pausing or resuming an instance You can pause and resume an object's instance as needed. For example, if a Job Server is down for maintenance reasons, you may want to pause a scheduled instance to prevent the system from running the object, because scheduling jobs fail when the Job Server is not running. When the Job Server is running again, you can resume the scheduled object. Pause and resume can be applied only to scheduled instances; that is, they can be applied only to objects that have a status of Pending or Recurring To pause an instance 1. Navigate to the object and select it. 2. Click More Actions > History. The "History" dialog box appears. 3. Select the scheduled instance that you want to pause. 4. Click Pause. 88

89 Scheduling Objects To resume an instance after pausing it 1. Navigate to the object and select it. 2. Click More Actions > History. The "History" dialog box appears. 3. Select the paused instance you want to resume. 4. Click Resume. 6.4 Scheduling an object package An object package is a type of object that acts as a container for other objects or components. They can only be created or edited in the CMC, and can contain any object type that can be scheduled. To add objects to an object package, a user with the necessary access rights must copy the object and paste it into the object package in the CMC. Objects in an object package are then distinct from the object they were copied from and are instead components of the object package. When you schedule an object package, instances are created for each component, allowing you to schedule several objects simultaneously. You cannot schedule a component of an object package on its own. Scheduling an object package is slightly different from scheduling an individual object, because some scheduling options must be set on an object package level. These scheduling options are recurrence, destinations, events, and server group settings. Other scheduling options are set for each component of the object package. These scheduling options are notification, database logon settings, filters (if applicable), format, print settings, and parameters, prompts, or arguments (if applicable) To schedule an object package 1. Select the object package, click Actions, and choose Schedule. 2. Set the instance title, recurrence, destination, events, and sever group settings as you would for any object. For more information on these settings, see the following topics: To set the instance title To choose a recurrence pattern To specify a destination To schedule an object with events To set the scheduling server group settings 89

90 Scheduling Objects 3. Click Components. 4. Click on the name of each component to set the notification, database logon, filters, format, print, cache, and parameters / prompts settings as applicable to each component. For more information on these settings, see the following topics: To specify database logon information To apply a record selection formula To specify an instance format To set the print settings for a Crystal report To select a cache format for Web Intelligence documents To schedule an object with parameters or prompts When you have finished setting the scheduling parameters for a component, click Save & Close to return to the scheduling page for the object package and set the remaining scheduling parameters. 6.5 Working with instances To view the latest instance of an object You can view instances of objects such as Crystal reports, Web Intelligence documents, publications, and object packages. 1. Navigate to the object and select it. 2. Click View > View Latest Instance. The latest instance of the object appears in its associated viewer. If you have the necessary rights, you can click Refresh in the report/document viewer toolbar to refresh the report/document with the latest data from its data source. Related Topics Viewing objects Viewing historical instances 90

91 Scheduling Objects The BI platform saves a history of object instances for scheduled objects that have been run. The history list is arranged chronologically (with the most recent instances listed first) and can contain the following information: Instance Time Title Status Created By Type Locale Parameters The information that is available depends on the type of object that you are viewing To view the history of an object 1. Navigate to the object and select it. 2. Click More Actions > History. The "History" dialog box appears. 3. Double-click a link under the Instance Time column to view an object instance. Tip: Click the funnel icon next to Instance Time, Title, Run By, or Status to sort and display instances according to different criteria. This icon appears when you point to the column header To empty your BI Inbox Perform this task to delete all instances from your BI Inbox. 1. In the Documents tab, expand the My Documents drawer and click the Inbox node. The contents of your BI Inbox appear in the List panel. 2. Click Organize > Delete All Messages. 3. When prompted for confirmation, click OK. 91