BI Brunch 2021: Tracking the Trends

There was much new to report and discuss at SRB's 5th BI Brunch. In a relaxed setting, we took a look at Business Intelligence, the trends, and opportunities today and in the future, together with clients.

What began a few years ago as an internal exchange of experiences on SAP Business Warehouse (BW) at SRB has now developed into a small but immensely fine gathering of specialists: the BI Brunch by SRB. And last week it happened again: for the fifth time, this informal annual meeting of the local BI community took place at SRB's premises. Everyone interested in BI was invited – clients, partners, and experts alike. With around 30 guests, it was practically a 'full house'.

The focus was on exchanging ideas about current topics and future developments in the Business Intelligence field. And as is customary at the BI Brunch, marketing messages were kept at bay this time as well. The practical focus was emphasised – with demos, personal impressions, and plenty of room for discussion and exchange of experiences.

SRB Expertise on BW/4HANA

The official start was made by Attila Toth, Senior BI Consultant at SRB, with a report on conversions to SAP BW/4HANA. The clear message was:

"We have had very good experiences with In-Place and Remote Conversions."

As success factors, he listed a few points familiar to BI professionals: current support packages on BW and the source system, always completing housekeeping tasks beforehand, and starting small, preferably with a BW topic area.

The second presentation focused entirely on one question: "SAP BW/4HANA - Evolution or Revolution?" Arnold Knor, also a Senior BI Consultant at SRB, highlighted the new technological possibilities and changes that come with BW/4HANA:

"Composite Providers have become even more powerful. Here, virtual data models with all their intricacies can now be realised, including virtual data layers."

The new "Write Interface DSO" was also considered a function with great potential, allowing data to be transferred via "Push" into BW/4HANA. However, the question of whether BW/4HANA is an evolution or a revolution had to remain unanswered for now. Initially – as the consensus goes – it is important to get used to the new administrator interface in Fiori design and to gain more experience with it. From my personal perspective, BW/4HANA will likely fall somewhere between evolution and revolution.

Exciting Client Report – Living BI Everyday

Next, Gloria Andrea Salazar from Wacker Neuson explained the use of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) at the Wacker Neuson Group. Impressively and vividly, she demonstrated how the over 600 users are administratively managed, how the BW permissions interact with the Teams concept in SAC, and what tips she would give to create target group-oriented stories. She recommends to all story creators:

"Before starting a story, several things should be considered: target audience, detailing, and output on which device."

It quickly became clear: SAC is no longer a test project or proof of concept at Wacker Neuson. Here, reporting is done productively and highly successfully in a clear and visually appealing manner. A very successful best-practice example!

Warehousing in the Cloud – Here's How

Rudolf Ehn, BI Architect at SRB, concluded the entertaining morning with "SAP Data Warehousing in the Cloud – Fashion or Trend?" before moving on to the networking brunch with culinary delights, as the name of the event suggests. He connected the SAP strategy to a live demo of the SAP Data Warehouse Cloud (DWC) linked to SAP S/4HANA:

"The current SAP strategy firmly continues BW/4HANA support until 2042. However, DWC is the strategic solution for all data warehousing solutions for the future."

In the demo, he vividly showed how a data flow in DWC is created using the included Business Content, how data is retrieved, and how reporting can be done with the built-in SAP Analytics Cloud. While the answer to the evolution/revolution question for BW/4HANA had to remain open, the answer for DWC seems clearer: From my perspective, DWC is likely not a fad but a genuine trend.

What does the (BI) Future Hold?

All in all, it was once again exciting to see how much is happening in the BI world. To quote a valued colleague: "We are never bored!" I believe everyone present at SRB's BI Brunch would agree. There are many parallel solutions in the broad BI portfolio. There are standalone solutions that can also be used in a building-block manner. It is also clear: These topics will keep us busy for a long time – in BI everyday life as well as at the next BI Brunch in 2022. If you cannot or do not want to wait that long to exchange your BI experiences and challenges, just contact me.