Global Projects 2007 25 Critical Lessons V10

© 2007 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved.

25 Critical Lessons for Teams That Are Running Global SAP NetWeaver BI Projects

Dr. Bjarne BergDirector SAP BIMyITgroup

2

What We’ll Cover …

• Introduction• Scoping the SAP NetWeaver BI project• Getting the project started • Designing InfoCubes — the good, the bad, and the ugly• Improving Performance — what to do, and how to do it• Understanding the curse of MultiProviders• Cleaning up and ODS management• Considering global integration points• Wrap-up

3

Introduction

• SAP NetWeaver BI (BI) has matured substantially over the last decade

• In this session we will explore the lessons learned from a variety of companies, looking at real examples

• We will pay particular attention to design principles, performance enhancements, and explore what you can learn from other’s mistakes

• We will also look at BI trends and what others are doing in the SAP NetWeaver BI space

4

BI Has “Grown Up” and Is Now a Core Infrastructure Requirement

• 59% of companies now have an enterprise data warehouse This number will grow to 86% by 2009

• However, only 39% of companies have a BI competency center and only 54% have an enterprise information strategy

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Enterprise Data Warehouse

Information quality program

Enterprise Info. strategy

BI governance program

BI competency center

No plans

Within 2009

Currently have

Source: Business Week Research, Sept. 2006

Where will your company be in three years?Where will your company be in three years?

5



6

Global Master Data Integration and SAP NetWeaver BI

• When an organization has multiple SAP R/3 systems, the SAP NetWeaver BI master data integration can be cumbersome

1. Determine what local master data needs to be maintained in the BI system and load it as separate master data

2. Determine what global master data needs to be maintained in the BI system and load it to the shared areas

To do this you will need master data mapping rules or tables

3. If you have conflicting master data, consider loading the local masterdata to DSOs (make it reportable) and merge the global master data to be used by the InfoCubes

Alternatively, you can load versions of master data into custom master data objects in SAP NetWeaver BI and use the merged master data as the “0 objects”

If you have multiple regional transaction systems, plan on spending 5 - 10% of your global project time on master data integration, design, and testing.

If you have multiple regional transaction systems, plan on spending 5 - 10% of your global project time on master data integration, design, and testing.

7

Global Master Data Integration and SAP NetWeaver BI (cont.)

• You can also decide to use the SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management (MDM) tool to manage and merge the global master data in a central location

If an MDM implementation is warranted, make it a separate project and don’t include this as part of the global BI project. The BI system simply extracts the new merged and integrated master data.

If an MDM implementation is warranted, make it a separate project and don’t include this as part of the global BI project. The BI system simply extracts the new merged and integrated master data.

Source: SAP NetWeaver Magazine, Alan Joch

8

Privacy and Security Concerns

• European and many Asian countries have strict privacy rules

• European Union Commission’s Directive on Data Protection protects personal information from Europe to countries whose privacy practices are not deemed “adequate”

• All European Union (EU) member countries are bound by the European Commission’s finding of adequacy

• Your company can become entangled in many local laws, or seek participation in the “safe harbor” agreements by the Department of Commerce (costs up to $500)

• The safe harbor eliminates the need for prior approval to begin data transfers, and makes approval from the appropriate EU member countries automatic

Some European Restrictions

1. Personal information cannot be collected without consumers’ permission. They have the right to review the data and correct inaccuracies.

2. Data processing companies must register their activities with the government.

3. Employers cannot read, copy, or transfer workers’ private email.

4. Personal information cannot be shared by companies or across borders without express permission from the data subject.

Safe harbor agreements can reduce exposure to such legal issues.

Some European Restrictions

1. Personal information cannot be collected without consumers’ permission. They have the right to review the data and correct inaccuracies.

2. Data processing companies must register their activities with the government.

3. Employers cannot read, copy, or transfer workers’ private email.

4. Personal information cannot be shared by companies or across borders without express permission from the data subject.

Safe harbor agreements can reduce exposure to such legal issues.

9

Tip 1: Capacity and Scalability Is the Top Concern for Your CxO

• Don’t under size your global BI system Spend adequate funding on hardware, memory, processing power

and disk space

7.03

7.21

7.31

7.51

7.62

7.65

7.88

7.9

7 7.25 7.5 7.75 8

Difficult for end users to learn or use

Danger of distributing outdated data

Too many Business Intelligence tools in use

Data Integration

Security

Determining ROI

Server & Desktop processing capacity

Overall System Performance and capacity

Source: Intel, SAP & Business Week "Seizing the BI Opportunity" 2006.

A survey of 353 top C-level officers in large companies, reported that the top BI concern was the scalability of their solutions.

A survey of 353 top C-level officers in large companies, reported that the top BI concern was the scalability of their solutions.

10

Production

12 CPUs

96 GB RAM

Sandbox

4 CPUs

32 GB RAM

Test

4 CPUs

32 GB RAM

Development

4 CPUs

32 GB RAM

• This company reallocated their Sun-6900 box (on Oracle) and have three app servers on the production box

• More memory allows them to take better advantage of the parallel load of the BI system and to cache many of the frequently run queries (BEx Broadcaster)

• The hardware also allows them to compare performance between the boxes

Example of a large BI system

Tip 1: Capacity and Scalability — Global Hardware Example

Key numbers: 3.1 Terabytes of data 2810 named users About 620 active users

Global systems must consider network connections (speed), data encryption, and distributions of application and Web servers for load balancing (due to 24-hour operations).

Global systems must consider network connections (speed), data encryption, and distributions of application and Web servers for load balancing (due to 24-hour operations).

11

Joint Application Design(JAD)

Rapid Application Development(RAD)

Extreme Programming(EP)

System development Life-Cycle based methodologies

(SDLC)

Impact of FailureLow High

Low

High

Time to Delivery

When to Select Different Methodologies

Tip 2: Pick a Formal Methodology — You Have Many Choices

• Accelerated SAP (ASAP) methodology is not your only choice• Even though harder to manage on a global project due to long

communication lines, consider RAD, JAD, or EP based on the time to delivery and impact of failure

Source: Bjarne Berg, DM Review 2004

Look at what your global organizational partners have done.

You may know more about RAD than you think!

Look at what your global organizational partners have done.

You may know more about RAD than you think!

12

Tip 3: Report Dispositioning: Don’t Throw Every Report into BI

• Many tools exist that can report on SAP R/3 data You might have static reports that belong in SAP R/3, which would

not be cost effective to develop in SAP NetWeaver BI• Make cost-effective decisions

Just because the report is not in SAP NetWeaver BI does not mean it cannot be added to a Portal or viewed on the Web

• Not all reports belong in SAP NetWeaver BI Avoid using BI as a “dumping group”

• You need to make conscious decisions on what reporting needs you are going to meet, and how you will accomplish this

You need a formal report dispositioning process and need to evaluate every requirement as BI vs. transaction reporting.

You need a formal report dispositioning process and need to evaluate every requirement as BI vs. transaction reporting.

13

Tip 4: SAP Solutions Manager — EarlyWatch Reports Are Great!

• EarlyWatch reports provide a simple way to confirm how your system is running and to catch problems A “goldmine” for system

recommendations

• Run them periodically and read the details

• A real EarlyWatch report from a mid-sized company that has been running SAP BW for the last three to four years

On a large global project, system issues can be hard to pin-down without access to EarlyWatch reports. The monitoring reports allows you to tune the system before the user community gets access and complaints arise.

On a large global project, system issues can be hard to pin-down without access to EarlyWatch reports. The monitoring reports allows you to tune the system before the user community gets access and complaints arise.

14

Tip 4: SAP Solutions Manager — EarlyWatch Performance Info

1 Performance Indicators The following table shows the relevant performance indicators in various system areas.

Area Indicators Value Trend System Performance Active Users 18 down Hardware Capacity Max. CPU Utilization on DB Server 74 % steady Max. CPU Utilization on Appl. Server 74 % steady Database Space Management DB Size 355.52 GB steady Last Month DB Growth 118.63- GB steady Query Performance Avg. Total Runtime of the BW Queries 11.5 s down Avg. Database Runtime of the BW Queries 8.0 s steady

1 Performance Overview

The performance of your system was analyzed with respect to the average response times and total workload. We did not detect any major problems that could affect the performance of your system.

The following table shows the average response times for various task types:

Task type Dialog Steps

Avg. Resp. Time in ms

Avg. CPU Time in ms

Avg. Wait Time in ms

Avg. Load Time in ms

Avg. DB Time in ms

Avg. GUI Time in ms

DIALOG + RFC

195240 3253.3 728.7 1.8 2.5 1110.9 6.3

UPDATE 5 984.2 28.2 26.0 15.2 585.4 UPDATE2 48 133.2 17.1 0.7 3.3 80.8 BATCH 59288 11599.3 2091.2 0.6 8.5 5772.6 HTTP 257762 693.5 183.7 4.4 2.2 405.0

1.1 Current Workload The following table lists the number of current users (measured from our workload analysis) in your system.

Users Low Activity Medium Activity High Activity Total Users Measured in System 98 11 7 116

In a 24-hour operational systems due to time-zones, you will have less time to react and fix issues. Therefore, early detection of system issues are critical to the success of a global project.

In a 24-hour operational systems due to time-zones, you will have less time to react and fix issues. Therefore, early detection of system issues are critical to the success of a global project.

15

Tip 5: Organizing the Global Team — Six Ways to Balance the Global BI Development Effort

Benefits Risks

1 Single site

2 Distributed analysis

3 Distributed analysis and design

4 Co-located analysis and design

5 Multiple co-located analysis and design

6 Fully distributed development

Option

The more distributed the BI development effort becomes, the more difficult it is to maintain communication and get cohesive requirements.

The more distributed the BI development effort becomes, the more difficult it is to maintain communication and get cohesive requirements.

16

Tip 5: Organizing the Global Team — Small Technical Team Roles

Four to five team members and normally three to six months duration on each go-live depending on scope

BI Basis and functional SAP R/3 support

• These are roles not positions Sometimes one team member can

fill more than one role

Many companies fail to formally assign roles and responsibilities.

As a result, they have many “jack of all trades” and “masters of none.”

Many companies fail to formally assign roles and responsibilities.

As a result, they have many “jack of all trades” and “masters of none.”

Business AnalystPresentation Developer

Business Team

BI ArchitectETL Developer

Technical Team

Project Manager

Project Sponsor

ETL = Extract, transform and load

17

BI Basis and functional SAP R/3 support

15-30 team members and normally 6-18 months duration between each go-live

Tip 5: Organizing the Global Team — Large Functional Teams

Portal Developer(s)

BI Architect

Business Analyst/(sub-team lead)BI DeveloperPresentation Developer(s)ETL Developer

Sales Team


Finance Team


Material Mgmt. Team

Project Manager

Project Sponsor/Steering Committee

In a global BI organization, you simply need to create functional teams (instead of the previous technical team models).

In a global BI organization, you simply need to create functional teams (instead of the previous technical team models).

18

Tip 5: Organizing the Global Team — Localized BI Training

• Training for end-users and the local query developers should be completed in their own language to assure understanding and encourage participation

• Developer training should be in the project language (e.g., English, German, French) Don’t under estimate the value and cost

savings of in-house training.Don’t under estimate the value and cost savings of in-house training.

Reference Title Audience Language Class size (max) Note

BW-310 Intro to SAP BI All Local 25 Bring in house

BW-305 BI Reporting & Analysis Query developers Local 15 Bring in house

BW-350 BI Data Acquisition ETL developers English 10-12 SAP facility

BW-365 BW Authorizations System admin English 1-3 SAP facility

SAP-330 BW Modeling BI developers English 10-20 SAP facility

19

Tip 6: You Have to Plan for Global Cockpits

• 58% of all companies reported that they were already using BI dashboards and 25% more planned to do it in 2007 – 2008 Source: Business Week Research Sept. 2006, survey

• Dashboards are no longer cutting-edge Expected by senior management

Dashboard Scorecard Cockpits

Purpose Displays performance Displays progress Displays status and events

Usage Performance monitoring Performance management Performance management

Updates Real-time feeds Monthly snapshots Daily snapshots

Data Events Summaries Summaries and events

Measures Metrics KPIs Metrics & KPIs

Context Exceptions/alerts Targets and thresholds Trends

Source Linked to systems Linked to plans Linked to BI systemsSources: Wayne Eckerson, 2005; Bjarne Berg 2006

Dashboards and cockpits should be in your long-term global BI strategy (three to five years).

Dashboards and cockpits should be in your long-term global BI strategy (three to five years).

20

Tip 7: Pick a Project Language and Stick with It!

• If you don’t enforce a global project language, BI project documentation becomes fragmented The project team will quickly disintegrate into groups based on the

language with which they are most comfortable• Enforce a project language and require that all emails are

written in it and all notes are taken in the same language • Don’t allow “side bars” in languages that others

don’t understand

Make sure the project language is clear, and that pertinent documents are translated in a timely fashion.

Make sure the project language is clear, and that pertinent documents are translated in a timely fashion.

21



22

Billing

Number of billing documentsNumber biling line itemsBilled item quantityNet weightSubtotal 1Subtotal 2Subtotal 3Subtotal 4Subtotal 5Subtotal 6Subtotal ANet valueCostTax amountVolume

Customer

Sold-toShip-toBill-toPayerCustomer classCustomer group~ Customer country~ Customer region~ Customer postal code~ Customer industry code 1End user

Material

Material numberMaterial enteredMaterial groupItem categoryProduct hierarchyEAN/UPC

Time

Calendar yearCalendar monthCalendar weekCalendar day

Unit

Currency KeyUnit of MeasureBase unit of measureSales unit of measureVolume unit of measureWeight unit of measure

Billing information

Billing documentBilling itemBilling typeBilling categoryBilling dateCreation dateCancel indicatorOutput medium~ Batch billing indicatorDebit/credit reason codeBiling categoryReference documentPayment termsCancelled billing documentDivison for the order headerPricing procedure

Organization

Company codeDivisionDistribution channelSales organizationSales group

Logistics

PlantShipping/receiving point

Document details

Sales order document typeSales dealSales docuement

Accounting

Cost centerProfit centerControlling areaAccount assignment group

Personnel

Sales rep number

LEGEND

Delivered in standard extractorsDelivered in LO extractorNot in delivered Content -but in R-3

Standard Content

Tip 8: In the Blueprinting Phase: Model Your Global Solution

Storage Requirements

Storage Objects

+

1. Create a model based on pre-delivered SAP NetWeaver BI content2. Map your data requirements to the delivered content, and identify gaps3. Identify where the data gaps are going to be sourced from

1. Create a model based on pre-delivered SAP NetWeaver BI content2. Map your data requirements to the delivered content, and identify gaps3. Identify where the data gaps are going to be sourced from

Map functional requirements to the standard content before you make enhancements

Map functional requirements to the standard content before you make enhancements

23

Tip 9: Accept Cultural Differences — No Culture Is Dominant!

• Cultural differences should not be tolerated, but embraced • Europe has longer vacations (four to six weeks are common,

not exceptions)• Family time is important — don’t plan 12-hour workdays for

four months• Not everyone is equally interested in hearing how we do

things in the US• Many cultures find it offensive to talk about salaries,

and money Talk about value and deliverables instead

• Consider a co-project manager

24

Tip 10: Meet Local and Global Requirements

• In most global organizations there are varying product hierarchies, financial reporting requirements, mapping of accounts, data integration, and tool requirements

• Try not to solve only the enterprise reporting needs of the corporation, but also the local reporting and analytical needs This way you will get local support and ensure the system will

actually be used

• A successful global BI project has more that one constituent

If you ignore local requirements, they will simply reinvent your effort and find work-arounds and other tools.

If you ignore local requirements, they will simply reinvent your effort and find work-arounds and other tools.

25

Approximate Usage of Standard Content BW 3.5 (percentage of overall development effort)

0

20

40

60

80

100

* Rapidly improving content

Tips 11: Determine Where to Start

• All functional areas are not equally supported by strong standard BI business content Some areas have much you can leverage, others will require

significant enhancement to meet your requirements The differences are often due to customization in SAP R/3 by

companies and/or industry solutionsFocus on an area that solves a problem instead of becoming a “replacement” project.

Gradually, using a priority-phased approach, solve other business problems.

A good way to think of a BI rollout is in terms of business problems.

Focus on an area that solves a problem instead of becoming a “replacement” project.

Gradually, using a priority-phased approach, solve other business problems.

A good way to think of a BI rollout is in terms of business problems.

26



27

Tip 12: InfoCube Design — Making the Right Design Decisions

• Dimensions BI allows you to create up to 16 dimensions in a single InfoCube (13

are free) However, using all 16 on a first implementation limits any future

extensions without major redesign of the system Line item dimensions increase query performance

These are physically stored in the fact table and therefore have fewer table joins

• Key figures While no limitations are imposed by BI for the number of key

figures, typical implementations contain 1 - 25 While a higher number may be required (i.e. CO-PA), you’ll

notice tradeoffs of load performance when many records are loaded

While more than 45 key figures are not necessarily wrong, it might be considered unusual — you should perform an impact study of the extract on SAP R/3

28

Tip 12: InfoCube Design — General Guidelines

• Navigational attributes Lends flexibility to the way users can access data Common configuration consists of 1 - 35 attributes While technically not incorrect you should review InfoCubes that do

not contain any navigational attributes Review any InfoCube that contains more than 60

This may be an indicator that too much information is being placed in a single InfoCube

• Hierarchies Hierarchies are ways for users to “drill-down” into the data for

analysis purposes Typical configurations tend to have 1 - 8 hierarchies Review any InfoCube with no hierarchy (or with more than 8) to

validate the design with end-user navigation

For global projects you need to consider global and local currencies as well as various units of measures (e.g., lbs, kilo, tons, gallons, liters). Once decided upon, these units of measures should be available in all relevant InfoProviders.

For global projects you need to consider global and local currencies as well as various units of measures (e.g., lbs, kilo, tons, gallons, liters). Once decided upon, these units of measures should be available in all relevant InfoProviders.

29

Tip 12: InfoCube Design — Evaluating Designs (Real Example)

Name Type Tech_nm Dims* (all)

Characteristics total

Largest dim # of Char

KF # info. Sources

Nav attributes

Billing documents condition values Infocube ZSD_C15 10 47 11 3 1 107Customer Infocube 0SD_C01 8 14 5 16 1 5Delivery service Infocube 0SD_C04 9 23 5 15 2 10Invoice summary Infocube ZSD_C06 16 55 11 19 4 116Order summary Infocube ZSD_C03 16 62 13 23 5 96Sales order condition value Infocube 0SD_C15 10 41 10 2 1 0Sales overview Infocube 0SD_C03 11 34 7 17 7 16Profitability analysis Infocube Z_COPA_X 15 56 14 85 1 70Inventory mgmt plant summary Infocube MRP_MATL 6 9 3 22 1 16Material stock/movements Infocube 0IC_C03 9 18 4 24 - 5Plant & periodic plant stocks Infocube 0IC_C01 8 15 5 21 - 15Ad-hoc query order line details MC ZSD_M01 7 14 3 6 - 0Conditions order & billing document MC OSD_MC01 4 66 56 2 - 0Order and Invoice summary MC ZSD_C04 16 72 20 24 - 88SD Pricing order & billing docs MC ZSD_M02 12 53 12 3 - 94Campaign management Infocube ZDM_C006 15 56 19 29 9 109Commissions Infocube ZDM_C003 14 34 14 8 4 0Daily management Infocube ZSD_C01 9 31 8 10 6 6Disposition summary Infocube ZDM_C001 9 16 4 1 1 0Inquiry summary Infocube ZDC_C005 15 22 4 1 1 29Matrix Infocube ZDM_C002 10 16 3 141 1 0Monthly management report Infocube ZDM_C005 7 9 3 6 1 0Program summary Infocube ZDM_C004 16 23 4 12 8 1

• The observation relates a company’s current BI system to normally observed configuration parameters, which serve as benchmarks to what is commonly seen at other implementations

Cubes with many red or yellow codes should be examined

Cubes with many red or yellow codes should be examined

KF = Key figures

30

Tip 12: InfoCube Design — Evaluating Designs (Another Example)

31

Tip 13: Partitioned InfoCubes That Are No Longer the Same

• Often when InfoCubes are physically partitioned, changes occur as new development and fixes are applied After a while there is a risk that some of the physically partitioned

InfoCubes no longer are identical This can cause many issues (i.e., If archiving is used, you must

ensure copies of these older datastores are maintained to be able to restore data)InfoCubes

Name Technical name

All dimensions

Largest dimension

Characteristics

Key Figures

Nav. Attrib.

Sales Order: ACD 2007 ZCORD_A07 15 5 40 9 59

Sales Order: LPD 2006 ZCORD_L06 14 4 40 9 59

Sales Order: LPD 2007 ZCORD_L07 15 5 40 9 59

Sales Order History: ACD 2006 ZCODI_A06 15 13 58 39 66

Sales Order History: ACD 2007 ZCODI_A07 15 13 60 9 66

Sales Order History: LPD 2006 ZCODI_L06 15 13 58 39 66

Sales Order History: LPD 2007 ZCODI_L07 15 13 60 9 66

1) Removed 30 Key Figures, 2) Added field "Date for inv/bill index and print out" to Date dimension 3) added field "Customer purchase order type" to business reason dimension

1) Removed 30 Key Figures, 2) Added field "Date for inv/bill index and print out" to Date dimension 3) added field "Customer purchase order type" to business reason dimension

NOTESAdded 'Created by' as a Dimension(instead of f ield in Date dim)

Added 'Created by' as a Dimension(instead of f ield in Date dim)

A real exampleA real example

32

Tip 14: Naming Conventions Should Be Followed

InfoCubes should be named:0ABC_C01 orZABC_C02

ODSs should be named:0ABC_O01 orZABC_O02

MultiProviders should be named:0ABC_M01 orZABC_M02

InfoCube Supply Chain Mgmt - Inventory Mgmt. Cube for Risk Management ZRISK

InfoCube Supply Chain Mgmt - Inventory Mgmt. Material stocks/movements (as of 3.0B) 0IC_C03

InfoCube Industry Sectors - Oil & Gas - Exchanges Exchange balance 0OI_EXC01

InfoCube Industry Sectors - Retail Retail Competitor Pricing ZRTL_C01

InfoCube Non SAP Area - Marine Services PEDCO DTHEAD_DTTAIL ZPDCO_C01

InfoCube Non SAP Area - Marine Services PEDCO LOGSUM ZPDCO_C05

InfoCube Non SAP Area - Marine Services PEDCO MTHEAD_MTTAIL ZPDCO_C03

InfoCube Non SAP Area - Marine Services PEDCO RCHEAD_RCTAIL ZPDCO_C02

InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO Movement Position ZSDMVMPOS

InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO Movement Position History ZSDMVMHIS

InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO OIPR ZSD_OIPR

InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO OIPR History ZSD_OIPHS

InfoCube Non SAP Area - EPM (Ent. project mgmt) EPM Cube II ZEPM_C02

InfoCube Non SAP Area - EPM (Ent. project mgmt) Enterprise Project Mgmt (EPM) ZEPM_C01

InfoCube PIW - Profit Improvement Warehouse PROFIT IMPROVEMENT WAREHOUSE ZPIW_P001

InfoCube Monthly Operation Planning 3 MOP3 Pricing Marker ZMOP_CMKR

InfoCube Monthly Operation Planning 3 Monthly Operation Planning 3 ZMOP_P01

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Margin Analysis ZPCA_C04

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. PCA: Summary 1 ZPCA_C03

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. PCA: Summary 1 History ZPCA_C03H

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. PCA: Transaction data 0PCA_C01

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Customer ZPCA_C09

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Other ZPCA_C10

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Periodic Balance ZPCA_C05

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Planning Items ZPCA_C06

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Summary ZPCA_C07

InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Vendor ZPCA_C08

InfoCubeCust. Rel.Mgmt- CRM Analytics- Cross-Scenario Analyses-Case Mgmt Analysis CRM Case Management Analysis ZCRM_CASE

InfoCubeCust. Rel.Mgmt- CRM Analytics- Cross-Scenario Analyses-Activity Activities 0CSAL_C01

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Billing Cube ZSD_CVF0

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Billing Cube - History ZSD_CVFH1

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Billing Summary ZSD_C17

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Billing: Condition Data Cube ZSD_C06

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Billing: Tax Conditions Cube ZSD_C06C

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Daily Lift Report ZSD_ZS561

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Delivery Cube ZSD_CVL0

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD Delivery Cube - History ZSD_CVLH1

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD PAWS: Pricing Analysis ZPAWS

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD PAWS: Pricing Analysis (1) ZPAWS1

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - SAP R/3 SD PAWS: Pricing Analysis Archive ZPAWS2

InfoCubeERP Analytics- Sales & Distribution Analyses - Commercial Excellence CE Pricing Log ZCE_C01

InfoCubeStrategic Enterprise Mgmt - BPS - Capital Investment Planning Capital Investment Planning ZBPS_P05

ODS = Operational Data Store

33



34

Global Performance Issues

• Global projects have many performance challenges Hardware must be optimized for 24/7 operations and

network capabilities BI system must also have optimal backup and disaster recovery

windows and rapid data load processing• Since most of the query rendering time is spent on the

database, it is important that global projects spend serious time optimizing the database reads by leveraging tools such as the BI Accelerator and the classical SAP NetWeaver BI aggregates

The correct definition of global aggregates can dramatically reduce the time spent on database reads by the BI queries, thereby delivering faster query results to the users in various geographical locations.

The correct definition of global aggregates can dramatically reduce the time spent on database reads by the BI queries, thereby delivering faster query results to the users in various geographical locations.

35

Tip 15: Performance Enhancements Are Available — Use Them

• Check indexes periodically Under RSA1 Manage Performance

• Check database statistics to route queries faster At this company, 50% of the InfoCubes

had outdated database statistics that should be updated

• For large InfoCubes, or cubes with many users, the percentage used to build the database statistics can be increased to 15 - 20%

• May yield improved query routing

Name Technical name

Indexes Aggregate index

Stats build

DB Stats

COPA(US) : P&L L'Oreal R110: 2006 YCPAPL_1 10%

COPA(US) : P&L L'Oreal R110: ACD 2007 ZCPAPLA07 10%

COPA(US) : P&L L'Oreal R110: LPD 2007 ZCPAPLL07 10%

FI-AR Accounts Receiv. Line Item IC YCZO_1 10%

FI-AR Historical Indicators US ZCARHI_1 10%

FIAR (CS) : Cube - Hist. indicators Zoom YCZOHI_1 10%

Agreement YC13_AGR 10%

Cancellation and rejection YC11_CR 10%

Carry Over ZCSD_CROV 10%

Consolidated Open Orders ZC_OO 10%

Consolidated Open Orders YC_OO 10%

Delivery YC12_DEL 10%

Historical Invoice LPD ZCHSTLI 10%

Invoice YC13_INV 10%

RGA Data ZC_RGADTL 10%

Sales Order History ZCORDINV 10%

Sales order YC11_ORD 10%

Service rate YC11_SR 10%

Invoice: ACD 2004 ZCINVA04 10%



Invoice: LPD 2004 ZCINVL04 10%



Sales Order: ACD 2006 ZCORD_A06 10%

Sales Order: ACD 2007 ZCORD_A07 10%

Sales Order: LPD 2006 ZCORD_L06 10%

Sales Order: LPD 2007 ZCORD_L07 10%

Sales Order History: ACD 2006 ZCODI_A06 10%

Sales Order History: ACD 2007 ZCODI_A07 10%

Sales Order History: LPD 2006 ZCODI_L06 10%

Sales Order History: LPD 2007 ZCODI_L07 10%



Delivery: ACD 2007 ZCDELA07 10%

Delivery: LPD 2007 ZCDELL07 10%

Service Rate: ACD 2007 ZCSRIA07 10%

Service Rate: LPD 2007 ZCSRIL07 10%

36

Tip 15: Performance Enhancements — Aggregates Are Often Incorrectly Built (Real Example)

• Several cubes have no aggregates, while others can benefit from generating new proposals

• A score above 30% for average aggregate valuations should be a target for a data store

37

Tip 15: Performance Enhancements — Correct Aggregates Are Easy to Build

• This example shows the benefits of aggregates by using system statistics to generate proposals This very large InfoCube had over 160 queries attached to

it and only one aggregate

• Select the run time of queries to be analyzed (e.g., 20 sec)

• Select time period to be analyzed Only those queries executed in

this time period will be reviewed to create the proposal

• High value aggregate proposal (users who had queries that ran over 20 seconds during the last six months, would have benefited from 438 times — each query execution)

38

Tip 16: Memory Cache Is Often Set Too Low

• The cache settings at many companies are too low For example, at one large company the cache was set at 100 MB for

local and 200 MB for global cache, which is too low for a system with thousands of users and 4 TB of data

• Review the settings with the Basis team and look at the available hardware During the review, use the transaction code RSCUSTV14 in SAP

NetWeaver BI to increase the cache if needed Focus particularly on the global cache

• To monitor the usage of the cache, use transaction code RSRCACHE and also periodically review the analysis of load distribution using ST03N – Expert Mode

Example: At one company over 61% of all 35,644 navigation steps in a month accessed the database instead of the cache, even after the query was executed.

Example: At one company over 61% of all 35,644 navigation steps in a month accessed the database instead of the cache, even after the query was executed.

39

Tip 17: Use the BEx Broadcaster to Pre-Fill the Cache

Distribution Types

By broadcasting the query result of commonly used queries to the cache, your users do not need to execute the query from the database. Instead the result is already in the system memory (much faster).

By broadcasting the query result of commonly used queries to the cache, your users do not need to execute the query from the database. Instead the result is already in the system memory (much faster).

40

Tip 18: Focus Performance Enhancements on Large InfoCubes

• Typically 20% of the cubes and queries will see 80% of the usage Focus on these, when performance tuning, or it can become

overwhelming• InfoCubes with over 100 million rows should be analyzed for

performance enhancements, such as broadcasting of queries to cache, aggregates, indexes, database stats, etc.

InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO OIPR History ZSD_OIPHS x x 157,218,110InfoCube Non SAP Area - SFIO SFIO OIPR ZSD_OIPR x x 157,131,010InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Customer ZPCA_C09 x x 119,969,043InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Vendor ZPCA_C08 x x 116,068,014InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. Profit Center Accounting - Other ZPCA_C10 x x 116,012,946InfoCube Fin. Mgmt & Controlling - Profit Center Acct. PCA: Summary 1 ZPCA_C03 x x 108,784,493

No of RowsIndex StatsTech NameInfoAreaType Name

Avoid building local queries that are unique to the various geographies or business units. Focus instead on the reusability of global queries that are saved as local views (favorites).

Avoid building local queries that are unique to the various geographies or business units. Focus instead on the reusability of global queries that are saved as local views (favorites).

41



42

Tip 19: Avoid “Swiss Army Knife” MultiProviders: It Will Be Slow!

• There is a temptation to use only a few MultiProviders to build all queries This may dramatically slow down queries Hint: This design may prevent queries from being executed

in parallel

Avoid attempting to build a single MultiProvider to do all functions of the data warehouse

43

Tip 19: “Swiss Army Knife” MultiProviders and Parallel Processing

• To avoid an overflow of the memory, parallel processing is cancelled as soon as the collected result contains 30,000 rows or more and there is at least one incomplete subprocess The MultiProvider query is then restarted automatically and

processed sequentially What appears to be parallel processing corresponds to sequential

processing plus the preceding phase of parallel processing up to the termination

• Generally, it’s recommended that you keep the number of InfoProviders of a MultiProvider to no more than 10

Avoid creating InfoCubes that are specific to one country or business unit. If you do this, you will have to later combine them in large MultiProviders that may cause slow performance.

Avoid creating InfoCubes that are specific to one country or business unit. If you do this, you will have to later combine them in large MultiProviders that may cause slow performance.

44

Tip 19: “Swiss Army Knife” MultiProviders and Parallel Processing (cont.)

• Consider deactivating parallel processing for those queries that are MultiProvider queries and have large result sets With SAP BW 3.0B SP14 (SAP BW 3.1 SP8), you can change the

default value of 30,000 rows — refer to SAP Notes 629541, 622841, 607164, and 630500

• A larger number of base InfoProviders is likely to result in a scenario where there are many more base InfoProviders than available dialog processes, resulting in limited parallel processing and many pipelined sub-queries

45



46

Tip 20: Clean Up Old Objects That Are No Longer Used

• After a few years of running SAP NetWeaver BI, companies often have many objects that are no longer used

• Cleaning them up makes for a simpler development environment, which is easier to navigate and has a positive impact on analysis on when designing new objects

Keep your environments clean of obsolete junk.Keep your environments clean of obsolete junk.

47

Tip 21: Don’t Replicate Legacy Data Logic in SAP NetWeaver BI

• It’s tempting to replicate the SAP transaction system in the BI environment

• You can spot this when you find many ODSs that serve as lookup tables (easy to recognize, since these systems have many ODSs and each of them have few fields)

Number of fields per ODS

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0-5 6-10 11-15 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 90+

Nu

mb

er o

f O

DS

s

Don't allow the BI system to become a replication of the transaction system, merely because that is what your developers know.

Don't allow the BI system to become a replication of the transaction system, merely because that is what your developers know.

48

Tip 22: Avoid Direct Querying of ODS

• To quickly solve local reporting requirements, it is tempting to bypass the global InfoCubes and query the data stores (ODSs) directly — this is a mistake

• ODSs are for central staging of historical data, detailed analysis, lookups, and data mining — not for local reporting

• If you allow the users to bypass the global InfoCube logic, you will find yourself supporting slow local queries that do not take full advantage of the inherent performance of the OLAP processor

• Many local detailed queries will consume system resources, causing other global users to suffer

• If you follow this path, you will be asked to create InfoSet queries and eventually have minimal advantages of standard content, which will lead you to the road to build a traditional legacy data warehouse

Restrict the number of users that can access the ODSs.Restrict the number of users that can access the ODSs.

49



50

Tip 23: Be Aware of Divergent Country Accounting Rules

• Different accounting standards must be dealt with on global projects For example, pension obligations are considered long-term debt in

most European countries and long-term liabilities in the US (unsecured)

• Accounting rules for depreciation, amortization, depletions, and allocations vary from country to country For example, the US allows for accelerated depreciation in

certain instances

Plan on involving accountants and mapping tables if you are consolidating reporting for both local and global purposes.

Make sure you have an audit trail of transformations.

Plan on involving accountants and mapping tables if you are consolidating reporting for both local and global purposes.

Make sure you have an audit trail of transformations.

51

Tip 24: Standardize Currency and Units of Measures

• A global BI requires standardized currencies and Units of Measure (UOM) for aggregate reporting

• Conversions from pounds to kilos, or from liters to gallons are easy, but you have to decide how to handle currencies Possible solution A: Some companies use a pro-forma currency

translation rate for reporting during an interim period and a real currency translation rate when the financial books are closed or funds are transferred

Possible solution B: Some companies use previous month’s currency translation rate for reporting during an interim period and a real currency translation rate when the financial books are closed or funds are transferred

Sites like www.xe.com can provide you pro-forma currency translation daily, but you have to make a decision.

Sites like www.xe.com can provide you pro-forma currency translation daily, but you have to make a decision.

52

Tip 25: Determining Hierarchies — Global vs. Local

• On a global project you can create local and global hierarchies For example, a large European telecom company created a five-level

sales material hierarchy in BI that reflected the Dutch reporting view, a seven-level hierarchy that reflected the German reporting view, and a four-level hierarchy for corporate reporting

This allowed reporting for each subsidiary and a new corporate reporting hierarchy that was not available in any local system

• Lessons learned: You don’t have to select a single hierarchy; local needs can also be accommodated

Trick: MultiProviders can be used to mask the complexity for the query developers.

Trick: MultiProviders can be used to mask the complexity for the query developers.

53



54

Resources

• Steve McConnell, Rapid Development (Microsoft Press 1996, ISBN: 1556159005)

• Jeremy Kadlec, Start to Finish Guide to IT Project Management (NetImpress 2003, ISBN: B0000W86H2, Digital, 109 pages)

• Dr. Bjarne Berg’s Web site (70+ presentations and accelerators) http://csc-studentweb.lrc.edu/swp/Berg/

BB_index_main.htm

55

Resources (cont.)

• European privacy laws www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221111

• European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection www.export.gov/safeharbor

Whereto

FIND it

56

7 Key Points to Take Home

• Be sensitive to other cultures and don’t enforce US working methods

• More than one methodology is available for you to use• Long-term environment sizing and planning is critical • Performance tuning is not an afterthought, but a project task• An SAP NetWeaver BI architecture should be formulated

before a project starts• Plan for BI cockpits and dashboards — they are not nice-to-

haves, but a critical part of BI• Get the global team active and develop the SAP NetWeaver BI

solutions for local and global needs

57

Your Turn!

How to contact me:Dr. Bjarne [email protected]

Technology

Global Projects 2007 25 Critical Lessons V10