Important update (8th Aug 2024)
SAP has released a new statement of direction for SAP BusinessObjects that introduces revamped support packages for 2030 and beyond. SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.2 will end its Priority One support by the end of 2024. SAP highly recommends that customers still using BI 4.2 migrate to BI 4.3, which is already available.
Starting with the release of BI 2025 in Q4 2024, SAP will implement a new standard maintenance strategy for BusinessObjects. Minor releases will be delivered every two years and supported for three years. BI 2027 is scheduled for release in Q4 2026 as part of this strategy. Support for BI 4.3, BI 2025, and BI 2027 will continue through 2030 and beyond, contrary to the previously announced statement of direction described below.Â
The Private Cloud Edition is still available, and SAP Analytics Cloud remains SAP’s strategic direction for analytics and the recommended choice for new applications, use cases, and users.
Please get in touch if you’d like further information or need support.Â
SAP BusinessObjects will continue to be updated and supported by SAP in the long term, but with an important caveat: after 2027, support and maintenance will only be available in the Private Cloud Edition (PCE) which is hosted by SAP. Further important updates around SAP BO can be found in the June 2021 SAP Analytics Statement of Direction. Read on to learn more about what that means and what you should do.
What should SAP BusinessObjects customers do?
You must either purchase SAP BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition (PCE) and migrate to it, or build an alternative solution with SAP Analytics Cloud. Either approach must be completed by 2027. Until then, SAP BOBJ is fully maintained and supported on-premises.
- The SAP BO Private Cloud Edition (PCE) is a new offering from SAP, featuring the familiar SAP BusinessObjects software run by SAP in the hyperscale infrastructure of the customer’s choice, with an availability SLA of 99.7%.
- SAP BO on-premises customers are also encouraged to consider SAP Analytics Cloud as an alternative reporting platform for web-based visualisation of their data.
SAP make it easy to switch to a cloud solution. There are options to partially stop on-premises maintenance of SAP BusinessObjects when replacing with a new SAP Analytics Cloud contract through the Cloud Extension Policy. Customers should discuss with their reseller or with SAP.
As an alternative option, many of our customers have an organisational strategy to use Microsoft Power BI for analytics, and great results can be seen from using this platform for SAP data. Have a look at Marshall Trailers case study here to learn more about the bespoke Power BI reporting we’ve created for them to reflect the specific operations of their business.Â
Why SAP Analytics Cloud?
A happy BusinessObjects customer may wonder why they should use SAP Analytics Cloud instead. SAP are allowing customers to choose in the long term by making available the BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition, but for many SAP Analytics Cloud will offer advantages.
SAP Analytics Cloud is a cloud-native SaaS solution, offering best-in-class web-based data visualisation capabilities. SAP’s secret weapon is their content network, offering packages of ready-made data models and visualisations for SAP data.
SAP Analytics Cloud really shines in forecasting, business planning,and predictive use cases. Artificial intelligence allows users to ask questions of the data in plain English, and predictive analysis allows AI-driven decision-making in any business.
Build a Sustainable Business with SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Product Carbon Footprint Analytics is powered by SAP Analytics Cloud, and delivered from their content network.
Visualisations of carbon footprints of products are created from SAP S/4HANA and SAP ERP 6.0 data, showing the total carbon emissions for any produced product, broken down by plant, location, and raw material sources.
As businesses are under more and more pressure to report their environmental impact, demonstrate reductions in impact to customers, and track the impact of their suppliers, SAP Analytics Cloud is a vital tool to provide the required data analysis.
Is SAP Analytics Cloud right for us?
Some customers will find that SAP Analytics Cloud can replace their usage of SAP BusinessObjects, and that it should. Others may find that BusinessObjects PCE offers the best functionality, and the lowest total cost and effort to migrate from their existing solution.
In general, extensive usage of analytics embedded in Microsoft Office, and a significant volume of reports in BusinessObjects, are likely to steer a customer towards BusinessObjects PCE. Those that use BusinessObjects in web-based scenarios and who wish to consume more cloud solutions may find that SAP Analytics Cloud will be their best choice.
Article by:Â Robert MacDonald, Innovation and Technology Manager
Bob is responsible for bringing the latest SAP technology to Absoft and its customers across industry sectors. From a technical background, he specialises in identifying efficiencies in running SAP through automation, monitoring and optimisation. He has worked on supporting, implementing and upgrading SAP for over 10 years, and is now launching the newest innovations in automation.
