Over the past few years, there has been considerable confusion and uncertainty surrounding the future of SAP BusinessObjects. As a result, many companies have been unsure about the direction to take with their BI strategies.
Recently, CATCH Intelligence was invited to join other SAP partners from around the globe at an SAP Partner Test event at SAP Labs Paris. There, we received exciting updates about the future of SAP BusinessObjects and even had the opportunity to test drive the upcoming release, BI 2025. We are thrilled to share that the future of SAP BusinessObjects is indeed bright, with promising developments and continued support until at least 2031.
BI 2025 Release and Support Strategy
BI 2025 is scheduled for release in mid-March. This release marks a shift in SAP’s strategy, moving away from traditional service packs to fix packs only. It will have Mainstream Support for three years, followed by Customer Specific Maintenance (CSM) for 12 months in which security fixes will be delivered for issues impacting SAP BusinessObjects. Every two years, a ‘minor release’ will be introduced, starting with BI 2027. BI 2027 is planned for release in Q4 2026 and will follow the same maintenance and support strategy.
**Image courtesy of SAP
Ongoing Enhancement
SAP BusinessObjects will not only continue to be supported but will also be enhanced! The enhancements focus on three major themes: reaching more users, increasing productivity, and reducing total cost of ownership (TCO). Key enhancements include:
- Simplified migration process for faster and more reliable transitions
- Use of standard authentication protocols (such as SAML and OpenID) to increase system compatibility
- A more intuitive and user-friendly reporting interface
- New SAP UI5 elements for dynamic visualizations and interactive reporting
- The ability to take reports offline as a ‘WebI Offline Artefact’ by exporting to a new WIDX format, expanding accessibility and convenience
CATCH’s first impressions of BI 2025 were very positive. The new WebI interface was easy to use, as were the new SAP UI5 elements. Those elements included scrollable tables, new chart options, and filters that could be inserted directly into the document to create a true interactive dashboard. Additionally, there is now a feature to customize a tooltip popup to display a different visualization filtered to the data element you hover over which can in turn be nested in other charts. CATCH also got to experience exporting to the new WIDX format, which allowed a report to be consumed offline with much of the interactive functionality. CATCH is looking forward to the release of BI 2025 to start exploring ways in which we can integrate the new features into our C3D BI Suite to help meet our customers’ needs and requirements.
Current Features in BI 4.3 SP04
However, you don’t have to wait for BI 2025 to enjoy new features! BI 4.3 SP04 introduced many enhancements, including:
- Enhanced WebI Data Mode capabilities for dynamic cube management
- Improvements to WebI Documents as a Data Source
- Enhancements to WebI OData Services
- Numerous WebI usability enhancements
- Support for UNX universes in Crystal Reports 2020
- New features in the Information Design Tool, including support for neutral joins
WebI Enhanced Visualizations
CATCH Intelligence is also proud to offer WebI Enhanced Visualizations, significantly boosting SAP BusinessObjects by enhancing WebI and maximizing your data, queries, and universes. This suite is a set of over 60 interactive visualization components added to WebI to enhance WebI’s reporting and dashboarding capabilities. Visualizations include drillable charts with custom drill paths, interactive filtered tables, custom geo mapping and interactive crosstabs, just to name a few. Navigation elements and filters complete the package, which can be dropped right onto the report to create a truly interactive experience. WebI Enhanced Visualizations can also be exported to HTML5 in order to deliver fully interactive visualizations outside of SAP BusinessObjects, extending your WebI content to a larger audience.
With these enhancements and a robust support plan, SAP BusinessObjects is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of businesses and ensure long-term value.
Join Our Upcoming Webinar
To learn more about these exciting updates and enhancements, be sure to join our webinar in March.
Registration is now open for our virtual User Group Seminar! CATCH Intelligence is excited to share valuable best practices, expert tips, and insightful resources, providing updates on SAP BI, architectural enhancements, new features, and more. Join us virtually, on March 13th, 2025 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST, for interactive content, live demos, and dynamic discussions to inspire collaboration and knowledge sharing. Registration closes February 28, 2025.
