Models Based on Live Data Connections to SAP Universes and Web Intelligence Documents

You can create models based on Web Intelligence documents. By doing so, you can leverage your BI investment and reuse Web Intelligence dimensions, measures, calculations (variables), …

To make sure you get the right data for your model, and later for your story, we’ve prepared a list of things you should know about document lifecycle, refreshes, and synchronization.

Supported Documents

When creating a model using a Web Intelligence document as a data source, the data and the semantics are retrieved from the document’s cube.

The following documents aren’t supported:
  • Documents created in SAP HANA Online mode
  • Documents that have the Refresh on Open option enabled in Web Intelligence
  • Documents with no measures

Also, make sure that the document you want to use as a data source is stored in a corporate folder and assigned to the category defined by the boe.webi.category.cuid parameter. For more info, please refer to the SAP BusinessObjects Live Data Connect Installation and Security Guide.

Also, note that the security defined for the document in Web Intelligence applies in SAP Analytics Cloud, including view-time security.

Supported Universe Features

Refer to the SAP BusinessObjects Live Data Connect Installation and Security Guide to get the full list of universes features supported in SAP Analytics Cloud.

Object Mapping

In the query builder, objects appear as a flat list under the “All Objects” node. They’re listed by type, dimensions or measures. There’s no distinction between dimensions coming straight from a universe, and dimensions that are the result of variable calculations. The same applies to measures.

Existing measures in the Web Intelligence document used as a data source don't require setting local aggregations in SAP Analytics Cloud.

Data Lifecycle

The Web Intelligence document controls the data that is displayed in SAP Analytics Cloud. When you refresh a story, the application fetches the latest instance from the Web Intelligence document. We recommend administrators to schedule regular refreshes to make sure the data stays up to date.

Document Lifecyle

If a Web Intelligence user edits the document and its objects, the SAP Analytics Cloud story displays a warning message on the visualizations that leverage these objects, prompting you to edit the model and the underlying query.

If Web Intelligence are consumed in SAP Analytics Cloud, make sure you don’t delete the document or its objects to avoid breaking the model that relies on the document or its objects.