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This course contains several modules designed to develop basic to advanced SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence query building and reporting skills basic skills. Click here to start.
Our recent upgrade of BusinessObjects to version 4.3 was a key component of the ongoing evolution of our warehouse and reporting landscape. The next step in this evolution is to convert user reports to use a new universe format called .UNX. Moving to this format will enable the ability to connect to our new cloud-based Snowflake Data Warehouse.
We’ve been working on the project internally, with broad representation from schools and centers, over the past few months, and are now ready to engage with users to convert your reports. Note that this a report format conversion only to enable ongoing Data Warehouse connectivity and should not affect the report logic or results. Our goal is to have all reports converted by the end of this calendar year (2024).
Further details about the conversion process and important information about next steps for you, the members of our user community are found here: UNX Report Conversion Info and FAQ's
- What is BI launch pad?
- Setting your Preferences
- Why is there a tilde ( ~ ) in the name of my Web Intelligence folder in Personal Folders? Is that a default folder and if so, what goes into it?
- Can I work in multiple documents at the same time?
- Working with Timeouts
- Returning to Previous Page
- I used my browser's back button instead of Webi's and lost my unsaved changes. How can I recover my work?
- How can I navigate easily between report tabs or query tabs?
General
- Searching for corporate ("canned") reports in the repository
- How can I print when I have multiple tabs in a report but don't want them all printed?
- Is there any way to document in the Webi document what your query is about/doing/etc.?
- How can I copy a specific data value from a table, so I can paste it into something outside BusinessObjects?
- How do I purge the data from a report?
- When I login there's always a report that opens. Is there any way to set it so that just the Documents tab is open when starting?
- I deleted a report! How can I get it back?
Copying, Sharing, Saving, Exporting
- How can I share a copy of a document/report?
- How can I make a copy of or edit a repository/corporate report?
- How do I create a shortcut to a corporate report and why not just copy the report?
- When I download reports (using 'Save to my computer as Excel') and attempt to enter formulas, the formulas appear as text and don't compute. How can I fix this?
- For some reports, when saved as an Excel file, the report begins in row 2 and/or column B. How can I make my report begin at Cell A1?
- How can I export Webi report headers to Excel?
- When I save a report with data as a CSV file, all of the leading zeros are cut off any numbers when I open the file in Excel. How can I keep the zeros?
Page Setup
- Is there a feature to delete trailing blanks?
- How can I change the name of a column?
- Why am I getting a "Table or View does not exist" message?
- How can I see the order of the report sorts or breaks, and how can I change them?
- How do I show all values of a column when I make a break?
- How can I break on multiple columns at once (e.g., Name and Penn ID together)?
- How can I hide a column in a table?
- How can I undo an action that I just took when formatting my report?
- How can I create a pivot table (or crosstab)?
- How can I add a 'date last refreshed' to my report header?
- How can I add a section to a report? I'm dragging the object onto the report pane and it isn't working.
Analysis
- What's the difference between Count and Count ALL?
- I'm using the user response to a date prompt in a variable, but want to see it just as the date, without the time. How can I do this?
- What kind of a date formula can you create to add a specified number of days to a date?
- How can I see and work with all of the filters applied on a report at once?
- Why do some rows show a MULTIVALUE warning for an amount in my table, while others show the actual amount?
- Why doesn't my "in list" work? For example: Divisions in list (COL,NUR,EAS,WH).
- How do I control query options (number of rows, etc.)?
- Can I build a query based on a spreadsheet?
- How do I create a query based on another query?
- How can I create complex conditions (now called 'Query Filters') by nesting or indenting them together, and using AND and OR?
- I have multiple queries in one report. How can I give them different names?
- What character do I use for a "wildcard" and how should I use it?
- Why am I getting a "No data to fetch" message?
- Can I take an existing query and run it against a different universe without having to build it again from scratch?
- How do I create a subquery?
- I just added an object to my query - why doesn't it appear on my report?
- How can I merge on shared dimensions in a report with multiple queries?
- How can I "unmerge" a shared dimension?
- How can I see how many rows of data were returned from my query?
- How can I quickly duplicate a variable?
How Tos
Unsure where to start? You can also check these How Tos for step-by-step guidance for particular features.
- How to Navigate the BI Launchpad (PDF)
- How to Navigate the READING Mode for Simple Exploring and Analyzing of Reports (PDF)
- How to Navigate the DESIGN Mode for Creating and Modifying Reports (PDF)
- How to Navigate the DATA Mode for Creating and Modifying Reports (PDF)
- How to Navigate the STRUCTURE Mode for Presenting All Objects in a Table (PDF)
- How to Navigate the Query Panel (PDF)
- How to Navigate Between Editing a Query and Editing a Report (PDF)
- How to Format Reports by Right Clicking (PDF)
- How to Work with Multiple Documents / Reports Open (PDF)
- How to Copy a Repository/Corporate Report (PDF)
- How to Save Documents / Reports as Excel, CSV, or PDF (PDF)
- How to Create a New Document / Report (PDF)
- How to Find Basic Report Formatting Tools (PDF)
- How to Add a Report Filter (PDF)
- How to Add a Query Filter (PDF)
- How to Create a Document Using Freehand SQL (PDF)
- How to Create a “Geo Mapped” Chart (PDF)
- How to Create a Reference Cell (PDF)
- SAP BusinessObjects Web Intellegence 4.1 - documentation from SAP
See how to build a query from a simple business question the following PDFs. (The screen shots here will look slightly different than the current version of BI4.x but the concepts are still the same.)
- General Ledger Questions
- How can I review our entertainment costs for last year? (PDF)
- I need to run monthly reports on how we are doing with current expenses. Are we within budget or not? (PDF)
- What ProCard transactions have been posted this month and the previous 2 months from my ORG and to what accounts have they been posted? (PDF)
- How many funds in our school are currently frozen and what are the current encumbrances on those funds? (PDF)
- How do our mail costs this year compare to last year? (PDF)