Back after a hiatus

Am back! Its been a long time since I wrote something technical. Currently am focusing on the Business Objects suite and its integration with SAP suite. Also, in the near future, I expect to do a bit of research on the open source BI / DW tools like Talend, Pentaho Kettle, etc. Stay tuned!

Future of BODI / BODS?

What do you think is the future of BODI / BODS?

I have almost stopped working on BODS. Well, almost… except for a fix here or there… once in a while. Most of my focus is now on SAP BI.  

But I have a soft side towards BODI/BODS. It is a tool that I know very well. It is also a tool that has a lot of potential, but is underestimated a lot. It has undergone a sea of changes since the ACTA days. And it equates well with the Informatica’s and IBM Information Server’s of the world.

Personally, I feel that this tool has a good future. It has shaped up pretty well, has added more functionality, and integrates well with SAP R/3, but more importantly is non-SAP in focus. It should do well in the next few years.

Okay, here is an interesting discussion on the same. And Werner’s comments are promising. Need to keep a tab on the developments.

Decfloat datatype not supported in BODI / BODS

Recently I was working with a few DB2 UDB 9.5 tables and discovered that decfloat datatype columns were not recognized even though I had checked the option to recognize unsupported datatypes as varchar.

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Migration of a DW solution from Oracle to DB2

Recently we migrated an entire DW module from Oracle to DB2. And our ETL was done using Business Objects Data Integrator.

Below is a sequence of steps that we followed to migrate the entire solution (including data structures, ETL code and universe)

Assumption:
–>All estimates done for 4 DB2 databases, 3 federated systems, 62 tables, 33 indexes, 6 DI jobs, 110 data flows, 151 transformations, 16 SQL transforms, 34 SQL() scripts, 220 objects in 23 classes and 2 reports.
–>Add 20% time as buffer for unexpected issues.
–>Some tasks can be executed in parallel, while some have strong dependency on completion of previous tasks.

Work breakdown of migration and rough estimation:

1. Initiation & planning : 40 Hrs
Establish objectives and goals
Requirements gathering
Establish scope
Plan resources
Identify development environment

2. Assessment : 40 Hrs
Assess tool and technology needs
Assess and understand technical requirements
Establish technical guidelines
Finalize tools and development environment

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BO Data Services XI 3.0

BO Data Services is a new offering from Business Objects.

Well, it looks like a new bundling and not a new product by itself.

BO Data quality + BO Data Integrator = BO Data Services.

I tried to gather some information regarding this. Here is what I have found so far.

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Times.. they are changing.

Looks like traditional data warehousing will soon be taken over by a sea of changes.

(Click on underlined words to open the links)

Integration of OLTP with DW? Read about it here.

Here is a discussion on new approaches in DW.

If you want to know Werner’s opinion on the future of Business Objects Data Integrator (BODI), see here.

Appears like BO Data quality + BO Data Integrator = BO Data Services. A discussion on it here.

And is Informatica the next acquisition target? Some say maybe… some say no.

SAP to buy Business Objects

Hmmm….. sounds interesting.

There was this news some weeks ago.

Now, there’s more to it. Read more at this link.

Oracle bought Hyperion. Now SAP wants BO. What will Microsoft do ????

Whats the future of Cognos or Informatica?

Will there be cosolidation in the business intelligence space? Looks obvious.

If you are working on Business objects tools, will SAP buyout help you? Will SAP (strong player in ERP) be keen on BI? Does it make sense?

Okay. For better reading on this topic, see these links.

SAP buys Business Objects - good news for IBM

SAP To Acquire Business Objects: A Complicated Merger