SAP last week launched SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, which they say will bring groundbreaking search capability to the fingertips of all employees. The new product combines search and navigation capabilities from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio with SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse Accelerator.
The software uses an intuitive search box as its interface, so that end users can enter key words in order to find the data they need to answer critical business questions—no special training or special skills are required, say SAP. Once business users retrieve the relevant information, they are able to navigate through that data and drill down into specific areas for further investigation.
“We have been beta testing SAP BusinessObjects Explorer and are amazed at how intuitive the software is and how quickly it returns results,” said Katrina Coyle, global information manager, Molson Coors. “Employees have already learned things about their data and our business that they didn’t know previously. With visualizations, like the interactive ‘heat’ maps, results leap off the page. One of our business users was able to identify a brand not sold in other regions using only one click, which is the blink of an eye compared to the former lengthy process. Everyone who has worked with SAP BusinessObjects Explorer has appreciated that it is fast and user-friendly, with results that can be easily shared and put to use immediately. We see great potential for this tool to provide all of our employees with better visibility into our business.”
An important aspect of the new product is that it is similar to the ease and speed of Internet search, SAP BusinessObjects Explorer will allow employees to use familiar business language to find relevant information. Business users are also be able to use visualisation features to select and generate charts or reports that best represents the information, which can then be shared with colleagues.
With search capability in the hands of end users the product also makes life easier for IT organisations. Previously, business users would submit requests for corporate data, such as customised reports, to the IT department. The new software will provide self-service access to information, freeing up IT time and resources to work on more strategic projects. SAP will work with its partners including IBM, HP, Dell and Fujitsu Technology Solutions to help make SAP BusinessObjects Explorer faster and easier way to deploy by combining and optimizing hardware and software solutions.
SAP partners Intel and Adobe have contributed enabling technology to SAP BusinessObjects Explorer. Intel has co-engineered the in-memory processing capabilities of SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator to optimize it with the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series. Adobe has provided its Adobe® Flash® Platform to enable enterprise developers to create compelling Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for end users.
SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, accelerated version for SAP NetWeaver BW, is planned to be available during summer 2009.
