SAP Business objects Extended Analytics 4.1 Extended Analytics Architecture and recommendations

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Architecture and recommendations

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics 4.1

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Third-party contributors

Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at:

http://www.businessobjects.com/thirdparty

Chapter 1 Introduction 3

About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Intended audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Document conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Typefaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What’s new in this version? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics version 4.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Cartesis Analytics version 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 2 Technical architecture 7

Key Concepts of the Software Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Architecture Overview with SSAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Architecture Overview with star schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Detailed software components in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Server components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

BusinessObjects Finance platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Deployer for Finance server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

SAS Server & Datapump component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Reporter Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Client components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Designer client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Analyzer client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Reporter client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Web Dashboard client . . . . 20

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics for PowerPoint . . . . . . . . . . 21

Architecture and recommendations 1

Contents

Recommended Architecture Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Recommended Architecture Implementation with Star Schema . . . . . .22

Protocols Used in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Software

Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

OleDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

ADO.NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

DCOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

SOAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

XMLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Security implementation in BusinessObjects Extended Analytics . . . . . . . .25

Security implementation overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Deployer server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Reporter client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Analyzer client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Internal implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Reporter Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

SSAS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Datapump server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Chapter 3 Hardware and software recommendations 31

General recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Reporter client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Analyzer client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Designer client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Web dashboard and PowerPoint clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Desktop client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Deployer for Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Configuration Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

SSAS server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Microsoft Data Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Reporter server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Analytics server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

2 Architecture and recommendations

Introduction

chapter

Introduction

About this guide

The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics architecture and hardware and software recommendations guide contains the following:

• The key concepts of the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics software

architecture.

• The hardware and software recommendations for this version.

Intended audience

This document is intended for architects in charge of the technical setup for BusinessObjects Extended Analytics. Architects should be experienced in systems and networks and be familiar with the technology used by this application.

To find out more about how to use this product, please refer to the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics user guide. The user guide is available in PDF format on the installation CD or in HTML format in the Help menu after installation.

Document conventions

Typefaces

The table below presents the different typefaces used in the guide:

Typeface Meaning Example

Bold Names of windows,

dialog boxes, menus, menu commands and

buttons Menu > Command Menu command Select New > Data source. Code Command line Code on gray

background

4 Architecture and recommendations

All or part of a

configuration file to be

checked or changed

The Installation Directory dialog box will appear.

C:\>iisreset /restart

<add key="CompressionLevel"

value="Normal" />

Typeface Meaning Example

Numbered list Procedure or series of

steps to be performed

< > Value to be set _ Compulsory space

between settings

" " To be inserted if

spaces are used in a setting

[ ] Optional setting

1. Right-click to select New > Virtual

Directory.

2. The following dialog box will appear:

3. Click on Next.

4. Open a Command Prompt dialog box.

5. Run the

command line.

<datasource_name>_

CtStartServer.vbe_<datasource_manager

<"datasource_password">

<"datasource_password">_[<server>]

C:\>iisreset /restart

Introduction

About this guide

Architecture and recommendations 5

Introduction

What’s new in this version?

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics version 4.1

Platform evolution

• Microsoft Excel 2000 is no longer supported

Cartesis Analytics version 4.0

New server component: Configuration Manager

This new server component is a web site that helps you to deploy, configure and test your BusinessObjects Extended Analytics platform.

Architecture

It is now recommended to install the Configuration Manager, Deployer and data pump components on the SSAS server.

Platform evolution

• All servers components (except BusinessObjects Extended Analytics

server) now support Windows 2003 64 bits.

• Oracle BusinessObjects Finance database and Oracle star schemas

databases can now be hosted on different Oracle instances.

• The Designer client does not rely on BusinessObjects Finance client

anymore.

• Cartesis Magnitude V9 is no longer supported.

• Only BusinessObjects Finance 10 SP2 and BusinessObjects Finance

10.5 are supported.

Documentation

• A new chapter on deploying a data source with the Confiduration

Manager component has been added. To find out more, see the Installation guide.

• A new chapter on Configuring BusinessObjects Extended Analytics with

firewalls has been added. To find out more, see the Administration guide.

6 Architecture and recommendations

Technical architecture

chapter

Technical architecture

Key Concepts of the Software Architecture

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics uses a multi-tier client/server architecture.

The presentation layer, the functional layer and the data layer have been developed as independent modules for Windows Intel 32 bit in a Microsoft .NET 2.0 environment in C# and C++ languages.

Its architecture relies on the Microsoft SSAS 2005 and SSRS 2005 technologies and on the BusinessObjects Finance environment.

All user interfaces are written in Windows Forms 2.0 and have a "look & feel" similar to Microsoft Office 2003.

All server components use multi-thread mechanisms. The application can thus simultaneously and automatically use all of the processors available on the servers (scaling-in, i.e. increasing the number of processors on a single server).

Architecture Overview with SSAS

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics architecture consists of 7 main server components:

• The SSAS server, which hosts the cubes and the Microsoft SSAS 2005

engine

• The Data Pump server, which ensures the link between the SSAS server

and Analyzer and Reporter clients

• The Reporter Server, which hosts Microsoft SSRS 2005 services and

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (SQL Server can be hosted on a different server)

• The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics server, which hosts the

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics service and the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics dashboard website (IIS and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (Microsoft SQL Server can be hosted on a different server)

• The BusinessObjects Finance Web Services, which manages security

and provides Finance metadata to Designer

• The BusinessObjects Finance platform, which collects data

• The Deployer for Finance server, which handles cubes creation and

deployments

There are also 5 main client components:

• The Reporter client, which uses Internet Explorer for consulting reports

8 Architecture and recommendations

Technical architecture

Key Concepts of the Software Architecture

• The Analyzer client, which uses Microsoft Excel to create reports and to

browse data

• The Designer client running on a Windows client platform, which defines

cubes

• The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Web Dashboard client, which

connects to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics server

• The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics Desktop is a thick client, which

connects to BusinessObjects Extended Analytics server to build reports

• The BusinessObjects Extended Analytics for PowerPoint client, which

connects to the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics server

Architecture and recommendations 9

Technical architecture

Key Concepts of the Software Architecture

10 Architecture and recommendations

Key Concepts of the Software Architecture

Architecture Overview with star schema

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics architecture with BusinessObjects Finance consists of 3 main components:

• The BusinessObjects Finance platform, which collects data

• The Deployer for Finance component, which handles cubes creation and

deployments

• The star schema database, which handles star schemas

There is also 1 main client component:

• The Designer client running on a Windows client platform, which defines

cubes

BusinessObjects Finance database and star schemas database (SQL Server or Oracle databases) can be installed on separated servers.

Technical architecture

Architecture and recommendations 11

Technical architecture

Detailed software components in the BusinessObjects Extended Analytics architecture

Server components

BusinessObjects Finance platform

Requirements:

• The BusinessObjects Finance Web Services component must be

deployed on the BusinessObjects Finance platform.

The BusinessObjects Finance Web Services are mandatory because BusinessObjects Extended Analytics uses it in order to interface with BusinessObjects Finance. If these Web Services are not installed, Analytics will not function. To find out more about the installation procedure of BusinessObjects Finance Web Services, see the BusinessObjects Finance installation guide, Installing and configuring BusinessObjects Finance Web Services.

Note: BusinessObjects Finance web is not mandatory.

• Supported BusinessObjects Finance versions:

• Cartesis Finance 10 SP2 with patch 57 and higher

• BusinessObjects Finance 10.5

Function:

BusinessObjects Extended Analytics connects directly to the web API for security purposes and to the database for data extraction.

12 Architecture and recommendations

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