Multisource universe of all BW data

[Former Member]

Hi all,

Is it possible / feasible to have one big universe (HR, SD, PP, MM etc)? 

My setup is as follows:

1. SAP Netweaver BW 7.3
2. Going to upgrade to BI 4 soon

The way I see it there's a few challenges:

1. I want restricted / calculated key figures in my universe
2. The maximum number of cells that a BW query can return (we have increased our threshold to 2 million)

So I understand that a multisource universe can be created by linking cubes which I suppose would satisfy challenge # 2.  Is it possible to create a restricted / calculated key figure in a universe?  Is my only other option to link together multiple BW queries?

PS Does anybody know if it's possible to consume BO Explorer universes / information spaces in WebI for example?

[Henry_Banks · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Great question! i enjoyed answering this one:

re: the max number of cells - there is no theoretical limit in bi4.0 (once the connection lifecycle /query runtime/ session timeout thresholds have been upped in each tier of the architecture) - only hardware, sizing, available resources, and query / report design factors become crucial.  Also, similarly in the datawarehouse / basis settings, & the BW safety belt you describe in SAP.

However, SAP does not recommend 'one size fits all' approach, despite the obvious attractions.
Nor does BusinessObjects really need to be tied to 'line of business' or market segement.

Rather than your solution be pulled in both competing directions, the advised approach is to start with clear reporting business requirements, and tailor your delivery mechanism and content to the intended audience.

It's much more efficient to have several 'bite size' sources, in terms of performance and maintenance. Consider a Cube or two per UNX, or even a subset of dimensions from a single cube.
There is a tipping point where you have to decide the best balance of MultiProviders, MultiSource Foundations, and Multi-DataProvider (query) reports.

Personally, I wouldn't be too confident linking multiple fact tables from an extended star schema into a single foundation, and expect it to run well without lots of tuning.

With regards to MultiSource universes - obviously you are restricted to consuming only InfoProviders  (and no possibility of Bex Queries). The .UNX you will generate doesn't have the concept of RKF/CKF exactly, but - sure - you can create custom 'freehand sql' Measures with various aggregation levels and Where clauses.

With regards to user Restrictions (typically authorization-relevant infoobjects processed by authorization-variables in Bex queries) - yes - there is a security editor in IDT, allowing the parallel concept of Business Security Profiles (i.e. what dimensions are permitted? which objects can you see/use?)  and the concept of Data Security Profiles (i.e. what Rows/Values are you not allowed to see? e.g. UK not DE)

Finally, this .UNX is consumed by Explorer and WebI both in the same way (it's the same source file).

You can - in some versions (i can't remember which) - export the explorer infospace into a webi document.

Good luck and best regards,
H