BI Java vs AS Java

[PaulHodgdon]

If I install Webas java, (i.e. Enterprise Portal ) is there any functionality that I will lose by not installing BI Java? I will still have the ABAP stack. I assume that all functions that would normally require the BI Java stack could be performed on the portal side such as te web application server. I keep reading that components such as Integrated Planning need BI Java but can I substitute the Portal instead? The portal is installed on seperate servers from BW.

[Former Member]

Paul,

You've got a lot of things going on here. Let me back up for a moment. First off, BI Java has nothing to do with the ABAP stack per se. Please remember the Java (J2EE) architecture here for SAP:

There is a baseline J2EE engine made up of several core components. If you install just a J2EE stack to a system, this is what you get. Now, if you add specific additional Java components to this J2EE engine, you get a portal, or a development infastructure system, or an XI. If you added everything to the J2EE stack, you'd have an everything system, although I'd not personally want to size that or tune it for that matter.

The answer to your last question is No. The baseline portal installation does not contain the BI Java compoents that specifically enable the BI integrated planning. If you have the portal installed, what you can do here is just get the latest (or matching) patch level numbers for the BI Java piece:

BI REPORTING AND PLANNING 7.00 BIREPPLAN<SP>_<PL>.SCA

BI WEBDYNPRO ALV 7.00 BIWDALV<SP>_<PL>.SCA

BI INFORM. BROADCASTING 7.00 BIIBC<SP>_<PL>.SCA

BI WEB APPLICATIONS 7.00 BIWEBAPP<SP>_<PL>.SCA

BI BASE SERVICES 7.00 BIBASES<SP>_<PL>.SCA

VISUAL COMPOSER BI KITS 7.00 VCKITBI<SP>_<PL>.SCA

Now keep in mind that some of these BI pieces may already be in the portal - these are delivered with the J2EE core stack. The reamaining pieces are BI Java specific.

Oh, BTW, you can get this same information from the Support Stack guides - no secrets about this information

For proper BI integrated planning (I have set this up several times) you'll want the BI Java pieces added to the portal, as the portal will server other functions within the BI Planning framework that the BI Java cannot provide (leveraging functionality instead of repeating it)

So the short answer here is the portal does not have all the goodies you need - you need to add the BI Java stuff to it, then you'll be all set in terms if starting the configuration.

Let me know if this answers your questions, or if I've left any gaps.

Good luck,

Tim

[PaulHodgdon]

Thank you for the information it was most helpful. So, if I understand: even if I have a Java Stack with an EP Portal installed with a connecion to BI on the ABAP stack I will still be missing some functionality that only the BI ABAP+JAVA stack can provide?

So then there will be separate patches for the Portal vs the Web AS since you need to kep your Java stack and your abap stack on the same patch level even if they are on different systems?

Also, can you tell me where I can find the Support Stack guide?

Thanks

Paul

[Former Member]

Hey Paul,

For your first question yes. However, for our purposes, you have a choice as to where the BI Java pieces go. The logical choice in your situation is to put the BI Java onto the Portal system ( you can even turn off the J2EE stack on the BI server if you have installed this

You will stack these pieces the same way as everything else - JSPM/SDM. Additionally, you hit one other important point. It's no longer acceptable to update one system now. You'll need to update a landscape now. So when you say take your BI system to stack 11, your Portal system will also need to be taken to stack 11. Kernel patches are less important.

Support stack guides can be found @ service.sap.com/~form/sapnet?_SHORTKEY=01100035870000668996& Check this link please.

-Tim

[PaulHodgdon]

I have alweays heard that installing a portal and bw on the same server is not a good idea since both systems require a great deal of resources. This would be difficult in our system since one is on Windows and the other is on AIX.

[Former Member]

Yes, that would be a mess, but it's not what you're doing here. You are adding only a few J2EE pieces to the portal (think of it as adding some more JAR files to oversimplify).

You're then going to connect the portal to the BI system. The BI ABAP stack will still perform the BI processing and data storage.

Remember the portal is really only about presentation logic. THe BI system will still perform the applicaiton logic. The BI Java components give you extended presentation options not otherwise available from a ABAP only BW system.

You're not combining anything here, you're just shifting some of the presentation layer to the portal. In our case, the presentation components are BI specific.

-Tim