Is EPM Connection Manager for BI 4.1 compatible with Analysis Office 2.1?

[mike_howles4]

Hi all,

We have a project that is deploying BPC and EPM to our planning and consolidations users, as well as some BW reporting out of Analysis for Office.  The project would like to have as 'seamless' an experience as possible across the EPM and AO Excel clients, so we were happy with where AO 2.1 was going in converging these tools.

The project now wants to explore publishing EPM workbooks to the BI LaunchPad.  From my researching, and even a few E-Mails with SAP backoffice support guys, the answer I've gotten is we need to install 'EPM Connection Manager'.

We've attempted to install this and use it, however when I select New -> 'EPM Workbook' from BI LaunchPad, I receive an error message stating that it could not launch EPM, and them prompts me to download the 'old' (pre-AO 2.1) version of EPM.

Are we going about this the wrong way, or is this just a gap with the new converged AO 2.1 client?  We realize we can save an 'AO Workbook' to the BI LaunchPad, but then it would seem that any BOE-managed EPM connection would not be recognized, or would it?  Even the AO 2.1 admin and user guides make mention of EPM Connection Manager so that leads me to think that EPM Connection Manager should work.

FYI we are running BI 4.1 SP6 Patch 7, and BPC 10.1 on NW BW 7.40.

Any help would be appreciated!

[JohnL · Accepted solution]

Hi Mike,

Peter is correct with those assumptions regarding the EPM Solutions Connection manager.

However, AO should already support launching via the BI launchpad.

See this old what's new (no pun intended) doc:

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/b0f09825-2cd0-3010-cfb6-cf023a703...

See the Admin guide section 5.1.1

https://websmp107.sap-ag.de/~sapidb/012002523100014781502015E/21_2_aaoffice_admin_en.pdf

https://help.sap.com/boaa

HTH

John

[mike_howles4 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, John.

While we know we can save an AO Workbook to the BI LaunchPad, the project wanted to evaluate if any 'AO 2.1-era EPM workbook content' that may co-exist in a separate worksheet would also work 'seamlessly' (What I mean by that, would be no double-hop authentication back to the BPC backend, and leveraging BOE-managed EPM Connections, etc.)

It sounds like this was one of the purposes of the EPM Connection Manager pre-AO 2.1, yes?  (I am a BI guy, definitely not a BPC/EPM guy)

What would your recommendation be current-day?  Leave EPM content in its natural home in the BPC repository (or whatever it's called on BPC in BW today) or back-door it in BI LaunchPad as an AO Workbook, where the connections wouldn't necessarily be straightforward?

Thanks again for any further insight!

[JohnL · Accepted solution]

Hi Mike,

Currently the EPM Connection manager is not supported with the AO 2.1 EPM Plugin.

One caveat to using the EPM Connection manager is that only "Local" connection types are supported with your EPM Add-In reports.

You'll see the different connection types when you create a connection.

i.e.

Can you please create an enhancement request for AO 2.1 here:

https://ideas.sap.com/SAPBusinessObjectsAnalysiseditionforMSOffice

I say for now use the standard BPC repository for BPC EPM Add-In reports.

You can also use web reports / web input templates as well which have been greatly enhanced so you need to use less Excel.

Thanks

[mike_howles4 · Accepted solution]

John,

Thanks for the elaboration here.  I'll share this with our team your recommendations.  We've also been working this inquiry via back-office channels and this same topic might have already reached you via that channel by now, too. 

Thanks to both you and Peter Chen.

[Former Member]

Hi, Mike.

I assume you are not using the Embed BPC which is derived from BP-IP.

There are two notes that should be of interest to you: 1799540 and 1829916 (not released ?)

If note 1799540 is up-to-date and appears so, what you are asking for is not available yet....

Overall: The AO and EPM convergence is not even to the level of mashing front-end worksheets yet (have not played AO2.2, which seems to move a little further along), let alone to converging the BW web services support of EPM with BI launchpad.

We had used the older BPC connection manager In xcelsius deshboards...but only for very simple dashboards to attract user interest...nothing compared to what Excel could do...

There are two levels of using EPM: one strictly for reporting, one for input and reporting.

For strictly reporting, you can leverage EPM model property to be a data source which would create transient BW queries.  Or you can directly create Bex queries as if the EPM cube is a BW cube.  In those cases, they can be pushed to launchpad or even use a Webi to report on top.

For the classic BPC planning/forecasting/consolidation scenarios, launchpad can not take place of the EPM web client which also includes features like the BPF functionality.

My recommendation is not forcing EPM workbooks into launchpad right now...the platform is not ready to replace the rich features of EPM web...

If one place is a goal, you can try to put the EPM web client into a portal that BO can be "seamlessly" mashed in as well...

Have a great one

[mike_howles4]

Thanks, Peter for the comprehensive answer.  We are using classic model so your assumption is correct.  I suppose I could get 'final' confirmation from OSS Incident but I feel that your answer will be what I get eventually.  Thanks again.