Information Design Tool in BO 4.0

Information designer is a new tool in BO 4.0 that features the creation of universes (.unv, .unx) with multiple data sources, which is not available in previous versions of Business Objects.

IDT follows layered approach. The layers are

•       Connection Layer.

•       Data Foundation Layer

•       Business Layer

In the connection layer we create the connection string (.cnx) to the data sources. Each data source will have one connection string.

In the Data foundation layer we will create the data foundation file (.dfx) with one or multiple connections.  That means we will be able to bring the tables from multiple the data sources. This layer will contain the joins, contexts, derived tables, alias etc.

Eg: we will be able to access the tables from both SQL and Oracle in a single data foundation.

In the Business layer we will be able to create the file (.blx)  will contain the user layer, including objects used to access the data. We publish this business layer and use it as a Universe. So we will be able to create multiple universes on a single data foundation, which will save lot of time.

Here is the pictorial representation of IDT.

Here I am listing some of the pros and cons of IDT.

Pros:

• Building one data foundation with all data sources and build universes on top of it eliminates the creation of linked universes
• Can build views on top of Business layer, so that we can have security privileges easily.
• We can create Dimensional (OLAP) universes that support OLAP dimensions and hierarchies
• In earlier version (3.1) if we have a context then every join must be a member of one context. In 4.0, only the joins that are part of a loop need to be in contexts. All other joins will be equally accessible to all contexts.
• New search feature enables to search tables based on
• Table Name
• Column Name
• Family
• Context
• We can add tables too family and color code them. You can import and export those families.
• Ability to add calculated columns to the Tables in data foundation so it can be used in multiple business layers
• When creating the calculated column using the tables from to databases (SQL, Oracle) IDT provides Business objects SQL, so that it is common to both DB’s and will be translated to SQL during runtime.
• Developing  universes in IDT significantly lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for your universes
• In IDT we can fully test as we go, which helps to change joins, conditions etc.

Cons:

• No backward compatibility i.e Universes built in IDT cannot be opened or edited in Universe Design Tool.
• We have to format the objects individually which is cumbersome.
• If we define a custom format we cannot use the format for other objects. We have to define the format for every object
• No ability to change dimension to an attribute (detail) or vice versa. Once you define it has to be same you cannot change it. You need to create once again if you need to change it.
• When you convert a UNV to a UNX, all the features and definitions (tables, joins, object definitions, security, options, etc.) are converted. There are, however, a few limitations with the UNV to UNX conversion:

• IDT cannot convert OLAP universes created with prior releases. SAP recommends making a direct connection to the OLAP source to then take advantage of the dimensional modeling capabilities built in to IDT.
• IDT cannot convert universes based on stored procedures of JavaBeans.
• Linked universes. Although IDT can convert linked universes they are not supported in BI 4. When you convert a linked UNV, IDT copies the core universe into the converted universe. The core universe factorization is lost.