The SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) enables you to analyze data from operative SAP applications and from other business applications and external data sources such as databases, online services and the Internet. SAP Business Information Warehouse, which is pre-configured for core areas and processes, allows you to examine the relationships in all areas of your organization.
The following needs were taken into account when designing SAP BW:
- A data warehousing system with optimized data structures for reporting and analysis
- A separate system
- OLAP engine and tools
- Based on a comprehensive data warehouse architecture
- Automated data warehouse management
- Preconfigured with SAP global business know-how
Against this background, SAP decided to create its own data warehousing solution that classifies reporting tasks as a self-contained business component. To circumvent the numerous disadvantages associated with reporting in the ERP system, data storage, management and reporting takes place on a separate server, the SAP BW server.
SAP BW enables Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) for the staging of information from large amounts of operative and historical data. OLAP technology permits multi-dimensional analyses according to various business perspectives. The SAP BW server, which is preconfigured for core areas and processes, allows you to examine the relationships in all areas of your organization. SAP BW provides targeted information to companies, divided into roles. This information helps your employees to carry out their tasks.
With the Business Explorer (BEx), SAP BW provides you with a flexible reporting and analysis tool to support strategic analyses and decision making processes within your organization. These tools include query, reporting and OLAP functions. Employees with access authorization can analyze historical and current data at differing levels of detail and from different perspectives. They can use the Web or Microsoft Excel to do so.
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