Business Intelligence Java Components aka BI-JAVA

I was recently helping to upgrade SAP BW system comprehended with SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal (EP). In case of BI related JAVA components of EP I was not very able to distinguish between them. Over here I summarize such a components.

To be able access and model BW query in EP you need to maintain following BI-JAVA Development Components (DC) installed in portal JAVA Stack:

BI-BASE-S – Base Services
BI-WEBAPP – Web Applications
BI-IBC – Information Broadcasting
BI-REPPLAN - Reporting and Planning
BI-WDALV – WebDynPro ALV
BI-MMR - Meta Model Repository
BI-UDI - Universal Data Integration

Those DCs are from J2EE technical point of view so called Software Component Archives (SCAs). Sometimes you may encounter a term Bundled resources in SAP BI Technology.

Once you are upgrading them you need to consider some of them that they need to be upgraded on same Support Package level. Check this out in SAP notes database.

BI-Java is used to provide the Java runtime for scenarios such as Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis as well as Business Planning and Analytical Services. It enables variants such as Information Broadcasting and Ad-hoc Query & Analysis. It also enables Web Dynpro-based BI applications and third party data access via Universal Data Integration. BI-Java is a usage type provided by SAP and contains all of the web based BI tools available for BI 7.0.

BI-Java requires AS Java and Enterprise Portal Core (EPC) and EP in the same system. Optionally, it can be combined with other usage types in one system. Usually, scenarios running on usage type BI-Java also require usage types BI and AS ABAP. While installing BI-Java, AS Java, EPC and EP get installed automatically. After configuring BI-Java, you do not need to perform further steps in AS Java, EPC and EP. Usually, scenarios running on usage type BI-Java also require usage types BI and AS ABAP – be aware that no matter if you run BI and BI-Java in the same or in separate systems, you must keep them in sync concerning applied Support Package Stacks.

There are some changes within BI 7.x in conjunction with JAVA. BI-JAVA components are involved in these changes as well. In version of BI 7.x everything new here like web reporting is executed via BI-JAVA and not via Internet Connection Manager (ICM) of ABAP Stack of BI backend. E.g. embedding of query you have invoked via web reporting functionality is taking place on server where is BI-JAVA installed in place of BI backend system. In case of version 3.x HTML stuff is generated in BW system and is going to be outputted to user’s web browser via ICM. New concept of BI 7.x is more data scalability and virtualization enabled architecture with distributed landscape. BW server as it self is more focused on basics data warehouse functions like data acquisition, ETL as long presentation layer is separated. However possibility of query execution and web templates generation can take place in BW system as well; in case SAP EP system is not available in your landscape. The difference can be observer in the URL of queries generated for the 7.x vs. 3.x systems. A 3.x based query would have a URL that points back to the BI server and the HTTP port configured in TA SICF. In a 7.x query, the URL will point to the URL of the JAVA Application Server that is hosting EP and BI-Java components (e.g. a port in the 50000 range that is used by the EP).

Let me add a few sentences about particular BI-JAVA DCs. BI-BASE-S and BI-WEBAPP incorporates basis services for accessing BW queries from web environment to BW backend. BI-IBC is JAVA part of BI’s Information broadcasting functionality to allow make objects with business intelligence content available to a wide range of users, according different requirements. BI-REPPLAN a part of BW’s reporting and planning (e.g. Planning Modeller) functionality encapsulated in JAVA stack. BI-WDALV is a component responsible for handling of ABAP List Viewer (ALV) in web environment. BI-MMR - BI Metadata Repository Manager regulates read and write access to metadata (InfoCubes, queries, Web templates, workbooks, etc.) and the documentation on this metadata in BI system. The BI Metadata Repository Manager also allows access to online links generated using BEx Information Broadcasting. BI-UDI - Universal Data Integration is resource adapter consists of:

BI SAP Query Connector (BW-BEX-UDI) - adapter based on SAP Query, which is a component of NW Application Server that allows you to create custom reports without any ABAP programming knowledge. The BI SAP Query Connector uses SAP Query to allow applications created with the BI Java SDK to access data from these SAP operational applications. You can also use the BI SAP Query Connector to make these data sources available in BI systems via UD Connect. The SAP Query Connector implements the BI-Java SDK's IBIRelational interface.

BI ODBO Connector (BW-BEX-UDI) - adapter based on Microsoft's OLE DB for OLAP (ODBO), which is the established industry-standard OLAP API for the Windows platform. The BI ODBO Connector may be deployed into NW Application Server, and allows you to connect applications built with the BI-Java SDK to ODBO-compliant OLAP data sources such as Microsoft Analysis Services, SAS, and Microsoft PivotTable Services. You can also use the BI ODBO Connector to make these data sources available in BI systems via UD Connect. The ODBO Connector implements the BI Java SDK's IBI OLAP interface.

As of SAP NW 2004s, BI-UDI and BI-MMR are integral parts of NW Application Server. You can use the functions that these two formerly separate components provide after you have completed the necessary follow-up activities and configuration tasks.

For further information refer to SAP note:

1072576 - Frequently Asked Questions: BI Java Support Packages/patches