SAP BusinessObjects Certification Exam Realignment

Important Message regarding SAP BusinessObjects Certification Exams

In today's highly competitive market, individuals who demonstrate that they possess essential business and technological skills enjoy a significant advantage over their peers. This is particularly true if your expertise includes SAP and SAP BusinessObjects software. Your proven knowledge of SAP applications and technology is your passport to a wide range of opportunities. Whether you are a consultant or an employee, your skills are in great demand, and validation of those skills is critical.

Today's businesses are taking a hard look at their investments and the returns they generate. Part of that scrutiny focuses on the proficiency and proven capabilities of the people they choose to implement and operate their SAP applications. To accelerate your career, you need to demonstrate that you are part of an elite group that has the talent and experience required to optimize SAP software.

The SAP certification program provides that competitive edge. Those who hold SAP certification have obtained their skills through rigorous study and direct experience and have proven themselves by passing demanding, process-oriented examinations.

Effective April, 2010, there will be new SAP BusinessObjects certification exams available after realignment with the SAP certification program. All existing SAP BusinessObjects exams will be retired at the end of April and will be replaced by the following three exams:

• SAP Certified Application Associate - SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.x

• SAP Certified Application Associate - Crystal Reports 2008

• SAP Certified Application Associate - BusinessObjects Web Intelligence XI 3.x


In addition to the test delivery via applicable Pearson VUE test centers (http://www.pearsonvue.com/busobjects/), the new exams will also be available from April onwards at SAP Education Centers around the world.

The exam codes which should be bookable from mid-March onwards will be:

• C_BOCR_08 - SAP Certified Application Associate - Crystal Reports 2008

• C_BOE_30 - SAP Certified Application Associate - SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.x

• C_BOWI_30 - SAP Certified Application Associate - BusinessObjects Web Intelligence XI 3.x


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1. What changes are upcoming for the SAP BusinessObjects certification program?

Effective April 30, 2010, there will be new SAP BusinessObjects certification exams available after realignment with the SAP certification program. All existing SAP BusinessObjects exams will be retired at the end of April and will be replaced by the following three exams:

C_BOCR_08 - SAP Certified Application Associate Crystal Reports 2008
C_BOE_30 - SAP Certified Application Associate SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.x
C_BOWI_30 - SAP Certified Application Associate BusinessObjects Web Intelligence XI 3.x

2. Do current certificates keep their value?

Absolutely; individuals holding a current valid Business Objects certification will not need to recertify.

3. If a test taker has already passed 3 out of 4 papers for BusinessObjects Certified Professional - Business Objects Enterprise and is only left with the XI 3-1 upgrade exam (SABE 501) what should he/she do?

To avoid taking the full certification exam after the retirement of the XI 3-1 upgrade exam the final exam should be taken prior to its retirement at the end of April.

4. What has changed in the new exams?

There are some minor content updates and the scoring model has been changed to dichotomous scoring. The dichotomous scoring model scores multiple response questions as either correct or incorrect and does not give partial grades for responses. This better reflects the need for SAP customers and partners to know whether a certified individual can perform a task to the complete satisfaction of all concerned. Leaving a question blank is equivalent to a false response. In addition there is now only one exam required to gain the full certification.

5. Will the current certification holders automatically be considered at SAP Associate level?

Yes, those holding the existing certification BusinessObjects certification are entitled to use the SAP Associate certification logo and title. The former BusinessObjects Certification branding and logo will no longer be used by SAP or provided to test takers.

6. For those who already possess the BOCP-CR XI, there is currently a delta BOCP-CR 2008 update exam to update to CR2008. Will a CR delta exam exist after this realignment?

No, after the realignment there will no longer be a delta exam to update to CR2008. This will be retired in April and not replaced.

7. Will the exam duration change?

The exam duration will be aligned with the rest of the SAP Global Certification program. There will be 80 questions in 3 hours.

8. Why is the series of exams for each BusinessObjects product line being compressed into single exams?

This is a step to align the BusinessObjects exam format with the rest of the SAP Global Certification program.

9. How many times can the test taker take the certification exam?

He/she can sit for an SAP certification exam a maximum of three times. If he/she is unsuccessful in passing your certification exam after two attempts, and has not previously taken SAP training classes, we highly recommend that they complete the training. The fee for certification retakes is the same as the initial exam. No candidate may sit for the same examination for the same release more than three times. A candidate who has failed an examination three times for a release may not attempt that examination again until the next release. There are no rules on waiting periods prior to a retake.

10. A test taker just missed reaching a passing grade and would like SAP to review my exam for possible rescoring. What is the appeals process?

Unless there were technical system difficulties experienced while taking the exam, exams will not generally be reviewed for rescore. If however a test taker feels that there are grounds for appeal it is necessary to submit that appeal to the local SAP Education team as soon as possible - but at the latest up to 3 months - after the testing event.

11. Where can SAP BusinessObjects tests be taken?

From April 30, 2010 SAP BusinessObjects certification exams will no longer be available via Pearson VUE test centers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. However the exams will continue to be available via Pearson VUE test centers in the rest of the world. From April onwards the registration for an SAP BusinessObjects exam at a Pearson VUE Test Center will no longer be possible at http://www.vue.com/busobjects. All future registrations must be made via http://www.vue.com/sap. In addition to this, the SAP BusinessObjects exams will also be available in SAP Education Centers around the world from April 2010 onwards. Registration for this can be arranged via http://www.sap.com/certification/ or by contacting your local SAP Education representative.

12. Is there any difference in the certification exam at an SAP Education center or through SAP's delivery partner, Pearson VUE?

No. Certification exams are the same no matter where the test is taken.

13. Does the test taker need to enter a SAP user ID when registering for a certification exam and does he/she need to be affiliated with an SAP customer or partner in order to take an exam?

The test taker does not need to be affiliated with an SAP customer or partner in order to take an exam, but does have to apply for a so-called S-User ID (or in the case of internal employees an I, D or C-user ID) from SAP prior to registering. Instructions on how to apply for that ID and register for the exam can be found at http://www.vue.com/sap.

14. How does a test taker obtain the actual certificate?

On successfully passing the exam, the certificate will be sent to the test taker within 4-6 weeks. For queries please contact kps.businessobjects.kt@sap.com.

15. Are professional and master exams planned for SAP BusinessObjects certifications?

There are not currently plans for professional and master exams.

16. Can SAP BusinessObjects vouchers be ordered for taking tests at VUE?

Yes. Vouchers can be ordered online here http://www.vue.com/vouchers/pricelist/

17. Will the pricing change?

The pricing will be aligned with the rest of the SAP Global Certification program to reflect the increased exam duration and the single exam per certification scenario. Pricing will not differ between an exam taken at a VUE test center or an SAP Education Center.

18. How can a test taker get information about recommended training offerings to prepare for the tests?

The recommended training alternatives are listed in the test section on http://www.sap.com/services/education/certification

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SAP Revamps BusinessObject SaaS BI Suite

SAP yesterday announced a significant upgrade of its BusinessObjects BI OnDemand offering that both consolidates the vendor's software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings and presents simpler interfaces for novice business intelligence users. SAP has yet to define pricing and detail expected data integration options, but the new platform could well extend SAP's lead in SaaS-based BI.

The upgraded SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand unites and replaces two formerly distinct offerings: CrystalReports.com, the company's simplest and most popular SaaS offering, which has more than 200,000 subscribers; and the previously-available version of BI OnDemand, which was based on the vendor's on-premise SAP BusinessObjects XI BI suite. The new service delivers a single environment in which users can harness online versions of familiar tools, including Crystal Reports for reporting, Web Intelligence for query and analysis, Xcelsius for dashboarding and data visualization, and SAP BusinessObjects Explorer for fast, in-memory data analysis. For novice users who might not be familiar with these tools, the new service greets users with hand-holding wizards said to simplify data access and analysis.

"This new offering delivers a very intuitive, guided workflow for people of any expertise level," said Marge Breya, an executive vice president at SAP. The backbone of the service is a simple explore-report-share workflow. In the exploration phase, users can find and blend data from their own desktops and corporate sources without being an information management guru, according to the vendor. Wizards suggest appropriate data integration steps. Data from centralized sources can be refreshed automatically because the system relies on linked references to dynamic data rather than copies that quickly fall out of sync. In the reporting phase, users are ushered -- in business language rather than BI jargon -- to the right tool for the desired task, be it reporting, dashboarding, ad-hoc query or analysis. In the sharing phase, new social-casting options let users publish and embed reports and data visualizations much as they would Flickr photos or YouTube videos. And the sharing options include external blogs, wikis and Web sites as well as internal blogs and intranets. SAP executives said security settings, revocable access privileges, tracking and auditing features will ensure appropriate use of data.

"People share data today, but they do it in ways that aren't tracked or controlled through cutting, pasting, exporting and emailing," said David Meyer, a senior vice president at SAP. "This is a fluid system that lets you collaborate, but you can also report on, audit and control how information is accessed and used."

With more than 260,000 current subscribers to its services, SAP leads the SaaS-based BI market. Executives stressed that this puts the company is a unique position to blend the strengths of on-premise and on-demand software. Illustrating the benefit, users of on-premise Crystal Reports software have long been able to push a single button to publish reports on CrystalReports.com. Missing from today's formal announcement was news that the next major "Aurora" release of the on-premise BusinessObjects XI suite, which is expected in the second half of this year, will be loaded with similar report and data-visualization publishing options. And where today the service has simple FTP and browser-based options to upload data, coming releases promise much more.

"We have prior art around connectivity from our BI clients into the cloud... and over the next couple of months there will be a lot more details around APIs for pushing data into the system from any programming language or app," Meyer said. The design target, he added, is for on-premise updates on a factory floor, for example, to show up in cloud-based dashboards without human intervention.

As with any SaaS offering, key attractions include low cost and rapid deployment, SAP said. But also missing in today's announcement was detail on the pricing of the new service. A free Personal Edition will be limited to 10 megabytes or 2,000 rows of data. An Essential edition will grant up to 2 GB of storage and will be geared to individuals, work groups and departments. An Advanced edition will be aimed at companies integrating on-premise data sources and requiring advanced security and more storage (up to 5 GB). Current CrystalReports.com and BI OnDemand subscribers will be upgraded under their current contracts, and they'll gain access to all the new tools, wizards and workflows at no additional charge.

Add-on features will include hosted, large-scale data warehouses, a development environment and single-sign-on capabilities. A small minority of SAP's current BusinessObjects BI OnDemand customers use these advanced data warehousing services. But this segment is quickly growing, according to SAP, fueled in part by partners such as Oco, a SaaS-based data warehousing vendor that offers prebuilt models and analytics for areas such as supply chain optimization and profitability analysis. Oco uses SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand for reporting and analysis. Joining yesterday's announcement, an Oco executive said the combination of on-premise and on-demand BI has been a boon to larger customers including Welch's (grape juice products) and Fidelity Investments.

"These companies have existing, on-premise BI technology, but we come into play when they encounter new areas where they want to get a business analytics solution quickly up and running," said Anil Chitkara, Oco's senior vice president of market development.

The latest upgrade of SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand is currently accessible in English at BIonDemand.com. French, German, Spanish and Japanese versions are expected in the second quarter.

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IBM Releases Cognos Analytics Upgrades

Over the last two years the Dow Jones Industrial Average has ranged between 14,000 and 6,600 and the cost of oil has ranged between $140 and $35 per barrel. Corporate finance types have barely kept up. No sooner are budgets and projections created than they end up in the digital equivalent of a waste basket.

Aiming to provide better coping mechanisms, IBM today introduced improved IBM Cognos tools designed to support faster, more flexible financial analysis. The elements of the three-part release include new scenario-planning options, new financial consolidation capabilities, and new pre-built models for vertical-industry scenarios.

It has always been possible to create scenarios in the IBM Cogno TM1 in-memory analysis tool, but an upgrade released today supports unlimited, dynamic hierarchies that let planners consider a range of possible scenarios in their budgets and forecasts.

"It's very common for companies to consider new groupings of products, product lines and market areas to focus on growth and profit," said Doug Barton, vice president, financial performance management at IBM. "Before you make any final decisions, this new TM1 capability lets you look at multiple scenarios to consider all the financial implications."

A key point is that these scenarios can be retained in a personal sandbox environment or shared with others to encourage collaboration. They can also flexibly become the adopted approach to organizing budgets and plans. The scenario approach lets executives quickly respond as conditions change.

The new financial consolidation capabilities delivered in today's IBM Cognos 8 Controller release include enhanced allocation and formula-calculation features said to easy financial reporting. In addition, the vendor has also gone beyond conventional, pixel-perfect "blue book" reporting by enabling financial results to be published through the TM1 analysis engine. "This will enable analysts to use TM1 to derive new insights on operations so they can look at trends in detail," Barton said.

The new pre-built blueprints introduced today address product profitability analysis, demand planning for the consumer packaged goods industry, and development of executive dashboards for insurance underwriting. The blueprints give companies a head start on building company-specific analytic solutions, but are they extensible and upgradable as the underlying BI tools change?

"When we release a new version of TM1, the models customers have created with their own hierarchies and data based on these blueprints will automatically upgrade as customers would expect," Barton said. "If we create a new version of a blueprint to introduce new capabilities, that's when it will be up to the customer to decide whether they want to rebuild to weave new capabilities into their solutions."

IBM Cognos customer Quiznos, a fast-growing restaurant chain with more than 5,000 outlets, is using the TM1 analysis engine to simplify financial reporting and planning. "With the new IBM Cognos software, all of our business units will be able to use the same assumptions and the same drivers when building budgets and making key financial decisions," stated Michael McConnaughey, financial systems applications developer at Quiznos. "Teams will also be able to view business variances and use predictive insights to understand the impact on the organization."

The IBM Cognos TM1 and Controller upgrades, and the new industry templates are all available immediately.

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Evolution of the BO XI platform – from XI R2 to XI 3.1 SP2

Where were we with XI R2:

• Change to Crystal service-oriented platform (Crystal 10 architecture)
• Ability to plug Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, Desktop Intelligence, OLAP Intelligence, Dashboard Manager, Performance Manager directly into the framework
• Single repository, security, system management, publishing, portal
• Infoview (Replaced old BO Infoview and Crystal ePortfolio)
• Central Management Console (CMC)
• Import Wizard (upgrades from BO 5, 6, XI, Crystal 8.5, 9, 10)
• Desktop Intelligence (new name for BO full client + ability to query and display Unicode data)
• Publishing, Encyclopedia, Discussions, OLAP Intelligence, Performance Management
• Changes to Data Integrator, Composer, Metadata Manager

XI 3.0

• All administration moved to the Central Management Console – CMC – with new GUI
• Bulk action support in CMC
• Central Configuration Manager – CCM is still there (to manage multiple nodes) with 2 entries : Tomcat & SIA
• Server Intelligence Agent (SIA) – handles service dependencies
• Server Intelligence in CMC – clone server deployments
• Repository Federation – replicate repository on other BO cluster
• Repository Diagnostic Tool (Infostore vs FileStore – repair inconsistencies between CMS database entries and files in FRS)
• Improved Import Wizard
• Web Intelligence Rich Client (offline viewing of WebI reports, no session timeout)
• Data change tracking in Web Intelligence
• Designer – “Database delegated” projection on measures
• Universe based on stored procedures
• Prompt syntax extension (persistent/primary_key undocumented features, finally!)
• Personal data provider – combine data from Excel, text, csv and get into a single report
• Smart cubes – support for non-additive measures (percentages, ratios) and RDBMS analytical functions
• Multi language support – dimensions, measures, prompts automatically localized to report viewer’s language
• Native Web Intelligence printing (without PDF)
• Enbed image in Web Intelligence report
• Hyperlinks dialog box makes links easy to create – syntax generated by WebIntelligence (remember opendocument()?)

What’s new in XI 3.1

• Support for multi-forest Active Directory authentication
• IP v6 support
• Lifecycle Management Tool (LCMBIAR files, replace Import Wizard)
• Saving Web Intelligence documents as CSV (data-only files) – new sheets for every 65K rows of data
• Web Intelligence Autosave
• “Begin_SQL” SQL prefix variable
• Prompt syntax extension (support for key-value pairs!)
• Business Objects Voyager enhancements
• Live Office enhancements
• WebIntelligence – Automatic loading of cached LOVs, interactive drag-drop, report filter bar, cancel refresh-on-open

What’s new in XI 3.1 SP2

• WebIntelligence Input controls
• OLAP universe based access to SAP BW using MDX
• BI services – expose WebIntelligence document components as web services
• Query on Query
• Fold-unfold UI improvements
• New SDKs – WebI Calculation Extension Points, Custom Data Provider plugin, Interactive viewing extension and integration points
• New universe SQL parameter SMART_AGGREGATE allows using most detailed aggregate tables
• @Prompt editor in universe Designer
• Backward compatibility is broken. Web Intelligence documents created using BO XI 3.1 SP2 cannot be opened in BO XI 3.1

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Xcelsius Gurus: SAP Webinar Part 1 - When to connect Xcelsius to BO Enterprise?

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Xcelsius Gurus: SAP Webinar Part 1 - When to connect Xcelsius to BO Enterprise?

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