My voice has been quiet on the blog over the past few months due to a big project we are feverishly working on – transitioning from BW to Analysis in SAP.
What is SAP/BW/Analysis?
SAP is an enterprise resource planning software that we use at Hopkins to manage business operations.
One of the reasons we use SAP is to have a tool that can run reports. We run reports on everything here at Hopkins. From sponsored projects to HR demographics, we need reports to show us how we are spending and where we can save, and to demonstrate compliance. Therefore, it’s important we use the most up-to-date and robust tool to fulfill all of our reporting needs.
When we started using SAP, we used a front-end interface called BW Report Center to access data and reports in Business Warehouse. Technology has advanced and SAP has been changing their product. With that, they will no longer support the BW interface we are accustomed to using, but instead, have created a much more robust interface – Analysis.
Benefits of Analysis
We are really excited to transition over to Analysis for several reasons, including:
- Ability to run and open multiple reports at the same time
- Drag and drop functionality
- Universal structured reports
- Enhanced graphing
- Pausing the data refresh
- Custom calculations
What does this mean for users?
Our project team has been creating a multitude of training opportunities for our users here at Hopkins. From FastFacts to job-aids to show-me videos to instructor-led training, we are trying to make sure we provide all of our users with training materials that best fit their personal learning style.
For more information concerning BusinessObjects Analysis and/or the upcoming training, please visit our Analysis resource page: http://finance.jhu.edu/reports_guides/analysis/overview.html
If you are an employee of Johns Hopkins University and have any additional questions, please email the Financial Quality Control department at Hopkins: fqchelp@jhu.edu
