Best Way to Learn Business Objects

[AyJayEL]

It looks as though a couple of the new systems coming in where I work will be using Business Objects as their data reporting tool. I already write Crystal Reports but I want to be ahead of the game. What is the best way to learn Business Objects? I am based in England, don't have a lot of spare cash (too many children to support, eek) and I work full time. Any learning resources recommendations will be gratefully received. Anyone learnt to use it at college, online, from a book.

Obviously Tek-Tips is a good resource!

Learn something new every day *:->*
AyJayEl

 

[pabloj]

http://busobj.forumtopics.com,

then get all the docs you can from BO, use your Techsupport account, and play around with it!

Stick to your guns

 

[skrandel]

Also, order this book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-7122567-3998339?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Steve Krandel
BASE Consulting Group

http://www.baseconsulting.com

 

[blom0344]

In my experience (based on working with BO from 1996 onwards) the real challenge is in the designer (database stucture) part. Creating reports takes a bit of practising ,but you will pretty quickly run into the limits of the reporting module. Straight forward reports are a breeze, the mentioned forum will give you excellent tips on how to trick the report module to give more advanced reports.

Focus on universe design , cause ultimately there are the greatest gains to be made and if you get that part right it will really show off at the reporting site.

Trying to set up a peer to peer relationship with other developers is a great stimulus for getting a fresh outlook on the subject............

T. Blom
Information analyst
tbl@shimano-eu.com

 

[AyJayEL]

Thanks for the tips. Can you explain Universe Design? I don't recognise the terminology but perhaps I know it as something else.

Learn something new every day *:->*
AyJayEl

 

[blom0344]

Typically BO reports use Universe as data-provider. This is a semantic layer where you define relations between your database tables/views. The structure and properties of the universe determine the exact SQL that reporter creates when you create a dataprovider using query panel. A universe in designer module is not unlike a database diagram as viewed in database modelling tools............

T. Blom
Information analyst
tbl@shimano-eu.com