Looking for Advice on Whether to Purchase Business Objects 1

[Bystander]

Dear Colleagues,

I need to provide a low cost reporting solution that will allow a central team to produce reports that accesses data from a back end Human Resources database for 100 sites to log in and view information about their areas using only a web browser. End users would ideally be able to set simple routine parameters via the same web browser interface to allow them to drill into their data.

I would also like generic organisational statistics to be accessible to customers world wide via the Web.

Please could anyone give an opinion about whether Business Objects is a product that could help with this? The Business Objects site quite frankly is lost in the glory of their technology and not designed for helping managers make decisions on whether to purchase or not so I have turned to your good selves.

Many thanks

Bystander

 

[jimbopalmer]

(this is not the way I use business Objects, I deploy the report creation directly to super users in the departments)

It sounds like BO could work if your team is like this:

at least one part time Database guru to design universe changes (upfront you will need more resource, but once running this wouid do)

at least one part time security officer who decides which roles and data each person should have. this requires very little time but will bite you in a HR setting

Experts in web presentation (html) and the users application (data experts) (This should be a mix of I/S resource and HR resource, HR should have Veto in what NOT to present to users, no matter how 'helpful' it would be "I want every employees home address and dependants names so I can send them christmas cards&quot

If your team looks somewhat like that, BO will do the technical parts well. it allows you to trade Database gurus for less technical but more HR knowledgable team members. More HR involvement often means more 'buy-in'. (our department is ER because they resisted thinking of us as Human, just Employees)



I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[fzavat]

if your user need to read and drill data for sure BO is a possible technology. But do you mean for low cost? The Web installation you need costs about 7.000 USD for a base set + 25.000 USD for the viewing part + 25.000 USD for the drilling part (I calculated it for 50 named users that is the minimum you can purchase).
And perhaps the new version does not allow to buy drill capabilities only (that means you must add some more money).
Anyway I know for sure that some discount are possible for small-medium enterprises.
You'h better talk to your BO regional account.



Francesco Zavatarelli
Milan - Italy

 

[pabloj]

A low cost alternative, expecially if you already own a copy of MsSQLServer Enterprise Edition is to use Analysis Services to create some cubes and have people query them.
DTS will accomodate ETL tasks.
MsExcel can read an A.S. server locally or through an http connection (like a browser).
Notice that a BO/WebI reporting solution can be easily added over this.

Stick to your guns

 

[Bystander]

Many thanks for the answers and solutions. I am starting to see that deploying information to a wide/world wide audience is a little bit more involved than just a choice between one or two proprietary packages.

Regards

Bystander

 

[jimbopalmer]

Bystander Business Objects is a GOOD choice, but the team and the plan have to be there first. HR is a tough first project to make mistakes on, as well.

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[skrandel]

You hit the nail on the head. Reporting is NOT about choosing a tool. It's about having a strategy for deploying information to your company.

One of the things my company does is to help people define an information strategy. What this does is to focus on the business needs. Databases are then designed to fit those needs.

Steve Krandel
Knightsbridge Solutions
formerly BASE Consulting Group

http://www.knightsbridge.com

 

[blom0344]

I love BO deeply, but if you talking low cost, you may want to look a little further. Especially the license structure can be a bit of a problem, a tool like Informatica's Poweranalyzer is based on server-info , not on the number of users that will work with it. That could be quite a nice cost-reduction.......

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