SAP BusinessObjects - 1.0
Extension ID
com.castsoftware.businessobject
What’s new?
Please see SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer - 1.0 - Release Notes for more information.
Description
This extension provides support for applications implemented in SAP BusinessObjects.
When should you install this extension?
If your application contains SAP BusinessObjects source code and you want to view corresponding object types and their links with other objects, then you should install this extension.
Information for users of the legacy BO Analyzer delivered with AIP Core
- When working with CAST AIP ≥ 8.3.x, the legacy BO Analyzer (provided out-of-the-box in AIP COre) is no longer available, therefore to analyze SAP BusinessObjects, you must use the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer and the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor.
- When working with CAST AIP ≤ 8.2.x it is not mandatory to use this extension to analyze SAP BusinessObejcts. CAST AIP continues to provide support for analyzing SAP BusinessObjects source code via its existing BO Analyzer (provided out-of-the-box in CAST AIP), and existing code delivery and analysis mechanism for SAP BusinessObjects still remains in AIP Core.
What is the difference between this Extension and the legacy BO Analyzer?
The “legacy” analyzer requires you to do the following:
- Install SAP BusinessObjects (the BO Designer module) on the workstation on which the CAST Management Studio is being run from.
- Manually define a connection to the SAP BusinessObjects instance on which your Universe files are used - this instance must be available during the analysis process in the CAST Management Studio - this is known as an “online” analysis.
These requirements can sometimes present significant difficulties for the process of on-boarding a SAP BusinessObjects application into CAST AIP. As a direct result and to simplify the process, this extension is introduced. The extension helps you to analyze SAP BusinessObjects source code “offline”, i.e. no connection to the SAP BusinessObjects instance is required during the analysis - instead output from a standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor is delivered via the CAST Delivery Manager Tool. In addition, you no longer need to have SAP BusinessObjects (the BO Designer module) installed on the workstation on which the CAST Management Studio is being run from.
Analysis result expectation
Both the legacy BO Analyzer provided in CAST AIP and the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension produce the same results in terms of objects/links and Quality Rule grades, if the two are used to analyze the same application source code.
Switching from legacy to new delivery/analysis method
If you have upgraded to a release of CAST AIP that supports the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension, and have SAP BusinessObjects analysis and snapshot results (in an upgraded Application) generated using the legacy code delivery and analysis method, you can switch delivery and analysis to the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension and the standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor. Switching to the new method produces the same results as the legacy BO Analyzer provided “out-of-the-box” in CAST AIP ≤ 8.2.x. Therefore, there is no impact to grades and measures.
To switch:
Use the standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor to extract the same Universes (*.unv) and Documents (*.rep - where applicable) that you delivered using the legacy method. In the CAST Management Studio, reject the delivery that corresponds to your legacy BusinessObjects version (click to enlarge):
Manage the delivery to open the CAST Delivery Manager:
In the CAST Delivery Manager Tool, delete the package corresponding to the legacy packaging method:
Add a new package and this time use the new delivery option “Use existing CAST extractor output” to package the output from the standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor - see Packaging and delivery from scratch. Deliver the package and take a snapshot as normal.
Note that when working with CAST AIP ≤ 8.2.x, once you have switched from the “legacy” to the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension, it is not possible to return to the legacy code delivery and analysis method.
Workflow with extension
The analysis workflow with the SAP BusinessObjects extension is as follows:
- The standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor is run. This takes the raw Universe (and Documents) files in a local or network folder as input, it then uses the SAP BusinessObjects instance to interpret these raw Universe (and Documents) files and finally transforms them into a format that can be understood by the analyzer provided in the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension.
- The output of the standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor is delivered, either via AIP Console or via the CAST Delivery Manager Tool.
- Delivery is accepted either in AIP Console or in the CAST Management Studio and Analysis Units are created.
- Analysis is completed.
Function Point, Quality and Sizing support
This extension provides the following support:
- Function Points (transactions): a green tick indicates that OMG Function Point counting and Transaction Risk Index are supported
- Quality and Sizing: a green tick indicates that CAST can measure size and that a minimum set of Quality Rules exist
Function Points (transactions) |
Quality and Sizing |
---|---|
CAST AIP compatibility
This extension is compatible with:
CAST AIP release
|
Supported
|
---|---|
8.3.x | |
8.2.x (where x ≥ 5) |
Supported DBMS servers
This extension is compatible with the following supported DBMS servers:
CAST AIP release | CSS | Oracle | Microsoft |
All supported CAST AIP releases |
Prerequisites
An installation of any compatible release of CAST AIP (see table above) |
Dependencies with other extensions and components
The SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension has one dependent extension which provides the “discovery” element. This dependent extension is automatically downloaded when you use CAST Console:
- com.castsoftware.dmtboextractiondiscoverer
The CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor is not delivered with the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension and you will need to obtain this separately. See the documentation for more information.
Detailed technology support
Language version | Supported | Supported by reference | Deprecated support |
---|---|---|---|
BusinessObjects XI |
|||
BusinessObjects XI R2 | |||
BusinessObjects XI 3.0 | |||
BusinessObjects XI 3.1 | |||
SAP Business Intelligence BusinessObjects 4.0 |
|||
SAP Business Intelligence BusinessObjects 4.1 |
Prepare, deliver and analyze your source code
Once the extension is installed, no further configuration changes are required before you can package your source code and run an analysis. The process of packaging, delivering and analyzing your source code is as described below.
Ensure the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor has been run before you deliver your source code.
Source code discovery
The SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension does not include a discovery mechanism within the extension itself. However, a dependent extension containing the discovery mechanism is downloaded and installed automatically for you. Discovery functions as follows:
- One *.unv file fed into the standalone CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor results in the output of one *.bxml file.
- One *.bxml file fed into AIP Console or the CAST Delivery Manager Tool results in one project detected during source code delivery.
- One project detected during source code delivery results in one Analysis Unit in the AIP Console or in the CAST Management Studio.
Using CAST Console
- Supported in AIP Console v. ≥ 1.11
- See Application onboarding for more information about delivery your source code and performing an analysis/snapshot.
Source code delivery
AIP Console expects either a ZIP/archive file or source code located in a folder configured in AIP Console. You should include in the ZIP/source code folder all SAP Business Objects source code that has already been extracted by the CAST SAP BusinessObjects Extractor:
- *.bxml
CAST highly recommends placing the files in a folder dedicated to SAP BusinessObjects. If you are using a ZIP/archive file, zip the folders in the “temp” folder - but do not zip the “temp” folder itself, nor create any intermediary folders:
D:\temp
|-----SAPBusinessObjects
|-----OtherTechno1
|-----OtherTechno2
Configuring the analysis in CAST Console
AIP Console exposes the Technology configuration options once a version has been accepted/imported, or an analysis has been run. Click Business Objects Technology to display the available options:
Technology settings are organized as follows:
- Settings specific to the technology for the entire Application
- List of Analysis Units (a set of source code files to analyze)
created for the Application
- Settings specific to each Analysis Unit (typically the settings are the same as at Application level) that allow you to make fine-grained configuration changes.
You should check that settings are as required and that at least one Analysis Unit exists for the specific technology.
Dependencies | Dependencies are configured at Application level for each technology and are configured between individual Analysis Units/groups of Analysis Units (dependencies between technologies are not available as is the case in the CAST Management Studio). You can find out more detailed information about how to ensure dependencies are set up correctly, in Validate dependency configuration for CAST Console. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Analysis Units | For SAP BusinessObjects, there are no Analysis Unit level settings available. You can however:
|
What are the expected results?
After the analysis/snapshot generation is complete, you can view the results in the normal manner:
CAST Enlighten
SAP BusinessObjects objects and links
The following section lists the objects and links between objects that the BusinessObjects analyzer is capable of detecting and storing in the CAST Analysis Service:
Note that the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension uses the same metamodel as the legacy BO Analyzer.
Objects
Icon | Metamodel name |
---|---|
BO Project |
|
BO Subset |
|
BO Class |
|
BO Condition |
|
BO List of Value |
|
BO Detail |
|
BO Dimension |
|
BO Measure |
|
BO Universe |
Links
Link Type
|
When is this type of link created?
|
---|---|
Refer (R) | Between two linked Universes |
Use Select (Us) | Between a Universe and a database table/view |
Structural rules
Rules that the SAP BusinessObjects Analyzer extension supports are listed and documented in https://technologies.castsoftware.com/rules?sec=t_-23&ref=|| These are the same Quality Rules used with the legacy SAP BusinessObjects analyzer provided “out-of-the-box” in CAST AIP.