Using BI Launch Pad as a repository for Analysis for Office workbooks

[Former Member]

Hi,

We are currently looking into using the BusinessObjects BI Launch pad as our repository for storing Analysis for Office workbooks but have picked up the following issues and would like to know if any of you have found any workarounds to these issues.

Workbook Linking

Our users make use of cell references between workbooks. These work fine on a file share but I have not seen a way to accommodate this if the workbooks are stored in the BI Launch Pad and are referencing each other. Any ideas?

Open Workbook through Browser

We could manage this issue with training our users to open a workbook only through Analysis for Office menu’s, but our users are used to using the BI Launch Pad and when you open a workbook through the browser it will open in excel (and we found a fix to ensure the Analysis tab is visible) but if you just select the save button it does not save back into the repository. Are there any plans to have tighter integration with BI Launch Pad ?

Thank you.

[david_stocker · Accepted solution]

Hi Michael,

Workbook Linking - When the Excel workbook is saved to the BOE, a reference is saved into the central management server (CMS), which holds a reference to the File Repository Server (FRS); where the file is actually stored.  This indirect referencing is what is breaking your Excel File <-> Excel File linking.  There may be some admin magic that you can perform on the BOE to allow Excel File <-> Excel File linking, but BOE Admin is outside of my sphere of knowledge.

Open Workbook through Browser - You should have no problems doing this.  On AO versions < 1.4, you can set the registry setting LoadBehavior to start AO whenever Excel is started, allowing your users to start AO Workbooks from the Launch Pad.  AO 1.4, when used in conjunction with BIP 4.1 (in Ramp Up right now), allows the use of a new, specialized, AO Info Object.  When this Info Object is used, the launcher XML start methodology is invoked and AO is started with Excel. 

Cheers,

Dave

[former_member183781]

This is an older-post, but I assume this “Open Analysis for Office workbook through a Browser” feature made it through Ramp-Up and was in the GA of the SAP BO-BI 4.1 platform in Sept. 2013, right...?

Thanks for the advice.

[IngoH]

Mark,

opening the workbook in a browser is also possible before the 4.1 release already.

take a look a the reponse I already gave you.

regards

Ingo Hilgefort

[kumarkumar]

Hello Ingo,

Could you please share us, how to open document from CRM webui to analysis office excel document,For example if you click on Contract No from CRM WebUI, it should take as a pre selection Contract No as variable and should open in excel(through BI launchpad).

Thanks

Bharath

[JohnL]

Hi Bharath, open a new thread.

Thanks,

John

[former_member440405]

For opening the workbook through the browser - In BI4.1, one of the enhancements coming is that the AO workbooks will open from BI Launchpad as AO documents, not just as Excel.

[Former Member]

Hi Michael,

here a bit more information about the Analysis Info Object (not to be confused with a InfoObject in BW context) mentioned by David:

What's New in SAP Business Objects Analysis, Edition for Microsoft Office 1.4

Best regards,

Victor