Showing posts with label bo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bo. Show all posts

Business Objects: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) Review

Business Objects: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Based on the first section alone, Getting Ready for Business Objects, I would recommend this book to anyone just starting out in the Business Intelligence space! Finally someone has come out with a workable model for BI implementation. It is obvious Ms. Howson actually operates in the real world and understands that sometimes you have to OLTP before you STAR and OLAP.
In addition to this lagniappe, there are solid explanations of Universe Design and Report Creation principles. I actually prefer the WROX line of books, but this compares nicely in terms of technical depth. The book provides perspective from both the IT professional and the end user. However, it provides no explanation of how to install or tune Business Objects servers. Basically, it assumes that Business Objects is up and running.
I would say that the book is primarily for Business Objects Administrators who use Designer, Supervisor, Full Client and WebI to meet the reporting needs of their end user community. However, if you just need to learn how to create reports and talk to your IT shop it is an excellent tool as well. If you are looking for the best Business Objects book written to date...then you have found it....don't waste your money on the other books.
One downfall of the book is that no CD was included. You must download the reporting database, sample universe and reports from the web. Also, it would have been nice if the book was available in electronic format as well.

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If your objective in business intelligence reporting is Business Objects success, this is the resource for you. Gives a thorough run-down of the software, plus coverage of Web intelligence, complex queries, multidimensional analysis, and more. Author Cindi Howson has plenty of hands-on experience with the product.

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BusinessObjects XI (Release 2): The Complete Reference Review

BusinessObjects XI (Release 2): The Complete Reference
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I recently purchased the "Complete Reference Business Objects XI (R2)" by Cindi Howson.
She has worked closely with Business Objects (foreword by B. Liautaud, founder of Business Objects) and technical editors who are Business Objects employees, which has its advantages (inside knowledge).
On the universe/Designer side the book does cover the SQL parameters of universes such as SQL ANSI92 syntax, aggregate awareness, index awareness, universes built directly against OLAP cubes, fan/chasm traps, loops, contexts and aliases, etc. The problematic involving semi-additive measures is mentionend as well. The OLAP technology with advantages/disadvantages is well explained.
Cindi prefers putting most of the Intelligence in the universe
WebIntelligence with its formulas is covered in depth.
What is missing:
Cindi clearly states in her introduction that her book does not cover Crystal Reports, Performance Management, DataIntegrator, or Live Office.
Further the challenge on how to setup a Business Objects system in detail nor the many options in the CMS (setting up complex security, best practices, etc.) did not find its way into the book. The "rights fidelity" and "merge" options in the import/export wizard are only briefly mentioned. Although cascading prompts are covered, the many shortcomings of cascading prompts in Business Objects are not (cascading prompts in Crystal Reports work better).
What is clearly missing is a cd with the book in electronic format acompanying the printed edition.
This book is the only reference book for XI (covering universe design as well as reports) as far as I am aware.

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This book is a must read for anyone deploying BusinessObjects. It covers everything from planning your upgrade to the latest release, to best practices in universe design, and powerful report creation that maximizes business insight. This book covers the most frequently used features for the full BI suite, in one comprehensive book. There's in depth coverage of Designer, security via the Central Management Console, InfoView, Web Intelligence, and Desktop Intelligence. It goes beyond step-by-step instructions to cover how and why in a business context. Transition notes are interspersed for version 5 and 6 customers to understand the biggest changes in XI Release 2. If you drive BI requirements in your company or are a data warehouse program manager, Business Objects administrator, report author or consumer, this book is for you.

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